Devil Said Bang: A Sandman Slim Novel

Don't get me wrong. Everything I like about the character is here, but the storyline left me unimpressed. We left Stark at the end of the last novel with his whole life torn apart. It's a great way to explore new territory with a character everyone already loves. But in the last few chapters, Kadrey takes it all back and puts Stark's life back almost exactly where we found him at the beginning of the last book - home and girlfriend restored, pesky responsibilities shed, and so on.

Richard Kadrey has a unique and interesting style of writing. I started with the Sandman Slim book in this series and have read each one thereafter as quickly as I can. This book continues the battle for autonomy of himself for James Stark. He came back from hell and has battled Monsters from Heaven, Hell and beyond while trying to be freed from himself and others. Kadrey weaves the story and battles with grace, finesse and enough blood and guts to satisfy any mans thirst. Throw in sex and a great storyline to keep you hooked.
In the latest book he is left in charge of Hell but soon finds it boring and when given the chance to deal with real problems involving violence runs for it. The question becomes can he keep control and escape from hell or is he doomed to babysit hellions for eternity.

Not sure what happened here. Went from a 2/3, almost there climax to a flat line in only a chapter shift. Why? Now I find out there's a piece missing... I know it was highly anticipated, but come on! I got my refund, after I finished the book. I find the point moot to try and read the piece that was missing since I already know how it ends. This made the end of a series I've greatly much appreciated thus far, a far cry from the beginning to this "technically difficult" ending. That being said, I've got a word and a few other pieces of jargon for the author:
Keep writing, please for God's sake, keep writing!!! The first three Sandman Slim books were a genre of their own. Even given the kindle e-crap, I enjoyed watching Stark figure it all out in this book. Butcher Bird...there are no words. Keep doing it man, because thousands like me will keep reading, come hell or high in the sky scorpion zeppelins!

The blood-soaked hero of this urban fantasy series, James Stark a.k.a. Sandman Slim spent the second third of his life in Hell's equivalent of the Roman Coliseum, then the next few years (Sandman Slim: A Novel and "Kill the Dead: A Sandman Slim Novel) wishing he were back in Hell instead of in Los Angeles. In the third book in the series, Aloha from Hell: A Sandman Slim Novel, Stark not only returns to Hell, he takes over Lucifer's old job. But as soon as he settles in to the Lightbringer's former palace in "Devil Said Bang," he begins to wish he were back in Los Angeles.

There's no satisfying some guys.

It isn't the squalid, crime-riddled, burned-out streets of Pandemonium or the occasional attempted assassination that are bothering Stark, it's the long, boring meetings with his top Hellion minions. The new Satan is so bored out of his skull, he's reading Epicurus and Franz Kafka. He's in violent agreement with the latter philosopher, who once said: "Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy"--even the revolt of the Fallen against God.

So how is Stark going to escape from Hell's boring bureaucrats and back to the squalid, crime-riddled, burned-out streets of Los Angeles? About the only thing that could pass as a plot in "Devil Said Bang" is Stark's attempt to swap locations, yet again. Once he's back in LA, the author has to come up with a whole new story line involving killer ghosts, aliens, and a bunch of folks called 'dreamers' who are holding reality together. It's pretty obvious Kadry didn't bother with an outline before writing this Sandman Slim installment. He just made it up as he went along.

Luckily, he's got a wonderful imagination that frames itself for the most part, in newer, more grotesque ways of offing his characters and destroying the planet (I still haven't forgiven him for torching the Garden of Eden.) And he still writes some of the rawest, most original prose in the genre. One of my favorite lines in "Devil Said Bang" occurs when someone asks Stark what he believes in:

"I believe we're going to be dead a lot longer than we're alive, so anything you like you should do to excess. I believe America lost its soul when they took the big-block V-8 out of Mustangs. I believe Hollywood should stop remaking 'A Star is Born.'"

I believe I'll read the next installment in the adventures of Sandman Slim, in spite of this book's lack of plot.

NOTE: I bought the hardcopy version of "Devil Said Bang" from the store, and didn't have any problems with missing text (as far as I can tell).

In addition to this being the worst and most boring book in the Sandman Slim series, the Kindle version is still messed up big time. The book ends at 70% and then repeats 30% of what was previously read.

To see what is missing, download the book's sample and you will find that NONE of it appears in the "messed up" version on the Kindle.

Not a pleasant read or Kindle experience.

