Collecting Gailey's debut, "River of Teeth" and its sequel, "Taste of Marrow".

This series has a fantastic premise: what if hippos were imported into the United States, to make up for the decline in buffalo stocks? This was actually a real proposal at one time, and Gailey has done a great job of imagining an America in which hippos have spread and thrived — some are domesticated and used for mounts, while thousands of others live as deadly “ferals” populating the American waterways.

In "River of Teeth", Winslow Houndstooth assembles a crew of outlaws, assassins, cons, and saboteurs for a history-changing caper that will help clear the Mississippi of hordes of feral hippos that have made the river deadly to travellers. In "Taste of Marrow", the story continues post-caper, following the members of the crew as they continue their lives. Each has their own quest or goal, and each must come to terms with their lives to date.

Gailey’s characters are well-drawn, interesting and varied. They bring different things to the story, as well as different skills to the caper (in "Rivers of Teeth"). Each is loyal to their comrades, as well as to their hippos. Each has an air of mystery about their pasts, shared or otherwise. Their relationships are interesting and realistic — they bicker, a couple fall for each other, they obscure truths, they fight together, they discuss hippos, there are some casualties along the way. There may also be some betrayal thrown in for good measure…

Gailey tells the story well, and the book and story move along at a good clip, never getting bogged down in too much exposition, while also managing to paint a full picture for the reader. One of the real strengths (and this is something I wish was more common in the SFF genres) of Gailey's books is that the author doesn’t hold the readers’ hands through the story and world, leaving most of the small details to us. Gailey’s prose is very good, with plenty of flair and good turns of phrase, while never becoming florid or over-done.

Overall, this is an excellent collection: entertaining, interesting, and well-constructed, populated by interesting and engaging characters. Recommended.

[Some of this adapted from my review of "River of Teeth", which I read when it was first published.]

Imaginad un Estados Unidos de América ucrónico en el que los vaqueros no montan caballos sino hipopótamos. Los pantanos de Louisiana, el gigantesco pantano que rodeaba el río Mississippi. Estos hipopótamos no solo son monturas sino que sirven de comida. Pero hay algo que los diferencia de los caballos: son salvajes, violentos e indomables. Ambientada en 1890, American Hippo cuenta la historia de Winslow Houndstooth a quien han contratado para recuperar una de las áreas más fértiles para capturar hipopótamos, por lo que su grupo de mercenarios debe ir al lugar a retomar el control. Bandidos, asesinos, pistoleros, manadas (¿manadas?) de hipopótamos salvajes... Vamos, que divertido es un adjetivo que se queda corto.



American Hippo es un tomo que recopila dos novelas cortas que Sarah Gailey publicó en 2017: River of Teeth y Taste of Marrow. Ambas tuvieron tanto éxito tanto en papel como en digital que Tor.com Publishing decidió publicar un solo tomo con ambos libritos. Y ya os adelanto que valen muchísimo la pena. Este omnibús contiene además un relato inédito que complementa las dos novelas, por lo que si estáis pensando en adquirir alguna de estas novelitas os aconsejo que os hagáis con este tomo recopilatorio. Sarah Gailey irrumpió en el panorama literario con fuerza, y es que su estilo tiene mucha personalidad, con personajes muy molones y un control del ritmo bastante cuidado. Además la trama de sus libros, que podría parecer sencilla o simple, está muy trabajada y aprovechada, por lo que la autora trata temas de debate actual en un escenario de fantasía. Como ya he comentado, el libro está ambientado a finales del siglo XIX, por lo que ciertos aspectos en cuanto a la forma de pensar colectiva, la organización social o el trato entre personajes están especialmente cuidados para que reflejen ideologías y formas de pensar más actuales pero que al mismo tiempo encajen con el contexto histórico.

Imagine a world in which the United States decided to have a massive hippopotamus breeding program to provide food and transport. Soon, hippos are the main way for people to travel and a whole industry is built on the backs of hippo farms, hippo trading, etc. Over the years, some hippos escape and soon there are pods of feral hippos, one of the most dangerous animals on earth when they are on the warpath. It may be hard for you to imagine, but Sarah Gailey has done it for you. Along with the hippos, she has a group of interesting characters; a rogue group who fights hippos and also steals a bit.

