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A review by rubeusbeaky
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
4.0
An incredible blend of genres: What begins as a zombie parody becomes the heartfelt, almost Romantic (not smutty paperbacks; I mean classic sweeping novels) story mourning the passage of time and the self-destructive final generation of man, while also celebrating the wisdom and majesty of nature.
The author has a gift with words, the highest compliment I can think to bestow upon a writer! She chooses her descriptions meticulously. (There was one instance early on, where S.T. the crow is flying away from danger by taking off awkwardly from a countertop. The line said he "huffed" into the air. And I /felt/ that, I felt the effort it would take to go from leaden to airborne, and the fluff of his feathers as he tries to inject air under his wings... One word, and an entire living moment was captured.) From colorful cursing, to poetic interpretations of nature's wheel, and to many many times over the relatable musings of a crow who draws nostalgia and meaning from daily little things, time and again the word choices were perfect. The moment was real. The feelings were real. This author deserves a round of applause, I wish I could bow to her prowess. I cannot wait to read more by Kira Jane Buxton.
Speaking of the relatable crow narrator! There were a lot of LGBTQA themes addressed under the guise of a crow finding his way in a half-humanized half-wild world! I was impressed that the author managed to turn S.T.'s struggles into an icebreaker for discussions about trans identity and queer struggles with self-discovery! Feeling at odds with your body - ashamed that your idea of yourself, your reflection, and society's expectations, don't match - is a universal feeling, but it's a cornerstone of growing up queer, and it's brave and poignant and breathtaking that a little crow could help people who aren't LGBTQA come to understand and empathize with people who are. Well done, S.T.! Amazing work, again, Kira Jane Buxton, creating a book that makes people want to gather and talk and /relate/ to one another! Bravo!
I will say, grudgingly, that I knocked off a star for two things. One was list syndrome? Like, the story is so nostalgic, it will go into a giant list of all the refuse in a scene: Wrappers, toys, broken vehicles, a shoe without a pair, etc. I understand setting a scene, or if the evidence were particular to a character we care about and were symbolic in some way... But after a few too many, a list is a list is a list. I had to force myself through these paragraphs. I get it, mankind is ending, move on!
The other gripe was that somewhere in the middle, the book changes from a zombie parody with a horror mystery to solve, into an animals vs. animals epic like Redwall or Warriors. If you like that sort of thing, that's fine. Personally, it's not my cup of tea. Animals having race wars was not as compelling to me as S.T. sympathizes with the domesticated animals who straddle the animal and human world and sets out to preserve humanity's history by safeguarding their legacy: their pets. A pet utopia would have been cute. Stumbling upon a way to protect or save humanity would have been cute too. But I am very satisfied with the ending and that's all I'll say about that <3.
A loving, not-too-preachy, story about how we humans need to look down at our screens a little less, and appreciate the "tribes" around us a little more. And also go for a walk, fresh air is the best. And also hug your pets, they are family too.
Read it!
The author has a gift with words, the highest compliment I can think to bestow upon a writer! She chooses her descriptions meticulously. (There was one instance early on, where S.T. the crow is flying away from danger by taking off awkwardly from a countertop. The line said he "huffed" into the air. And I /felt/ that, I felt the effort it would take to go from leaden to airborne, and the fluff of his feathers as he tries to inject air under his wings... One word, and an entire living moment was captured.) From colorful cursing, to poetic interpretations of nature's wheel, and to many many times over the relatable musings of a crow who draws nostalgia and meaning from daily little things, time and again the word choices were perfect. The moment was real. The feelings were real. This author deserves a round of applause, I wish I could bow to her prowess. I cannot wait to read more by Kira Jane Buxton.
Speaking of the relatable crow narrator! There were a lot of LGBTQA themes addressed under the guise of a crow finding his way in a half-humanized half-wild world! I was impressed that the author managed to turn S.T.'s struggles into an icebreaker for discussions about trans identity and queer struggles with self-discovery! Feeling at odds with your body - ashamed that your idea of yourself, your reflection, and society's expectations, don't match - is a universal feeling, but it's a cornerstone of growing up queer, and it's brave and poignant and breathtaking that a little crow could help people who aren't LGBTQA come to understand and empathize with people who are. Well done, S.T.! Amazing work, again, Kira Jane Buxton, creating a book that makes people want to gather and talk and /relate/ to one another! Bravo!
I will say, grudgingly, that I knocked off a star for two things. One was list syndrome? Like, the story is so nostalgic, it will go into a giant list of all the refuse in a scene: Wrappers, toys, broken vehicles, a shoe without a pair, etc. I understand setting a scene, or if the evidence were particular to a character we care about and were symbolic in some way... But after a few too many, a list is a list is a list. I had to force myself through these paragraphs. I get it, mankind is ending, move on!
The other gripe was that somewhere in the middle, the book changes from a zombie parody with a horror mystery to solve, into an animals vs. animals epic like Redwall or Warriors. If you like that sort of thing, that's fine. Personally, it's not my cup of tea. Animals having race wars was not as compelling to me as S.T. sympathizes with the domesticated animals who straddle the animal and human world and sets out to preserve humanity's history by safeguarding their legacy: their pets. A pet utopia would have been cute. Stumbling upon a way to protect or save humanity would have been cute too. But I am very satisfied with the ending and that's all I'll say about that <3.
A loving, not-too-preachy, story about how we humans need to look down at our screens a little less, and appreciate the "tribes" around us a little more. And also go for a walk, fresh air is the best. And also hug your pets, they are family too.
Read it!