This was an utter failure. The letdown is even worse because the first sandman slim was SO COOL. Kill the Dead was weak but the sandman slim character is so much fun that I overlooked the labored dull storyline. Now this garbage. Something went very wrong with the editing or whatever the heck so that I went back several times thinking I had just skipped things or lost my place. Reading this was like talking on a cellphone with a very bad connection. You will be confused and irritated if you read this book!

The only reason I did not give five stars is because
I KNOW James from another parallel universe.
He's a duck.
Without the U.
Put in an I.
But we're not really friends.
Not really enemies.
BUT....
Okay, we're cool.
Just not as cool as he covertly thinks he is....And
I wish him the best.
ELLIOTT

I love the Sandman Slim series, and it's a shame customers were giving one-star reviews for a technical error on the part of the publisher that was cleared up pretty quickly. How many of you went back and adjusted your reviews once the book was fixed??

Updated: The original e-book releases were defective. A big portion of this book is missing from the middle, then it repeats a huge section earlier in the book. Pretty much ruined my experience with the story. Perhaps a little more quality control before books are released on the the store site is in order.... not to mention the publisher owes the author a huge apology for turning off so many fans by this completely avoidable screw up.

After the store put the corrected version up I canceled and reordered and was able to read the book as intended. Sadly, it is hard not to be disappointed since the original reading experience was so fragmented and imcomplete.

I think the author did a good job of writing out of what I thought was a bad situation for the Sandman Slim character. The story was solid, and the writing good. I look forward to seeing where the next story takes our anti-hero.

I have been waiting for the new Sandman Slim book for months, and was excited to start reading it today. I happily returned to James Stark's world... right up until the moment I got to 38% complete and realized a large amount of the book was missing. The middle third of the book does not exist in the Kindle version! Fortunately, it was easy to request a refund.

Mr. Kadrey, I enjoyed the first third of your latest book, and I will look forward to repurchasing it when the store has a complete version available.

Like other reviewers, I encountered problems with the Kindle version. the store support was very helpful, and refunded my purchase and said they would pull it from the web site until someone could review it. Oddly, the support person said that no one else had reported a problem -- apparently she did not read the reviews! Hope this gets resolved soon -- the plot was starting to really pick up when e-book fell apart. It surely is not doing Richard Kadrey any favors in the current form. I wonder if authors get to proof read the electronic versions of their books?

I'd give it 5 stars IF it didn't have a missing section. Plus, it repeats right what comes right after the missing section at the end. I don't know how many chapters are missing, but it's maybe 1/3 of the book. Most serious editing/publishing flaw I've ever seen.

As I've enjoyed all of the Sandman Slim books to date, I am giving Devil Said Bang 5 stars since I know it will not disappoint. Sure the publisher screwed up, but it will be fixed soon, so I don't think giving it a low rating is fair. I've waited for the story to continue since last October, so I can wait a little longer for any issues to be resolved.

The story was gaining momentum prior to the missing content and was as good as if not better than the previous books in the series. Once I realized there was a problem with the electronic edition, I stopped reading and will resume as soon as the issue is addressed by the publisher. I have faith that, as always, Kadrey delivers a gripping story liberally peppered with infernal carnage and black humor.

I bought this and then returned it when after reading about half way thru it I found that there were major problems with page orders and repeats in the kindle edition. I will be purchasing the paperback instead I guess.

I put in a preorder for this so long ago I have no memory of it. Read it as it came out, and sadly, the ending is repeated twice, and the middle section is an abrupt nonsensical leap. Doesn't seem like the best way to consume literature. Make not, this is not the store's problem--it's the publisher's. So the Sandman Slim series is now dead to me, a curdled, huddling mass of goop.

If you downloaded the defective ebook like me, be aware that the publisher has now fixed the ebook. I just re-downloaded it (after getting a refund for the first download) and all the content is there.

I am sure this is a great book but not the Kindle Version missing chapters...

At first I thought Richard Kadrey was getting lazy with the writing, (how can this be)or I was missing something? But, I continued to read the latest Sandman book and I enjoyed what content I had.

After a week or so, I checked the the store reviews to find out what other readers thought of the book, and apparently, the ebook is missing content. This would explain I was a little confused with the story.

I am giving 1 star now, ONLY becuase, I sent 3 emails to customer service the store, and after a week, still no response. So hopefully somebody at the store can help me out with the updated ebook. STILL the whole reading experience was cheated out of me. I am now worried about the upcoming books by Jim Butcher and Terry Pratchett. I prefer reading the Kindle version while I travel.

