Sandman Slim: A Novel

Copied from my Goodreads review.

First the bad.

There were a crap ton of typos. Missing words, extra words, that kind of thing. For example, too many "the"s, or missing "to"s. It drove me crazy. Other than that, I loved this book.

Then the good.

Stark is what I wished Dresden would be. Of course I had to make some comparisons, because I have been reading the Dresden Files series for a while now. There are similarities but not as many as you would first think. I always found Dresden a bit of a wuss to be honest, and I found his customary "Call me stupid but I am chivalrous to women, blah blah blah..." monologue in every book extremely annoying.

Okay enough comparisons.

In this book there was a lot of profanity, blood, gore, decapitation and if I remember correctly, even some poop jokes. Heaven, Hell, and in-between was all mocked. It was glorious. If all that is your cup of tea, then I definitely recommend that you read this book.

If I may quote some favorite lines of mine (and I may, because this is MY review, damn it!):

"I'm speculating how f***ed up a town has to be when it can't even keep a dildo-and-porn shop open..."

"Did I hurt your feelings again? Sorry. When this is over, I'll send some flowers to your inner child."

"I miss Alice.
'I miss my balls.' Kasabian looks around. 'Who f***ed up my room?'
'It's my room now and you did. When you blew yourself up.'
'Oh, right. That sucked."

I would like to go back and count how many times Mr. Slim stole a vehicle. Unfortunately this is on my Kindle and I am a Kindle noob so it's just too much effort to figure it out for a lazy person such as myself.

Sandman Slim is a great read with a good premise, set of characters, and plot. Richard Kadrey will definitely be part of my rotation when checking to see what authors have new books out. It was interesting to see that two authors I love, Kim Harrison and William Gibson, who I think are fairly different and from different genres, both had jacket quotes for the book.

I won't provide a re-hash synopsis of the book, but will say that the snarky humor and butt-kicking was a delightful change of pace from reading about self-righteous witches out to save the world or "magicked" up werewolves and vampires.

Finally, a multi-generational family saga that doesn't suck. If you're sick of reading turgid crap about impossibly hot pregnant vampires or kiddie wizzards, Sandman Slim's the right book for you. Sandman Slim will kick your *ss and steal your burrito, and you'll thank him for it! Hilarious, inventive action packed adventure.

Better than I anticipated. I found myself surprised to like the protagonist is has nothing on his mind but causing pain to everyone around him. I suppose his cynicism and humor balanced that harsh contrast of his personality and kept me reading. The details in this books are fun too. You can tell Richard Kadrey did a lot of research for this book, and though it doesn't hit you over the head with Biblical facts and history, the subtle details makes the story more rounded and engaging.

Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim isn't a book so much as it is the pilot to a television series, or the first story arc in a new long-running Vertigo comics series. It is a pastiche of Joss Whedon's Angel, DC Comics' Hellblazer, Garth Ennis' Preacher, not to mention the entire ouvre of Neil Gaiman (both comics and novels). It tells the tale of one James Stark, a magician cast down into hell by his former associates, who has now returned to earth 11 years later for revenge. It is one-half urban fantasy and one-half hardboiled detective story, and with a few caveats, is also extremely entertaining despite how derivative it is.

Kadrey spends a great deal of time building up Stark's world and supporting cast -- his years as an arena champion in hell, his treacherous old friends, an aging French alchemist mentor, a mysterious magical doctor, a beautiful and monstrous woman and a young female sidekick. Sandman Slim is clearly meant to be the springboard for a longer series -- it is hardly a self-contained novel, and the ending very much opens up plot threads for future volumes.

Despite the fact that many of the ideas in the book have been used before, only a few things stand out to me as a bit weak. First, the name "Sandman Slim." It is introduced rather late in the book, and it seems to come straight out of nowhere. The fact that the two words together don't mean a thing (is he a skinny Sandman?), and aren't sufficiently explained, took me out of the novel every time they were used. Not only that, but every time someone calls Stark "Sandman," I can't help but think of the Neil Gaiman series of the same name.

Another issue for me is one group of antagonists, the Kissi, who are a third faction in the usual Heaven versus Hell conflict. They are not sufficiently defined compared to the other species in the book and seem to be just a vague variation on classic demons (but they're not demons ... they're Kissi!). Even the name seems a bit silly.

That said, Sandman Slim is still in many ways superior to similar urban fantasy series -- in particular the Dresden Files -- due to Kadrey's writing and Stark's hardboiled narration. Good writing can elevate otherwise average material, and that's true here. This isn't a series that will change the world, but it is certainly enjoyable for what it is. If you're a fan of series like Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries where entertainment and not an overarching narrative is key, then you'll probably enjoy Sandman Slim.

Richard Kadrey wrote a pretty good yarn with "Sandman Slim," about a vengeful magician returned from Hell. The mix between the supernatural and the ordinary manages to highlight just how absurd the world can be. Kadrey imbues the story with enough grit and "edginess" to make it seem as if you could run into these characters and situations just around the corner of any seedy part of town. I'm looking forward to the sequel - always a good thing, right?

I'm having trouble with this review because I did like it, but have not fully come to grips with why. The story line was good and the characters are interesting, yet I had trouble with how I felt about Sandman Slim.

Sandman Slim, the character, is a combination of Hellboy and Jack Reacher... period. The writing is funny and philosophical - it made me laugh, and made me think. It was exciting with many a well-turned phrase. I loved it, and read his second one, Kill the Dead straight after i finished. I cant wait for the next one. Thanks Richard!!!

The Sandman slim series is definitely the best i read in the past 10 yrs. Dark Humor, a genre mix between HP Lovecraft, E.A.Poe, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Philip K. Dick...which is not quite fair - It is just Kadrey Style.

Sandman Slim is witty, dark humoared, emotional and the world around him blends from hell-crazy to boring normal, the borders not being defined but easily crossed.

Each time you think you cannot be surprised a twist in the story proves you wrong!

In my opinion a must read.

