Imagine the United States of America exactly as it is now, except that hippos are an accepted meat source and they're just as prevalent in the swamps of the south as gators. Kind of weird, no? Well, this is something that almost happened in this country. And when I say "almost," I mean that the American Hippo Bill lost in Congress by a single vote. Wow. This is all true (look it up and thank me later) and, fortunately, we get to see what life may have been like had this occurred by reading Sarah Gailey's new book, "River of Teeth."
This novella takes place in the late 19th century, around the time that this crazy idea took root in our reality. We follow a band of criminals led by one Winslow Houndstooth--what a name!--and his precious hippo, Ruby. All blinged out with gold tusks. Because how else would you have your hippo? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in addition to eating these hippos, some were also bred for riding purposes. A water horse, if you will.
So good ol' Houndstooth and his bunch attempt to follow through with an operation (not a caper!) to clear feral hippos out of a bayou after being commissioned by the U.S. government. Things don't necessarily go according to plan, but that only makes the ride that much more fun. And this book is definitely fun. It's fairly quick-paced, which was a negative in some aspects because I would have loved to dig in deeper into some of the character's back stories. I mean, we have a cross-dressing con woman, an agender pyrotechnics expert, a pregnant assassin on the run, and a sharpshooter with whom Houndstooth has an axe to grind.
I recommend this book for the unique plot alone. It's absurd and a good time and darn it, it's short, which makes it a pretty quick read! I'll be looking for the second book set in this universe, coming out this September.
This novella takes place in the late 19th century, around the time that this crazy idea took root in our reality. We follow a band of criminals led by one Winslow Houndstooth--what a name!--and his precious hippo, Ruby. All blinged out with gold tusks. Because how else would you have your hippo? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in addition to eating these hippos, some were also bred for riding purposes. A water horse, if you will.
So good ol' Houndstooth and his bunch attempt to follow through with an operation (not a caper!) to clear feral hippos out of a bayou after being commissioned by the U.S. government. Things don't necessarily go according to plan, but that only makes the ride that much more fun. And this book is definitely fun. It's fairly quick-paced, which was a negative in some aspects because I would have loved to dig in deeper into some of the character's back stories. I mean, we have a cross-dressing con woman, an agender pyrotechnics expert, a pregnant assassin on the run, and a sharpshooter with whom Houndstooth has an axe to grind.
I recommend this book for the unique plot alone. It's absurd and a good time and darn it, it's short, which makes it a pretty quick read! I'll be looking for the second book set in this universe, coming out this September.
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