Almost a third of the book is missing. The last section of the book is repeated twice. I regret having preordered. I would hold off on purchasing a copy. The missing section happens at a critical plot point. You jump so far ahead in the story, that the plot is ruined before you see the mistake. It's like reading the last chapter first. If you like the series, do yourself a favor and wait for the corrected copy.

I love the Sandman Slim novels, and have been eagerly awaiting this installment...so imagine my surprise and disappointment to discover, 1/3 of the way into the novel that there is a huge chunk of it MISSING. From what I can figure out, about a third of it...the middle third.
Wonderful.

Do not buy this until the store fixes it.

So many problems with the initial kindle edition that it was unreadable. Was very excited, when this came out, but reading it in its disjointed form kind of ruined it for me. Having said that, this is a fast paced fun book that is an excellent addition to the series.

I wish I had know the kindle edition was messed up before I finished the book. I figured my brain was defective because I wasn't remembering these characters. This really ruined what should have been a very positive experience. I love this series otherwise, and I'm sure that the store will fix this.

I want my money back. The order of events is skewed, the story seems to begin at two points and end nowhere. Incidents suddenly appear without explanations and disappear without resolution. . What a ripoff. I actually cant believe people are giving this trash five stars. If i could have given it a zero rating, it would have been too good for it.

I love the Sandman Slim novels, and have been eagerly awaiting this installment...so imagine my surprise and disappointment to discover, 1/3 of the way into the novel that there is a huge chunk of it MISSING. From what I can figure out, about a third of it...the middle third.
Wonderful.

Do not buy this until the store fixes it.

So many problems with the initial kindle edition that it was unreadable. Was very excited, when this came out, but reading it in its disjointed form kind of ruined it for me. Having said that, this is a fast paced fun book that is an excellent addition to the series.

I wish I had know the kindle edition was messed up before I finished the book. I figured my brain was defective because I wasn't remembering these characters. This really ruined what should have been a very positive experience. I love this series otherwise, and I'm sure that the store will fix this.

I want my money back. The order of events is skewed, the story seems to begin at two points and end nowhere. Incidents suddenly appear without explanations and disappear without resolution. . What a ripoff. I actually cant believe people are giving this trash five stars. If i could have given it a zero rating, it would have been too good for it.

I've been a reader of Kadrey's books from the beginning. The downhill slide, for me, started with his last book "Aloha from Hell". He begins to sound even more bored (and boring)in "Devil in the Dollhouse" and now we get "...Bang". The first half of which is just page filling - I almost stopped reading - until he gets Stark back to L.A. and kicks back into his groove. Alas, the last section of the book is a repeat of the return to L.A. segment. No more Kadrey for me and

HOW ABOUT A REFUND!!!

I ordered the e-book within a few minutes of it's release, and I now regret that. As the other reviewers said; It is missing a huge chunk of the story in the middle, and the last part repeats itself. I love the sandman slim books. I loved this one, right up until the middle when I had no idea what was happening, or why. I feel like I have been robbed. Now no mater what happens I will never have the experience of sitting down and reading this book all the way through for the first time. Please listen to the other reviewers-Wait until they fix the e-book to order this.

People who complain because the e-book was messed up (by the store, it appears) have only themselves to blame. A book is made of paper--preferably with a hard cover and a dustjacket--not electronic bytes transmitted over the the store Cloud (tm).

I'm reading the book (the REAL book) now and I have to slow myself down so I don't finish it in one day. Classic Sandman Slim. Khadrey is original and wicked. Start with the first one if you haven't already, though. The later books won't make any sense if you read them out of order.

Richard Kadrey's 4th book in the Sandman Slim series, Devil Said Bang, has a plot that's a little on the busy side, but the story is a lot of fun nonetheless.

Stark/Sandman, the monster who kills monsters, is in Hell and the new Lucifer at the beginning of the book but by the middle, or thereabouts, he is back in the world and fighting off a new apocalypse. God shows up, the old Lucifer is referenced, Sandman's angelic side has hit the road, and the old gods [the actual creators of the universe] are attempting to bully-boy their way back into the world...which, in the process, would destroy humanity.

Not to worry, everyone favorite anti-hero is there to save 'most' of the day.

Still hardboiled with a noir fetish for images and dialogue Sandman is everyone's favorite, if reluctant, hero. The series just gets darker and more violent as it progresses and this is a wonderful anodyne to the syrupy dreck peddled by writers who are creating mostly bad-boy fiction and not genuine anti-heroes. Sandman is at the extreme end of the anti-hero tradition [no good and bad here...only bad and worse] but that is all to the good. Kadrey's violent and almost amoral fiction is a breath of fresh air in the genre industry in which each and every book is about the same as the others.

