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Apocalypse Now Now #2
Kill Baxter
The brilliant follow-up to the critically acclaimed Apocalypse Now Now.
AND HE THOUGHT THE HARD PART WAS OVER…
The world has been massively unappreciative of sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko. His bloodline may be a combination of ancient Boer mystic and giant shape-shifting crow, and he may have won an inter-dimensional battle and saved the world, but does anyone care? No.
Instead he’s packed off to Hexpoort, a magical training school that’s part reformatory, part military school, and just like Hogwarts (except with sex, drugs, and better internet access). The problem is that Baxter sucks at magic. He’s also desperately attempting to control his new ability to dreamwalk, all the while being singled out by the school's resident bully, who just so happens to be the Chosen One.
But when the school comes under attack, Baxter needs to forget all that and step into action. The only way is joining forces with his favourite recovering alcoholic of a supernatural bounty hunter, Ronin, to try and save the world from the apocalypse. Again.
AND HE THOUGHT THE HARD PART WAS OVER…
The world has been massively unappreciative of sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko. His bloodline may be a combination of ancient Boer mystic and giant shape-shifting crow, and he may have won an inter-dimensional battle and saved the world, but does anyone care? No.
Instead he’s packed off to Hexpoort, a magical training school that’s part reformatory, part military school, and just like Hogwarts (except with sex, drugs, and better internet access). The problem is that Baxter sucks at magic. He’s also desperately attempting to control his new ability to dreamwalk, all the while being singled out by the school's resident bully, who just so happens to be the Chosen One.
But when the school comes under attack, Baxter needs to forget all that and step into action. The only way is joining forces with his favourite recovering alcoholic of a supernatural bounty hunter, Ronin, to try and save the world from the apocalypse. Again.
470 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2014
25 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 5, 2014
THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME FUCKING BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR AND YES THIS IS ALL CAPS CUZ I WANT TO SHOUT AT PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM READ THIS FUCKING BOOK.
FUCK YEAH, BAXTER!
FUCK YEAH, BAXTER!
June 8, 2017
PLEASE TELL ME THERE WILL BE MORE.
I loved this. All the stars! *throws stars* All of them! Everywhere! Baxter is my fave, he's so relatable, I get it, I get being a good asshole who's only sort-of good, okay, we're both garbage and *weeps* I love Kyle and Katinka and Nom and Faith and Chastity and Mermi I WANT THEM ALL BACK okay wait I'll stop but - but - I WANT MORE PLEASE LET THERE BE ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT FUCKING UP MALACHI AND BAXTER BEING A PERFECT SWEET GARBAGE CHILD
I rented ANN from the library and then immediately went and bought both ANN and KB after I was done b/c I had to have them.
Thanks, Charlie Human <3
I loved this. All the stars! *throws stars* All of them! Everywhere! Baxter is my fave, he's so relatable, I get it, I get being a good asshole who's only sort-of good, okay, we're both garbage and *weeps* I love Kyle and Katinka and Nom and Faith and Chastity and Mermi I WANT THEM ALL BACK okay wait I'll stop but - but - I WANT MORE PLEASE LET THERE BE ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT FUCKING UP MALACHI AND BAXTER BEING A PERFECT SWEET GARBAGE CHILD
I rented ANN from the library and then immediately went and bought both ANN and KB after I was done b/c I had to have them.
Thanks, Charlie Human <3
March 12, 2018
First things first, I DID enjoy this book. That's pretty much a given, considering I gave it four stars. That being said, I found that while I enjoyed the book and it wasn't a struggle to read at all, it didn't quite live up to the first book, Apocalypse Now Now. What surprised me was that Kill Baxter has a marginally better average rating than the former, so I've been thinking about why it didn't resonate so strongly with me and I think I might have my issues lined up.
Before any complaints, I have to say that I do love the premise. I'm absolute fantasy mad, and we may as well lump science fiction and paranormal books in with that, considering I'll read them all willingly. I also love to see South African authors doing well, and I particularly enjoy reading a story set in a context I can relate to. Having a fantasy book set in a city I know relatively well is fantastic.
That said, here are my issues with Kill Baxter as opposed to Apocalypse Now Now:
Pacing. Pacing is an extremely important element of any successful novel, no matter the genre. If your pacing is too slow then readers won't finish your book, or it may just take them a mortal age and that's not really much fun. However, if your pacing goes too fast then you end up with underdeveloped characters, a lack of plot exposition, and shortcuts. This was the case with Kill Baxter. It was a problem with Apocalypse Now Now too, but it was more marked in this case, and extremely noticeable. We go from Cape Town to Hexpoort and back in what (when one is reading the book) feels like the space of a couple of weeks. Baxter learns a ton of spells and becomes a near expert fighter in the same space of time. I get that he was supposed to have spent a fair amount of time at Hexpoort, but it's never really specified how long he spends where, and so we get the sense that everything has happened in fast forward. This is almost as a result of there being too much stuff going on in the book in general. I hate to say it, but there's too much awesome for the page count. Normally I like books jam packed, but in this sense things ended up feeling rushed, and then we get to the next problem.
Shortcuts. When you have a ton of plot exposition to fit into a relatively short space, you're going to have to either up your page count, cut out some exposition, or take a convenient shortcut or two. I don't object to shortcuts as a principle, they have their uses. But in the context of this particular book things just ended up being confusing and it breaks the feeling of immersion. People seemed to know things without needing to be told, even though Baxter or somebody else had to risk their life to get the information. Maybe they had a conversation off page, but we don't know that and so it just raises a big question mark. Characters take unrealistic actions in the context of the story, based on some plan we haven't been filled in on, or based on info they aren't supposed to have.
I can't think of a concise way to say this last one, so I'll just explain. One thing that really bugged me about this book is that characters always managed to be where they had to be just as they needed to be there. Prime example of this is Klipspringer in the Elgin forest. Last we knew he was with Pat in book one and we hear nothing about him for the entirety of the book, and then he just happens to be exactly where Baxter and Ronin are just in time to save their asses. Kyle being at the Cape Town Fashion Week was another point. He just happens to be there despite the fact that Baxter and the gang had to fake their way in with made up identities. There's like two lines of explanation as to why that is, nothing is really explained, and then we move on.
All of this can be summarised thus: two much awesome in too few pages. Spend more time explaining things and introducing exposition, add to the page count and have satisfying connections between events. In fact, I think this is a book that would really benefit from having the date and time the chapter takes place at, or time dividers in every chapter. It'd give the pacing a real sense of scale.
That said, 4/5 stars, awesome book despite all the complaints, looking forward to more. I don't know if Goodreads authors read their reviews, but Charlie Human, you are doing great things and you have a genuinely enjoyable style. Please give us more.
Before any complaints, I have to say that I do love the premise. I'm absolute fantasy mad, and we may as well lump science fiction and paranormal books in with that, considering I'll read them all willingly. I also love to see South African authors doing well, and I particularly enjoy reading a story set in a context I can relate to. Having a fantasy book set in a city I know relatively well is fantastic.
