An epic, action-packed fantasy Western featuring Hippos. Do I really need to say more? Hippos. It's a Western.. WITH HIPPOS. Stop everything, read this.

Interesting and strange--the concept is unique and expertly done.

A whimsical alternate history filled with devilish deeds, cowboys and contract killers and ferocious hippos! A fast-moving caper that will leave you gasping for the next installment!

“In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.

Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.

This was a terrible plan.

Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.”

Okay, the thought of the American government importing hippos for meat was so outlandish that I wasn’t sure it was true. Then I did a bit of research. It is true. Can you imagine swamp hippos? Can you imagine the reality shows on Discovery Channel about swamp hippos? The mind boggles.

The mind also really liked this novella. While I’m not sure that hippos could be tamed enough to ride, I was able to buy into this version of America with riverboat barons that use man-eating hippos to keep unruly guests in line, and a government effort to deal with the fallout of their dubious decision regarding those hippos. The author seems to have incorporated a lot of aspects of actual frontier culture into her setting, so the rich background does a lot to make the narrative feel grounded.

In a story that’s comparatively short like this one, it’s hard to effectively flesh out the characters, especially since this is the first of a series (book two comes out in September) and the place where their personalities, quirks, and motivations get set up. With this in mind, it’s not too surprising that Houndstooth is the most solidly drawn of the characters, but the others have their moments in which they get to display a bit of who they are. For example, one of the characters is either gender neutral or gender fluid, which adds an extra dimension to the story–it’s not something that would have been usual to encounter in the 1890s, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. The characters are still not nearly as fleshed out as those in full-length novels, but Gailey gives it a good try.

Add to all of this a Leverage-esque caper and you have one heck of a unique story. I think that the plot, unlike the characters, was well served by being in this shorter format. The action doesn’t drag–it doesn’t have time to drag–and thus the plot is this book’s greatest strength. The hippos add just enough of a weirdness factor to bolster the story too.

This isn’t a perfect story, but it’s interesting enough and has enough of a unique premise (one based in reality, no less) to get my vote. River of Teeth is a quick read for your summer afternoon at the beach.

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

(Description nicked from Goodreads.com.)

**This book was reviewed for Macmillan-Tor/ Forge via Netgalley

River of Teeth hits you with the two-ton force of a raging bull hippo, dragging you down into the depths of well-wrought words. This is an alternate earth story of what life might have been like if the US went ahead with plans to import hippos to the marshlands of the south as a food source. This plan really was considered once, but discarded for the simple fact that hippos are damn dangerous. Temperamental and vicious, they are prone to attacking without provocation. Even the towering elephant and the short-sighted rhino, while dangerous in their own right, are not as ferocious.

Winslow Houndstooth is a man with a singular goal- revenge. Revenge against the ones responsible for his ranch burning, slaughtering his hundred plus hippos. He's not a hero… but he could be. Winslow is a mercenary of sorts now, and his most recent client is the US government. He’s to clear an area of marshland known as the Harriet of its feral hippo population. To do this, Winslow needs a team with very specialised skills. There's Hero, the demolitions expert, sharpshooter Calhoun, Adelia, the assassin, skilled in knife play, and grifter Archie, who is skilled in the use of a ball-n-chain weapon she calls a meteor hammer. Not everyone in this group is on the best of terms, and one can be dangerous just for the hells of it, but they've agreed to work together for a nice payout.

Of course, nothing is ever simple. Disaster strikes early on with an attack by a rogue feral before they've even reached the Harriet. Then there’s the little matter of river casino owner Travers who operates out of the Harriet and uses the ferals as a deterrent to cheaters or those who cause other problems. Despite his oily slick facade of cooperation, Travers has no intention of allowing anything to happen to his ferals. Betrayal from within shatters the company, leaving more than one dead or dying, and their mission more broken than they ever could imagine.