The Sandman series in a very male, very testosterone driven series and definitely not for the faint of heart or the social justice warriors out there. It isn't typified by hatred for any particular group but possesses a contempt for the world, physical and metaphysical, that we have created for ourselves and the lack of place for those that have chosen to live free and clear of the filth people generally swallow as truth and morality--only to find it little better tasting the feces.

This series may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something very hard edged and bloody this book with satisfy.

Highly recommended for horror/fantasy, hardboiled, noir, and amoral readers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Stark has an unusual personality for an urban fantasy character–he’s a definite anti-hero. He’s impulsive, bullying, and sometimes comes across as a bit slow. Most people underestimate him to their own peril. Stark himself blunders through life, but has some cunning that he hides behind his bluntness and impulsiveness. He’s starting to care about some of the people around him, in his own messed-up way. His love/hate relationship with Kasabian continues, and he of course goes looking for Candy once he finds himself back in the land of the living. Some few people are delighted to see him, while others… not so much.

Stark has one thing that definitely increases his odds of surviving: he’s wearing Lucifer’s armor. Not only does that make it harder to kill him, but Stark starts to realize that much of Lucifer’s power resides in that armor. It holds the key to allow him back into the human world, where he finds that the part of him that split off into a separate person has been causing trouble in his name.

There’s plenty of action, mostly-implied athletic sex, violence, and Stark’s own brand of bluntness. Stark often feels like he should be a bit player, but he half-blunders on into the center of things. If you’ve enjoyed the previous three volumes, you’ll love Devil Said Bang.

I have some mixed feelings about The Sandman Slim novels. I liked, not loved, the earliest novels and when Stark became Lucifer at the end of the last book, I was thinking that this book would make some major changes. However, the story just seemed disjointed. Conclusions that Stark comes to just doesn't make sense. The story jumps around then he returns the Earth with new issues while not really solving the Hell issues. Even Stark's powers don't really make sense. He is super powered since he is half angel, but he is separated from the angel in the last book. So won't he be just human?

Overall, the series seems to have taken a turn for the worse. (I started book 5 and it has taken over a week to get 10% in. Usually I am finished that book by now.)

REVIEW SUMMARY: Fun heavy metal urban fantasy, if a little convoluted.

MY RATING: 3.5 Stars

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: After saving existence once again, James Stark finds himself stranded in Hell. This time things are different though. James is in charge but that doesn't make life any easier or less dangerous.

PROS: Lots of cool ideas and interesting approaches to overdone tropes.

CONS: Almost too many ideas and a convoluted plot.

BOTTOM LINE: Fans of Sandman Slim will be pleased and urban fantasy readers in search of a unique series may have a friend in Kadrey.

After the events of Aloha From Hell, demon hunter James Stark (aka Sandman Slim) finds himself stranded in Pandemonium. The Devil decided it was time to abandon ship and left him in charge. Stark is given a crash course in Hellion politics and court intrigue, rebuilding Hell and dodging assassination attempts to boot. Things aren't much better back in L.A., with a serial killer ghost causing havoc and a secret cabal plotting to rewrite reality. It looks like Stark has some killing to do.

I read Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim, the first book in the series, a while back. Despite all the praise I was pretty disappointed and so I ignored the series. That is, until I was given the opportunity to read Devil Said Bang. The bold, brash, ballsy premise won me over and the inner cynic got stuffed into a cabinet as I decided to give Kadrey another shot. For the most part the risk paid off, as Devil Said Bang is a wonderfully absurd, devilishly funny, heavy metal urban fantasy novel and the key to enjoying it is not taking it so seriously.

Stark is a magician, an ex-gladiator, and a hitman. Now he is the new Lucifer, plagued by nightmares of memos and city planning committees. As it turns out, being the Devil is a lot less fire and brimstone and a lot more paperwork. The thing about Stark is that he wouldn't seem to know a good thing if it came up and stuck him with a hot brand. He spends most of his time as the Devil complaining and trying to find a way back to civilization. As far as anti-heroes go Stark is sort of light on the "anti." He really talks a lot of talk but his follow through leaves something to be desired. Stark isn't nearly as hardcore as he likes to think he is and I think this is what first turned me off to the character. If you take it too seriously then this is a real turn off. Accept it at as is though, and he is far less offensive. Devil Said Bang is populated with all sorts of colorful characters, most of which I was able to recognize from the first book.

