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Kikaffir: A Black Comedy
This is Macbeth in 2030. The apocalypse has come and gone, and Earth is a smouldering wasteland. For the last remnants of the human race there is no possibility of a future. In desperation they set about butchering one another before they choke to death in the toxic vapours enveloping the planet.
- GenresHorror
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
22 people want to read
About the author
Ian Martin
50 books8 followersThey say my writing style is ‘in your face’, ‘brutal’ and ‘offensive’. And that there’s too much gratuitous violence and pornographically sadistic sex. So why do they keep on reading? Maybe it’s the sick humour that makes my fiction popular. Whatever. Just so long as people keep coming back for more.
In the Shockspeare Series there’s “Pop-splat” and “Kikaffir”, which are loosely based on Hamlet and Macbeth, and a particularly vile version of King Lear is on the way. And then there’s Henry Fuckit. You have just got to meet Henry Fuckit.
Official website: http://www.ianmartintheauthor.com
Pop-splat website:
http://www.pop-splat.co.za
Smashwords page:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/vie...
In the Shockspeare Series there’s “Pop-splat” and “Kikaffir”, which are loosely based on Hamlet and Macbeth, and a particularly vile version of King Lear is on the way. And then there’s Henry Fuckit. You have just got to meet Henry Fuckit.
Official website: http://www.ianmartintheauthor.com
Pop-splat website:
http://www.pop-splat.co.za
Smashwords page:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/vie...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 28, 2011
Won this in a GR giveaway.
An original and unique take on the Macbeth story set in a futuristic world where much of humanity has been wiped out and those left struggle to survive as all around them crumbles. Graphic and darkly humourous this is not a book for the faint hearted and some of the violence seemed a little unnecessary (particularly the donkey scene at the beginning) which does spoil the story but once you get into it, the story is rather compelling.
An original and unique take on the Macbeth story set in a futuristic world where much of humanity has been wiped out and those left struggle to survive as all around them crumbles. Graphic and darkly humourous this is not a book for the faint hearted and some of the violence seemed a little unnecessary (particularly the donkey scene at the beginning) which does spoil the story but once you get into it, the story is rather compelling.
February 28, 2012
The second book by Ian Martin in his Shockspeare series, Kikaffir: A Black Comedy is a modern retelling of Macbeth
Having already read Pop-Splat last summer (a modern retelling of Hamlet), I was well prepared for Martin’s style of writing and the unbelievably graphic violence that he depicts.
This book is fucked up beyond belief, and I loved it. It was vividly violent to an extreme , gory, depressing, but also funny, and at times some of the characters showed aspects of being quite endearing.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek aspect of the old man in the mountain being named after the author himself, that had me chuckling into the pages. My favourite character was Sello and I think this was only due to his love of literature and his fondness for using archaic quotations from his favourite texts to highlight the absurdity of the situations all the characters constantly found themselves in.
I’m not going to discuss in detail the book as it would either give too much away, or would put off potential readers. I wouldn’t recommend to everyone (in fact, there are only a handful of people I can think who might enjoy it for the same reasons I did) which is down mainly to the fact for how graphic and grotesque it actually is. There is a lot of swearing, and I mean a lot, and the characters are all hideous in their own way with little redemption and I think it would be too violent for a lot of people to digest. I loved it though, in a rather sickening way, and despite not being squeamish over gore and violence, there were a few instances that made me squirm or flinch .
Technically, I’m giving this book four stars as I did enjoy it in a rather sick fashion and the writing is excellent, but the violence is rather too graphic at times and it does not leave me much scope to recommend to other people without them thinking I’m some kind of pervert. The extra star is for Ian Martin himself, who very kindly sent me a copy of the book in the post from South Africa after I told him I didn’t have a kindle to read it on at the time. Such thoughtfulness deserves extra credit.
Having already read Pop-Splat last summer (a modern retelling of Hamlet), I was well prepared for Martin’s style of writing and the unbelievably graphic violence that he depicts.
This book is fucked up beyond belief, and I loved it. It was vividly violent to an extreme , gory, depressing, but also funny, and at times some of the characters showed aspects of being quite endearing.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek aspect of the old man in the mountain being named after the author himself, that had me chuckling into the pages. My favourite character was Sello and I think this was only due to his love of literature and his fondness for using archaic quotations from his favourite texts to highlight the absurdity of the situations all the characters constantly found themselves in.
I’m not going to discuss in detail the book as it would either give too much away, or would put off potential readers. I wouldn’t recommend to everyone (in fact, there are only a handful of people I can think who might enjoy it for the same reasons I did) which is down mainly to the fact for how graphic and grotesque it actually is. There is a lot of swearing, and I mean a lot, and the characters are all hideous in their own way with little redemption and I think it would be too violent for a lot of people to digest. I loved it though, in a rather sickening way, and despite not being squeamish over gore and violence, there were a few instances that made me squirm or flinch .