This was storyweaving at it's finest. It's got it all- witty dialogue, non-mushy romance, wonderful worldbuilding, and women who are kick-ass in their own right. With these diverse characters, and the initial nature of the caper (I mean, the operation), I was strongly reminded of the show Leverage. I could easily imagine our mastermind, Winslow, uttering Nate’s signature phrase “Let's go steal a …..”, filling in marsh. But never has such terrible betrayal fractured the trust between the Leverage team.

I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that part of the personality and character traits woven into the story included diverse sexual orientation as well. It is neatly done, being just another subtle element, but it was unique in my reading experience. In other books (thus far) that I've read, if that diversity is there, you are bludgeoned with it, as if to force acknowledgement. Here, it is as it should be, in both stories, and in real-life, a blended aspect that simple just is, with no need for justification. There's a person who is bi, a person who seems to favour only their own gender, a person who has a non-binary orientation. The latter was handled very well.

I devoured River of Teeth in a day, and I'm ready for Taste of Marrow!

📚📚📚📚📚+

This was a highly-anticipated read for me, because it's the kind of alt-history I love: it takes real could-haves and makes them feel real. In this case, it's an America that imported hippos as a food source, resulting in a late-19th century bayou with hippo "cowboys" and feral hippos that are as nasty as vampires or zombies or any other insidious bad-guys of spec fiction. The biggest negative I have is that it is only a novella, and half of the content (quite literally, going by the percentage on the ebook) consisted of the party members coming together. That made the pacing feel a bit off to me, and left me frustrated at the suddenness of the end. I do know there is another novella in the series, so that's something to look forward to!

Well, this book has basically the best premise ever: apparently at some point in American history, some people wanted to raise hippos for meat down in the marshy south parts of the US. And this book posits: what if they actually DID that? And . . . what if it was a terrible idea, because hippos aren't exactly docile. Anyway, this book centers on a team of awesomely diverse characters, including a non-binary demolitions expert/love interest, who are working on a CAPER to move some feral hippos out to the Gulf of Mexico. It's great. They're like cowboys but they ride hand-raised tame hippos around. The visuals alone! I read an NPR review that was like "the only problem is that this book is too short!" which is true, but that's because the pacing feels really off--there just is no room for the characters or the plot to breathe. It's all super rushed. And there is a big "reveal" that I was pretty sure the protagonist already knew, so then I thought he was basically a major dope. BUT it has people riding hippos planning a caper, so like, it is still pretty awesome. There is a sequel due out in September. B+.

The nitty-gritty: A fascinating taste of alternate history involving hippos, full of grit, danger, romance and plenty of humor. And teeth, plenty of teeth.

Readers have been buzzing about this novella for months, and I was so excited to finally sit down and read it. What fun this was! Sarah Gailey has created something unique: a fast-paced story that feels like an old-time Western, full of dangerous characters who lie, steal and cheat to get what they want, combined with a little-known slice of American history. You see, back in the late 1800s, Congress came up with a plan to import hippos and use them as a meat source. Luckily, the plan never materialized, but fortunately for us, Sarah Gailey took this fascinating idea and ran with it. In River of Teeth, the hippo plan actually happened, and now “hoppers” are the norm, hippo ranchers who domesticate and breed hippos.

But in addition to domesticated hippos, feral hippos run wild in a section of the Mississippi River known as the Harriet, penned in by gates and rugged river banks. The story centers around Winslow Houndstooth, who has just been hired to solve the problem of the feral hippos once and for all. His job is to figure out a way to get them out of the Harriet, and in order to complete this task, he sets about hiring a crew to help him, including a pickpocket named Regina “Archie” Archambault, an explosive expert named Hero Schackleby, and a beautiful woman named Adelia Reyes who may or may not be wanted for murder. There’s plenty of gold for each of them if they complete their task—if they don’t kill each other first, that is.