I think that I disliked Sandman Slim so much because it talked up as gritty and dark. That could not be further from the truth. Despite the subject matter, Devil Said Bang is a blasphemous action comedy. Kadrey smothers his writing in hilariously twisted similes and pop culture references. Much of the time it is not nearly as witty as it could be but that still couldn't keep me from smirking along. Stark's narrative voice (when he isn't whining) is snarky, irreverent, and profane. Kadrey's version of Hell is a culture of bureaucracy, rituals, and infighting. God is a basket case, demons are suicidal, and being the Devil isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you're not reading and laughing along then you need to get in on the joke. Read Devil Said Bang without a sense of humor (as I tried to do with Sandman Slim) you're going to have a bad time.

As entertaining as it is, sometimes I felt like Kadrey was making it up as he went. This was especially the case with the assassination subplot. Devil Said Bang is laden with wicked sweet ideas. Kadrey's take on the urban fantasy genre's biggest cliches (particularly regarding Heaven and Hell) is stimulating. I love the portrayal of Hell most of all and I wish more of the novel had been spent exploring it. The problem with all these cool ideas is that Kadrey sort of just goes and throws as many of them as he can at the wall, hoping they will stick. At any one moment Stark has three or four objectives to attend to, it's sort of like going overboard accepting quests in a Role Playing Game. It doesn't help that there are no chapters to break the flow and give readers a reprieve. There is so much going on that it can be difficult to keep track of everything and this really bleeds through at the end. The overarching plot ends up more than a little convoluted and the finale is a little lack luster.

All this complaining and you might be wondering why I bothered giving Devil Said Bang, three and a half stars. The plain and simple answer is that I enjoyed it. I had a fun time reading the book. I laughed frequently and admired the magnitude of Kadrey's vision (if not the execution). This is a good beach read. You can kick back, relax, and take pleasure from the endless stream of scumbags Stark puts The Smackdown on. I would comfortably bet that fans of the series thus far will find much to love and I would even recommend this to urban fantasy fans in general. There are obvious faults here but that just means there is room for Kadrey to improve with future entries.

Nick Sharps
SF Signal

DEVIL SAID BANG is the latest book by Richard Kadrey, picking up where ALOHA FROM HELL left off. Okay, well, technically, it picks up some time after the short story "Devil in a Dollhouse," but that was a little bonus for the superfans. If you've read ALOHA, but not Dollhouse, you'll be fine.

Anyway, DEVIL SAID BANG begins with James Stark, AKA Sandman Slim, AKA the monster who kills monsters, in charge of hell. So you can add Lucifer to his list of titles and nicknames. And you'd think a guy like the Sandman would love the position. After all, he loves to kill Hellions, and he's got the dark, snarky sense of humor to make those hellish punishments even more devilish. But no such luck. Hell is hell, even for the Devil. Stark is bored to tears by planning committee meetings and memos, that he almost welcomes an assassination plot against him just for the excitement it brings.

Thankfully, Stark finds his way back to his beloved L.A., but things are falling apart there as well. There are more assassination plots, a killer ghost, ancient gods older than God, and reality itself is at risk of coming apart at the seams. Of course, the familiar cast of characters (including Candy the Jade and love interest of Stark, Vidocq the immortal alchemist, and Kasabian the body-less best friend) is there to help Stark battle the Sub Rosa and their affiliated bad guys.

Fans of the series will know that it wouldn't be a Sandman Slim novel without all of reality, including Heaven and Hell, being put at risk. And it wouldn't be a Sandman Slim book without the twisted descriptions of the underworld and its inhabitants, Stark's sarcasm and pop culture references, and the ass-kicking action sequences. DEVIL SAID BANG has all of these things.

Unfortunately, what it lacks is a well-defined plot. This is definitely a weak entry in the series. For example, there's no real reason to transition from Hell to L.A. other than the fact Stark is bored. There's no reason he has to get up there. And once he is up in L.A., the Hell subplots are all but forgotten. Moreover, the mysteries and dangers of the L.A. portion don't come together as neatly as those in the past volumes to form one big, overarching evil plan. The pieces of the L.A. plot are just loosely held together with bubble gum and duct tape. It almost seems as if the Hell plots and the L.A. plots were two cars that crashed into one another and couldn't be separated. And if that was the case, the L.A. plot was a clunker made up of mismatched replacement parts. But hey, even car crashes produce some loud noises and can be fun to watch.

