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Apocalypse Tamer #2
Apocalypse Tamer 2
Invaders have burned down Basil's home. He's out for blood.
Now short of a house, Basil and his pets are leaving the countryside for the wider world.
Their goal?
To show the factions vying for control over post-apocalypse Europe that nothing can beat a dragon-riding tamer and his monster menagerie. However, Basil's crusade soon encounters new challenges.
Who is this mysterious Kalki and his connection to the System? Can they truly defeat their nemesis Apollyon and his allies, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Which of the Louvre Pyramid or the Eiffel Tower will prove the best dungeon of them all?
One thing is certain though. No one expects the Apocalypse Tamer.
Now short of a house, Basil and his pets are leaving the countryside for the wider world.
Their goal?
To show the factions vying for control over post-apocalypse Europe that nothing can beat a dragon-riding tamer and his monster menagerie. However, Basil's crusade soon encounters new challenges.
Who is this mysterious Kalki and his connection to the System? Can they truly defeat their nemesis Apollyon and his allies, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Which of the Louvre Pyramid or the Eiffel Tower will prove the best dungeon of them all?
One thing is certain though. No one expects the Apocalypse Tamer.
694 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2023
426 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 4, 2023
This takes the satire from book one and just keeps running.
The surprising thing, and a wonderful surprise it is, is the seamless blend of solid character work in the last half. This is a wonderful blend of funny circumstance and just a good story.
The surprising thing, and a wonderful surprise it is, is the seamless blend of solid character work in the last half. This is a wonderful blend of funny circumstance and just a good story.
January 30, 2024
In this book, the adventures of Basil Bohen and his crew of monsters and allies continue, as they now aim to take the fight to those who would destroy the world in the new bizarre video game style of life that has taken over everything. The first book, despite some rather glaring flaws, was still a good book overall, imaginative and holding potential to get even better as the series went on. This book absolutely shattered my expectations, but it did so in all the wrong ways. Yeah, this is gonna be a long review...
I gotta state it, straight up, I absolutely hated this book. The author did away with what worked in the first book and put extra emphasis on everything that didn't work, which ended up creating an incredibly frustrating reading experience. The first book was all about setting up the challenges and the way the world works after the apocalypse hits, basically turning everything into an RPG style video game, introducing characters and situations, so there was that wonder if discovery, but in this book, that wonder is gone. It feels formulaic, by the numbers, there's mostly just moving from one place to another, the occasional stop and fight, lots of talking. For the most part, I was just bored. Even some of the fights end up being boring, with special mention going to the last fight in the book; it's a fight against the most powerful foe they've faced by far, one of the main enemies of the series, a threat since the first book, and yet it was the most underwhelming battle, to the point that it actually looked easy for the heroes, especially when compared to other battles they had before. It really felt like a cop-out. Then there's the humor, which continues to fall flat on its face, as it ranges from simply unfunny to downright cringe, and not once did I so much as chuckle or even crack a smile at the many atttempts at humor, be it via narration or dialogue.
And then there's the characters. While some of them are engaging enough, most don't really do much. Some of the characters have had minimal development in the two books, such as Plato and Shellgirl, while others have had absolutely no development at all, such as Rosemarine, who is still the exact same character she was when we first met her. And yet everyone pales when compared to the protagonist, Basil, who was unlikable in the first book, and while I hoped he would develop, he went the opposite route. I have difficulty expressing in a concise manner how much I completely despised this character. He's annoying to the extreme, has some of the worst dialogue I have ever read, incredibly unlkable, and comes across just as deranged and psychotic as he did in the first book, maybe even more so, to the point that more often than not, it feels like he's trying to level up not just for the sake of saving the world and everyone left in it, but for his own crazy satisfactions, chief among them that habit of wanting to mutilate, cook and eat all manner of species, sentient beings especially. He also gets himself a girlfriend, but his romantic interactions wiith her are so entirely stiff, wooden and so cold, it makes one wonder what she sees in him at all, the guy may well be a mannequin. Combine that with the fact that he continues to be an impulsive idiot and it makes everything that much worse, especially early on, where his idiocy gets two of his teammates killed, both of them from trying to protect him. It was especially annoying how everyone constantly tells him it wasn't his fault they died, but no, it totally was. Basil may well be the single worst main character in any book I've ever read, and believe me, I've read many throughout my life.
Aside from all these flaws, there are several more, such as the issue with the two team members who died protecting Basil; the author mentions that they died to show that the stakes are high, but yet the two who died just so happened to be the most recent additions to the team, which feels less like showing that the stakes are high and nobody's safe and more like cheap shock value, killing off the two newest members because we've gotten the least amount of time to know them and thus they won't be as missed as others who've been there longer, and it also took away the potential they could have had as characters, their growth in personality (though as we've seen, not everyone in this series develops no matter how long they've been there), what they could have become while leveling up, as we saww with the others. Then there's how it's stated later on that there is a way too bring them and anyone back to life, but yet later on Basil insists that they're dead and never coming back, despite being told that there really is a way and, based on his actions throughout the story, he could actually make it happen, because that way hapens to be essentially paying for their return, and we see the team get treasures from enemies killed, including a huge haul by the end of the book. Apparently, this new world with the rules of a video game doesn't come with extra lives or continues in our idiotic main character's mind.
Other negatives just riddle the book, like multiple grammar mistakes, mistakes on the change of fonts for narration, dialogue and notifications (both also prevalent in the first book), repeitive dialogue, with the same word often used twice or more in a same sentence, plus scenes changing without a proper transition, making it very jarring when one is reading about one thing and then there's something else entirely different in the very next sentence. There's also little but noticeable mistakes here and there, like a character being called the wrong name entirely and a female character suddenly being male, and how an eight yearr old child's dialogue sounds more like that of an old lady than an actual child. Also, for a book that made part of its draw from being of the monster taming genre, there was absolutely zero monster taming here, with the group just making temporary allies or just two new very minor members not being tamed so much as agreeing to join before Basil ever met them and then they're promptly left behind. The taming of monsters was a big part of what made the first book work, so it being absent here just added to the many negatives. And don't even get me started on the whole religion thing, because seriously, yikes!
And it's not like the book is 100% a trainwreck. Some of the battles were decent, new character General Leblanc is very likable and an excellent example of a reasonable authority figure, and Bugsy continues to be the best character, in that while he's pretty dense, it's in a way that makes him likable and endearing, especially as we get to learn more about him and the things he likes, he's a dorky kind-hearted guy, and it's him who seems to have gotten the biggest share of character development. So there were some good things in the book, but the bad things in it were so many and so strong that they essentially negated the positives. But I've rambled long enough. Yeah, this may well be the worst book I've read in quite some time. It's a shame, really, since the first one was pretty good, I never expected the ball to be dropped so hard from one installment to the next, it was just awful. It's annoying to have to drop the series after being halfway through the whole thing, but I just can't stomach reading more of this terrible biring main character and his maniacal tendencies.
I gotta state it, straight up, I absolutely hated this book. The author did away with what worked in the first book and put extra emphasis on everything that didn't work, which ended up creating an incredibly frustrating reading experience. The first book was all about setting up the challenges and the way the world works after the apocalypse hits, basically turning everything into an RPG style video game, introducing characters and situations, so there was that wonder if discovery, but in this book, that wonder is gone. It feels formulaic, by the numbers, there's mostly just moving from one place to another, the occasional stop and fight, lots of talking. For the most part, I was just bored. Even some of the fights end up being boring, with special mention going to the last fight in the book; it's a fight against the most powerful foe they've faced by far, one of the main enemies of the series, a threat since the first book, and yet it was the most underwhelming battle, to the point that it actually looked easy for the heroes, especially when compared to other battles they had before. It really felt like a cop-out. Then there's the humor, which continues to fall flat on its face, as it ranges from simply unfunny to downright cringe, and not once did I so much as chuckle or even crack a smile at the many atttempts at humor, be it via narration or dialogue.
And then there's the characters. While some of them are engaging enough, most don't really do much. Some of the characters have had minimal development in the two books, such as Plato and Shellgirl, while others have had absolutely no development at all, such as Rosemarine, who is still the exact same character she was when we first met her. And yet everyone pales when compared to the protagonist, Basil, who was unlikable in the first book, and while I hoped he would develop, he went the opposite route. I have difficulty expressing in a concise manner how much I completely despised this character. He's annoying to the extreme, has some of the worst dialogue I have ever read, incredibly unlkable, and comes across just as deranged and psychotic as he did in the first book, maybe even more so, to the point that more often than not, it feels like he's trying to level up not just for the sake of saving the world and everyone left in it, but for his own crazy satisfactions, chief among them that habit of wanting to mutilate, cook and eat all manner of species, sentient beings especially. He also gets himself a girlfriend, but his romantic interactions wiith her are so entirely stiff, wooden and so cold, it makes one wonder what she sees in him at all, the guy may well be a mannequin. Combine that with the fact that he continues to be an impulsive idiot and it makes everything that much worse, especially early on, where his idiocy gets two of his teammates killed, both of them from trying to protect him. It was especially annoying how everyone constantly tells him it wasn't his fault they died, but no, it totally was. Basil may well be the single worst main character in any book I've ever read, and believe me, I've read many throughout my life.
Aside from all these flaws, there are several more, such as the issue with the two team members who died protecting Basil; the author mentions that they died to show that the stakes are high, but yet the two who died just so happened to be the most recent additions to the team, which feels less like showing that the stakes are high and nobody's safe and more like cheap shock value, killing off the two newest members because we've gotten the least amount of time to know them and thus they won't be as missed as others who've been there longer, and it also took away the potential they could have had as characters, their growth in personality (though as we've seen, not everyone in this series develops no matter how long they've been there), what they could have become while leveling up, as we saww with the others. Then there's how it's stated later on that there is a way too bring them and anyone back to life, but yet later on Basil insists that they're dead and never coming back, despite being told that there really is a way and, based on his actions throughout the story, he could actually make it happen, because that way hapens to be essentially paying for their return, and we see the team get treasures from enemies killed, including a huge haul by the end of the book. Apparently, this new world with the rules of a video game doesn't come with extra lives or continues in our idiotic main character's mind.
Other negatives just riddle the book, like multiple grammar mistakes, mistakes on the change of fonts for narration, dialogue and notifications (both also prevalent in the first book), repeitive dialogue, with the same word often used twice or more in a same sentence, plus scenes changing without a proper transition, making it very jarring when one is reading about one thing and then there's something else entirely different in the very next sentence. There's also little but noticeable mistakes here and there, like a character being called the wrong name entirely and a female character suddenly being male, and how an eight yearr old child's dialogue sounds more like that of an old lady than an actual child. Also, for a book that made part of its draw from being of the monster taming genre, there was absolutely zero monster taming here, with the group just making temporary allies or just two new very minor members not being tamed so much as agreeing to join before Basil ever met them and then they're promptly left behind. The taming of monsters was a big part of what made the first book work, so it being absent here just added to the many negatives. And don't even get me started on the whole religion thing, because seriously, yikes!
And it's not like the book is 100% a trainwreck. Some of the battles were decent, new character General Leblanc is very likable and an excellent example of a reasonable authority figure, and Bugsy continues to be the best character, in that while he's pretty dense, it's in a way that makes him likable and endearing, especially as we get to learn more about him and the things he likes, he's a dorky kind-hearted guy, and it's him who seems to have gotten the biggest share of character development. So there were some good things in the book, but the bad things in it were so many and so strong that they essentially negated the positives. But I've rambled long enough. Yeah, this may well be the worst book I've read in quite some time. It's a shame, really, since the first one was pretty good, I never expected the ball to be dropped so hard from one installment to the next, it was just awful. It's annoying to have to drop the series after being halfway through the whole thing, but I just can't stomach reading more of this terrible biring main character and his maniacal tendencies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2023
Mmmmmnope! I liked the previous book, I don't like this one. At all. There are still a lot of the elements from the first, yet missing everything that made that one a good and enjoyable read.
In the first book there was a lot of passion and self motivation. These two elements were driving the narrative, the character build, and the party progression. Everything was centered around the grumpy, antisocial bulgarian that didn't give a damn about the ongoing apocalypse and just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet. Very well done!
In this book, it's all just tank-and-spank with some brief road trip, slice-of-life elements. Laim!
This was the case with both the Vainqueur and the Perfect Run series. The opening books for each series are splendid and delicious, while each consequent book in the series lose their luster.
I still highly recommend the first book in the Apocalypse Tamer series, but not this one.
I'm losing faith in Maxime Durand, as I tried and disliked "the Underland" series as well.
I won't continue this series,
In the first book there was a lot of passion and self motivation. These two elements were driving the narrative, the character build, and the party progression. Everything was centered around the grumpy, antisocial bulgarian that didn't give a damn about the ongoing apocalypse and just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet. Very well done!
In this book, it's all just tank-and-spank with some brief road trip, slice-of-life elements. Laim!
This was the case with both the Vainqueur and the Perfect Run series. The opening books for each series are splendid and delicious, while each consequent book in the series lose their luster.
I still highly recommend the first book in the Apocalypse Tamer series, but not this one.
I'm losing faith in Maxime Durand, as I tried and disliked "the Underland" series as well.
I won't continue this series,
December 24, 2024
Taming Monsters & Killing False Gods
Adventuring across France during the Apocalypse is much harder than a 3 hour drive, instead it's more like weeks. False God's have killed off billions of humans to become God's themselves, but they to must pay the ultimate price in the end.
Fights and more fights, then more fights. Nearly unending cycle of battles, it really dragged for a lot in the middle and I'm not sure if I want to continue this storyline. Took a lot of effort to read until the final battles at the end, but after over a week I concluded it.
Read in 12 days, my normal read is 1-4 days.
Adventuring across France during the Apocalypse is much harder than a 3 hour drive, instead it's more like weeks. False God's have killed off billions of humans to become God's themselves, but they to must pay the ultimate price in the end.
Fights and more fights, then more fights. Nearly unending cycle of battles, it really dragged for a lot in the middle and I'm not sure if I want to continue this storyline. Took a lot of effort to read until the final battles at the end, but after over a week I concluded it.
Read in 12 days, my normal read is 1-4 days.
April 11, 2023
It took me awhile to get back into the story ARC... it prolly would have been better for me if I had reread bk1 first as I had forgotten a lot of the character names and who/what they were. But I caught on quick enough to enjoy the book as Basil and his troop of monster friends storm across the countryside in the hopes of reclaiming Paris for France.
You'll need to grab the book, actually get the audiobook to see how they did.
Jack Voraces is an amazing voice performer almost a whole monster troop of his own making, giving the book the feel of a full cast prouduction.
You'll need to grab the book, actually get the audiobook to see how they did.
Jack Voraces is an amazing voice performer almost a whole monster troop of his own making, giving the book the feel of a full cast prouduction.
May 13, 2023
The Bohens Strike Back!
The start was a trifle rocky, there was trouble connecting the end of book 01 with the beginning of book 02. To be fair book 01 ended with a heavy shock, bridging the gap was tough.
Sometimes Basil can be childish, and out of character. But he gets his act together at the end.
There are some really cool spots, nice twists in the story. And the book needs a good editor. Not just for typos, but for stylistic reasons.
I really enjoy the whole level progression part of the story, it's fun.
The start was a trifle rocky, there was trouble connecting the end of book 01 with the beginning of book 02. To be fair book 01 ended with a heavy shock, bridging the gap was tough.
Sometimes Basil can be childish, and out of character. But he gets his act together at the end.
There are some really cool spots, nice twists in the story. And the book needs a good editor. Not just for typos, but for stylistic reasons.
I really enjoy the whole level progression part of the story, it's fun.
June 3, 2023
like a Saturday morning cartoon
I used whispersync to read and listen to this at the same time. I might read the next one, but I will almost certainly not listen to it.
The thing is, I’m not sure if the cartoony tone used by the narrator is what the author intended or not, but that is how it sounds with the silly voices the narrator uses.
I found myself frequently thinking “if only it hadn’t been read like that, I might have been able to take this scene seriously,” far too often.
I used whispersync to read and listen to this at the same time. I might read the next one, but I will almost certainly not listen to it.
The thing is, I’m not sure if the cartoony tone used by the narrator is what the author intended or not, but that is how it sounds with the silly voices the narrator uses.
I found myself frequently thinking “if only it hadn’t been read like that, I might have been able to take this scene seriously,” far too often.
September 10, 2023
Apocalypse Tamer:2
Continues right after the previous book. The last one ended with a serious blow to Basil's sense of security and additional losses finally force him to realize that he needs to take the changed world more seriously if he wants to protect what's important. Bit of a rough start, but the adventures continue with interesting characters. Basil and his party end up leveling up ridiculously, but believably. Still has a sprinkling of humor and Basil's unconventional outlook to make things interesting.
Continues right after the previous book. The last one ended with a serious blow to Basil's sense of security and additional losses finally force him to realize that he needs to take the changed world more seriously if he wants to protect what's important. Bit of a rough start, but the adventures continue with interesting characters. Basil and his party end up leveling up ridiculously, but believably. Still has a sprinkling of humor and Basil's unconventional outlook to make things interesting.
June 17, 2025
Puss in Boots and the Homeowner's Revenge Association play happy wack-a-mole with incursion monsters.
Fun stuff. More leveling up. Friendship. Wholesale destruction.
What we lose in grounded bits, we more than make up for in grand, glorious apocalypse.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Arctunn.com
Fun stuff. More leveling up. Friendship. Wholesale destruction.
