In the early twentieth century, america government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered alternatively meat source. This is true.

Other true reasons for having hippos: they may be savage, they are fast, and their jaws may snap a man in two.

This was a terrible plan.

Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that may 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 team. It’s the story of their fortunes. It’s the tale of his revenge.