From the Publisher
[Duchovny's] zany, madcap first novel, Holy Cow . . . is a seriously entertaining fable that doesn't take itself too seriously . . Duchovny is a witty writer, and he's especially good at conjuring these oddball voices.” —John Wilwol, The Washington Post
“For one of the most engaging allegorial tales since Animal Farm, look no further than the surprising debut from Hollywood star Duchovny. His tale of Elsie, an American cow who learns the truth about her fate, is filed with humor and relevance.” —Time Out, Critics' pick
“Who knew a cow's view of the world was so funny yet so honest and true? Holy Cow is silly and fun from the opening page.” —Jeff Ayers, The Denver Post
“This is the best cow-based theological odyssey of all time. A hybrid of Joyce's Ulysses and beef. Elsie Bovary is a modern day Damona.” —Craig Ferguson
“David Duchovny is a very smart and wryly entertaining actor, and now, novelist. Although I will never publicly admit to jealousy, I am having him killed.” —Rob Lowe
“David Duchovny's witty invention of the charming, brave and smart-mouthed Elsie Bovary guarantees that his Swiftian fable about a cow, a pig and a turkey's hilarious and moving farm-break to save themselves from the cruelty of human consumption is a literary feast no reader can resist.” —Rafael Yglesias, author of A Happy Marriage
“*Starred review* "[Duchovny's] debut novel is a charming fable about dignity and tolerance, complete with anthropomorphized animals and replete with puns, double-entendres and sophisticated humor . . . Between the book's sly humor, gently humanist (animalist?) message and wry illustrations by Natalya Balnova, this is a pseudo-children's book that smart adults should greatly enjoy. An offbeat adventure that reads like Bill Willingham's Fables directed by Ralph Bakshi.” —Kirkus Reviews
APRIL 2015 - AudioFile
David Duchovny proves to be a reminder that authors and actors don’t always make great narrators. His novel follows Elsie Bovary, a cow, as she works to escape the farm and find freedom with an unlikely assortment of animal friends. The novel reads like the Grimm tale “The Town Musicians of Bremen,” only on a global scale with a self-aware narrator who goes off course with occasional diatribes about the environment, animal cruelty, and religion. Duchovny has the right timing and attitude, but his distinctive voice never seems to give the listener an authentic Elsie, especially when she discusses her life as a female cow. Too often, she feels like a representation of Duchovny’s issues. L.E. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-12-07
A conflicted cow, a Jewish pig and a debonair turkey seek acceptance and enlightenment during a journey across the Middle East. Stop us if you've heard this one before…. Long before he became the face of The X-Files' Fox Mulder or Californication's Hank Moody, Duchovny earned a master's degree in English literature from Yale and was on his way to a Ph.D. As it turns out, his debut novel is a charming fable about dignity and tolerance, complete with anthropomorphized animals and replete with puns, double-entendres and sophisticated humor. The book is narrated by Elsie Bovary, a cow on a small farm in upstate New York who has a clear knowledge of the kind of story she is telling. "I don't know if you've read Animal Farm. It seems like that's a book all human children have to read. Personally I prefer Charlotte's Web, though spiders can be tricky—Harlot's Web anybody? (And eight legs? Really? Two or four is the appropriate number of legs, everybody knows this. Maybe five, maybe. Eight seems desperate to me, or indecisive, indulgent even. You know?)" Upon learning how cows are slaughtered, Elsie plots her escape. To aid her efforts, she agrees to team up with Jerry—also known as Shalom—a Torah-reading pig who plans to use kosher dietary laws to his advantage in Jerusalem, and Tom Turkey, who wants to move to Turkey, naturally. After the obligatory training montage, the trio are off in their human disguises, traveling from Turkey to Israel to Palestine and finally Mumbai. Elsie has a very funny narrative voice, dropping bits of screenplay, suggestions for movie stars to cast (Jennifer Lawrence!), and clever but understated nods to pop culture, rock music and the value of faith. Between the book's sly humor, gently humanist (animalist?) message and wry illustrations by Natalya Balnova, this is a pseudo-children's book that smart adults should greatly enjoy. An offbeat adventure that reads something like Bill Willingham's Fables directed by Ralph Bakshi.