That said, here are my issues with Kill Baxter as opposed to Apocalypse Now Now:
Pacing. Pacing is an extremely important element of any successful novel, no matter the genre. If your pacing is too slow then readers won't finish your book, or it may just take them a mortal age and that's not really much fun. However, if your pacing goes too fast then you end up with underdeveloped characters, a lack of plot exposition, and shortcuts. This was the case with Kill Baxter. It was a problem with Apocalypse Now Now too, but it was more marked in this case, and extremely noticeable. We go from Cape Town to Hexpoort and back in what (when one is reading the book) feels like the space of a couple of weeks. Baxter learns a ton of spells and becomes a near expert fighter in the same space of time. I get that he was supposed to have spent a fair amount of time at Hexpoort, but it's never really specified how long he spends where, and so we get the sense that everything has happened in fast forward. This is almost as a result of there being too much stuff going on in the book in general. I hate to say it, but there's too much awesome for the page count. Normally I like books jam packed, but in this sense things ended up feeling rushed, and then we get to the next problem.
Shortcuts. When you have a ton of plot exposition to fit into a relatively short space, you're going to have to either up your page count, cut out some exposition, or take a convenient shortcut or two. I don't object to shortcuts as a principle, they have their uses. But in the context of this particular book things just ended up being confusing and it breaks the feeling of immersion. People seemed to know things without needing to be told, even though Baxter or somebody else had to risk their life to get the information. Maybe they had a conversation off page, but we don't know that and so it just raises a big question mark. Characters take unrealistic actions in the context of the story, based on some plan we haven't been filled in on, or based on info they aren't supposed to have.
I can't think of a concise way to say this last one, so I'll just explain. One thing that really bugged me about this book is that characters always managed to be where they had to be just as they needed to be there. Prime example of this is Klipspringer in the Elgin forest. Last we knew he was with Pat in book one and we hear nothing about him for the entirety of the book, and then he just happens to be exactly where Baxter and Ronin are just in time to save their asses. Kyle being at the Cape Town Fashion Week was another point. He just happens to be there despite the fact that Baxter and the gang had to fake their way in with made up identities. There's like two lines of explanation as to why that is, nothing is really explained, and then we move on.
All of this can be summarised thus: two much awesome in too few pages. Spend more time explaining things and introducing exposition, add to the page count and have satisfying connections between events. In fact, I think this is a book that would really benefit from having the date and time the chapter takes place at, or time dividers in every chapter. It'd give the pacing a real sense of scale.
That said, 4/5 stars, awesome book despite all the complaints, looking forward to more. I don't know if Goodreads authors read their reviews, but Charlie Human, you are doing great things and you have a genuinely enjoyable style. Please give us more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2021
Another outing with Baxter and Ronin, think Harry Potter, but with a foul mouth and a tendancy to drink every so often. Throw in some more of that South African pop culture references as well as African mythology, mix it all together and you have the recipe for a great book. One draw back on the Audible version though, next time maybe educate and guide the narrator in using the correct pronunciation when it comes to the swearing in all the different languages that turn up with most of the Afrikaans/English vocabulary.
August 1, 2017
Zitat:
„Die Welt beginnt zu flimmern und zu funkeln wie bei einem drohenden Kreislaufkollaps. Die tanzenden Sternchen vor meinen Augen kristallisieren sich zu einem wogenden Ozean von Farben, Geräuschen und Gerüchen, wo vormals das verlassene Gebäude war.“
(S.22)
Inhalt:
Keine Schule wollte Baxter aufnehmen. Lediglich in Hexpoort, einer Schule für magisch Begabte, konnte er nun unterkommen. Doch Baxters Leben hier ist alles andere als einfach. Tyrannisiert von Hekka, dem Auserwählten, versucht Baxter dennoch, seine gute Seite herauszukehren. Auch Esmé scheint ihn jedoch verlassen zu wollen. Innere Kämpfe toben in ihm.
Als die Schule angegriffen wird, gibt es viele Tote. Doch es gelingt, die Gefahr zu bannen. Zumindest vorerst. Nun ist der Schulalltag vorbei, die Schüler werden nun gebraucht, gegen abtrünnige magische Clans zu kämpfen. Baxter wird Ronin als Lehrling zugeteilt. Und wieder einmal sind sie nun auf einer Mission zur Rettung der Welt. Sterben ist dabei natürlich auch eine Möglichkeit.
Meinung:
Nachdem mir die schräge Geschichte aus dem ersten Teil „Kill Baxter – Apokalypse Now Now“ überraschend gut gefallen hatte, musste natürlich auch bald der Folgeband bei mir einziehen. Nun lag „Kill Baxter – Showdown in Cape Town“ lesebereit bei mir zu Hause, so dass ich unmittelbar mit dem Lesen beginnen konnte.
Schnell kamen mir nach den ersten Seiten die bisherigen Ereignisse wieder ins Gedächtnis. Mit einer Dokumentation über Baxter hinsichtlich seines Aufnahmeverfahrens in Hexpoort gelang es Charlie Human, dass wichtige Informationen nicht verloren gingen. Außerdem sorgte der prägnante Schreibstil des Autors dafür, dass ich schnell wieder in der Welt von Baxter angekommen bin.
Baxter hat sich nun vorgenommen, seine böse Seite, sein manipulatives und intrigantes Ich, zu unterdrücken. Er will zu den Guten gehören, gibt sich dabei alle Mühe und muss dafür jede Menge über sich ergehen lassen. Hexpoort fühlt sich für ihn an wie ein Gefängnis. Schon auf der Fahrt zur Schule war zu erleben, dass ihn hier alles andere als ein normales Schulleben erwarten würde. Und tatsächlich wird es ziemlich hart für ihn. Der brutale Überfall auf die Schule beendet just das eben erst begonnene Schulleben. Nun gilt es, die dunklen Bestrebungen aufzuhalten. Gemeinsam mit Ronin, der gerade versucht, vom Alkohol loszulassen, bekommt Baxter einen Auftrag. Und damit begibt er sich wiederum in große Gefahr.
Charlie Human nutzt auch in diesem Teil die Darstellung aus Baxters Ich-Perspektive in Gegenwartsform. Gewohnt schrill und schräg schreitet die Geschichte voran und bereitet vor allem mit sarkastischen Dialogen und viel eingebauten schwarzen Humor eine Menge Lesespaß. Auch wenn der Grundgedanke einer besonderen Schule sicherlich nicht neu ist, erfindet Charlie Human das Geschehen hier für sich neu und hebt das Ganze auf eine derbere und bluttriefendere Ebene, nutzt dabei teilweise schamlose Übertreibungen, die beim Lesen nicht einmal ansatzweise überflüssig wirken. Mehr noch, genau dieses Stilmittel gibt der Geschichte etwas Besonderes und Unverwechselbares.
Mit Baxter, dem Mensch gewordenen Antihelden, hat Charlie Human eine Figur geschaffen, mit der man sich durchaus identifizieren kann. Abgesehen von den bereits genannten Übertreibungen plagen ihn dieselben Ängste wie jeden anderen auch. Und an Baxter ist definitiv eine Entwicklung zu bemerken, er hat die Gefühlswelt entdeckt, auch wenn er stellenweise dann doch unterkühlt agiert.
