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Of Flesh and Feathers
“A modern Watership Down meets The Walking Dead—but with a lot more feathers!”
A foul wind blows through the chicken coop. The flock's caretaker no longer comes to collect Chickory's eggs or bring her feed, and the stench of death is everywhere. Her friend Fayne is haunted by visions of danger and by a prophecy of safety beyond the farthest horizon a chicken has ever known. With the help of their faithful farm dog, Chickory must convince her flock to follow Fayne into a frightening world of disease and predators, both natural...and unnatural.
Their survival may depend on fateful premonitions, but in order to save the world of humans and birds, Chickory must discover the truth behind the prophecy, the valley, and the sickness that turned their keepers into undead killers.
A foul wind blows through the chicken coop. The flock's caretaker no longer comes to collect Chickory's eggs or bring her feed, and the stench of death is everywhere. Her friend Fayne is haunted by visions of danger and by a prophecy of safety beyond the farthest horizon a chicken has ever known. With the help of their faithful farm dog, Chickory must convince her flock to follow Fayne into a frightening world of disease and predators, both natural...and unnatural.
Their survival may depend on fateful premonitions, but in order to save the world of humans and birds, Chickory must discover the truth behind the prophecy, the valley, and the sickness that turned their keepers into undead killers.
- GenresScience FictionHorror
291 pages, ebook
First published July 14, 2020
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
L.M. Pierce
2 books19 followers“Hey, but what if…?”
Music to Lindsay’s ears. She is an eclectic liberal box of sparks. Friends call her a golden retriever. She is a lover of the new and the old, of asking questions and contemplating possibilities. In addition to the making of words, she is a mental health therapist, anti-oppression trainer, and queer AF.
She lives with her family in Olympia, Washington.
Music to Lindsay’s ears. She is an eclectic liberal box of sparks. Friends call her a golden retriever. She is a lover of the new and the old, of asking questions and contemplating possibilities. In addition to the making of words, she is a mental health therapist, anti-oppression trainer, and queer AF.
She lives with her family in Olympia, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 1, 2020
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Of Flesh and Feathers will introduce you to some interesting characters. Not sure if you have ever read a book from a dogs or chickens POV, but if you ever had the dream to do so - look no further. Here is your book! It was honestly a pretty entertaining book, just to see what chickens will do when a virus comes out and people turn into zombies.
After meeting Chickory, it's safe to say that I was hooked. She was a pretty likable character and definitely loyal to Fayne. No matter what happened to their little gang or how weird Fayne would act toward situations - Chickory stuck by her. Always followed her no matter what.
Throughout the book they are looking for a new place to call home. A new safe haven from the undead roaming the world. It takes them a while and they definitely meet some interesting characters along the way. I'd say the journey was well worth it because the ending was pretty cute.
Of Flesh and Feathers will introduce you to some interesting characters. Not sure if you have ever read a book from a dogs or chickens POV, but if you ever had the dream to do so - look no further. Here is your book! It was honestly a pretty entertaining book, just to see what chickens will do when a virus comes out and people turn into zombies.
After meeting Chickory, it's safe to say that I was hooked. She was a pretty likable character and definitely loyal to Fayne. No matter what happened to their little gang or how weird Fayne would act toward situations - Chickory stuck by her. Always followed her no matter what.
Throughout the book they are looking for a new place to call home. A new safe haven from the undead roaming the world. It takes them a while and they definitely meet some interesting characters along the way. I'd say the journey was well worth it because the ending was pretty cute.
August 23, 2020
I’m not sure what it says about me that the moment I saw that this was a book about a zombie apocalypse with a literal chicken as the protagonist, my reaction was basically “oh fuck yes.” But even though I can’t define what exactly it *does* say about me, I do know that I’m proud of it.
Things have been rough for Chicory and the rest of her flock. Their human hasn’t been around to feed them for a while, and the foraging around the yard is getting pretty slim. But when Chicory’s friend Fayne (who always seemed to know things she shouldn’t, and is a bit of a cracked egg besides) warns the rest of the chickens that they need to leave their coop and do it soon, Chicory is prepared to trust her. Fayne can’t (or won’t) say what the danger is, but she’s very frightened of it and says she knows of a distant valley where they’ll be safe.