There’s nothing like a good caper story—although as Winslow keeps telling everyone, “It’s not a caper, it’s an operation.” Gailey rounds up quite the motley crew for this story, and I loved how she made each one a fully fleshed out character in such a small page count. And if you’re a reader looking for diversity in your stories, then look no further. Winslow is bisexual and has a way of making most of the men in this story blush. But it was Hero who caught my attention, a gender neutral character referred to as “they” throughout the story. I have to admit in the beginning the author’s use of that pronoun was confusing, but once I caught on it simply became part of Hero’s character. There is a lovely relationship that develops between Hero and Winslow, and the ambiguity of their sexual and gender orientations flew right out the window the closer they became. Gailey accomplished something wonderful: a romantic relationship between two people that has absolutely nothing to do with gender.

But let’s talk about the hippos! In Gailey’s story, hippos come in all sorts of breeds and colors, and each of the characters in this story rides his own hippo. Winslow’s hippo is named Ruby, a Cambridge Black hippo, but there are many different types of hippos—just think about the variety of cows and horses we’re familiar with. This bit of invention (well, I’m assuming the author made up these hippo breeds because, yes, I did Google them!), coupled with the distinct personalities of each animal, made the domesticated hippos feel just like family. Believe it or not, though, the hippos actually take a backseat to the human characters. They are a big part of the story, but it's not really their story, if you know what I mean.

When it comes to violence, Gailey doesn’t pull any punches. From the ferocious feral hippos in the Mississippi—and yes, she gives us some memorable feral hippo scenes—to the ruthlessness of the characters, this isn’t a story for the faint of heart. Winslow may be motivated by great piles of gold coins, but what he’s really after is revenge, and as we all know, revenge can get ugly. By the end of the story, each of the characters had surprised me in some way, which is a very good thing. I recommend you get in on the ground floor, because the sequel for River of Teeth—Taste of Marrow—comes out only a few short months from now. Funny, bloody, touching and just plain fun, this is one story you won’t want to miss.

7/10

I received an advanced copy of River of Teeth via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Sarah Gailey and Tor.

River of Teeth is an alternative history/fantasy Western adventure where the cowboys and mercenaries ride hippos instead of horses. Winslow Houndstooth is the main protagonist and he has been assigned a mission by government officials which involves brutal feral man-eating hippos and a shady gangster who runs a canal based gambling empire. For this mission, Houndstooth is able to assemble his own entourage which includes a chubby con-woman, an ex-best friend sharpshooter, and a deadly assassin.

This is quite a short tale that took me just over two hours to read. It is a highly ambitious premise and is one that, before picking up this book, I could never have envisaged in my craziest dreams so I have to compliment Gailey's amazing imagination. This alternative America is similar to what could have become a reality as is admirably explained by Gailey in the novella's forward. I won't try to explain as I would dumb the historical influence down compared to how the author presents it but it engaged me from the start.

Houndstooth's gang are an interesting enough bunch but unfortunately, due to the length of the narrative, they don't really evolve past the brief descriptions I mentioned in the second paragraph. River of Teeth includes a same-sex relationship (Edit-or does it?) Some moments between the couple are sweet and romantic but the relationship itself seemed unlikely to me from the characters initial interactions to where it ultimately leads in a short space of time. Unfortunately, the love depicted seems almost rushed.

This story is definitely an adult read. There are numerous grim and gruesome scenes from the very beggining, some of which incorporate those deadly feral hippos. There was one moment I found truly grim and upsetting. This alongside other harsh scenes infuses the story with a sense of dread. As well as these murderous beasts, Houndstooth's crew each have their own trained hippo and one of my favourite aspects of this story is the gangs' relationship with their 'steeds', who are even given cute names such as Ruby and Abigail. Furthermore, when our crew go off to complete certain sections of their missions they leave the hippos to play and hang out. Cute. One aspect of the story that confused me was the issue that one of the characters is referred to by everyone as if he is more than one person. 'They tried not to blink.' 'Their name.' I originally thought that he was perhaps schizophrenic but would friends refer to someone who has schizophrenia as 'them' instead of 'him'? The reason for this is not explained which is a shame as it could have made a cool revelation. I may have missed something yet I am usually quite attentive. (Edit - my friend on Goodreads advised this may be a gender-neutral character which is an interesting device and quite common in certain fiction apparently. If this is the case, which after analysing is probable then 1) this is the first book I have read with such a character and 2) what does it say about me that I read this individual as a man that was then involved in a gay relationship when nothing sex descriptive was discussed. Re-evaluating, this is a really interesting concept and I wish it had been more transparant during my initial read instead of leading me to a small degree of confusion.)