In den eingebauten Dialogen werden mitunter derbe Sprüche und Straßenslangs benutzt, die in keine andere Geschichte besser passen würden. Nur zum Ende hin gen Showdown empfand ich die Darstellung der Handlung dann mitunter doch zu überzeichnet, was meinen Lesefluss aber nur geringfügig beeinflusste. Im Endeffekt hat Charlie Human definitiv das Niveau des Vorbandes erreicht, wenn nicht sogar teilweise übertroffen.
Nach einem stellenweise brutalen Showdown lässt Charlie Human die Geschichte beruhigt ausklingen und führt sie zu einem nachvollziehbaren Ende. Ich konnte die Geschichte wirklich genießen und freue mich auf weitere Werke von Charlie Human.
Urteil:
Mit „Kill Baxter – Showdown in Cape Town“ knüpft Charlie Human beeindruckend an das Niveau des ersten Bandes an. Sarkastische Dialoge und herrlich überzogene Handlungsstränge bereiteten mir ein Lesevergnügen, dass ich mit knappen 5 Büchern belohne.
Wer schrille und schräge Handlungsstränge mag, dabei überzogene Entwicklungen akzeptiert und eine magische Parallelwelt nicht ausschließt, ist hier genau richtig. Für Fans des ersten Teils ein absolutes Must-Read!
Reihe:
1. Kill Baxter – Apokalypse Now Now
2. Kill Baxter – Showdown in Capetown
© hisandherbooks.de
„Die Welt beginnt zu flimmern und zu funkeln wie bei einem drohenden Kreislaufkollaps. Die tanzenden Sternchen vor meinen Augen kristallisieren sich zu einem wogenden Ozean von Farben, Geräuschen und Gerüchen, wo vormals das verlassene Gebäude war.“
(S.22)
Inhalt:
Keine Schule wollte Baxter aufnehmen. Lediglich in Hexpoort, einer Schule für magisch Begabte, konnte er nun unterkommen. Doch Baxters Leben hier ist alles andere als einfach. Tyrannisiert von Hekka, dem Auserwählten, versucht Baxter dennoch, seine gute Seite herauszukehren. Auch Esmé scheint ihn jedoch verlassen zu wollen. Innere Kämpfe toben in ihm.
Als die Schule angegriffen wird, gibt es viele Tote. Doch es gelingt, die Gefahr zu bannen. Zumindest vorerst. Nun ist der Schulalltag vorbei, die Schüler werden nun gebraucht, gegen abtrünnige magische Clans zu kämpfen. Baxter wird Ronin als Lehrling zugeteilt. Und wieder einmal sind sie nun auf einer Mission zur Rettung der Welt. Sterben ist dabei natürlich auch eine Möglichkeit.
Meinung:
Nachdem mir die schräge Geschichte aus dem ersten Teil „Kill Baxter – Apokalypse Now Now“ überraschend gut gefallen hatte, musste natürlich auch bald der Folgeband bei mir einziehen. Nun lag „Kill Baxter – Showdown in Cape Town“ lesebereit bei mir zu Hause, so dass ich unmittelbar mit dem Lesen beginnen konnte.
Schnell kamen mir nach den ersten Seiten die bisherigen Ereignisse wieder ins Gedächtnis. Mit einer Dokumentation über Baxter hinsichtlich seines Aufnahmeverfahrens in Hexpoort gelang es Charlie Human, dass wichtige Informationen nicht verloren gingen. Außerdem sorgte der prägnante Schreibstil des Autors dafür, dass ich schnell wieder in der Welt von Baxter angekommen bin.
Baxter hat sich nun vorgenommen, seine böse Seite, sein manipulatives und intrigantes Ich, zu unterdrücken. Er will zu den Guten gehören, gibt sich dabei alle Mühe und muss dafür jede Menge über sich ergehen lassen. Hexpoort fühlt sich für ihn an wie ein Gefängnis. Schon auf der Fahrt zur Schule war zu erleben, dass ihn hier alles andere als ein normales Schulleben erwarten würde. Und tatsächlich wird es ziemlich hart für ihn. Der brutale Überfall auf die Schule beendet just das eben erst begonnene Schulleben. Nun gilt es, die dunklen Bestrebungen aufzuhalten. Gemeinsam mit Ronin, der gerade versucht, vom Alkohol loszulassen, bekommt Baxter einen Auftrag. Und damit begibt er sich wiederum in große Gefahr.
Charlie Human nutzt auch in diesem Teil die Darstellung aus Baxters Ich-Perspektive in Gegenwartsform. Gewohnt schrill und schräg schreitet die Geschichte voran und bereitet vor allem mit sarkastischen Dialogen und viel eingebauten schwarzen Humor eine Menge Lesespaß. Auch wenn der Grundgedanke einer besonderen Schule sicherlich nicht neu ist, erfindet Charlie Human das Geschehen hier für sich neu und hebt das Ganze auf eine derbere und bluttriefendere Ebene, nutzt dabei teilweise schamlose Übertreibungen, die beim Lesen nicht einmal ansatzweise überflüssig wirken. Mehr noch, genau dieses Stilmittel gibt der Geschichte etwas Besonderes und Unverwechselbares.
Mit Baxter, dem Mensch gewordenen Antihelden, hat Charlie Human eine Figur geschaffen, mit der man sich durchaus identifizieren kann. Abgesehen von den bereits genannten Übertreibungen plagen ihn dieselben Ängste wie jeden anderen auch. Und an Baxter ist definitiv eine Entwicklung zu bemerken, er hat die Gefühlswelt entdeckt, auch wenn er stellenweise dann doch unterkühlt agiert.
In den eingebauten Dialogen werden mitunter derbe Sprüche und Straßenslangs benutzt, die in keine andere Geschichte besser passen würden. Nur zum Ende hin gen Showdown empfand ich die Darstellung der Handlung dann mitunter doch zu überzeichnet, was meinen Lesefluss aber nur geringfügig beeinflusste. Im Endeffekt hat Charlie Human definitiv das Niveau des Vorbandes erreicht, wenn nicht sogar teilweise übertroffen.
Nach einem stellenweise brutalen Showdown lässt Charlie Human die Geschichte beruhigt ausklingen und führt sie zu einem nachvollziehbaren Ende. Ich konnte die Geschichte wirklich genießen und freue mich auf weitere Werke von Charlie Human.
Urteil:
Mit „Kill Baxter – Showdown in Cape Town“ knüpft Charlie Human beeindruckend an das Niveau des ersten Bandes an. Sarkastische Dialoge und herrlich überzogene Handlungsstränge bereiteten mir ein Lesevergnügen, dass ich mit knappen 5 Büchern belohne.
Wer schrille und schräge Handlungsstränge mag, dabei überzogene Entwicklungen akzeptiert und eine magische Parallelwelt nicht ausschließt, ist hier genau richtig. Für Fans des ersten Teils ein absolutes Must-Read!
