Hollow Kingdom

Kira Jane Buxton's writing has appeared in The New York Times, NewYorker.com, McSweeney's, The Rumpus, Huffington Post, and more. She calls the tropical utopia of Seattle home and spends her time with three cats, a dog, two crows, a charm of hummingbirds, and a husband.

"Hollow Kingdomis a nature book for our own age, anexuberant, glittering, hard-hitting mashup of Dawn of the Dead and TheIncredible Journey. It's an adventure lit by strange myths, brand-names,television and smartphone screens, a fable with teeth and claws about animalsmaking new lives amongst the ruins of humanity. It's transformative, poignant,and funny as hell. S.T. the irrepressible, cursing crow is my new favouriteapocalyptic hero."—Helen Macdonald,New York Timesbestselling author ofH Is for Hawk
"A plucky hero, aboisterous tale, startling prose and eerie events combine for a thoroughlyenjoyable account of the end of the world as we know it.The SecretLife of PetsmeetsThe Walking Dead."—Karen Joy Fowler, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author ofWe Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
"I love this book so much! I wanted to set it on firewhile hugging it. I wanted to hasten the apocalypse just to see how my own petsfare in a more humane world without humans. Kira Jane Buxton's voice is fresh,like a newly dug grave, but so joyful and honest you'll laugh out loud, andthen check to make sure you haven't lost an eyeball.Hollow Kingdomis awildly original debut and a paean to my favorite city."—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author ofHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
"Hollow Kingdomoffers abird's-eye view of the apocalypse we all want and need-especially when the birdin question is a plucky, Cheeto-loving domesticated crow . . . Withinfinite heart and humor, Kira Jane Buxton's fine-feathered narrator guides usthrough richly imagined animal realms while braving the terrifying collapse ofthe human world. A dazzling, wholly original debut, revealing the greatparadox of humanity's fatal flaws and resilient spirit."—Mona Awad, author of13 Ways of Looking at a Fat GirlandBunny
"Everythingyou're hearing about Kira Jane Buxton'sHollow Kingdom--that it's wildlyoriginal and inventive, funny and profane--is wonderfully true. But even better,this book is timely, smart, movingly written, and beautifully concluded."—Laurie Frankel, author ofThis is How It Always Isand member of the Seattle7 Writers
"What a surprising,funny, terrifying, marvelous, wholly original novel! Buxton combines a vividhorror show (think zombies and the gruesome, bloody extinction of man) with atouching love story between the unlikeliest of BFFs: a crow, a hound, and a manwho's had a tough go of things on Tinder, and that was before his eyeball fellout. With humor and a style that brings to mind Tom Robbins and Karen Russell,Buxton's debut is heartwarming and heart stopping, hilarious and tragic."—Amy Poeppel, author ofLimelightandSmall Admissions
"A hilariously exuberantand heart-bursting fable for our times,Hollow Kingdomreminds us thatcreativity and determination (and a whole lot of love) can go a long way towardsaving the world. When Mr. Rogers said to look for the helpers, who knew thatmight mean a salty-mouthed crow and a faithful bloodhound?"—Jennie Shortridge, bestselling author ofLove Water Memoryand member of the Seattle7 Writers
"If you'veever thought that humans were the ones in charge, Kira Jane Buxton'sgroundbreaking novel will have you thinking otherwise. Full ofunforgettable humor, insight and beauty, HOLLOW KINGDOM enriches ourhuman experience by inhabiting the minds (and bellies!) of our non-humananimal companions and reminding us that we're not alone here on thisearth."—Ruth Ozeki, nationally bestselling author ofA Tale for the Time Being
"Hollow Kingdomis a grown-up'sWatershipDownfor our times--or the end of them. Kira Jane Buxton has created a crowso full of personality you won't even miss the company of humans, who aredevolving at hyper-speed rates into something sub-literate and grotesque. ButBuxton shows there's humor in our plight and strength in tenderness, and sheportrays the intelligence and astounding beauty of the natural world in acompletely fresh way. This book is a triumphant feat of imagination, and it hadme believing that the bonds we've formed with our pets might help them save usafter all. I'll never look at a corvid the same way again."—Zoe Zolbrod, author ofThe TellingandCurrencyand former editor atThe Rumpus
"Wow. Hilarious or horrifying? Sassy orwise?Hollow Kingdomis a surprise and a marvel: a razor sharp andsatisfying warning about the coming apocalypse, told by one of the mostengaging narrators I have met in a long time. Good fiction makes youthink. It turns you upside down and makes you realize that you recognizethe world from that vantage point.Hollow Kingdomis that good fiction,and so much more."
—Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, author ofShadow Child