Received this as a ebook for my Kindle..I read for enjoyment, I care that it makes sense and flows well. This book passed the first but jumped a bit on the second. if you like to read about devils and demons it's OK, my judgment, 1-10 is a 6.5

Such a great book!! This character is 1 part Lee Child's "Jack Reacher", 1 part Jim Butcher's "Harry Dresden", and 1 part Nikki Sixx. This book will take you on a fast paced, high octane ride full of awesome!! Leaving you helplessly addicted to the world and characters this writer has created. This is the type of book that makes you question whether any of the other good books you have read were as good as this one.

Just a quick note for Kindle readers - This book is not bookmarked which becomes troublesome if I accidentally swipe "up" on my Kindle Touch. If I have not dog-eared my page recently, it sometimes takes a while to find my spot.

Don't get me wrong. I loved this book. It's action packed, tight writing with believable characters and a full throttle plot. What is disturbing are the large number of editing errors throughout the manuscript. I'm finding this to be a common phenomenon with the ebooks I've read so far. I'm not perfect. There are probably several errors to be found in this review, but I expect the books I purchase to be flawless. Does the switch to ebook and direct ebook publishing mean that we can kiss that expectation goodbye? Line editors at publishing houses are notorious for having exceptional skills at finding the mistakes others miss. I'm suprised that Harpers missed so many with this one.

On the other hand, there are tons of ebook/ POD (publish on demand) manuscripts that, without the advent of the new opportunities, would not have been available for so many readers to enjoy.

All of that said, I loved SANDMAN SLIM and appreciate the fact that I can now instantly download book two!

This was pretty well written if you like the Tough guy Monster killer genre. However, the protagonist is such an unlikable irresponsible prick through most of the book that by the time he manages his partial redemption, I frankly didn't much care. But if you're OK with that, then you'll enjoy this.

What can you say about the only living human to be sent to Hell, he is one tough mother. Kadrey has given the world a kick ass new character following along the lines of Jim Butcher's, Harry Dresden. They both swing some heavy duty magic, both are driven by a sense of purpose, but that is pretty much where the comparison ends. Stark/Sandman Slim is a sarcastic, chain smoking, liquor chugging, demon ass kicking magician with a chip on his shoulder.

Stark is sent back to the real world after spending an agonizing 11 years alive in Hell as an arena fighter and assassin for some of Satan's conniving demon lords. His alleged best friends sent him there out of pure jealousy and boy does he carry a grudge. He comes back from down below with one thing on his mind, kicking the ass of those "backstabbing" friends.

Stark truly is, "The Monster that Kills Monster."

I LOVED this book. When I first started it I thought it might be a little too much magic and fatasy for me, but it was great. Stark is the ultimate lead character - full of purpose, hellbent on his own self destruction. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed reading this. It was gritty and detailed, with a great sense of imagery. It moved quickly and kept me turning the pages to see where it was going. I will definitely be reading more of this series.

I was lured in by the numerous comments about how it was quite like the Harry Dresden novels. Unfortunately, the only similarity really was the wizard vs monster setting but without any of the humor, wit or charm of that series. Really didn't find anything memorable about the book beyond it being purchased in the top 100 category of the store which I find largely unfathomable.

Sandman slim is like the best roundhouse flick you can think of with a side of pizza and Jack Daniels. It's raw, gritty, and a he'll of a good time. You'll have a lot of fun reading James Starks revenge trip and the book easily sets up for more. I highly recommend this fun book

Can't help but admire the main character -- thumbs his nose at angels and demons alike and lives to tell the tale. I am not usually a fan of this genre but I am about to go buy more from this author!

I really wanted to like this but the story seemed forced. Every attempt to make the main character seem edgy made him more of a douche. There really isn't any magic in the story. There really isn't a lot of anything going on really, none of it's believable. I did didn't like the final confrontation with the big baddy. Too bad that confrontation goes no where.

Cuteness is bad enough, and Kadrey cannot resist the urge: it's like crack to the hack novelist. But coupled with fake tough-guy patter? I've chewed tougher gristle off a short rib. I was in a mood to read something like this, but something better. New rule: always read the bad reviews first. Could have been worse --I actually stayed with it for a while, it was at least that diverting --that's why it gets two whole stars. There are just better things to read out there.

He's good.....and as an author, will probably only get much better. He has a way with words, good turn of phrase and while the descriptions, people and events are off beat, it has great vocabulary and visual imagery.
If demons, fallen angels and other-worldly things are your thing, then this very large book will interest you, make you chuckle, and keep you entertained. Haven't had to drag out a dictionary in a long while....but I did with this book.
I will be downloading his next, Kill the Dead... today!

The story line is decent, but the writing style is pretty bad. The anti-hero constantly contradicts himself and just doesn't develop into an interesting character. The action is very limited (usually just a few paragraphs) followed by chapters of dialog that is not very well written. So all in all, Sandman Slim is a great concept poorly executed.

The main character in this urban fantasy book comes back from Hell to find his revenge on the people that killed his lover. He finds himself ten years older, in a dark Los Angeles haunted by demons, monsters and vampires. He is an hard boiled and humorous character, without hope but not wits.. I won't spoil your reading explaining who and what Sandman Slim is, but I recommend you not to miss this very well written book.
At the end of the book you will find an excerpt of the next one, "Kill the dead": I will surely buy it...as soon as its price decreases around $ 10. Enjoy!!

I really enjoyed this book on many levels. The characters were great. The bold tone and theme were refreshing. One problem... did no one proof read this before it was published?! I have never read a book with so many grammatical errors, ridiculous! This was WAY to good of a story to come across as an illiterate rambling like it did.

Sandman Slim spent the last 11 years in Hell, and I felt like I had too after finishing this book.

The premise seemed surefire, but, the book actually consists mostly of bad dialogue that would be more well placed in some 70s fiction about a private detective.

There is very little description of any of the people or places the author sends his long-suffering protagonist through. There is also surprisingly little real action. Many characters are introduced but all are wholly one-dimensional.

Sandman Slim ended up seeming more like the Gothic kid dressed all in black at a HS football game than the unstoppable killing machine he would have had to be to survive 11 years in Hell. Awkward, bitter, out of step, and as menacing as a kitten chasing a piece of string.

1.5 stars.

I have to wonder if I'm reading a different book than other reviewers.

This book is jumbled, inconsistent, and in parts incoherent. For all that, the author still has some potential (only reason it doesn't get a 1 star). With som experience and the help of en editor and a writing group, he might produce something readable.

I stayed with this book, ignoring the horrible, hoping it would improve. I ignored the arbitrary introduction of a federal agency that the protagonist had no idea existed. I ignored the character alternating between badass and dumbass. I ignored the piss poor secondary characters and how they were handled.

I had to put the book down and stop reading when the character "learns" his name. It is just random, fake, contrived, and totally blows away the ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. It is like after the book was finished it didn't have a title. So when a title was finally thought up he went back and picked a random point in the story to rename his character to match the title of the book.

Don't but this book is all I can say. It should never have been published in its current form.

the store made me right quite a lot here, and I didn't want to but I did anyway. I miss being able to just put in stars. The book challenges you to figure out whether you care about the main character, but in the end I do and will read more.

It started off well enough; the protagonist and narrator, one James Stark, has spent the last few years banished to Hell, where he passed the time fighting the residents gladiator-style for the amusement of the higher-ups (hellions, fallen angels, etc). At the start of the book, he's freshly escaped back to LA, and bent on getting revenge on the ones who murdered his girlfriend and sent him "downtown" to begin with.

Unfortunately, it stagnates from there. Stark has the typical bad-boy, antihero attitude, but his actions don't measure up. Even though he repeatedly brings up the fact that he's a super killing machine or whatever, he spends most of his time mouthing off like a rebellious teenager without actually getting anything done. The book just gets boring, which is ridiculous, because from its premise, it should be one adrenaline-packed gore-fest, a la God of War. Instead, it's got this anemic climax, and the author pulls a reveal that just feels cheap and contrived at the very end.

Give this one a pass. If you're into the anti-hero bent on revenge sort of thing, Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber is a better place to start.

I definitely could have used a much more critical review of SANDMAN SLIM prior to my purchase.

A reader will definitely get everything they're promised in this first entry into what assumedly will be a continuing series featuring the titular "hero": demons, angels, guns, magic, blood, talking heads, fantastic weapons, invulnerability, and a copious amount of smack talk with a heaping side of attitude. I'm hoping that the author continues to grow as a writer and take a bit more time flushing out his characters if he hopes to really reign in a piece of the torrent of readers flocking to similar contemporary supernatural vigilantes.

The most glaring problems with this novel will be apparent immediately. Everyone in LA is apparently just another slice of the same cocky, belligerent, foul-mouthed jerk with a chip on their shoulder. The grouchiness hits immediately from all angles and no one behaves in any sort of manner that's believable. The author hasn't taken the time to build character or plot- it's all just a kinetic snowball of action and anger with the shallow depth you always worry will exist in this genre. Demons, blood, and magic isn't enough to hold your attention through to the final paragraph let alone for repeated entries in a series.

I imagine there will be several folks who can overlook character and plot and rate this novel full stars based on topic alone. That's not enough for me, and I doubt it would be for anyone who reads more than one or two books a year. I don't hate SANDMAN SLIM. In reality it worked for what I wanted it to- an in-betweener, something to tide me over between novels of higher aspirations, quality, and thought.

After reading the description of Sandman Slim I was hooked. Throw in all the positive reviews (mostly 4 and 5 star on the store) as well as the notable authors proclaiming their love for this novel (William Gibson and Charlaine Harris) and you would assume that this book is a gritty, cynical, sarcastic, refreshing, unique, bloody, hard-boiled, satisfying, noir supernatural thriller. You know what happens when you assume...

The general trend of urban fantasy seems to be a peeing contest to see who can create the most sharp-edged antihero. There's nothing wrong with that, antiheroes make for compelling characters. They allow us as readers to explore our own darker nature without ever having to fully succumb to the taint of evil. As such James Stark/Sandman Slim should in essence be pure antihero to the core, after spending 11 years in Hell who wouldn't be? Despite all the promises of some serious hardcore antics Kadrey really fails to deliver on this end. Stark very much wants to be the Dirty Harry of the underworld but really he's just a teenager with a biker jacket and some guns. There's plenty of talk and not a whole lot of follow through on his part. Stark hates cops and goody-goody hero types, he talks about how screwed up LA is and how the rich drive their nice cars and the poor squabble over scraps. You probably know his type in real life, the guy that complains about the messed up society we live in but does nothing to change it, 'cause ya know he's too busy getting a new tattoo. Stark fails on a lot of levels. You can't empathize with him, its his fault he hung out with such a sketchy group of people and got sent to Hell in the first place. He's a crappy detective, he follows a minimum of leads while tending to just go with the flow. He's also a lousy fighter. After spending 11 years fighting cage matches in Hell you would think that he can handle his own. He spends plenty of time talking up the hellion magic he learned with his time Downtown but he never uses it because he doesn't want his enemies to find him. He really has no redeeming qualities, he's a 19 year old punk at heart.

Then there's the other characters who are flat as cardboard. There's the loyal French alchemist, the feisty video store clerk, the evil for the sake of being evil guy, the evil guy's henchman, and a couple other characters I cared nothing about. Lucifer himself makes an appearance, as well as an angel and a member of Homeland Security but none of these characters add any depth.

One more complaint. As "Sandman Slim", Stark is supposed to be the bane of evil. A monster who hunts monsters. He spent some of his time in hell killing other demons for his evil benefactors. Then he comes to Earth and for reasons beyond his reckoning everyone starts calling him Sandman Slim. The thing is he didn't kill a single monster while on Earth. Stark mentions vampires and werewolves and such (none of which feel like they fit in the story at all) but he doesn't have a run in with any of them. There is a point where he teams up with a Jade (somewhat similar to a vampire) but that's the extent of it. None of that monster stuff fits in. Whatever dark tone the novel had (which was minimal at best) was completely ruined by the inclusion of monsters.

I realize my review doesn't conform with the general opinion. I'm sure some people are able to enjoy this messy, adolescent, shallow "masterpiece". I'm just not one of them.

It's interesting, in the book (at the point I put it down) only a few days went by, and yet it felt like months had passed, there was so much detail and minutiae. Remarkably boring. I couldn't even make it to 50%, mostly because it is full of one of my biggest pet peeves - "and then there was this time when I was in hell and fought big monsters..." - every few pages the lead character reminisces about the fights he got into while in hell - these memories do not further the plot or have much bearing on the story - they just take up space and detract from the story to the point that by the time the author resumes the story I've forgotten where he was and what he was doing, Plus these tangents are too detailed so they drone on and on and on and lose all impact - yes yes, first he tore off one arm, but there were three more arms, and then he whipped him with a chain, and then he cut him open, and then he removed all his internal organs, and then he put a torch in his hollow belly and then he set him on fire ... on and on, pages and pages of that. I also found the lead character very flat and predictable - every single situation he just barges in without thinking, always with poor results, but it doesn't matter because he is unkillable. To keep me entertained in a book it needs to have something, whether a great plot, exciting scenarios, interesting world-building, engaging characters... but this book had none of that for me.

I would give the book more stars except I bought the kindle edition in Nov. and the price was just over a dollar now it is over 10. I was hoping to buy more of the series but I refuse to support price shaping.

Mr Slim Does have a hard life but the story has uneven editing that leaves details out of the history. He is an anti-hero, yet his tale wanders as much as the weather. Believable but very shallow.....like listening to a drunk with issues.

I am so glad I read this book. The writing was good, the plot was original and imaginative, the characters were drawn well and interesting... what more can you ask for? I will definitely be reading more Sandman Slim books.

A wasted effort by the author. He tries to re-do Dresden as a tougher, angrier bad-ass magician but fails completely. The main character is a thoroughly dis-likeable, whiny little brat. He is supposed to be this bad-ass monster assassin but he is always getting his butt kicked by just about everyone he meets.

I Love a good read.... Kadrey is very creative, but all the foul language and vile remarks against God were too much for me. Interesting plot, but I was disappointed with the ending. He could have done so much more with the character without being SO offensive. Reminded me of a over the top, unrealistic, horror movie gone bad. I understand that this is dark fiction.... I'll be choosing a different author to honor with my reading time in the future.

So, you're considering buying this book. Let me try to dissuade you.

First thing: the book is in the present tense. You really need to read a few paragraphs to get a feel for this. If this bothers you initially, give this book a pass. You won't get used to it; if anything, it gets worse. If the tense doesn't irritate you, Kadrey actually has a pretty good ear (particularly when describing LA). Let's proceed to part two.

Second thing: there are many, many better books for you to read.

The basic formula for a protagonist is simple. A protagonist has one special property that makes him or her unique and noteworthy. Sometimes it's a magic item, sometimes a special skill, or - if the author is really desperate - there's a prophecy about a chosen one. James Stark doesn't have one special property, he has seven:

1. He was stabbed in the back by his friends, who sent him to Hell. There, he fought as a gladiator. After that, everything on Earth is pretty nonthreatening by comparison.

2. While in Hell, he learned secret Hell magic, which gives him a leg up on normal, pedestrian wizards.

3. He's a magic savant.

4. In Hell, he acquired a magic Hell weapon. This weapon can do basically anything, including change form.

5. He also found a coin that can accurately predict the future, but only by answering yes or no questions.

6. Plus, there's also a key that lets him travel anywhere he wants.

7. Oh, yeah, his lineage gives him super powers (being related to Wild Bill makes you a gun savant, apparently).

So... this guy is basically immortal, excels in hand-to-hand combat, is awesome with guns, and is the greatest wizard ever. The only thing he can't do is create dramatic tension. James Stark is like Superman, if Superman wasn't restrained by a moral code and didn't have to make any difficult choices ever.

Good writing, of course, can overcome bad concept. There are some clever passages in this book, but that's about it. Reading this is like watching people trying to fist fight underwater; it wants to be fast paced, but everything's telegraphed way, way in advance.

Look, if you want to read a book about a dark and gritty supernatural world, where the main character is a magic thug dealing with wizard nerds, read the Twenty Palaces novels. If you want a power trip fantasy, where the main character is basically invincible, but still has to work to get what he wants, read about Edwin Drood. If you want a man bent on revenge who has a magic shadow key, read Jack of Shadows.

There's nothing here that's interesting or unique, or even well done. Reading this book is a waste of time. That people like this book makes me sad for the genre.

I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely. The way the author writes is some of the best I have read in a while, he writes in a simplistic way that is engaging and not trying to throw more complex words at us in describing anything except for a few times when is needed. The premise of the story was also really well laid out and well executed. Will definitely read the next one.

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey is urban fantasy with a decidedly noir detective flavor to it. James Stark awakes in the middle of a cemetery out of sorts. Can't blame him. He just returned to our world after spending eleven years in Hell. Not as a deceased person, but as a living, breathing human, sent there by his once friend but now arch-nemesis, Mason Faim. Stark's back, and he's only got one thing on his mind: revenge.

So begins the tale of Sandman Slim, who we come to learn escaped from Hell where he most recently was serving as the personal assassin to one of Lucifer's demonic generals. Life in Hell for Stark began as one might expect. But when he not only survives the initial assaults but becomes stronger after each one, Stark begins to wonder what's going on. He takes it in stride, though, it being impossible for him to leave until his employer bequeaths him with a very special key that allows him to travel undetected and instantaneously from one shadow to another and—magically—between worlds. Stark doesn't waste any time. He leaves Hell as soon as he can, returning to our world and setting out to find Mason and his cronies, who were all complicit in sending Stark to Hell.