Reihe:
1. Kill Baxter – Apokalypse Now Now
2. Kill Baxter – Showdown in Capetown
© hisandherbooks.de
March 13, 2018
4 - 4,5 Sterne
February 11, 2021
I don’t write reviews.
I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out. A kind of magic school setting? Potter pastiche or satire? No, it wasn’t either, thankfully. Potter never did hard labour nor martial training. The settings were far more varied.
There were plenty of creatures, doomed situations that only could be saved in books, a populated world of the subconscious (literally) and solid characters. The main character Baxter isn’t the Byronic hero nor a square-jawed courageous hero, he’s a guy. Anyone thrown into the world in which he was dumped and doesn’t drown is a good enough hero for me.
I want another story... I’m tired of everything being a series (or a series in a series as I’ve been seeing lately), but I honestly like these enough to keep reading. Who knows? It’s only been seven years since this volume.
I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out. A kind of magic school setting? Potter pastiche or satire? No, it wasn’t either, thankfully. Potter never did hard labour nor martial training. The settings were far more varied.
There were plenty of creatures, doomed situations that only could be saved in books, a populated world of the subconscious (literally) and solid characters. The main character Baxter isn’t the Byronic hero nor a square-jawed courageous hero, he’s a guy. Anyone thrown into the world in which he was dumped and doesn’t drown is a good enough hero for me.
I want another story... I’m tired of everything being a series (or a series in a series as I’ve been seeing lately), but I honestly like these enough to keep reading. Who knows? It’s only been seven years since this volume.
November 19, 2018
This book felt like slightly toned down version of a Sandman Sim novel for me. It was still very cool and fun to read but between Baxter and James Stark, Stark wins for me hands down. Kill Baxter is fun and a good read I kind of just wish i had fully realized this was a sequel book because i knew no references that were made and at times felt like i was missing something, otherwise its a fun read.
September 15, 2019
Following on the breakneck speed of Apocalypse Now-Now, Charlie Human's anti-Harry Potter, Baxter, is back. This time he has to attend a school for the magically inclined – a rather nasty place in the middle of nowhere aptly named Hexpoort. In typical Human style, Kill Baxter is a non-stop romp from one misadventure to the next, as we are plunged deeper into the world of the Hidden, and those who have to stop that world from spilling out into our own.
It's not a walk in the park for Baxter, who up until the events unfolding in book one, has lived a rather mundane life. Now he discovers he's apparently a dreamwalker – a rare ability – and he has precious little time to come into his powers before he is dragged into conflict. The kids at his new school aren't helping much either – if ever there existed a motley collection of reprobates, this is it. What doesn't help is that the resident Chosen One (a nod to Harry Potter himself) is an unmitigated tosser with a penchant for pushing Baxter around.
After saving the world the first time, Baxter has decided to turn over a new leaf. So he keeps holding himself back from being the unholy terror he was in book one. And this division of his light/dark self does create problems for him as he goes along – he needs to find his true self before he can come fully into his powers, and the way things go, he may not survive to do so.
Kill Baxter is full of absurd humour, ultra violence and often unexpectedly wry observations about the human condition – something that's difficult to get the balance right. I did feel, however, at times, that the writing is a bit fast, that the overall plot development (as it does in book one) occasionally gets derailed in favour of the style, but somehow Human pulls it off far better in book two than book one. Perhaps it's because he's more comfortable in the world now, knows the characters better.
There's something almost Pratchettesque about the setting, in an Ankh-Morpork kinda way, but far, far darker, and steeped in African mythology. I also suspect that some of the references will no doubt go way over the heads of non-South African readers. But I also reckon that this sprawling contemporary fantasy novel will hit the mark too, because its themes will, by the same measure, seem so fresh to many non-South African readers. Kill Baxter is fast, funny and sometimes quite silly, but at the end of the day it's one heck of a ride.
It's not a walk in the park for Baxter, who up until the events unfolding in book one, has lived a rather mundane life. Now he discovers he's apparently a dreamwalker – a rare ability – and he has precious little time to come into his powers before he is dragged into conflict. The kids at his new school aren't helping much either – if ever there existed a motley collection of reprobates, this is it. What doesn't help is that the resident Chosen One (a nod to Harry Potter himself) is an unmitigated tosser with a penchant for pushing Baxter around.
After saving the world the first time, Baxter has decided to turn over a new leaf. So he keeps holding himself back from being the unholy terror he was in book one. And this division of his light/dark self does create problems for him as he goes along – he needs to find his true self before he can come fully into his powers, and the way things go, he may not survive to do so.
Kill Baxter is full of absurd humour, ultra violence and often unexpectedly wry observations about the human condition – something that's difficult to get the balance right. I did feel, however, at times, that the writing is a bit fast, that the overall plot development (as it does in book one) occasionally gets derailed in favour of the style, but somehow Human pulls it off far better in book two than book one. Perhaps it's because he's more comfortable in the world now, knows the characters better.
There's something almost Pratchettesque about the setting, in an Ankh-Morpork kinda way, but far, far darker, and steeped in African mythology. I also suspect that some of the references will no doubt go way over the heads of non-South African readers. But I also reckon that this sprawling contemporary fantasy novel will hit the mark too, because its themes will, by the same measure, seem so fresh to many non-South African readers. Kill Baxter is fast, funny and sometimes quite silly, but at the end of the day it's one heck of a ride.
August 21, 2017
„Kill Baxter“ setzt nahtlos an den ersten Band an und wie schon bei „Apocalypse Now Now“ versteht man anfangs sehr lange nichts von dem großen Mysterium, das vor sich geht. Aber auch dieses Buch ist wieder unglaublich spannend und hat alles, was man schon im vorherigen Teil geliebt hat. So kriegt man also Leser die volle Dröhnung schwarzen Humors und Baxter wie er leibt und lebt.
„So verkorkst. Als hätten Hyänen an seiner Seele gekaut. Herrlich!“ (S. 261)
Das Buch hat natürlich immer noch seinen Horrorfaktor an obskuren Wesen bringt aber durch den Magieaspekt noch etwas anderes mit, und so ist es gleichzeitig auch eine kleine Hommage an „Harry Potter“. All die Anspielungen und Szenen waren wirklich witzig und passen einfach zum Stil des Buches, allerdings ist Hexpoort eine viel abgefucktere Version von Hogwarts. Charlie Human hat aber auch wieder viele neue Ideen, die den Horizont der eigenen Fantasie sprengen. Ich bin einfach ein großer Fan der Dynamik und all der tollen Figuren, wie Ronin oder Kyle, und es kommen auch neue interessante Charaktere dazu.
Zu Beginn des Buches habe ich ein wenig gebraucht mich wieder mit der Umgebung und allem zurecht zu finden, aber die Spannung treibt die Handlung schnell voran und ich konnte es kaum erwarten zu lesen wie es weiter geht und wie die Geschichte endet. Das epische Finale rundet das ganze gut ab und lässt mich auf einen nächsten Teil rund um die magische Welt Kapstadts hoffen.