If you are a fan of the series (and I assume you are, because starting here would be a mistake), you'll have fun and you'll enjoy this book. It's not great, but it's not terrible either. It just seems a little phoned in and unpolished compared to the previous books. I wasn't as compelled to keep turning pages as I have been in the past with Kadrey's other books. I hope the next Sandman Slim book returns to it's older, better form. Otherwise, Kadrey might start losing fans faster than he would like.

(Also, I read the hardcover version of this story. I did not experience any missing chunks as reported by those who read an early e-reader version.)

Stark, still tucked away in Pandemonium in his role as Lucifer, finds himself totally bored with admin work, dealing with Hellions and trying to sort out the chaos that is Hell so he is almost relieved when he’s on the receiving end of assassination attempts. At least it livens things up a bit and he can forget about court politics. Hell is just a lot of administration and red tape with infighting thrown into the mix.

After telling Candy when he left he would only be a few days but has now actually been stuck in Hell for months, Stark is absolutely ready to go home. And, of course, when he gets there via Hellion Hawg, LA is in big trouble. Reality has taken a nose dive and a killer ghost along with Aelita are causing havoc while the Dreamers are doing their best to hold reality together. Stark and St James have parted company so Stark no longer has the key to the room of thirteen doors but he returns from Hell in Lucifer’s armour and with a new and fascinating weapon.

More at [...]

Having read the previous books, which were good, this series seems to be losing something. Stark is the same, he is witty, sarcastic and slow on the uptake. In this book, he wants out of Hell so bad he is willing to have himself killed and/or overthrown by a cultist who is looking for a place where her and her worshippers could hang out. There is only so much of Stark you can take before you're ready to boot him into outer space. And in this book, he carries the main portion in the beginning, whining about being in control, coming up with ideas to keep himself from getting snuffed out and then putting himself in situations where getting his butt in a sling is inevitable. As much as I wanted to enjoy this latest installment, I couldn't get into it. Through the first half of this book, Stark is trying to figure out how he can get out of his gig as Lucifer so he can get back to Candy. The second half deals with him trying to figure out where he stands with Candy, now that she's found a partner, and who is taunting him with cryptic messages. At this point in the series, it might be a good idea to reassess Stark and get back to the energetic guy that was in the first two books.

The 4th Sandman Slim novel by Richard Kadrey, "Devil Said Bang" maybe one of the more tedious reads I've ever had. The book deals with James Stark who in his role as Lucifer is trying to get out of Hell again & also to reconnect with the loves of his life in modern day LA. Kadrey's story isn't badly done & is full of action, intrigue & an occasion act of love. However, where things run afoul is that the story is all 1 long chapter with no breaks. It forces you as a reader to almost read from start-to-finish without interruption & follows not a very logical path despite the fact that there are breaks in the story where new chapters could be. I've not read the other 3 in this series yet, but may almost be tempted to in order to further see more of this "interesting" character & background in a war of good vs evil.

The fourth installment in the Sandman Slim series opens one hundred days after the conclusion of Aloha from Hell: A Sandman Slim Novel. Stark is the new Lucifer - and not enjoying holding the reins of Hell. His angelic half has split away from him - along with the Key to the Room of the Thirteen Doors, abandoning Stark to Hell while his other half walks on Earth above. Managing Hell, along with dealing with Hellion politics and death threats sends Stark on a desperate mini-vacation back home in L.A. - to catch up with his friends and of course, to save the world for a fourth time from imminent destruction.

Kadrey's style and humour continues just as strongly as ever and the characters along with his version of the universe develops more and more. The emerging details all add to the fun. The growing cast of characters all add to the series and Kadrey lays more groundwork for future plots in the series. I am definitely looking forward to seeing where the fifth book, Kill City Blues: A Sandman Slim Novel, will go!

You would think that having read four of these I would let up and rate it a 5. But I recognize that the Sandman Slim books may be an acquired taste. One built up over the years reading Harry Dresden, etc. There really isn't anything nice about James "Sandman Slim" Stark. But he does have a strong sense of survival and his own, rather twisted sense of right and wrong - and can we ask any more of our heroes or at least our protagonists? And while he is part angel he is definitely not one of the harp playing variety. Anyway, if you like mash-ups that include myths, theology, manga, special ops, pop culture, you name it, you won't mind spending time with Jim and his friends, including Lucifer and his merry band of fallen angels, one part of God, an avenging angel with a superiority complex, a head with no body, a girlfriend who is a demon with the eating habits of a tarantula, among others. I like this one so much I now have #5 in my reading queue.