To conclude, I think some of the characters relationships could have been fleshed out a bit more. The finale of the book was brilliant and exhilarating. The book concludes nicely although it poses a few questions regarding what occurs next. This is an enjoyable and exciting hippo-fuelled fantasy western and I will be picking up Taste of Marrow when it is released in September. Not perfect but definitely worth a read.

James

I think in the end, that I just had too high hope on this book. Sure it's good, with an interesting story and some really gruesome scenes. But, at the same time did I feel that this was not a book that I devoured. I loved the idea of this book, with hippos in the marshlands of Louisiana and the story was interesting, but it ended when it started to get really interesting. It's a short story only 152 pages long and that could be why I felt like I wanted more meat to the story. This is book one so it will be more of them and I will definitely read them.

I do think that if you like alternative stories should you really read this book. Personally, did I struggle a bit with keeping the characters (and hippos) apart, and I would have loved a deeper introduction into each and every one of the characters. On the plus side are they interesting characters and I'm looking forward to getting to know them more in the next novella!

So, you might know I love my hippos. After all, my first teddy was Helen Hippo, and she's been with me since two days after I was born. We have a connection. I wasn't quite sure about reading this because, well, River of Teeth? Feral hippos attacking? That didn't sound good. Let me reassure other hippo aficionados: there are feral hippos and they're pretty vicious, but there are also tamed hippos who happen to be adorable, like the one who likes pastry and has her teeth cleaned regularly.

It's a fun caper novel set in an alternate US where hippos were brought in to be herded for meat, and you've essentially got cowboys riding hippos through bayous and marshes. It isn't such a leap, though you might think so: the US did consider bringing in hippos for that purpose, once upon a time. This just plays with the idea that they went ahead with it.

The cast of characters is great; my favourite is probably Hero, who is non-binary and has a romance and is completely, utterly badass. I like Houndstooth, too, mostly because his crush on Hero is adorable. And Archie is a ton of fun.

I can't wait for the next book, though I am somewhat alarmed at the blurb suggesting the gang has split up. That better be an exaggeration!

River of Teeth marks the debut of Sarah Gailey's long-awaited alt-history feral hippo novella, and it's a good one. Gailey takes the real-life, actually abandoned plans of the United States Congress to launch hippo farming in response to America's meat shortage and runs wild with the premise, crafting an alternate late-1800s Louisiana bayou thick with hippos, hippo farmers, and cowboys riding on hippoback.

At it's core, this story is essentially a western, but instead of horses and run-away cattle, you've got yourself a bevy of hippos, some of them tame, some of them...not so tame, to put it lightly. Ex-hippo farmer Houndstooth has been commissioned by the US government to clear the Mississippi of its feral hippo infestation, and he puts together a motley crew to contend with these orders. Houndstooth, though, is out for revenge, aiming to set his gun-sights on the villain that burned down his hippo farm and destroyed his livelihood.

River of Teeth is a good, fun bit of wild-west action, only set in the muggy swamps and rivers of the south. Houndstooth gets some great moments, as do the supporting players, particularly Hero, the gender-neutral demolitions expert. In a story chock-full of small action set-pieces and betrayals, it's the hippos that are the most captivating for this reader. I do wish this story were longer, though, so that I could have gotten more feral hippo fun, but the second installment's September due date does help soften the blow.

[Note: I received a copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]

Can you imagine The Magnifience Seven directed by Tarantino but with hyppopotamus instead of horses?. More or less it's what you will find in this novella. Funny and entertaining.

A review in spanish: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/2017/05/tres-novelas-breves-de-torcom.html

I went into this story with very high expectations which were not only met but exceeded by miles. River of Teeth is one of the most fun stories I’ve read in a while and one of the closest to a “me” book you can find.

I often struggle somewhat in getting attached to characters in novellas and short stories which is why it is rare for me to give the full five stars but Sarah Gailey made it so easy for me to really care about them all. It only took a few pages and I already knew these would be characters I’ll come to love. This ragtag group of villainous people had me at hello and is the epitome of squad goals.

I especially loved how effortlessly Sarah Gailey created a story rich in diversity. We have queer characters, we have a fat one, one using the plural pronoun, some being white, some of color. The greatest thing is how she normalizes it all and how we don’t see them getting shit for who they are (but at the same time showing that it isn’t a perfect world where it wouldn’t ever happen). This group has all around kickass people, each with their own special talents, and that’s what makes them who they are. They aren’t defined by their gender, looks or who they are attracted to.

It also didn’t take long for me to find my favorites and start shipping right away, which was bound to happen, considering all the adorable blushing involved. I was happy to see that this was something happening at the sidelines though, something that didn’t take over the main plot.

As for the actual hippo related caper (sorry, I mean “operation”): this is the kind of western I didn’t know I needed and I really hope to get to read a lot more set in this alternate history. I didn’t know feral hippos could be so much fun, but these vicious beasts brought along some brutal scenes, totally surprising me with the amount of blood flowing and the related body count, making this a story right up my alley. And I kind of want my own hippo now.

If I had to describe River of Teeth with just one word, it would be “fun”. A ragtag group of outlaws making schemes while riding their hippos, having to deal with lies and betrayals as well as with the troubles of their everyday lives (THE FEELS, OMG), this was an explosive debut that I couldn’t get enough of.

The idea behind this novella sounded really entertaining, so I decided to take a chance on a debut author and give it a try. Sadly, in my opinion, the execution didn’t live up to the premise.

In the early 20th century, the U.S. government proposed bringing in hippopotami to be raised as a source of meat in the Louisiana swamps. This is an actual fact. Thankfully nobody followed up on that idea in reality, but in the alternate timeline proposed here, the government imported the animals in the 1850s, and by the late 19th century, they are a major commodity, with hippo ranches in several Southern states.

Some of the hippos have gone feral in a man-made flooded area, though, and the government has decided to hire a crew to get rid of them. The chosen group is made up of a bunch of ne’er-do-wells: a thief and conwoman; the fastest gun (no qualifier); a demolitions expert; a deadly contract killer; and their leader, Winslow Houndstooth, a man with a plan and a thirst for revenge. So, what could possibly go wrong?

I didn’t realize that this was a caper story when I started the novella. (Although, as Houndstooth repeatedly points out, it isn’t a caper, it’s an operation, since it is government sanctioned. The government just doesn’t know exactly what he plans to do.) I’m not a big fan of caper plots, so that was a strike against the novella from the beginning. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, either, and that didn’t help me get invested in the story. Still, I kept reading, because I was curious about how the plot would develop.

However, a couple of structural problems almost destroyed the story for me. For one thing, there’s a big reveal scene where a character learns a key piece of information. The problem is, that information was SO obvious to me as a reader, I didn’t realize the character didn’t already know it. All along I had been wondering why that character was making what were to me some very odd choices—but they weren’t odd at all, if the character didn’t know that bit of info. Beyond that, the main villain of the piece does something that is so monumentally against common sense that I had to wonder how the heck he got to the point of being the archvillain anyway. It just left me scratching my head.

So, this novella was a miss for me. I’d be willing to try something else by the author, because there were moments where I appreciated her writing. But despite her attempt at the end of the story to set a hook for readers that will draw them into further adventures in her alternate version of the United States, I’m not sure I’m interested in following this particular group of characters any further.

An eARC of this novella was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.