What follows is surprisingly fun. I was worried this was going to be one-joke and one-dimensional, but it was anything but. Sure, the main characters are mostly chickens (the farm dog tags along as well), but Pierce does an excellent job of making them into *people*. Frightened (and feathery) people venturing far outside their past experiences, enduring never-before-felt hardships and depredation, all in the hope of reaching an uncertain promise of safety.
I want to avoid spoilers, but I do want to say that the choice of chickens as the protagonists (as opposed to, say, cows, or llamas, or squirrels) was not done randomly. There is plot-significance there.
This wasn’t a book that is going to change my life. It didn’t deeply move me. But I enjoyed reading it, and now I can check “book about zombies told from the perspective of a chicken” off of my bucket list.
Things have been rough for Chicory and the rest of her flock. Their human hasn’t been around to feed them for a while, and the foraging around the yard is getting pretty slim. But when Chicory’s friend Fayne (who always seemed to know things she shouldn’t, and is a bit of a cracked egg besides) warns the rest of the chickens that they need to leave their coop and do it soon, Chicory is prepared to trust her. Fayne can’t (or won’t) say what the danger is, but she’s very frightened of it and says she knows of a distant valley where they’ll be safe.
What follows is surprisingly fun. I was worried this was going to be one-joke and one-dimensional, but it was anything but. Sure, the main characters are mostly chickens (the farm dog tags along as well), but Pierce does an excellent job of making them into *people*. Frightened (and feathery) people venturing far outside their past experiences, enduring never-before-felt hardships and depredation, all in the hope of reaching an uncertain promise of safety.
I want to avoid spoilers, but I do want to say that the choice of chickens as the protagonists (as opposed to, say, cows, or llamas, or squirrels) was not done randomly. There is plot-significance there.
This wasn’t a book that is going to change my life. It didn’t deeply move me. But I enjoyed reading it, and now I can check “book about zombies told from the perspective of a chicken” off of my bucket list.
August 3, 2020
This book is crazy! I've never read from the point of view of a chicken, but it was intense. Not only were there zombies, but being a chicken, Chickory had to worry about cats, coyotes, dogs, and regular humans. I was on edge a lot, hoping none of the chickens or the dog, Tucker, would die and rooting for them to find the valley.
The world building of the chickens was so good. They have a god and prayers and beliefs. The way they understand things is so different from a human but made total sense. I liked Chickory, she kept faith in her friend, even when the other chickens didn't.
I ended up really liking this and the ending was well done. I think I'll check out the companion novel to see things from the human side!
I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The world building of the chickens was so good. They have a god and prayers and beliefs. The way they understand things is so different from a human but made total sense. I liked Chickory, she kept faith in her friend, even when the other chickens didn't.
I ended up really liking this and the ending was well done. I think I'll check out the companion novel to see things from the human side!
I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2020
This was such a ride (in a good way), it really had me guessing. In a book about chickens vs zombies no less! In a sea of novels about YA teens fighting paper-thin dystopia, queens poisoning other queens, werewolf sex and murder mysteries THIS exists and it is such a breath of fresh air. I am here for it. With a touch more editing this author could go very, very far in life. Thoroughly satisfied and impressed.
June 12, 2021
Not my usual genre to read, but I was looking for something different. I definitely got it. A zombie apocalypse story told through the pov of a chicken. It was surprisingly deep... and dark. I was very much intrigued from the get go. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from this author now.
September 30, 2020
This book is exactly what you think it is. Sort of a post-apocalyptic Watership Down with chickens. It's absurd and weird and if that's what you want, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
June 26, 2020
* I have received an arc for this from netgalley for an honest review *
An apocalyptic / zombie / virus book about chicken sounded totally fun. It was, but it was also one of this great stories were you really feel for the characters and experience their fate.
L.M. Pierce is an author I absolutely want to read more by. Her writing in this is poignant and concise, with descriptions that not only sound nice but were also quite effective in expressing horror and suffering, but also everything else going on in the protagonist’s head. There were, for example, some scenes where the flock falls into panic which felt hectic and almost stressful to read. So, well done.
Chickory is a great, if typical, main character: She’s likable and the right mix of ordinary chicken, with their way of thinking, and being “different”, by which I mean smart enough to make strong decisions despite being terrified. Her relationship with Fayne that develops throughout the book moved me more than I would have thought. I also like that her name is basically a pun, which I very much appreciate.