I dearly love the Sandman Slim novels, but this is probably my least favorite so far. This may be partly because the download somehow seems to have left out a chunk in the middle and then repeated the bit after the missing section at the end. Or it may be that Stark just seems less. . . Stark-y. I can't even explain why he does. There's just an underlying sense of weariness in the storytelling perhaps, or maybe Stark is too comfortable in his own skin? Whatever the reason, it's still a Kadrey Sandman Slim novel and it still rocks; it's just a little less hardcore deathmetal than the previous novels.

No plot? Complete BS. I liked the first one, Sandman Slim, a lot. But, I liked this one even better. As people have noted, the dialog is endlessly sarcastic and funny. Stark's observations about everything are original and entertaining. The action is more out there than the first one. Kadrey has quite an imagination. My only problem is that I can read faster than Kadrey can write.

A great series - at the beginning I didn't like it at all, but after having read half of the first book it started becoming interesting and then I just could not stop reading until the last book of the series.

Sandman Slim isn't a good guy, he isn't the typical anti hero, he is a character. A good one for a fun read. Honestly sometimes Mr. Kadrey is a bit lopsided in his story telling, but Sandman does what he can with the story given him. One of my favorite series since Simon R. Green stopped writing about the Night side.

I too purchased the errored e-book and was extremely disappointed knowing that I missed out on a large chunk of story; however, I must rate this a 5 because this is no fault of Mr. Kadreys. I am very sad to see so many bad reviews reflecting a publishing error. Had this mistake never occurred I guarantee you that this book would have nothing but 4's and 5's because it is that good. Devil Said Bang is incredibly entertaining and will be re-read (with full version) again and again.

I love the way Kadrey writes, a bit irreverent, colorful, and graphic. Some lines are laugh out loud funny due to the descriptors. The four books follow the life of a half human half angel named Stark, his world (earth or hell) is crazy. Once you start you'll continue though all four books... I want more, please!

Book four in the Sandman Slim series rolls along with a tour de force novel where God is no longer God, the Devil returns to Heaven, a very human Sandman Slim is now Lucifer and chaos takes a very orderly course.
Except that Sandman Slim has no intention of staying in Hell whether he runs it or not and Earth beckons him. He returns to Earth and the order of Chaos is let loose.
This has been a fun series and hopefully far from over.

This is truly the best series I've ever had the pleasure to read. The characters' evolvement over the years has been nothing short of genius. Kadrey is hopefully explaining to Hollywood how to do a series properly.

Kadrey keeps getting better and better. Great one liners. Plenty of what makes Sandman Slim so awesome. This one has a pretty sunny ending so I imagine all hell will break loose next time around, literally.

I just LOVE Sandman Slim. This type of writing certainly isn't for everyone, but if you like some real raunchy, amazing fantasy stories, you'll love the entire series. (Butcher Bird too!) Glad to see the ebook snafu was fixed (damnit the store).

This is a poor effort even by the standards of the author. I understand the mass market appeal of chunking out these small books for rapid consumption but 'Devil Said Bang' takes the genre to a new low. I guess that itself is an achievment.

The entire series isn't very inspired. It seemed to me from the first book like the author had just finished watching the movie Constantine and decided to make some minor changes and write it up as a book.

My problems with this addition:

- No cohesive plot: The main character just meanders around while stuff happens to him. As this occurs the protagonist randomly figures things out which the author never develops or leaves hints/clues to for the reader. In the mean time the largest 'whodidit' in the book is painfully obvious to everyone except the protagonist.

- Lazy writing in general: The offenses are too numerous to itemize here but the most blatant the example of the author deciding to include Wild Bill Hickok as a character but couldn't be bothered to learn anything about him. This goes so far as to name his killer as "Broken Nose Charlie Utter". Just a little protip for the author; Charlie Utter was Hickok's friend, Wild Bill was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall, aka "Broken Nose Jack". If you do a little research while writing you won't look as ignorant.

Kadrey had way too much going on in this book. Stark 's journey out of hell could have been a book in itself, but then he throws in the dreamers and the ghoul. Devil Said Bang felt rushed and disjointed.

The next book I'm the Sandman Slim series brings with it everything you'd expect: violence, mystery, and a protagonist that's just as fun to read about sarcastically slicing up druggies as trying to hold together his broken life.

Kadrey had way too much going on in this book. Stark 's journey out of hell could have been a book in itself, but then he throws in the dreamers and the ghoul. Devil Said Bang felt rushed and disjointed.

The next book I'm the Sandman Slim series brings with it everything you'd expect: violence, mystery, and a protagonist that's just as fun to read about sarcastically slicing up druggies as trying to hold together his broken life.

4.5 stars

This is the 4th book in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. I got an eGalley for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This one started off a little slower than previous books, but really picked up speed as the book went on. I ended up loving this one just as much as previous books. It's gritty, darkly humorous, and Stark is the perfect anti-hero.

The book starts with Stark down in Hell trying to do his job as Lucifer. When he finds out Lucifer mainly does a lot of paper work he continues looking for a way back to L.A. He gets back to L.A. only to find that a serial killer ghost is on the rampage; if Stark doesn't figure out how to stop the ghost then L.A. could end up worse than Hell.

This book is kind of like two books, or at least two distinct parts of one story. The first part deals with Stark in Hell as he tries to figure out Lucifer's job, evade assassinations and find a way back to L.A. I didn't enjoy this part as much as previous Sandman Slim books. Yeah there is a lot of action, but you also get a lot of Hellion names thrown at you and it gets hard to keep track of all the Generals, etc.

I did enjoy watching Stark run the Hellion administration Sandman Slim style. It was pretty hilarious to watch him smack down all those Hellish administrative types. I also enjoyed the secret and truly deadly weapon that looks like a Magic 8 ball.

Things pick up pace and become much more interesting when Stark gets back to L.A. This goes back to the more traditional "Stark solves a murder to save the world" sort of story line. I loved that all of the great characters from previous books feature. Candy is back in full force and it was great to watch her and Stark kick some butt. The Father is back as well and he has learned some truly awesome and deadly spiritual magic and is backing Stark up with more than just intellect. Brigette makes a cameo appearance too.

As with previous books Stark has to solve a mystery or the whole city (and lots of the world) will bite it. In this case it is a murderous young girl ghost that he is chasing. As he solves this mystery we are introduced to more detail of the ghost realms and some new and interesting characters.

Stark actually develops quite a bit as a character in this book. He has to track down his angelic half and make peace with it, and he is starting to actually care about some of the people around him. He is just as tragic as in previous books but he is changing and growing some. It was great to have some character development here.

The action scenes are awesome, the settings dank and gritty. The dialogue sounds like it feel out of an old black and white noir film and it totally over the top at times; I absolutely love it! This is a gritty and ugly urban fantasy and I absolutely adore it.

Overall an excellent addition to the series. The beginning does drag a bit, but things really pick up in the second half of the book. All of our favorite characters are back and Stark makes some awesome progress in character development. This isn't my favorite Sandman Slim novel, but it is still an excellent one. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of gritty urban fantasy.

I very eagerly started to read this book in the Kindle format, only to find it was missing big chunks. I would recommend not getting the Kindle one until they have fixed it. Fortunately, it was very easy to return, but now I have no book to enjoy.

I love this series but found the same problem as many here have. There is a missing section of the book which really takes away from the reading. I purchased it elsewhere as I don't have a kindle and the epub version was also screwed up. Seems like this one is all the publishers fault and not the stores.

Avenging Nephilim James "Sandman Slim" Stark sarcastically thinks what a hell of a way to escape from hell (the second time around). To his chagrin the monster killing monster has become a cosmic joke as the new Lucifer (see Aloha From Hell); a job with more paperwork than a government agency. Stark loathes being Hell's top hell-raiser but also knows with his new armor comes a crosshair encouraging the wannabe horde (from heaven, hell and points in between and outside) to challenge for the filled leadership position.

To escape the bureaucratic work, Stark returns to Los Angeles, which can be more hellish than hell. He soon learns of a serial killing ghost terrorizing the city and worse his angelic side that he needs to become whole again has vanished inside of the lost days as a cabal rewrites reality. Maybe Milton is partially right that it is "better to reign in Hell than to serve" on earth.

The forth dark Sandman Slim fantasy is a fabulous sarcastic satire that humorously continues to mock society and organized religion though at a diminished rate compared to the end of days' twister of Aloha From Hell; as nothing remains sacred inside of the Kadrey pantheon. Action-packed with a nourish feel to the storyline, Sandman Slim learns for the second time you can't go home when someone can alter reality.

Harriet Klausner

Release date: 28AUG
28AUG: Not available
WTF!?!??!?!?

I only gave it 5 stars because Kadrey is awesome and it's not his fault. I've been waiting for this glorious release for months. Get out of a long day of work excited to read more badass Sandman Slim only to be denied. Thanks for the kick in the nuts, the store.