Die Fortsetzung steht vielleicht minimal hinter dem ersten Band, aber nur weil der Wow-Effekt dieser unglaublichen Welt mit all seinen Monstern ja an sich nun nichts Neues mehr ist. Trotzdem hoffe und bete ich, dass Charlie Human weiterschreibt, weil ich unbedingt mehr von Baxter lesen möchte!
Auch noch ein herzliches Dankeschön an den Fischerverlag, der mir das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt hat.
„So verkorkst. Als hätten Hyänen an seiner Seele gekaut. Herrlich!“ (S. 261)
Das Buch hat natürlich immer noch seinen Horrorfaktor an obskuren Wesen bringt aber durch den Magieaspekt noch etwas anderes mit, und so ist es gleichzeitig auch eine kleine Hommage an „Harry Potter“. All die Anspielungen und Szenen waren wirklich witzig und passen einfach zum Stil des Buches, allerdings ist Hexpoort eine viel abgefucktere Version von Hogwarts. Charlie Human hat aber auch wieder viele neue Ideen, die den Horizont der eigenen Fantasie sprengen. Ich bin einfach ein großer Fan der Dynamik und all der tollen Figuren, wie Ronin oder Kyle, und es kommen auch neue interessante Charaktere dazu.
Zu Beginn des Buches habe ich ein wenig gebraucht mich wieder mit der Umgebung und allem zurecht zu finden, aber die Spannung treibt die Handlung schnell voran und ich konnte es kaum erwarten zu lesen wie es weiter geht und wie die Geschichte endet. Das epische Finale rundet das ganze gut ab und lässt mich auf einen nächsten Teil rund um die magische Welt Kapstadts hoffen.
Die Fortsetzung steht vielleicht minimal hinter dem ersten Band, aber nur weil der Wow-Effekt dieser unglaublichen Welt mit all seinen Monstern ja an sich nun nichts Neues mehr ist. Trotzdem hoffe und bete ich, dass Charlie Human weiterschreibt, weil ich unbedingt mehr von Baxter lesen möchte!
Auch noch ein herzliches Dankeschön an den Fischerverlag, der mir das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt hat.
September 25, 2017
The book kill baxter is about a 16 year old named baxter and he is trying to become a better person so he wants to change who he is and how he acts but there’s a lot of obstacles in his way that try to stop him from becoming a better person. He is forced to be in the middle of trouble having to deal with magical and non-magical people/things.
What i learned from the story is that there will always be things in the way of your good doings or changes that will try and get you sidetracked and make you unable to achieve your goal so you always focus on yourself and what more important to you and leave all the other unimportant things to the side.
What i dislike about the book is how there are lots of obstacles that’re trying to stop baxter from becoming a different person.
I would recommend the book to older mature kids because it does talk about a lot of inappropriate things that kids should not read about and has lots of cussing in it.
July 25, 2018
This series is simply great fun to read. The first book, Apocalypse Now Now, introduced Baxter, a rather unlikable (at least in his own mind) guy struggling to get through school, survive his family dynamic, etc. The only person Baxter seems to care about is his girlfriend, Esme. When Esme is the victim of an apparent kidnapping by a serial killer, Baxter has to overcome a cop's suspicions while figuring out the best way to find and help Esme. Along the way, Baxter discovers that the world is a lot different than he'd ever believed. In this second Baxter novel, his world changes again, radically, and Baxter has to learn to fight, both physically and mentally, in order to save his world. I love Baxter's snark and smarts, and his running commentary enhances the plot at every turn. Wonderful storytelling, funny and fascinating. Here's hoping for more from Mr. Human, very soon.
November 19, 2024
If you really like the Baxterverse then you'll probably enjoy this book. It's explored in greater detail and the psychology symbolism (Freudian stages of psychosexual development?! finding the True Self, reconciling your good and evil self, overcoming addiction etc) are pretty cool. Same humour but with a bit more grime. However much of the book is just lore dump followed by gruesome fighting and it gets old quickly. The magic school feels pretty gratuitously depressing and underdeveloped at the same time. Idk, maybe I had had Harry Potter level of expectations and they weren't met, and Baxter's education was interrupted a bit too early for my liking. The final fight with the villain wasn't as good as the first book either.
Maybe this series was discontinued but if Charlie Human writes another book I'll still read it.
Maybe this series was discontinued but if Charlie Human writes another book I'll still read it.
July 19, 2017
Charlie Human is a brilliant, brilliant writer - engaging, amusing and edge-of-your-seat exciting. The only reason he didn't get five stars from me is because of this: "Wingardium fucking leviosa!" and "Popular culture has ruined magic. Utterly ruined it!" This because I'm more Hermione Granger than Baxter Zevcenko, I mean, the following remark sums it up pretty neatly:
"...Students become fixated on that shit and never progress. They never take the time to investigate the real bones, the real blood of magic. You're not gonna be Hendrix if all you listen to is Bieber, you know what I'm saying?" I love the descriptions of Cape Town's underbelly, which really resonate if you equate goblins and things that go bump in the night with gangsters and murderers!
"...Students become fixated on that shit and never progress. They never take the time to investigate the real bones, the real blood of magic. You're not gonna be Hendrix if all you listen to is Bieber, you know what I'm saying?" I love the descriptions of Cape Town's underbelly, which really resonate if you equate goblins and things that go bump in the night with gangsters and murderers!
January 4, 2018
Shit just gets weirder and weirder for Baxter. Sent to a new school that seems to be filled with other teen delinquents with the addition of having magical/shaman skills, he's no longer the alpha male running the porn cartel in his high school. When his new high school is attacked he suddenly has to use his dream walking skills to find his true self, his magical talent, and a way to save the world. Or at least everyone in South Africa.
Kind of like Harry Potter. With drugs. And violence. And just weird shit. Like a dragon made out of fat and sewer garbage.
Kind of like Harry Potter. With drugs. And violence. And just weird shit. Like a dragon made out of fat and sewer garbage.
August 19, 2024
After this weekend's sporting success in Australia it feels so good to be South African. Charlie Human also makes me proud to be one. I jumped into this one because Apocalypse Now Now wasn't available. I couldn't figure out if I missed a lot by starting with book no 2 - I felt a bit confused with who some characters were again, but maybe it's just because I flew through this book. It's like a Harry Potter for adults and very funny as well. My favourite character was The Boer who is a classic Afrikaans character. His explanation of various fighting styles had me laughing out loud.
November 17, 2017
I think Kill Baxter is an amazing sequel to an amazing book. The book builds off of the demented south african story of a boy caught up in smuggling adult content while fight off and defending his love from monsters and humans. And Ronin the drunk who is also a a master of killing beasts and things of unatural proportion. This builds off of his addiction and the fact that only a few people know of the monsters and everyone else thinks he's crazy.
