Hollow Kingdom (Kira Jane Buxton)

Hollow Kingdom
Kira Jane Buxton
Grand Central Publishing
Fiction, Fantasy/Humor/Sci-Fi
**+ (Bad/Okay)

DESCRIPTION: The first sign of something undeniably wrong came when Big Jim's eye fell from its socket onto the lawn of his home in Seattle... and he didn't seem to care. With growing alarm, his pet crow S.T. (short for "Shit-Turd"; Big Jim wasn't a particularly intellectual sort) watches the man degenerate into a mindless, drooling undead creature, abandoning both S.T. and his once-beloved (if roughly as smart as a chewed sock) bloodhound Dennis. S.T's not into the survival gig; at heart, he's more "mofo" (what Big Jim calls his fellow humans) than bird, happiest watching TV and munching Cheetos. But zombie apocalypses evidently don't care what he thinks. Thus begins the transformative odyssey of one domesticated crow and a rock-headed bloodhound, as the abrupt fall of humanity sets the stage for a new natural order, one haunted by the mutant remnants of the former masters of the earth.

REVIEW: Hollow Kingdom starts with plenty of foul-mouthed sass and fun. S.T.'s narration is littered with snark and swear words, giving the reader a crow's eye view of the end of the world and of the foibles of American redneck Big Jim. He struggles at first to help Jim, raiding a drug store for random pills (and even grabbing Summer's Eve in the hopes it helps with the man's unfortunate skin condition), then turns his attention to the depressed bloodhound Dennis - depression diagnosed by memories of an antidepressant commercial, which also provides the cure in its images of random people frolicking. When S.T. picks up news of what sounds like the uniquely human activity of war through "Aura", basically Nature's internet, he sets out with fresh hope of seeking help for Big Jim, thus embarking on a series of adventures and mishaps that lead him and Dennis into the heart of a world remaking itself in the aftermath of humanity. Every few chapters, the narrative jumps to other animals (and even a tree) as they experience the transformed earth from their various vantage points. At times, the tale could be touching, even horrific, but S.T's narration keeps it snapping along, even when he sadly misreads the situation with more optimism than is warranted; seeing a "superhero family" logo on an abandoned car, he figures that the occupants maybe flew away to safety with their superpowers. That optimism must inevitably run beak-first into the glass door of reality, yet S.T. still refuses to give up all hope.
And round about here is where the first tremors could be felt, the ones that led to the low rating. Sprinkled here and there are Profound Ideas, musings on the nature of life and reality and even a prophetic Destiny awaiting our foul-feathered hero. These Ideas grow more heavy-handed as the story winds on... and on... and on. S.T.'s journeys never stray far from the greater Seattle region, but feel drawn out and meandering. S.T. himself starts to wander on poetic and repetitive tangents as he's repeatedly reborn in this harsh new world. The intercut chapters begin to wade a little too deep into New Age territory, related a little too earnestly by the narrator of this audiobook version. And then, towards the end, there are a few developments that, while I can't discuss them without spoilers, really crashed the rating into the ground, one of which was blatant plot manipulation. (By this time, there were also a few tired animal stereotypes and other inaccuracies that were wearing on me, not helping my increasingly low mood.) And then it wraps up with a premise-warping finale that had me literally rolling my eyes as the Profound Ideas and prophetic Destiny that had circled over the tale on roaring jet engines finally cruise down the runway for an exceptionally unsubtle landing. It left me feeling manipulated and more than a little disappointed. Despite the snarky humor and moments of true interest and emotion, even beauty, Hollow Kingdom ends up floundering under the weight of forced Messages.

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