River of Teeth

Written by Sarah Gailey

Narrated by Peter Berkrot

In the early twentieth 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781541482463

Sarah Gailey

Sarah Gailey is a Hugo Award and British Fantasy Award winning and bestselling author of speculative fiction, short stories, and essays. Their nonfiction has been published by dozens of venues internationally. Their fiction has been published in over seven different languages. They have written comics for Marvel, EC, and BOOM! Studios, including multiple original series. They are the editor and publisher of Stone Soup and Love Letters: Reasons To Be Alive. You can find links to their work at sarahgailey.com.

Reviews for River of Teeth

[Natasha Mays · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a fun story. The characters were an absolute delight.

[Rueben Canales · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Even for a pulp adventure, this story was really thin. One character was written incredibly poorly. I understand that the author was going for a gender fluid character, but instead created a literary void on the page. I look forward to this author developing more substantial characters to go along with her fun set dressing.

[Lena Ariza · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I haven’t been this unsettled by an alt history since Blades of Winter. That will feel like an exaggeration to anyone not living in near cattle country.

Here we glimpse an America that embraced the hippopotamus as it’s meat animal.

The hippo.

The most dangerous animal in Africa.

An aggressive, territorial 3300lb animal than can explode out of the water and run at 19 mph.

In southern American waterways.

Dear God I don’t think I ever got over it, distracting me to the point where the plot made little sense and was secondary to the world building. I didn’t like or care for the characters. The hippos were of more interest.

And yes this almost happened: American Hippopotamus

The audiobook was well read. I find the story hard to rate as it has original and imaginative staying power but I didn’t like it.

[Shelby Wells · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You had me at man-eating hippos. What a fun novela

[Charles Stence · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this - an alternate timeline story based in a tidbit of actual history sounded enticing. Ultimately however, I felt this potentially great story was ruined by the author's apparent need to dabble in the latest popular sexual propoganda to such a degree to be distracting. Too bad.

[Akkisuitok · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hippo Cowboys! A badass team! A heist! Queer characters and a touching romance! Everything about this book is great.

[Ra Smith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wild western with eccentric colourful characters, modern language and of course hippos

[Steven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The story is inspired by Louisiana Congressman Robert F. Broussard's 1910 plan to import hippopotamuses to America, with the intent that they would eat invasive water hyacinth and serve as meat animals." What was an very obscure plan, the story that comes from it is creative. The narrator does the novel justice with the various accents all throughout it.

[Jacinta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a delightful lark. Diverse and colourful, well worth your time.

[Kevin Savoie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Super weird. super good. I didn’t expect so much of what happened in this book.

[Joanna Disch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ein vielversprechender Auftakt mit einer guten Idee als Basis. Bin gespannt, was Gailey noch daraus machen wird.

[Farah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

History is wild & truly unbelievable, if you look close enough.

[kim stories · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

That was so much fun - a thoroughly enjoyable listen

[pepperwings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cowboys riding and ranching hippos? A heist, of sorts, and undercover agents? What an interesting ride!

[onilyn-165684 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Queer, diverse cast of characters in an alternate U.S. History setting. Well written. Heart-breaking in some places. Hella Queer. Love it!

[castlelass · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Absurdist tale based on a (real) US Government plan to import hippos into Louisiana to help regulate invasive plants and provide a source of meat. This book provides an alternate history where this plan actually occurs, but the author sets it in the mid-to-late 1800s instead of 1910. In this version of America, cowboys (hippoboys?) ride domesticated hippos, ranches exist for raising hippos (similar to cattle ranching), and feral hippos are roaming the marshlands. A group of misfits is hired by the US Government to remove the feral hippos as they are mean critters that are wreaking havoc. This group is led by protagonist Winslow Houndstooth, a bisexual hippo rancher seeking revenge. He sets out to recruit others with specific skills, including a Frenchwoman con artist, a nonbinary demolitions expert, and a pregnant assassin.

It is supposed to be set in nineteenth century America, but this is one of those contemporary tales dressed up in a historic costume. Nothing about this story seemed like it was truly set in the 1800s, but at least it is not intended to be taken seriously. Read it for the entertainment value but do not expect any significant character development or a plot that makes any sense. There is a significant amount of animal-human and human-to-human violence. The premise is intriguing, and I enjoyed parts of it, but the overall storyline did not quite work.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the River of Teeth duology. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a fun read set in a crazy alternate historical setting where hippos are farmed in Louisiana. I enjoyed the action, the quirky setting, and the intriguing cast of characters here. I plan on reading the second book in the series. I enjoyed this a lot more than "The Echo Wife" which I also just finished reading. Previous to reading this I had read Gailey's "Upright Women Wanted" which I also enjoyed and Gailey's "The Echo Wife", which I strongly disliked.

This book follows a character that has gotten a government contract to remove feral hippos from the Mississippi River. He forms an Ocean's 11 like team to take on the task. Little known to the others he has a goal for revenge in mind as well.

This has very much of a wild west heist feel to it, but with hippos. The characters are quirky and fun, the dialogue is witty and fast, there is quite a bit of action as well. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and how hilarious this concept (of farming hippos) is. I did have a bit of trouble keeping some of the characters straight, there were introduced very rapidly.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. I would definitely recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this crazy alternate history set in a wild west gun-slinging type of setting but with hippos! If you enjoy western fantasy/alternate history I would recommend. This was a ton of fun. I plan on reading the second novella in this duology, "Taste of Marrow", relatively soon.

