Written by contributor Jee W
Calling all fans of Shit Turd’s and animal lovers! Have you all heard that Shit Turd, yes, The One Who Keeps from Hollow Kingdom, is back? This time, more sardonic, sassier, and stronger than ever.
If you haven’t already read Hollow Kingdom, do yourself a favour and read it. For those who have, there’s a high chance you’ll enjoy Feral Creatures too. In Hollow Kingdom, the world ended because of humanity’s obsession with their electronic devices, and S.T., our heroic crow, and his motley crew were trying to save whatever that was left from further destruction. In the sequel, Shit Turd had a child with him. A child, you say? Yes, 13-year-old Dee, the last surviving MoFo (read: human), whom he was trying to protect from The Changed Ones (atrophied humans), along with his loyal friends, the snowy owls, Ooomingmak the musk ox, and Migisi the bald eagle.
And along the way we meet again the cocky Genghis Cat (whom I loved a little more than S.T. in this series despite her brief appearances), Ghubari the African gray parrot, Orange the Orangutan, and the suspicious stripey tigers. We were also introduced to new characters like Budiwati the Cassowary, a wise walrus who claimed to be Onida (who was an octopus in Hollow Kingdom), a pod of killer whales who called themselves the Black Fins, and some friends of Ghubari’s which included a yellow-crested cockatoo named Tom Hanks. I bet Buxton is a fan of his, as she made a couple of references to him in the book, which I didn’t mind because I am one too!
While protecting Dee from The Changed Ones, S.T. was also trying to keep her ‘human’—teaching her MoFo words, how to play basketball, bringing her clothes and books about her people called the Yup’ik, and celebrating ‘ThanksChristmasHallowHanuKwanazza’ with her each year. But much to his dismay, Dee kept being drawn back to the natural world, spending most of her time outdoors, digging her nails into soil, feeling every inch of the earth, listening to the ocean, tuning into the communication with Auro, Echo and Web.
He wanted desperately for Dee to stay to her roots as a human; he didn’t want to give up his idea of her. But as much as he tried to deny it, he observed that ‘the only thing in this world that she wants it to sprout wings and grow roots and disappear into he soil and sea.’ And Dee hated what she was.
Nevertheless, S.T. loved her more than Cheetos®, more than his own life. But will he be able to protect her, now that he was losing communication with Aura, Echo and Web, and support from some of his animal friends? Or was the polar bear right when he told S.T. that he’ keeps a monster in [his] nest’?
I was excited to enter S.T’s world again, meeting old and new friends. His humour entertained as always, making me chuckle and grin every now and then. Book 2 showed a more mature side of S.T. (although not without his signature sass and sarcasm) now that he was a parent. When he lost Dee once, he panicked and worried that she wouldn’t survive on her own. But she proved him wrong, by showing her uncanny ability to communicate with the wild.
Just like Hollow Kingdom, its sequel was just as enjoyable and the writing flawless with vivid descriptions that brought to live the apocalyptic world, spotting ‘ramshackle stores’, ‘emerald ferns bursting in viridescent fireworks’, trees that had been hollowed and eaten from the inside out, and the morphed MoFos, some with ‘gigantic legs outspread to suction itself’, some ‘evolved to survive without sun in the manner of creatures who live under stone (and the Irish) and some slithered and had skin that was ‘slack and pulpy’.
There were many parts that tickled my funny bone too, and one that I remembered was when S.T. met a crab, The One Who Creeps. They kept insisting that they were summoned by Aura. The crab got irate and said, “I was called here.” To which S.T. responded, “Are you pulling my leg?” And here comes S.T.’s thoughts: ‘The crab’s eyes widened in horror and I realized my impudence immediately. Pretty much every entity on earth is after a crab’s stems; they are understandably a little sensitive.’ Here I chuckled! I’m a sensitive crab myself!
If you like that sort of humour, fret not, there are a lot in this book. My only niggle was that it could’ve been condensed a bit more because some parts felt a little repetitive, and you might find S.T.’s sardonic humour a little too much. And there were also several Western/American references like ‘Captain Jack Morgan’, ‘Vincent Lombardi Trophy’, and ‘Pabst Blue Ribbon’ that I was not familiar with and therefore couldn’t relate to. Also the author sometimes used those terms as a verb, like ‘…her colorful little body be Benihana-ed into a small mound of glitter.’ I have no idea what Benihana means.
If you’re looking to be entertained, look no further. Start reading this series, especially if you’re an animal lover, and if you like fast-paced stories filled with humorous quips and comebacks from witty animals. Hey, this would make a great beach companion too! You can laugh your heart out hidden behind your sunglasses and big beach hat.
So, my dear S.T. fans and animal lovers, pack yourself a few bags of Cheetos® and be prepared to go on a crazy, roller-coaster ride. Find out if S.T. succeeded in protecting Dee and live up to his name of ‘The One Who Keeps’, or if he’d lose her to The Changed Ones, or if Dee had all along, been a ‘monster’ that the polar bear had warned S.T. about.
Thanks again for the fun adventure, S.T. I know I’ll be seeing you again very soon. Meanwhile, stay safe and stay out of trouble! Quoting the Yup’ik, Ikayurtarluten yullgutevnun (be helpful to one another)!
Feral Creatures is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 24th 2021.
Will you be picking up Feral Creatures? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom’s “favorite apocalyptic hero” is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic (Helen Macdonald).
Once upon an apocalypse, there lived an obscenely handsome American crow named S.T. . . .
When the world last checked-in with its favorite Cheeto addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started re-claiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo.
That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare—and so precious—that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity’s last hope for survival. But in a wild world plagued by prejudiced animals, feather-raising environments, new threats so terrifying they make zombies look like baby bunnies, and a horrendous dearth of cheesy snacks, what’s a crow to do?
Why, wing it on another big-hearted, death-defying adventure, that’s what! Joined by a fabulous new cast of animal characters, S.T. faces many new challenges plus his biggest one yet: parenthood.
