The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hoursβ the entire scope of the novelβshe keeps on running.
Joanβs intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itselfβthe hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machinesβis all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.
A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itselfβfrom its tender moments of grace to its savage powerβFierce Kingdom asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?
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