I can’t quite recall at which point I was completely hooked, but it was early on. By that time, I had been dragged across the universe, witnessed a life’s worth of gleefully gruesome crimes and found my new hero and life coach- Ghost, one very nasty bounty hunter.

This is testament to Alan Baxter’s ever-sharpening narrative ability, delivered in this case through the gritted teeth of Ghost.

There is also a surprising wit and intelligence here. I say surprising because most work in this genre paints a good picture, but often stops there. In ‘Verse’, there’s a real connection formed, often with characters I’d avoid in real life. That’s not easy, but here it’s done well.

But perhaps the biggest surprise was the naturalness with which a totally new world was thrown at me. Everything about it is bang on. It’s all new, but it’s completely buyable.

The breakneck pace is becoming a trademark of Alan Baxter’s work in this genre. And when combined with the deft economy of his writing style, ‘Verse Full of Scum is very, very readable.

It’s also very dark. I like that, too.

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