Technically, I’m giving this book four stars as I did enjoy it in a rather sick fashion and the writing is excellent, but the violence is rather too graphic at times and it does not leave me much scope to recommend to other people without them thinking I’m some kind of pervert. The extra star is for Ian Martin himself, who very kindly sent me a copy of the book in the post from South Africa after I told him I didn’t have a kindle to read it on at the time. Such thoughtfulness deserves extra credit.
July 10, 2012
This was a fantastic DARK (seriously dark- graphic rape and violence abound) apocalyptic tale set in Africa. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was its uniqueness within the genre. Because it is not set in America (and is written by I assume someone from Africa based on the lingo) it brings fresh ideas and a unique plot to the over-polluted apocalypse genre. I don’t want to describe the story too much and ruin it, but basically some kind of nuclear warfare decimated the world several decades ago, and now roving bands of survivors are all that is left. The story follows a group of not so likable and terribly violent characters as they struggle to survive the terrible heat, the never-ending violence, and radioactive fallout that has been spreading the continent. The story is fast paced, well written, tragic, and captivating (despite its subject matter). As others have mentioned it is like a graphic modern retelling of Macbeth- but have no fear if you are not a fan of Shakespeare, you definitely do not need to have read Macbeth to enjoy and understand this book. Honestly, the Shakespeare connection is probably only important to us nerdy folk who like to prove our book prowess and pretention by noticing things like that
So my one big beef with this book is that I did not consider it comedic at all- so it bothers me that in the title it is listed it as “dark comedy”- as I find that misleading. I absolutely adore dark comedy, and this book so did not give me that vibe AT ALL. Very little in the book was something one could smile about, and the parts that I think were meant to be humorous I found juvenile and disturbing (example: torturing a donkey by setting its balls on fire and sticking a flaming stick in its rectum is not my idea of comedy in any shape way or form.). I think that Sello , the hermit, and the doctors may have been intended to be comedic relief as well, but Sello irritated me beyond belief until the last 1/3 of the book, so any humor he was supposed to provide just left me annoyed and skipping past his lines. And as for the hermit and the doctors, childish schoolyard name calling and silly cussword combinations simply don’t amuse me anymore; sorry dude, but I am not a 14 year old boy who gets the giggles at dirty words. This book for me was pure apocalyptic horror, no part of it made me want to laugh. Many parts however made me cringe.
Another thing to be aware of is this book has lots of what I am guessing is South African terminology (and therefore smatterings of Dutch as well), so as an American I had to use my dictionary and the internet to figure out what quite a few things meant- and being that this words are used REPEATEDLY throughout the book it would be worth your while to find out what they mean to make the story more comprehensible.
So my one big beef with this book is that I did not consider it comedic at all- so it bothers me that in the title it is listed it as “dark comedy”- as I find that misleading. I absolutely adore dark comedy, and this book so did not give me that vibe AT ALL. Very little in the book was something one could smile about, and the parts that I think were meant to be humorous I found juvenile and disturbing (example: torturing a donkey by setting its balls on fire and sticking a flaming stick in its rectum is not my idea of comedy in any shape way or form.). I think that Sello , the hermit, and the doctors may have been intended to be comedic relief as well, but Sello irritated me beyond belief until the last 1/3 of the book, so any humor he was supposed to provide just left me annoyed and skipping past his lines. And as for the hermit and the doctors, childish schoolyard name calling and silly cussword combinations simply don’t amuse me anymore; sorry dude, but I am not a 14 year old boy who gets the giggles at dirty words. This book for me was pure apocalyptic horror, no part of it made me want to laugh. Many parts however made me cringe.
Another thing to be aware of is this book has lots of what I am guessing is South African terminology (and therefore smatterings of Dutch as well), so as an American I had to use my dictionary and the internet to figure out what quite a few things meant- and being that this words are used REPEATEDLY throughout the book it would be worth your while to find out what they mean to make the story more comprehensible.
May 31, 2011
This book is not for the faint of heart. It follows the story of the main character and what happens after an apocalypse. The book has over the top violence and is extremely graphic in detail. It is a well written book, and the plot is exciting and well paced. The characters, although horrible, are likeable. It is a sort of modern twist on Macbeth, and people who know Macbeth will likely enjoy the book more, although I do not think you would have trouble following the book if you have not read the play. The book was not really my cup of tea. It was supposed to be a dark humour book, and if you like that, I think you would find it funny. I did not find it funny. It was horrifying in places. I rated the book so highly because it is well written and I would highly recommend it for people who like dark humour based around extreme violence. If you do not like extreme graphic violence though, I would give this book a definite miss.
May 27, 2011
IAN MARTIN'S "KIKAFFIR" (A REVIEW)
Yet another great read by Ian Martin. This darkly humorous book takes you on a dangerously gritty path. It was an enjoyable adventure. I definitely recommend for those that truly have an interest in dark comedy.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
Yet another great read by Ian Martin. This darkly humorous book takes you on a dangerously gritty path. It was an enjoyable adventure. I definitely recommend for those that truly have an interest in dark comedy.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews