Apocalypse d Now Now tells the story of 16-year-old Baxter Zevcenko, a Capetonian Holden Cau l field for the Facebook generation. Perhaps that’s unfair to Human, but there are broad enough similarities in his tale of a hidden world of mythological creatures, shamans and warlocks which lurk behind the respectable surface of Cape Town’s middle class suburbs and the mystical characters of Zoo City that comparisons are unavoidable.īeyond those surface similarities, however, Human takes his story in a very different direction to anything Beukes has done in her three novels, and by doing so proves that there’s plenty of ideas as yet unexplored within the genre locally. H er influence is almost palpable throughout the book. I mention Beukes here, because she’s credited as both mentor and inspiration by Charlie Human in the acknowledgements section of Apocalypse Now Now, the Capetonian’s debut novel. In the vanguard of SA speculative writing is – of course – Lauren Beukes, the success of whose The Shining Girls means she can now be counted as part of the international establishment for sci-fi and magical realism. But those willing to delve into a well written-book will find riveting action scenes combined with wonderful descriptions of the Western Cape of South Africa.Īpocalypse Now Now will grab you by the hair and drag you headlong into a world you have never seen before.Neil Blomkamp’s Elysium may not be doing much for the reputation of South African alternate reality fiction, but fortunately there’s so much more high-quality local stuff around since the release of District 9 that it shouldn’t make too much difference in the long run. Similarly, its appeal is really to those interested in paranormal fiction – those looking for a simple read may want to give this book a miss. Human also uses moments of humour to prevent the story from becoming too dark and depressing and are enough to amuse the reader into going on.Īlthough a fascinating read, the novel has a complicated plot that is sometimes confusing and frustrating. In a style similar to that of the first ever novel on vampires ( Dracula) Human uses a narrator (Baxter Zevcenko), combined with letters, newspaper articles and at times switches to a narrator with a totally different style. Baxter’s life, will never be the same again!Ī dark story that reaches deep into the paranormal, Apocalypse Now Now is a gripping read that will keep you on the edge of your seat from page one, and hungry for more by the end of the novel. With Jackson at his side, Baxter plunges headlong into a world of monster porn, zombies and yes, giant shape-shifting crows. But when his girlfriend Esme disappears and he is accused of being a serial killer, his life soon spirals out of control, seeing him turn to former MK66 agent Jackson Ronin for help. The last thing he needs right now is the word Siener flashing through his brain, strange dreams, pounding headaches and a serial killer on the loose. Alongside this, Baxter must balance a brother on the autistic spectrum, a mom who insists on analysing his life, and a dying grandpa obsessed by giant shape-shifting killing crows. Running a porn business from his classroom means he can stand between two rival gangs about to launch into all-out war. Set in modern-day Cape Town, it tells the exciting, baffling, horrifying and hilarious tale of Baxter Zevcenko and his introduction to the paranormal in a style reminiscent of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.Ī 16-year-old with little interest in school, young Baxter has a good deal on his plate.
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