August 24, 2019
Charlie Human continues to amaze with his vivid imagination and relatable characters. The reader truly gets a deeper look into Baxter and Ronin, in particular, and forms a deep bond with the characters. Don’t get me wrong, the book is completely nuts, though in the best way possible. Cannot wait for the third entry. Something about Mr. Human’s unique writing style cements him as my favourite South African author. His work slits between Lev Grossman and Paul Crilley on my bookshelf.
January 26, 2021
I love learning more about South African culture and this book is a great way to do so. Loved it from start to finish.
However, some characters seem to be introduced and are important and then drop off the face of the heart for a while until the end of the book where I had forgotten they existed. But otherwise than that, a solid sequel to Apocalypse Now Now.
I sure hope a third is in the works, even though this book ended pretty solid.
However, some characters seem to be introduced and are important and then drop off the face of the heart for a while until the end of the book where I had forgotten they existed. But otherwise than that, a solid sequel to Apocalypse Now Now.
I sure hope a third is in the works, even though this book ended pretty solid.
December 13, 2023
This was similar to the first one but much more Harry Potter-inspired. Again, I liked it, it was very imaginative and over the top but like the first one I’m not sure how much I actually liked it. If that makes any sense, it’s very much like the first and has a lesser impact as a result. Would I recommend this one? Only if you liked the first then yes otherwise not really.
January 3, 2024
Got two chapters in and had to toss the book in the trash. I can not stand the dialog nor the main charactor. This is one of the few books in over 54 years of reading books that I have actually gave up reading it. Plot is very thin, take a sad sack whiny charactor hand him superpowers then try to save the world. Meh
April 14, 2022
(2.5 Stars)
This was ok… rambling, but interesting. I liked the plot more than the execution of the book. It was a decent follow-up to Apocalypse Now Now, but honestly I’m good with the series ending with this book. The narration was good. The characters didn’t have much depth or personality.
This was ok… rambling, but interesting. I liked the plot more than the execution of the book. It was a decent follow-up to Apocalypse Now Now, but honestly I’m good with the series ending with this book. The narration was good. The characters didn’t have much depth or personality.
Read
December 9, 2025I liked book 1 better, I think the pacing for this book was off. He seemed to have no problems reaching his true self and based on the description on the back I thought the "Chosen one" bully and different school sects would have a more prominent role. The beginning and end pacing was done well.
December 10, 2021
A wild over the top mix of horror, magic and social commentary. Baxter’s quest to find (and perhaps kill) his real self is a trip you don’t want to miss.
May 13, 2022
Listened to audiobook. The storyline was very intriguing. The narrator was very good.
July 16, 2014
Please note Kill Baxter is a direct sequel to last years Apocalypse Now Now. It is entirely possible if you haven’t read that then this review may contain some mild spoilers. As ever, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Last year when I first heard about Apocalypse Now Now I had absolutely zero expectations. I knew nothing of this Charlie Human, fella and didn’t know if his debut would appeal or not. I needn’t have worried as I devoured the book swiftly, and Mr Human’s literary gymnastics successfully managed to melt my brain. The good news is that I’ve recently been released from the brain hospital, time cures all wounds – even brain melting. I couldn’t have timed it better if I’d tried. Back out into my world just in time for the sequel Kill Baxter to be released.
The real highlight of this story, as before, is the character of Baxter himself. He remains firmly at the dark shiny heart of the novel. You just can’t beat a character who exhibits genuinely unpredictable behaviour. He reads like a twisted melange of my favourite literary nutters. Equal parts Machiavellian power broker, sociopathic psycho and the anti-Potter. He’s trying to be a better person, but it doesn’t exactly come easy.
The magical universe that Baxter caught glimpses of in book one is now revealing more and more of its secrets. Having saved the world from almost certain doom once already he finds himself thrown in at the deep end at Hexpoort, a magic users training academy many miles from all his family and friends. The school and its denizens are like a magical who’s who of Africa mythology. The teachers are a surly masochistic bunch and the other students are all as twisted as Baxter. He quickly discovers he is no longer the big fish in a small pond.
Elsewhere, there are a handful chapters where Baxter enters his own subconscious dreamscape. The key to unlocking his magical potential lies somewhere deep inside. Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, Human throws a literary curveball at the reader, and all that has gone before seems suddenly commonplace. Bizarre, but at the same time entirely apt, these scenes are some of the best in the novel. There certainly won’t ever be any accusation that readers don’t understand the inner workings of Baxter’s psyche. Every element of his multi-faceted character is laid bare. I’m probably not doing a great job of describing how off the wall the inside of his head is. Think Inception on an acid trip and you are about half way there.
Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin also returns and is still very much a favourite. Shambolic, violent and with more inner demons than you could shake a big stick at he is a delightfully dark creation. Described at one point as being something akin to an alcoholic homeless Viking Ronin remains a law unto himself. Though Baxter and Ronin share a deep bond with one another they have a snarky back and forth banter that loads of fun. Sometimes they bicker like an old married couple.
I don’t think I can even begin to explain the labyrinthine plot, so I’m not even going to try. Suffice to say, if you have read Apocalypse Now Now, you will be somewhat prepared. Charlie Human writes like some sort of demented wordmage/soothsayer, and things often veer off on the most wickedly surreal tangents. There are a plethora of new weird and wonderful characters. Just wait till you meet Psychosexual Development, a 70s funk band who have a very important link with our main protagonist.
It’s not often I mention book covers, but it would be remiss of me if I didn’t make some mention of the wonderful cover art by @JoeyHiFi. Once again his vivid style perfectly complements the text and does a fantastic job of suggesting the delights that lie within.
All in all, Kill Baxter, like its predecessor, is just plain nuts. Works for me, I loved every single page. I’m willing to concede that some will find this novel perhaps just a bit too odd, too strange. Don’t let yourself fall into this category. Give yourself over to the surrealist journey of Baxter’s self-discovery, and let the delicious nonsense just wash over you. Once you accept this into your brain, I can guarantee you it’ll be worth it, its great fun. If you enjoy your urban fantasy with a razor sharp edge and a darkly comic heart, then this is undoubtedly the book for you. Mad, bad and more than a little dangerous to know, everyone needs a bit of Baxter Zevcenko in their lives.
Kill Baxter is published by Century and is available from 17th July. Highly recommended. I can only hope there will be another novel featuring these characters again very soon, I’d read it in a heartbeat.
Last year when I first heard about Apocalypse Now Now I had absolutely zero expectations. I knew nothing of this Charlie Human, fella and didn’t know if his debut would appeal or not. I needn’t have worried as I devoured the book swiftly, and Mr Human’s literary gymnastics successfully managed to melt my brain. The good news is that I’ve recently been released from the brain hospital, time cures all wounds – even brain melting. I couldn’t have timed it better if I’d tried. Back out into my world just in time for the sequel Kill Baxter to be released.
The real highlight of this story, as before, is the character of Baxter himself. He remains firmly at the dark shiny heart of the novel. You just can’t beat a character who exhibits genuinely unpredictable behaviour. He reads like a twisted melange of my favourite literary nutters. Equal parts Machiavellian power broker, sociopathic psycho and the anti-Potter. He’s trying to be a better person, but it doesn’t exactly come easy.
The magical universe that Baxter caught glimpses of in book one is now revealing more and more of its secrets. Having saved the world from almost certain doom once already he finds himself thrown in at the deep end at Hexpoort, a magic users training academy many miles from all his family and friends. The school and its denizens are like a magical who’s who of Africa mythology. The teachers are a surly masochistic bunch and the other students are all as twisted as Baxter. He quickly discovers he is no longer the big fish in a small pond.
Elsewhere, there are a handful chapters where Baxter enters his own subconscious dreamscape. The key to unlocking his magical potential lies somewhere deep inside. Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, Human throws a literary curveball at the reader, and all that has gone before seems suddenly commonplace. Bizarre, but at the same time entirely apt, these scenes are some of the best in the novel. There certainly won’t ever be any accusation that readers don’t understand the inner workings of Baxter’s psyche. Every element of his multi-faceted character is laid bare. I’m probably not doing a great job of describing how off the wall the inside of his head is. Think Inception on an acid trip and you are about half way there.
Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin also returns and is still very much a favourite. Shambolic, violent and with more inner demons than you could shake a big stick at he is a delightfully dark creation. Described at one point as being something akin to an alcoholic homeless Viking Ronin remains a law unto himself. Though Baxter and Ronin share a deep bond with one another they have a snarky back and forth banter that loads of fun. Sometimes they bicker like an old married couple.
I don’t think I can even begin to explain the labyrinthine plot, so I’m not even going to try. Suffice to say, if you have read Apocalypse Now Now, you will be somewhat prepared. Charlie Human writes like some sort of demented wordmage/soothsayer, and things often veer off on the most wickedly surreal tangents. There are a plethora of new weird and wonderful characters. Just wait till you meet Psychosexual Development, a 70s funk band who have a very important link with our main protagonist.
It’s not often I mention book covers, but it would be remiss of me if I didn’t make some mention of the wonderful cover art by @JoeyHiFi. Once again his vivid style perfectly complements the text and does a fantastic job of suggesting the delights that lie within.
All in all, Kill Baxter, like its predecessor, is just plain nuts. Works for me, I loved every single page. I’m willing to concede that some will find this novel perhaps just a bit too odd, too strange. Don’t let yourself fall into this category. Give yourself over to the surrealist journey of Baxter’s self-discovery, and let the delicious nonsense just wash over you. Once you accept this into your brain, I can guarantee you it’ll be worth it, its great fun. If you enjoy your urban fantasy with a razor sharp edge and a darkly comic heart, then this is undoubtedly the book for you. Mad, bad and more than a little dangerous to know, everyone needs a bit of Baxter Zevcenko in their lives.
Kill Baxter is published by Century and is available from 17th July. Highly recommended. I can only hope there will be another novel featuring these characters again very soon, I’d read it in a heartbeat.
April 20, 2016
My original KILL BAXTER audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
After saving the world in Apocalypse Now Now, sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko is off to school at Hexpoort to begin his training in magical abilities for recruitment into the ultra-secretive MK6. Unfortunately for Baxter, it’s not going to be a very easy semester… MK6 agents are winding up dead, and rebellion is fermenting within the community of The Hidden thanks to the work of the mysterious Muti Man. Oh, and Baxter has to endure the bullying of The Chosen One who thinks Baxter may have stolen his thunder by doing battle with an interdemensional villain last time around. Hexpoort is, after all, high school, even with a militaristic boot camp bent.
Kill Baxter is seriously entertaining stuff, with a number of laugh-out-loud moments. There’s a passing similarity to the Harry Potter series, as Baxter is a smart and gifted young man, but imminently more foul-mouthed, manipulative, aggressive, and sarcastic than that Hogwart’s fellow. And his best friend is a violent alcoholic. So, yeah, there’s that. Although Baxter is making a conscious effort at being a better man and attending a pornography addiction anonymous group, it’s his battles against the Muti Man that will prove to be the most challenging aspect of his journey toward self-discovery.
Returning to narrate is David Atlas, whose performance I enjoyed quite a bit. He brings a terrific amount of effort to the production, and voices Baxter exceedingly well. He also gives the secondary characters their own unique voices and inflections without hitting any false notes. My only complaint is that there were often some strangely long pauses throughout the narrative, section breaks not withstanding. I often thought Atlas was giving us breathing room between section breaks within a chapter, only to discover he was taking a break between paragraphs. It was a bit jarring, but thankfully this didn’t occur too often during dialogue exchanges. Still, it was enough to make me speed up the play-through, and I found that listening to this audiobook at 1.25X was preferable.
As far as the writing goes, Charlie Human has a terrific voice and puts some interesting spins on his passages. I couldn’t help but smile when one character finally admitted that positive thinking just wasn’t his thing, and a particular sewer monster that figures into the book’s climax was well and nastily rendered. The Baxter books are clearly becoming a series that I’ll be sticking with for the long-haul, and Human introduces a few story threads in Kill Baxter that are clearly setting up a much larger story for the next book. The hints we’re given here have me itching for quite a lot more, and I can only hope that the wait isn’t too long.
[Audiobook provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com]
After saving the world in Apocalypse Now Now, sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko is off to school at Hexpoort to begin his training in magical abilities for recruitment into the ultra-secretive MK6. Unfortunately for Baxter, it’s not going to be a very easy semester… MK6 agents are winding up dead, and rebellion is fermenting within the community of The Hidden thanks to the work of the mysterious Muti Man. Oh, and Baxter has to endure the bullying of The Chosen One who thinks Baxter may have stolen his thunder by doing battle with an interdemensional villain last time around. Hexpoort is, after all, high school, even with a militaristic boot camp bent.
Kill Baxter is seriously entertaining stuff, with a number of laugh-out-loud moments. There’s a passing similarity to the Harry Potter series, as Baxter is a smart and gifted young man, but imminently more foul-mouthed, manipulative, aggressive, and sarcastic than that Hogwart’s fellow. And his best friend is a violent alcoholic. So, yeah, there’s that. Although Baxter is making a conscious effort at being a better man and attending a pornography addiction anonymous group, it’s his battles against the Muti Man that will prove to be the most challenging aspect of his journey toward self-discovery.
Returning to narrate is David Atlas, whose performance I enjoyed quite a bit. He brings a terrific amount of effort to the production, and voices Baxter exceedingly well. He also gives the secondary characters their own unique voices and inflections without hitting any false notes. My only complaint is that there were often some strangely long pauses throughout the narrative, section breaks not withstanding. I often thought Atlas was giving us breathing room between section breaks within a chapter, only to discover he was taking a break between paragraphs. It was a bit jarring, but thankfully this didn’t occur too often during dialogue exchanges. Still, it was enough to make me speed up the play-through, and I found that listening to this audiobook at 1.25X was preferable.