Sandman Slim reminded me in many ways of the television show Supernatural: angels and demons are at each other's throats, battling each other for dominance of the mortal world while all sorts of other nasties wreak their own particular sort of havoc. I don't read enough urban fantasy to know if such premises are anything unusual, but where Sandman Slim really stood out for me was in Kadrey's narration and in his "hero," Stark.

Kadrey captures perfectly the flavor of a Raymond Chandler or Mickey Spillane hardboiled detective novel, except that Stark, aka, Sandman Slim, is not a detective per se. He does share many of Marlowe or Hammer's mannerisms, though, in that he is brusque, foul-mouthed, not afraid to take a punch (or give one), and, despite his cynicism, still will make the choice that keeps others from slipping into the hell that his own life has become.

Kadrey's writing is fast-paced, gripping, and laugh out loud hilarious at times. When Stark finds himself commiserating with a talking head, what can you do but laugh? The action is a mix of shoot'em up, fisticuffs, and some new weaponry straight from Hell. Oh, and magic. Stark, Mason, and others are all magicians, and have certain magical abilities as a result. Sandman Slim is a great read that I highly recommend.

KADREY, Richard. Sandman Slim series: Sandman Slim (2009). Kill the Dead (2010) Aloha From Hell (2011). Devil Said Bang(2012). Kill City Blues (2013). The Getaway God (2014). Killing Pretty (2015). The Perdition Score (2016).

The hero and narrator of these wham bam thank you ma’am supernatural thrillers is James Stark, aka Sandman Slim. He was wafted off to Hell while still alive, endured eleven years there as slave and gladiator and later enforcer, came back to earth and is now wreaking vengeance on those who originally betrayed him (and killed his girlfriend too) and then on any supernatural meanies who threaten little things like the Future of the Universe. The bad guys he fights are really, really bad –I mean capital letter BAD, how else can I write it? He ends up doubling for Lucifer for a short time but he’s not very good at it: his heart just isn’t in it. Along the way, he finds out why he survived one assault after the other in the gladiators’ arena in Hell: he’s not human. He’s half-angel and thus an Abomination (that’s what they call him) in the eyes of the more self-righteous of Heaven’s angels. He’s really only good at one thing, killing, but he’s very good at that and most of the time, he’s fighting the good fight. Most of the time. He’s got a new girlfriend, Candy. She’s a Jade, which is a scarier version of vampire, all claws and fangs when she manifests her Jade self to suck the life and soul out her victim. For now, she’s on a methadone-like substitution diet that keeps her need of human essence locked down (Most of the time.) Stark has an apartmentmate too, a man whose head he cut off in the first installment of the series. But he didn’t kill him, just separated head from body, and he feels a little bad he did it, so he and Kassabian coexist now, are almost buddies --they run a video store together that offers movie classics that were never made, along with a killer collection of porn and horror flicks. There are other friends and allies. A two-hundred-year-old man, Vidocq, a whiz with potions, who functions as a surrogate father to Stark. (Most of the time.) His great-grandfather, now in Hell after being back shot in a card game, the legendary Wild Bill Hickock. When he was Lucifer, Stark set Bill up in a bar in Hell and he visits there every so often to quaff a few shots of Aqua Regia and smoke a few Maledictions, Hell’s cigarettes and stronger than French Gitanes. Carlos runs the Bamboo House of Dolls in L. A. Stark likes to hang out there as do all sorts of non-human types good and evil. The stakes ratchet up from novel to novel in this peerless (of its own sort) series. Start hunts down the bad guys who sent him to Hell in the first place and wreaks vengeance on them (Sandman Slim, 2009); takes on zombies in Kill the Dead (2010); fights an insane serial killer and the demonic Kissi (think Nazi Storm Troopers with supernatural powers) in Aloha from Hell (2011); returns to Hell to take up the mantle of Lucifer, its ruler, in Devil Said Bang (2012); enters as haunted shopping mall to find a dead man’s ghost and win back a supernatural artifact that can end the world in Kill City Blues (2013); steps it up against a vicious killer named St. Nick in The Getaway God (2014); hunts for the man, or creature, that has just killed Death (with Dead dead, no one is dying any more) in Killing Pretty (2015); and returns to Hell (with his girlfriend Candy) to find a remedy for a black poison that has killed his best friend (Vidocq, but he’s dormant, not dead yet) in The Perdition Score (2016). The scenes of violence and bloodshed are frequent and graphic, but not stomach churning. The sex is handled in an off hand way –it’s part of Stark’s and Candy’s lives but not one that needs to be narrated in microsecond detail. The bad guys are really bad, really big, and really powerful. And at almost any moment, if Stark fails, something really bad will happen, ranging from the collapse of the barriers between Heaven and Hell to the destruction of the universe. It’s quality junk fiction, with no redeeming social value at all except that I loved it. I ate it up. I can’t wait for the next episode to appear.

This is an action-packed read with colorful characters and a twisted sense of humor. I have to admit that the very beginning worried me – a guy taking revenge on his enemies for the death of his one true love? -- that’s a plot that’s been around the block a few times. But I quickly realized the author was really giving this a whole new flavor. The main character is a hoot, and his language is pretty colorful (as others have warned, if you’re easily offended, this book might not be for you). He is utterly miserable, but you forgive him for it because he’s trying so darned hard to do the right thing in a world where it’s really difficult to figure out what the right thing is. Along the way he’s surrounded by an outlandish cast of characters, from offbeat humans to Lucifer himself. Perhaps the thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was the language. Richard Kadrey knows how to paint a picture, as when he speculates about turning dark angels into “the filling for Bavarian cream doughnuts” and asserts that Glock owners have Daddy Issues. One of my favorite descriptions is of the first tribes who “stopped chasing game up and down the Fertile Crescent and settled down to build the world’s first trailer parks along the Euphrates.” If you appreciate that kind of creative language, quirky characters, and fast pacing, you’ll enjoy this book. I’m looking forward to digging into the sequels.

I accidentally finished this book. You ask how that is possible? Well I got it two days ago and meant for it to last me a little over a week until another book I want is released. The problem is that I kept having to know what would happen next. Once I found out what happened next, I needed in my bones to know what would happen after that. From there it just became a vicious cycle.

The book stars a surprisingly likable anti-hero in the form of Stark. Usually when I'm faced with these types of anti-heroes, I dislike them because they are jerks for the sake of being jerks. In this case I basically agreed with him and felt his attitude was rather justified.

With Stark, aka Sandman Slim, at the center, the book treats you to unique and flawed characters trying to keep Stark from screwing everything up in his single-minded drive for revenge. It's not like any of the other Urban Fantasy books I've finished in the past. There is black humor in it instead of general or slapstick humor. But really the black humor is there as a balance for the overall noir feel. The book felt like so many other things but remained entirely its own. The closest I could say is it is a bit of Sin City, and I don't know, Constantine or Doctor Strange?

I recommend this book to anyone wanting a bit of a darker urban fantasy that doesn't feel like a Goth kid's diary but still plays the Heaven vs. Earth vs. Hell trope straight.

If this were simply another vampire and zombie book then it would hardly have been worth 2 stars, but the originality of the anti-hero, Sandman, who is a Nephilim [half-human/half-angel and all hard drinking badass], saves the book.

Here he's bodyguard to Lucifer, zombie and vampire killer, owned by no one but grudging friend to quiet a few.

Kill the Dead is much better than the first book, Sandman Slim, and a lot of the characters are fleshed out and given levels of complexity missing in the first, rather tentative, book.

Of course, the Sandman series is a blend of genres: horror, fantasy, urban, detective, noir, hardboiled, and probably a few others. Unlike most genre-bending narratives this one handles the fusion rather well.

There are a number of plots and sub-plots at work in the book and these are, for the most part, wrapped up, with just enough left over to bring the reader back for more.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars. Kill the Dead lost 1 star for the use of vampires and zombies. Those tropes are too tired, even the way handled in this book, that the author should not be punished for using them. Time for writers and readers to move on from those exhausted clichés.

Recommended for all those who love anti-heroes with a code, and those that like their fiction bloody -- and the Sandman books are very, very bloody.

A wasted effort by the author. He tries to re-do Dresden as a tougher, angrier bad-ass magician but fails completely. The main character is a thoroughly dis-likeable, whiny little brat. He is supposed to be this bad-ass monster assassin but he is always getting his butt kicked by just about everyone he meets.

I Love a good read.... Kadrey is very creative, but all the foul language and vile remarks against God were too much for me. Interesting plot, but I was disappointed with the ending. He could have done so much more with the character without being SO offensive. Reminded me of a over the top, unrealistic, horror movie gone bad. I understand that this is dark fiction.... I'll be choosing a different author to honor with my reading time in the future.

So, you're considering buying this book. Let me try to dissuade you.

First thing: the book is in the present tense. You really need to read a few paragraphs to get a feel for this. If this bothers you initially, give this book a pass. You won't get used to it; if anything, it gets worse. If the tense doesn't irritate you, Kadrey actually has a pretty good ear (particularly when describing LA). Let's proceed to part two.

Second thing: there are many, many better books for you to read.

The basic formula for a protagonist is simple. A protagonist has one special property that makes him or her unique and noteworthy. Sometimes it's a magic item, sometimes a special skill, or - if the author is really desperate - there's a prophecy about a chosen one. James Stark doesn't have one special property, he has seven:

1. He was stabbed in the back by his friends, who sent him to Hell. There, he fought as a gladiator. After that, everything on Earth is pretty nonthreatening by comparison.

2. While in Hell, he learned secret Hell magic, which gives him a leg up on normal, pedestrian wizards.

3. He's a magic savant.

4. In Hell, he acquired a magic Hell weapon. This weapon can do basically anything, including change form.

5. He also found a coin that can accurately predict the future, but only by answering yes or no questions.

6. Plus, there's also a key that lets him travel anywhere he wants.

7. Oh, yeah, his lineage gives him super powers (being related to Wild Bill makes you a gun savant, apparently).

So... this guy is basically immortal, excels in hand-to-hand combat, is awesome with guns, and is the greatest wizard ever. The only thing he can't do is create dramatic tension. James Stark is like Superman, if Superman wasn't restrained by a moral code and didn't have to make any difficult choices ever.

Good writing, of course, can overcome bad concept. There are some clever passages in this book, but that's about it. Reading this is like watching people trying to fist fight underwater; it wants to be fast paced, but everything's telegraphed way, way in advance.

Look, if you want to read a book about a dark and gritty supernatural world, where the main character is a magic thug dealing with wizard nerds, read the Twenty Palaces novels. If you want a power trip fantasy, where the main character is basically invincible, but still has to work to get what he wants, read about Edwin Drood. If you want a man bent on revenge who has a magic shadow key, read Jack of Shadows.

There's nothing here that's interesting or unique, or even well done. Reading this book is a waste of time. That people like this book makes me sad for the genre.

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey is urban fantasy with a decidedly noir detective flavor to it. James Stark awakes in the middle of a cemetery out of sorts. Can't blame him. He just returned to our world after spending eleven years in Hell. Not as a deceased person, but as a living, breathing human, sent there by his once friend but now arch-nemesis, Mason Faim. Stark's back, and he's only got one thing on his mind: revenge.

So begins the tale of Sandman Slim, who we come to learn escaped from Hell where he most recently was serving as the personal assassin to one of Lucifer's demonic generals. Life in Hell for Stark began as one might expect. But when he not only survives the initial assaults but becomes stronger after each one, Stark begins to wonder what's going on. He takes it in stride, though, it being impossible for him to leave until his employer bequeaths him with a very special key that allows him to travel undetected and instantaneously from one shadow to another and—magically—between worlds. Stark doesn't waste any time. He leaves Hell as soon as he can, returning to our world and setting out to find Mason and his cronies, who were all complicit in sending Stark to Hell.