What we lose in grounded bits, we more than make up for in grand, glorious apocalypse.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Arctunn.com
March 4, 2023
A great comedy litrpg
My favorite part about this book is the comedic elements scattered throughout. If you like the humor you will like this book alot! My only gripe with this book was the length, this book should have been split up and refined a bit more, towards the end i was struggling to stay invested.
My favorite part about this book is the comedic elements scattered throughout. If you like the humor you will like this book alot! My only gripe with this book was the length, this book should have been split up and refined a bit more, towards the end i was struggling to stay invested.
March 6, 2023
Fun Through And Through
There was quite a bit of character growth for the Basil and the team throughout. There was also a lot more packed into this one than what I was expecting for a second book. Nonstop fun with the occasional calm in the storm that were nicely placed. Throughly enjoying this series, can’t wait for the next one.
There was quite a bit of character growth for the Basil and the team throughout. There was also a lot more packed into this one than what I was expecting for a second book. Nonstop fun with the occasional calm in the storm that were nicely placed. Throughly enjoying this series, can’t wait for the next one.
October 5, 2023
Still quirky.
Still gardening.
“Make me proud, soldier.” Basil put a hand on the centimagma’s head. “Let us start a new Bulgarian architectural revolution, with brutalist walls and post-modernist archways!”
Still gardening.
It distracted him from the fact two of his allies and half his vegetables had perished in battle.
March 3, 2023
truly a top quilts series
Horsemen
Space Dragons
Pay-to-Win Cheaters
They all fall when the second coming of Saint George comes to ruin there apocalyptic parties lay leading his monster guild to victory.
Horsemen
Space Dragons
Pay-to-Win Cheaters
They all fall when the second coming of Saint George comes to ruin there apocalyptic parties lay leading his monster guild to victory.
March 5, 2023
Book two
I'm still reading this book on Royalroad. I read the chapters just as fast as the author publishes them. A really fun read and since it is free to read on Royalroad I don't mind showing some support on KU.
8/10
I'm still reading this book on Royalroad. I read the chapters just as fast as the author publishes them. A really fun read and since it is free to read on Royalroad I don't mind showing some support on KU.
8/10
March 9, 2023
Brilliant!
A rare combination of intelligence and humor. Surprising to find an author with such a sharp quill in this genre. I can't wait for more from an author with genuine spark.
A rare combination of intelligence and humor. Surprising to find an author with such a sharp quill in this genre. I can't wait for more from an author with genuine spark.
March 20, 2023
Excellent!
Fun LitRPG story that takes place in Europe! Most LitRPG stories always take place in the us, even when it’s obvious the author is not from the us. Use of metric is a tell.
Fun LitRPG story that takes place in Europe! Most LitRPG stories always take place in the us, even when it’s obvious the author is not from the us. Use of metric is a tell.
December 15, 2023
I tried...I really did, but not much really changed from the frustrations built in book one. The constant emphasis of the Bulgarian Orthodox Christian Pride and heritage rather than any focus on other interesting characters, was the straw that broke the camel.
August 25, 2025
A different type of system apocalypse with a hermit being the MC. It's interesting and good, just not great. I'll likely continue as I'm a fan of Maxime J. Durand (The Perfect Run is one of my favourite trilogies ever) so I'm willing to be patient.
March 1, 2023
Witty
I enjoyed the witty sarcasm and humour of the characters despite the apocalyptic setting. Looking forward to reading more of Basil and friends' adventures.
I enjoyed the witty sarcasm and humour of the characters despite the apocalyptic setting. Looking forward to reading more of Basil and friends' adventures.
March 30, 2023
Good follow-up, maintains the humour and excitement of the prior volume. Good character development as well. Will definitely read volume 3.
March 30, 2023
I liked this more than the first book. Book 3 is gonna be crazy
June 15, 2023
Very good read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like LitRPG and apocalypse type of books with lots of action.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like LitRPG and apocalypse type of books with lots of action.
June 22, 2023
Really good book, I really enjoyed the different regions of Europe they went through. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
October 19, 2023
I like it. I can't tell why I don't love it. It seems to have all the goodies I enjoy but I don't love it. I do recommend it. Still looking forward to #3 audiobook when I get ahold of it.
January 14, 2025
It's a fun read. There's lots of action and leveling, decent power sets, a solid plot, light romance (just the way I like it), and engaging writing. It's fun to read any time of year.
March 6, 2025
Better than the first
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews