Apocalypse Now Now
#9053.80 adjusted 3.85 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Unfinished 2013–2014 Reading commitment Low Charlie Human Last reviewed 2026-11-04
Overview
Apocalypse Now Now is an urban fantasy series by South African author Charlie Human, set in Cape Town. The first novel appeared in 2013 and follows Baxter Zevcenko, a sixteen-year-old who runs a schoolyard syndicate, when his girlfriend Esme is kidnapped. He joins supernatural bounty hunter Jackson Ronin to search the city's hidden underworld. In the sequel, Kill Baxter (2014), he is sent to Hexpoort, a magical school, and faces a new apocalypse. The series has two novels and no third volume has been seen.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Apocalypse Now Now Charlie Human
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Apocalypse Now Now; First published in South Africa by Umuzi (Random House Struik) in 2013; the UK edition from Century followed in August 2013. | 2013 | 1 | core | 3.72 (1,413 ratings) |
 | Kill Baxter; Published by Century (UK) in 2014. | 2014 | 2 | core | 4.02 (482 ratings) |
Two urban fantasy novels about Baxter Zevcenko and bounty hunter Jackson Ronin in supernatural Cape Town.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Apocalypse Now Now? Apocalypse Now Now's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Apocalypse Now Now? Publication order, starting with Apocalypse Now Now. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Apocalypse Now Now finished? Unfinished (2013–2014).
- How much reading does Apocalypse Now Now take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Apocalypse Now Now ranked? #905 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,895 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #905?
Ranked #905 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.80 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,895 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #904, Vergil Magus (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Unfinished · 2k ratings · Ranks #905 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Apocalypse Now Now (2013)
- Kill Baxter (2014)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.91
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.80 across 1,895 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 20 universes from the candidate register; 2 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- FantasticFiction: Charlie Human Tier 2
- Black Gate: Baxter Zevcenko novels Tier 2
- Audible series page Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04
Rule: Core Canon = Apocalypse Now Now (2013) and Kill Baxter (2014).