Sandman Slim reminded me in many ways of the television show Supernatural: angels and demons are at each other's throats, battling each other for dominance of the mortal world while all sorts of other nasties wreak their own particular sort of havoc. I don't read enough urban fantasy to know if such premises are anything unusual, but where Sandman Slim really stood out for me was in Kadrey's narration and in his "hero," Stark.

Kadrey captures perfectly the flavor of a Raymond Chandler or Mickey Spillane hardboiled detective novel, except that Stark, aka, Sandman Slim, is not a detective per se. He does share many of Marlowe or Hammer's mannerisms, though, in that he is brusque, foul-mouthed, not afraid to take a punch (or give one), and, despite his cynicism, still will make the choice that keeps others from slipping into the hell that his own life has become.

Kadrey's writing is fast-paced, gripping, and laugh out loud hilarious at times. When Stark finds himself commiserating with a talking head, what can you do but laugh? The action is a mix of shoot'em up, fisticuffs, and some new weaponry straight from Hell. Oh, and magic. Stark, Mason, and others are all magicians, and have certain magical abilities as a result. Sandman Slim is a great read that I highly recommend.

KADREY, Richard. Sandman Slim series: Sandman Slim (2009). Kill the Dead (2010) Aloha From Hell (2011). Devil Said Bang(2012). Kill City Blues (2013). The Getaway God (2014). Killing Pretty (2015). The Perdition Score (2016).

The hero and narrator of these wham bam thank you ma’am supernatural thrillers is James Stark, aka Sandman Slim. He was wafted off to Hell while still alive, endured eleven years there as slave and gladiator and later enforcer, came back to earth and is now wreaking vengeance on those who originally betrayed him (and killed his girlfriend too) and then on any supernatural meanies who threaten little things like the Future of the Universe. The bad guys he fights are really, really bad –I mean capital letter BAD, how else can I write it? He ends up doubling for Lucifer for a short time but he’s not very good at it: his heart just isn’t in it. Along the way, he finds out why he survived one assault after the other in the gladiators’ arena in Hell: he’s not human. He’s half-angel and thus an Abomination (that’s what they call him) in the eyes of the more self-righteous of Heaven’s angels. He’s really only good at one thing, killing, but he’s very good at that and most of the time, he’s fighting the good fight. Most of the time. He’s got a new girlfriend, Candy. She’s a Jade, which is a scarier version of vampire, all claws and fangs when she manifests her Jade self to suck the life and soul out her victim. For now, she’s on a methadone-like substitution diet that keeps her need of human essence locked down (Most of the time.) Stark has an apartmentmate too, a man whose head he cut off in the first installment of the series. But he didn’t kill him, just separated head from body, and he feels a little bad he did it, so he and Kassabian coexist now, are almost buddies --they run a video store together that offers movie classics that were never made, along with a killer collection of porn and horror flicks. There are other friends and allies. A two-hundred-year-old man, Vidocq, a whiz with potions, who functions as a surrogate father to Stark. (Most of the time.) His great-grandfather, now in Hell after being back shot in a card game, the legendary Wild Bill Hickock. When he was Lucifer, Stark set Bill up in a bar in Hell and he visits there every so often to quaff a few shots of Aqua Regia and smoke a few Maledictions, Hell’s cigarettes and stronger than French Gitanes. Carlos runs the Bamboo House of Dolls in L. A. Stark likes to hang out there as do all sorts of non-human types good and evil. The stakes ratchet up from novel to novel in this peerless (of its own sort) series. Start hunts down the bad guys who sent him to Hell in the first place and wreaks vengeance on them (Sandman Slim, 2009); takes on zombies in Kill the Dead (2010); fights an insane serial killer and the demonic Kissi (think Nazi Storm Troopers with supernatural powers) in Aloha from Hell (2011); returns to Hell to take up the mantle of Lucifer, its ruler, in Devil Said Bang (2012); enters as haunted shopping mall to find a dead man’s ghost and win back a supernatural artifact that can end the world in Kill City Blues (2013); steps it up against a vicious killer named St. Nick in The Getaway God (2014); hunts for the man, or creature, that has just killed Death (with Dead dead, no one is dying any more) in Killing Pretty (2015); and returns to Hell (with his girlfriend Candy) to find a remedy for a black poison that has killed his best friend (Vidocq, but he’s dormant, not dead yet) in The Perdition Score (2016). The scenes of violence and bloodshed are frequent and graphic, but not stomach churning. The sex is handled in an off hand way –it’s part of Stark’s and Candy’s lives but not one that needs to be narrated in microsecond detail. The bad guys are really bad, really big, and really powerful. And at almost any moment, if Stark fails, something really bad will happen, ranging from the collapse of the barriers between Heaven and Hell to the destruction of the universe. It’s quality junk fiction, with no redeeming social value at all except that I loved it. I ate it up. I can’t wait for the next episode to appear.

This is an action-packed read with colorful characters and a twisted sense of humor. I have to admit that the very beginning worried me – a guy taking revenge on his enemies for the death of his one true love? -- that’s a plot that’s been around the block a few times. But I quickly realized the author was really giving this a whole new flavor. The main character is a hoot, and his language is pretty colorful (as others have warned, if you’re easily offended, this book might not be for you). He is utterly miserable, but you forgive him for it because he’s trying so darned hard to do the right thing in a world where it’s really difficult to figure out what the right thing is. Along the way he’s surrounded by an outlandish cast of characters, from offbeat humans to Lucifer himself. Perhaps the thing I enjoyed the most about this novel was the language. Richard Kadrey knows how to paint a picture, as when he speculates about turning dark angels into “the filling for Bavarian cream doughnuts” and asserts that Glock owners have Daddy Issues. One of my favorite descriptions is of the first tribes who “stopped chasing game up and down the Fertile Crescent and settled down to build the world’s first trailer parks along the Euphrates.” If you appreciate that kind of creative language, quirky characters, and fast pacing, you’ll enjoy this book. I’m looking forward to digging into the sequels.