[73pctgeek-23012 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sadly this was very over-hyped. The conceit is BRILLIANT, but the plotting and characters do not live up to it. The writing was fine, not bad, not great. I have no desire to read a sequel, even though I would like to have to desire to read the sequel.

[marlastnc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed River of Teeth a lot more than I expected to. This was my second experience reading Sarah Gailey's work and it definitely won't be the last. The cast of characters was diverse and really came to life on the page. The plot, as off-the-wall as it is, was really gritty and gripping. I recommend it for anyone looking for a fast, immersive read.

[jennybeast · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well, huh. What do you say when someone has a really brilliant idea for a world (yassss, hippo ranching! Ferals on the Mississippi!) and a pretty decent list of characters -- great names, great archetypes, a gender fluid character, a party full of varied talents -- and it all just sorta fall flat?

There's so much great potential here, and it just didn't work for me. The set up was decent, until the plot holes and character inconsistencies started to get to me. I stuck it out until the very end, though, because hey, it's a caper! I'm waiting for them to cleverly pull off the caper, using their various skills and forward thinking planning -- and no. Some of them survive it, despite themselves. They accidentally wreck everything. And pretty much it's a disaster with a few characters still standing. Eh. Disappointing.

[amkitty-511462 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A straightforward novella with an interesting premise set in an alternate universe. Neither the characters nor plot are particularly deep, but the story is fast-paced.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

alternate history adventure (Old Louisiana, with cowboys/ranchers and fearsome hippos)
Featuring a thoughtfully diverse cast (including a fat woman, several people of color, a man who "sows seeds" with all genders, and a nonbinary-gendered person who prefers the pronouns "they/them"), this quick-paced, heist-type tale will have you anticipating the next book(s) in the series.

[fence_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So yeah, this is an alternate western with hippos in place of horses. And while I'm a big fan of horses and love to have horsey goings on that premise certainly grabbed my attention. I had vaguely heard of that never implemented plan to use hippos in the US as a source of meat. Probably on metafilter, it is my usual source for the wonderful and strange online. So I was aware of that, I hesitate to use the word plan, because, well hippos... So when I first saw mention of this book I was intrigued.

It is a really great fun read.

And there is more to it than just hippo riding cowboys. There is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his quest for revenge, and the motley crew he assembles all come with their own backstory. Plenty to keep me reading.

It is a novella, so short enough, but the story is well written, I enjoyed the characters, and I'll certainly be reading the second book, Taste of Marrow. I have it pre-ordered already.

[noeshia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Swamp cowboys riding hippos. That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? That is this book. I loved every minute of the audiobook(it's only four hours long). I love strange what-if scenarios. Also, this book pulls off LGBT characters so well it's amazing. Hands down, I was in love with the book from scene one. Not every book that centers around a big idea pulls it off, but this one blew it out of the water(very appropriate considering the plot). Are there flaws? Yes, the main flaw being that this book is so short and does not cover some of what is happening. I am already listening to the sequel dealing with the aftermath. You will like this book if you like alternate histories, lighthearted adventures, and well done LGBT characters. Or if you like hippos. You might even love it.

[fred_mouse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is quite the romp of a story, with so many fabulous details. I loved the world-building, and the characters and the writing style. What didn't quite work for me were aspects of the plot and pacing, such that I kept putting it down and forgetting to finish.

[bookbrig-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was surprisingly emotional for a book about killer feral hippos. I reaaaaaallly liked it. If you're in the mood for a western, a diverse cast, a heist story, you should try it. Or if you just want to read about a passel of delightful hippos.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in a series and is western/fantasy story of hippos brought into the lower Mississippi River (Louisiana) and the team that is trying to remove them. The main character is on a quest for revenge. I did not much like this story. It had a great idea but it went no where and its need to be politically correct did not work for me. So won't be reading any further in this series.

[mazeface · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the late, late 1800s, the U.S. experienced a meat shortage and, for a short period of time, considered developing farms to fill the need with hippo meat. This much is true. Ultimately, this legislature never came to pass, but author Sarah Gailey asks the question: what if we did end up with hippos instead of horses, the swamps of Louisiana instead of the wild west?

River of Teeth unfolds the story of a group of hippo-riding mercenaries who are bent on completing their assignment to get a big payday. Betrayal, lies and violence plague the group. Who exactly has been hired by whom? Whose side is each character on?

Looking for something different? This novella will fill that craving. It only hints at science fiction or fantasy elements, but definitely can be categorized as alternate history with a touch of horror. I plan to read it’s sequel, Taste of Marrow.

[katybee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An alt-history novella with quite a twist. What if the US government decided to import hippopotamuses to farm for meat production back in the late 1800's? What could possibly go wrong? This is a quick, weird read and, wow, we can certainly use more of those! A diverse speculative Western by a creative, cool writer.

[eldang-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun romp through an alternate history in which the swampier parts of the US were given over to hippo rearing (which was apparently a serious proposal around the end of the 19th Century). By the end the characters felt a little flat and the plot a bit too absurd.