As far as the writing goes, Charlie Human has a terrific voice and puts some interesting spins on his passages. I couldn’t help but smile when one character finally admitted that positive thinking just wasn’t his thing, and a particular sewer monster that figures into the book’s climax was well and nastily rendered. The Baxter books are clearly becoming a series that I’ll be sticking with for the long-haul, and Human introduces a few story threads in Kill Baxter that are clearly setting up a much larger story for the next book. The hints we’re given here have me itching for quite a lot more, and I can only hope that the wait isn’t too long.
[Audiobook provided for review by the audiobookreviewer.com]
February 8, 2016
I picked up Kill Baxter, along with the first book Apocalypse Now Now, with much excitment as I would be able to read yet another local South African author who has “made it”. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book; the telling of Baxter Zevcenko, leader of the Spiders, a group that run a lucrative porn business within the school grounds as their means of setting themselves apart from the gangs and the runts. That is until things take a turn for the worst for Baxter, as events lead him to think that he is a serial killer whenever he blacks out, only for the supernatural world to become a solid reality as Baxter finds out he is part Siener (an ancient Boer mystic people) and part Crow (giant shape-shifting crow creatures). And then he saves the world.
Kill Baxter begins at the end of Apocalypse Now Now, after the almost apocalyptic event that destroyed a Cape Town in a different dimension (uh read the book for details, I recommend it) but no one knows of his heroism and bravery. However, new events unfold as he goes to the secret government magic school, that will allow him to avoid juvenile detention following the unbelievable events that left many dead. In the midst of this, a legend has crept into the Hidden realm, a mysterious entity referred to as Muti Man, who seems to be the reason plenty MK16 agents are dead and missing teeth. And Baxter is once again in the middle of the chaos that ensues.
I must say that I absolutely love Charlie Human’s writing style and gritty dark scenarios peppered with humour and witty sarcasm. I have never laughed out loud in a cafe while reading a book but this book has changed that little fact. The characters are fascinating, each with their own quirks that set them apart so well. The descriptions he uses for some of the creatures are just brilliant. In one scene he refers to a goblin like creature as “He has misshapen head, bulging eyes , and thick, coarse hair, like a shower cap made of pubes.” Also, he does not hold back in his language or the crude remarks that Baxter makes which gives the characters so much colour and life. So on that note, I will also say that the language is pretty harsh so not for the faint of heart.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would probably read them both again just to once again delve into the underground magical realms of Cape Town, in the boots of the lovely (note sarcasm), dual minded Baxter Zevcenko.
Kill Baxter begins at the end of Apocalypse Now Now, after the almost apocalyptic event that destroyed a Cape Town in a different dimension (uh read the book for details, I recommend it) but no one knows of his heroism and bravery. However, new events unfold as he goes to the secret government magic school, that will allow him to avoid juvenile detention following the unbelievable events that left many dead. In the midst of this, a legend has crept into the Hidden realm, a mysterious entity referred to as Muti Man, who seems to be the reason plenty MK16 agents are dead and missing teeth. And Baxter is once again in the middle of the chaos that ensues.
I must say that I absolutely love Charlie Human’s writing style and gritty dark scenarios peppered with humour and witty sarcasm. I have never laughed out loud in a cafe while reading a book but this book has changed that little fact. The characters are fascinating, each with their own quirks that set them apart so well. The descriptions he uses for some of the creatures are just brilliant. In one scene he refers to a goblin like creature as “He has misshapen head, bulging eyes , and thick, coarse hair, like a shower cap made of pubes.” Also, he does not hold back in his language or the crude remarks that Baxter makes which gives the characters so much colour and life. So on that note, I will also say that the language is pretty harsh so not for the faint of heart.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would probably read them both again just to once again delve into the underground magical realms of Cape Town, in the boots of the lovely (note sarcasm), dual minded Baxter Zevcenko.
February 14, 2024
.More reviews like this one on my blog Snapdragon Alcove
As much as I like the first book. This book sure amps up its insanity. Just for example, Baxter finds out he is a dream walker. Which comes with a dream guide. That can be an animal, a dead relative, or a strange elderly man. Baxter’s dream guide is a 70s funk band.
This book pokes fun at Harry Potter for the magic school. As someone who was never attached to HP finds it to be funny. I am sure people who have an attachment to HP will get a laugh out of it.
I thought Ronin was only going to show up for only the first part of the book. Glad he shows up again later. The dysfunctional dynamic duo would not work. Boxster and Ronin are at odds with each other. When they butt heads, their back and forth are hilarious. Working well with dark humor.
I say this in my review of the first book, again I like South African mythology. I’m not familiar with the mythology which makes it more interesting. Most of the creatures are similar to European fairies.
I wonder why this book is not talked about more than oh yeah, the style of the book is not for everyone. What I mean by this is there is dark twisted humor. If you like that and want urban fantasy set in a different culture, then give this book a read.
I highly recommend the audio book.
As much as I like the first book. This book sure amps up its insanity. Just for example, Baxter finds out he is a dream walker. Which comes with a dream guide. That can be an animal, a dead relative, or a strange elderly man. Baxter’s dream guide is a 70s funk band.
This book pokes fun at Harry Potter for the magic school. As someone who was never attached to HP finds it to be funny. I am sure people who have an attachment to HP will get a laugh out of it.
I thought Ronin was only going to show up for only the first part of the book. Glad he shows up again later. The dysfunctional dynamic duo would not work. Boxster and Ronin are at odds with each other. When they butt heads, their back and forth are hilarious. Working well with dark humor.
I say this in my review of the first book, again I like South African mythology. I’m not familiar with the mythology which makes it more interesting. Most of the creatures are similar to European fairies.
I wonder why this book is not talked about more than oh yeah, the style of the book is not for everyone. What I mean by this is there is dark twisted humor. If you like that and want urban fantasy set in a different culture, then give this book a read.
I highly recommend the audio book.
October 22, 2014
I've just finished this and I have a huge grin on my face. I went to register with a new dentist today, and we chatted about books (he was trying to make me feel more comfortable), he asked for my top ten (PAHAHAHAHAHAHA AS IF I COULD EVER HAVE JUST A STANDARD TOP TEN!!) and I flipped it to see what he read or watched on tv (bookseller training 101) and he made out what he read weird, disturbing stuff.
I pulled this out of my bag and tried to explain it.
I won.
It has everything that I loved about A.N.N, the weird dark grubby world that Baxter lives in, the easy writing, it didn't matter that I couldn't always remember who everyone was, I got the gist and then the memories slid back in. THe wonderfully morally ambiguous characters, the Hidden and the fact that Baxter is a shit, but a good shit who is just trying to figure out what the fuck is going on, and how he was angle it so that he doesn't end up dead.
Special mention is Norris. Loved him!! ;)
I pulled this out of my bag and tried to explain it.
I won.
It has everything that I loved about A.N.N, the weird dark grubby world that Baxter lives in, the easy writing, it didn't matter that I couldn't always remember who everyone was, I got the gist and then the memories slid back in. THe wonderfully morally ambiguous characters, the Hidden and the fact that Baxter is a shit, but a good shit who is just trying to figure out what the fuck is going on, and how he was angle it so that he doesn't end up dead.
Special mention is Norris. Loved him!! ;)
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