There is Adelia, one of the most proficient assassins known to man. She is also hugely pregnant when we first meet her. Winslow Houndstooth is the leader of the gang, a man reminiscent of Brent Maverick, charming and well-dressed. In the first adventure we read, he has been contracted to blow the Harriet Dam so that the pods of feral hippos clotted above it will escape and the Mississippi can be used again for trade and travel. The best demolition expert in the world is Hero, who is also a master poisoner. Finally, Archie is a large woman whose expertise is with a huge hammer which shatters skulls. She is in love with a straight-laced Marshall, which has its own issues.

This book is composed of two novellas, River Of Teeth and Taste Of Marrow, along with two stories, Nine And A Half and Worth Her Weight In Gold. The reader will be amazed at Gailey's world building and the book falls solidly in the fantasy genre of alt history. She uses diverse characters with interesting gender roles, sexual identities and one character who identifies as two entities, as does everyone else. The writing is breezy and graphic at times, but this is a rollicking adventure it would be a shame to miss. This book is recommended for readers of science fiction/fantasy.

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. I absolutely need more Hippo Westerns in my life. Please write more of these, Sarah Gailey!

Sometimes a concept is overall better than the execution. Such as it is with this collection, which advertises itself as an alternate history where the proposal to relocate hippos in the United States actually occurs.

These two stories are less about a world with American hippos and more a few traditional western-style tales with hippos replacing other livestock. I came for a tale on how the economy or politics of the time may have changed and was presented something a lot less invigorating. They’re well-written enough, and I’m sure many will find this compelling on its own, but I felt like this was more a bait-and-switch than a truly sound tale.

This title comprises the novellas River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, along with related material, and take readers on a rollicking journey to an alternately imagined America, one where feral hippos attacked riverboats and gangsters and outlaws and larger-than-life figures battled for survival. Gailey's characters are lively and real, and her story (a caper in River of Teeth and its fallout in Taste of Marrow) is straightforward but compelling. Highly enjoyable.

I think Sarah Gailey's writing may just not be for me. The plotting is scattered, and some of the sly witticisms are TOO sly, leaving the reader wondering what the heck is going on. I think the characters are supposed to come off as well-rounded, fleshed-out characters, but too many of them are one-note or not explained enough. Maybe I'll try Gailey again when they've released an actual novel.

In a world where President Buchanan pushed forward the importation of hippos as a meat source. But when 97 hippos escaped escaped and turned feral. They were trapped between a dam and a gate that turned part of the Mississippi River into a wild den of riverboat gambling. Years later, a team was hired to rid the area of feral hippos so that commerce could once again flow freely up and down the great river. As in any good caper, there is action, treachery and mayhem galore. It would be interesting to see what other tales may be set in this universe.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this tale.

Despite being well written, and an engaging plot, I really disliked all the language even just within the first chapter. An occasional word can add to the story. But too much detracts, just my opinion

You know how some books constantly tell you how awful a character is, and said character constantly broods about how awful they are, but then the character never actually does anything awful?

American Hippo is not that book.

Within the first chapter, our protagonist, Winslow, slit a man’s nostrils and put a knife through his eye without hesitation when the man insulted his hippo and then tried to attack him. So it was kind of self-defense, but you don’t learn how to toss a knife in the air so that it lands perfectly in someone’s eye without practice, and you don’t do it all without hesitation unless you’ve done it before. Just sayin’.

And all the other main characters? They were just as bad, if not worse. These characters, they were thieves, con artists, killers. They knew what their priorities were, they knew what kind of people they were, and they were unapologetic about it. And that was what made me enjoy reading about them, even if I didn’t quite like all of them as people or didn’t agree with some of their actions. I was shown the bad that was in them, I was shown the good, and I was allowed to make my own opinions or to simply read this story about them without worrying about good or bad. But the author did manage to make me really like and care about some of them anyway. In fact, I really want to read more about Winslow and Hero and am bummed that there won’t be more books about them!

Another great thing was how much diversity/inclusivity this book had. The main characters had different ethnicities, body types, sexual orientations, and genders. There weren’t a lot of labels used, and I don’t want to make assumptions, but I do know some had dark skin, one sometimes spoke in Spanish, one was fat, one used they/them pronouns, one was was genderfluid, the main character was either bi or pansexual, and multiple characters fit into more than one marginalized group. It also seemed to be a very accepting world they lived in (or maybe just a very accepting circle of friends).

The overall stories (plural since this book was a combo of two connected novellas and some shorts) were enjoyable too. The book was not as sci-fi/fantasy as what I normal read—no paranormal creatures or space adventures, just an alternate history—but the Old West setting (which I love) and the hippos still transported me to another world and made the story fantastical in its own way.