The only thing that bothered me while reading is that, especially in the beginning, a little too much reminded me of Watership Down. Maybe it was international, the author’s comment or own take on this almost classic story, and it never felt like plagiarism, however it distracted me, nonetheless. The story stands well on its own, goes in another direction with most concepts and there are things are bound to end up similarly, but it took me a while to shake off the feeling that this seems familiar.
I was enjoying the book the whole way through, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I´d like the ending. Everything came together perfectly and you can’t help but care, is all I’m going to say.
So if you’re open minded enough to read from a chicken’s point of view and it the headspace to read about the world crumbling down around the characters, check this out. The writing style is very immersive, the chicken have their own religion and mindset that I enjoyed exploring and you’ll absolutely be engaged and feel what is going on in this world.
An apocalyptic / zombie / virus book about chicken sounded totally fun. It was, but it was also one of this great stories were you really feel for the characters and experience their fate.
L.M. Pierce is an author I absolutely want to read more by. Her writing in this is poignant and concise, with descriptions that not only sound nice but were also quite effective in expressing horror and suffering, but also everything else going on in the protagonist’s head. There were, for example, some scenes where the flock falls into panic which felt hectic and almost stressful to read. So, well done.
Chickory is a great, if typical, main character: She’s likable and the right mix of ordinary chicken, with their way of thinking, and being “different”, by which I mean smart enough to make strong decisions despite being terrified. Her relationship with Fayne that develops throughout the book moved me more than I would have thought. I also like that her name is basically a pun, which I very much appreciate.
The only thing that bothered me while reading is that, especially in the beginning, a little too much reminded me of Watership Down. Maybe it was international, the author’s comment or own take on this almost classic story, and it never felt like plagiarism, however it distracted me, nonetheless. The story stands well on its own, goes in another direction with most concepts and there are things are bound to end up similarly, but it took me a while to shake off the feeling that this seems familiar.
I was enjoying the book the whole way through, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I´d like the ending. Everything came together perfectly and you can’t help but care, is all I’m going to say.
So if you’re open minded enough to read from a chicken’s point of view and it the headspace to read about the world crumbling down around the characters, check this out. The writing style is very immersive, the chicken have their own religion and mindset that I enjoyed exploring and you’ll absolutely be engaged and feel what is going on in this world.
August 4, 2020
Of Flesh and Feathers was a great read. Pierce does a good job of capturing the hierarchy and community of chickens. Using their perspective, I like how she delivered messages about the human condition. The post-apocalyptic world is chilling and believable. It is a tale for our time with a sliver of hope. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
June 8, 2022
This book was weird and it kept getting weirder.
I liked it ok. I struggled with the action scenes being narrated by a chicken because it was hard for me to understand what was going on.
I liked it ok. I struggled with the action scenes being narrated by a chicken because it was hard for me to understand what was going on.
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January 18, 2026This book is more than a gimmick concept, despite the angle being "Watership Down but with chickens, plus the Walking Dead." It is well written and overall well edited, and you can tell a lot of thought went into it. At times it felt like the characters were going from crisis to crisis constantly (kind of like the Walking Dead, honestly), but there was a lot of good internal exploration as well.
I think the book also did well with one of the hardest things in anthropomorphic media, balancing making the animal main characters feel like animals and still be relatable. Sometimes, books and movies are basically unreadable because they're too accurate to how animals would think or act, or our perception of how they think and act. On the other hand, if your characters are basically just humans, what's the point of making them animals? This book makes the characters feel like animals and yet gives them motivations that make sense to us (as humans).
I think the book also did well with one of the hardest things in anthropomorphic media, balancing making the animal main characters feel like animals and still be relatable. Sometimes, books and movies are basically unreadable because they're too accurate to how animals would think or act, or our perception of how they think and act. On the other hand, if your characters are basically just humans, what's the point of making them animals? This book makes the characters feel like animals and yet gives them motivations that make sense to us (as humans).
March 26, 2025
The story was very familiar and the interactions with the unliving felt uneventful.
I found the use of both parenthesis and italics for telepathic conversation quite distracting. Shouldn't it just be in italics? Anyways... it wasn't my cup of tea, though I enjoyed the animal-specific dialogue tags when the characters crossed paths with different animals.
I found the use of both parenthesis and italics for telepathic conversation quite distracting. Shouldn't it just be in italics? Anyways... it wasn't my cup of tea, though I enjoyed the animal-specific dialogue tags when the characters crossed paths with different animals.
January 15, 2026
A very interesting perspective on a zombie apocalypse, and a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews