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Comments (29)

Community comments are the opinions of contributing users. These comments do not represent the opinions of Omaha Public Library.
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 29 items
Mar 05, 2024slc_PGH rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Can a book be both too long and too short at the same time? Really loved the concepts and the characters, but the novella format kind of lets it down here. There's some world-building, but not quite enough, and the overall plot felt rushed…
Feb 25, 2024Eratatosk rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An alternative America where the US Congress decided to import hippos for their meat and the hippos end up taking over a stretch of the Mississippi. Instead of the civil war, we have the Great Louisiana Hippo Rush. Some of the hippos go…
Jul 21, 2022sunnyfurches rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I really love this book. Not only is the concept of the book absolutely, lovably bonkers, the characters are inclusive and diverse. I didn't expect to see myself represented among the characters, but I was, and that made me incredibly…
Jan 12, 2022iktomi23 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A western with hippos where the horses and cows would be- GREAT starting point for an alternate history! I enjoyed the setting, the characters were diverse, inclusive, and interesting as hell, and the hippos alternated between adorable and…
Dec 17, 2021vampirehelpdesk rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
While an interesting premise, I felt that the author was too distracted trying to point out how her characters were not "traditional" Western characters and the plot suffered for it. Novellas are tricky, and perhaps I'm spoiled because I…
Sep 23, 2021RebelBelle13 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
River of Teeth was a lot of fun. I flew through it quickly and was eager to turn the pages to see what happened next. It was different, it was interesting, and honestly rather creative. What if, in the 1800's hippos were imported to be…
Sep 03, 2021
A ragtag team of hippo wranglers (including a charming fat Frenchwoman, a pregnant assassin, and a non-binary detonations expert) are sent on a job in an alternate America where hippos have taken over the Mississippi. This book lives up to…
Oct 24, 2020Katie_____ rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A fun, fast-paced hippo caper.
Mar 25, 2020
I loved the characters in this story. The narrator was skilled at imbuing these well-written characters with their various personalities and accents. With cool confidence in their own skills and an ease with one another (taken with a grain…
Jan 16, 2020evanbrow rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
While the premise is fun and engaging (What if the United States had domesticated hippos?), the characters and plot felt so artificial that I never fully engaged with the story, despite how fun it felt. There are too many introductions,…
Jul 15, 2019Arthur_of_Camelot rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book was so much fun! The premise might seem a little absurd, but it's surprisingly easy to believe and go along with once you get started. They're basically cowboys riding hippos instead of horses, and sometimes the hippos eat people.
Sep 29, 2018rixonkj rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This alternate history isn't written for the historian but rather for the fan of pulp Westerns who'd rather not deal with the casual racism and sexism of the classic pulps. As a novella, it's about the length of a classic Louis L'Amour…
Apr 08, 2018OPL_AutumnH rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
How can you not pick up an alternate history hippo western? Especially when it's a shorter novella. I loved that the main cast of characters was so LGBTQ diverse (including a gender neutral character who uses they pronouns). The plot felt…
Apr 06, 2018hartleym66 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Not suitable for children or young adults
Feb 26, 2018JessicaGma rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Hippos, a caper (operation) and an awesome cast of characters - this is a brilliant little novella worth picking up. Much like the Sin du Jour series, this has great promise, and is a heck of a lot of fun!
Feb 22, 2018alburke47 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I decided to read this book thinking it would be fun. Cowboys and Hippos? What could possibly go wrong? Famous last words... Happily though, the author nailed it, crafting a funny and exciting tale about a team of cons executing a…
Jan 19, 2018BB_Hclib rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The wild west has moved to the South in this alternative history where escaped hippopotami have claimed parts of the Mississippi and they are deadly to say the least. Called to the scene by the U.S. government on a secret mission to be…
Jan 18, 2018SCL_Justin rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
River of Teeth is kind of an alternative Western featuring swamps instead of lonely plains and hippos instead of horses. It's a novella so it isn't much of an investment in time, and for that investment you get a pretty fun caper. It has a…
Jan 13, 2018LPL_AdamL rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A ruthlessly fun novella with a diverse cast of characters, and an original premise that is actually based on historical fact. Did you know the United States government at one point thought about importing hippos to raise in the marshlands…
Dec 20, 2017AnnabelleLee27 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An original and rolicking alternative history/adventure mash-up with a definite Western flair set in 1890's Louisiana based on a real (but never realized) idea to import hippos for ranching to the Mississippi. The cast is diverse &…
Nov 29, 2017BostonPL_LauraB rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Novellas are hard to rate for me because they never seem fleshed out enough, and this was true for this novella. As bonkers as the idea is (and that it stems from an actual bit of history that almost happened), I was excited to see where…
Sep 27, 2017ReadingAdviser_Sally rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Man eating hippos in the wetlands of Florida.... amazing.
Sep 25, 2017katbee rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a hilarious adventure story- how could you not love the premise? It is a great choice if you are looking for a fun and quick book.
Sep 25, 2017dreamcloud99 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book has an interesting premise and I found fairly enjoyable to read. However, I found the use of pronouns for one of the characters very confusing. It detracted from the story as a whole for me because every time that character…
Sep 15, 2017
Oh, this ticks all my boxes. Interesting plotline. Oddball characters - including the landscape. Casual violence. Deadpan humor