This book even had some romance! There was still plenty of hippos and explosions and fights, and there was nothing sexually explicit, but there was a definite romance threaded throughout. I liked it though. My only complaint about it is that it seemed sudden. I’m not sure how much time Winslow and Hero spent together, but we didn’t get to see any of that time, so their feelings seemed really strong really fast. But they were cute together.

I also enjoyed the writing. Something about it just pulled me in. I was a little confused by the POV though. Sometimes it seemed like 3rd person limited, but then it would switch without warning like it was omniscient. Not that big of an issue though since it didn’t happen that often.

Overall, I was easily drawn into this book, I loved the diverse and morally grey characters, and I really enjoyed reading about this hippo-filled Old West!

Sometimes a book comes along that makes you sad when you've finished reading it because it was so good! For me, that is American Hippo. It collects the two novellas Rivers of Teeth and Taste of Marrow in one volume and includes two further short stories set in the world of Hoppers and Bayous and literally every word is pitch perfect! The premise is so original and funny on the surface, but Gailey doesn't play it for laughs. Instead, she creates a world with so much depth and vivid imagery that the narrative just zings. The cast of characters is fabulously diverse and each one is given the time and space to develop in an organic fashion, which makes them feel like lived experiences. I also loved the hippos and the way in which they each have a distinctive personality. Although this world never existed, Gailey makes it seem like it did, or should have and in my opinion, we'd all be a lot richer for it if it had! Just an amazing book that I couldn't put down and would recommend to anyone with a love of great storytelling.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian-Tor/Forge for a digital galley of this collection.

This is a collection of two novellas by Sarah Gailey, River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow. If you read the novellas when they were released you will find the only new items here are two very short stories using the same characters from the novellas. First is Winslow's Problem where Winslow Remington Houndstooth has just committed a robbery and needs to make a getaway on his hippo, Ruby, but she just won't get up. Whatever shall Winslow do? The remaining story is called Nine and a Half where Houndstooth and Archie are involved in robbing a bank while carrying on with the running joke about how many times Archie has saved Winslow's life.

These stories are quite good entertainment with Gailey writing with humor about the life of hoppers who ranch hippos in the South for an alternative meat source. You get all the trappings of a story out of the American West with hoppers instead of cowboys and con artists, lawmen, gamblers, riverboats, the Mississippi River and people who maybe aren't exactly people as we know them. Hero is always referred to as they, them, their so I spent lots of time trying to work out exactly what I thought Hero looked like. Gailey lets the reader use their own imagination for some things but spells them out for others. I had already read River of Teeth so the remaining novella and the two short stories were new for me and I enjoyed them a lot. Looking forward to more fantasy work from this talented writer.

American Hippo:
Hippo riding cowboys. What's not to love?
Librarian: No, I won't be buying this book. Not because I don't want to. It's great fun and I would love to have it in the collection. Unfortunately I have a budget to think of and I can't buy every fun book on the shelves. And well, as fun as it is, I can't see this book circulating. My kids don't really get into cowboy stories, and I doubt that the presence of hippopotamuses will change that.
Reader: This book is great fun. It combines two of my favorite genres (western and alternative history) and adds a fun queer twist. Definitely a book I'll be rereading and recommending to friends. I hope Gailey writes more stories in this universe, because I'd love to see more.

American Hippo presents an entertaining adventure of an alternative US where the lower Mississippi River has been blocked off in a plan to raise hippos for meat. As strange as this sounds, it almost really happened in the early 20th century. What evolves is a story of revenge, with some very colorful characters who travel on hippos. Its a western with a twist. There are the good guys, who aren't necessarily all that good. The bad guy runs casinos on the river and feeds the rowdy and cheaters to the gators...or rather hippos. Slightly different kind of western that is thrilling and filled with colorful characters and fierce hippos.

If you've read River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, this doesn't add much to those two novellas. It's a nice collected edition with two bonus stories, though: one features Houndstooth, Ruby, and the dentist who looks after Ruby's teeth (and Houndstooth's money... sort of), and the other features Houndstooth, Archie, and a certain Marshal. They're nice little snippets in the world, but they don't add much to the story of the two novellas. And, sadly for me, they don't feature my fave, Hero.

That said, if you like the idea of an alternate history in which hippos were introduced in the US as a farm animal and you haven't read these yet, especially if you enjoy a good caper... you should totally, totally pick this up. What better time?