I accidentally finished this book. You ask how that is possible? Well I got it two days ago and meant for it to last me a little over a week until another book I want is released. The problem is that I kept having to know what would happen next. Once I found out what happened next, I needed in my bones to know what would happen after that. From there it just became a vicious cycle.

The book stars a surprisingly likable anti-hero in the form of Stark. Usually when I'm faced with these types of anti-heroes, I dislike them because they are jerks for the sake of being jerks. In this case I basically agreed with him and felt his attitude was rather justified.

With Stark, aka Sandman Slim, at the center, the book treats you to unique and flawed characters trying to keep Stark from screwing everything up in his single-minded drive for revenge. It's not like any of the other Urban Fantasy books I've finished in the past. There is black humor in it instead of general or slapstick humor. But really the black humor is there as a balance for the overall noir feel. The book felt like so many other things but remained entirely its own. The closest I could say is it is a bit of Sin City, and I don't know, Constantine or Doctor Strange?

I recommend this book to anyone wanting a bit of a darker urban fantasy that doesn't feel like a Goth kid's diary but still plays the Heaven vs. Earth vs. Hell trope straight.

This was a bit of a disappointing read for me, partly because I had high hopes for it. From the synopsis, it sounded like it had the makings of a really interesting and fun story. James Stark was thrown in hell by his enemies and spent eleven years there as its only living human resident and later as a hitman for one of the lords of hell. He escapes hell and returns to Los Angeles to exact revenge on the people who sent him to hell.

The book is certainly not without entertaining parts. Unfortunately, the sum of the whole is not necessarily cohesive. Elements are sometimes thrown in without a plausible explation, sometimes without any explanation at all. It also employed a few obvious deus ex machina tools to extricate Stark out of some dire circumstances.

I was also not a big fan of the writing style. The book is not divided into chapters but is one continuous tale. It is also told in the first person, present tense. I have never minded first person tales but this one seemed content to use this tool to allow much of the storytelling to occur in Stark's head. A good chunk reads like a journal -- too much first person exposition. It would have benefited from more interactions between Stark and the other players, more dialogue. Actual interactions were brief and sporadic. A bit of a shame really for many of the other characters are quite interesting. I'd have loved to read more about them had they been given greater participation in the development of the story.

Despite all this, Sandman Slim did partly live up to the fun part. If only it wasn't too much of a window-into-his-mind exposition, Stark has a rather sharp wit and colorful language. There are also interesting parts to the storyline and to the explanation of the origin of the world and Stark's role in it. How all of it was laid out just could have been better. It leaned towards preachy at times, was brief and a bit abrupt, and was not really expounded on.

The final confrontation was rather exciting though and the ending was not without surprises which almost -- but not quite -- redeem the faults above. The ending also had a rather wicked twist. Because of the last 50 pages, I may just pick up book two one of these days.

I had scores of people whose taste I respected tell me I had to read these books. I was a little afraid they might be too violent and cynical for me. Don't get me wrong -- they are TOTALLY violent and cynical, but what I wasn't expecting was how FUNNY they were. As in, I was disturbing everyone on my side of the plane by emitting little shrieks of laughter and reading so many funny lines aloud to my husband that he finally caved and bought his own Kindle version of it.
James Stark was part of a ring of evil sorcerers who was sacrificed to the Devil - still alive - so the leader could gain more power. He survived eleven years in Hell, which only made him mad, and now he's back in LA for revenge. He just wants to kill a few people to avenge his girlfriend and go back to some nice, quiet life, but he meets a wide range of characters and creatures with their own agenda and he may end up saving the universe whether or not it deserves it (and it probably doesn't.)

I don't know if the author would like this analogy, but this reminded me of what Rupert Giles in the Buffy series might have turned out like if he hadn't been scared straight at university. Get out your credit card and clear your schedule for a few months, because there are 9 books in this series already, with a tenth one coming out in August of 2018.

I grabbed this book up in an attempt to find something to fill the hole that the Dresden Files had left in my soul.

What I got was not more Dresden.

I instead got what can only be described as a Punk Rock A-hole Monster Hunter, with the name James “Sandman Slim” Stark. A man sent to Hell by his so called friends, he spends 11 years in the depths becoming the Monster who Kills Monsters. He manages to escape after killing his owner, and goes about planning vengeance on the man who sent him Downtown. Along the way he meets a cast of colorful characters who are all broken in their own way.

NOTHING deters him in his quest for vengeance. It doesn’t help that the man he hunts also apparently murdered the one girl Stark loved, which is what prompted him to escape Hell in the first place.

Stark comes off as a very violent, driven, and somewhat insane man who lives only to exact his revenge. He is…inhuman. And he is supposed to be. The Monster who kills Monsters is his moniker and he earned that from the very Hellions who tormented him in Hell.

Join Stark as he seeks his vengence against those who have wrong him. Along the way, he may just save the world. But watch out for the blood. It will stains your shoes.

I would rate this a 4/5. If you are hungry for some violent nearly psychopathic fun, with a dash of hard snark and punk rock, give this a read.

So I snagged this up after reading the first book, Sandman Slim. I was fascinated by the idea of a book where the protagonist is such a, well, a-hole. That’s the only way to really describe James Stark. A giant a-hole who cares for no one but his dead girlfriend Alice and his obsession with revenge on the man who sent him to Hell.

This was basically more of the same from the first novel. Lots of action, wit, and violence. Lots of Stark being a combination a-hole and badass. He teams up with an adult movie star to actually hunt down Drifters, aka Zombies or Zeds as the book calls them, while at the same time having to bodyguard Lucifer himself, who is filming a biopic. Cause why wouldn't he right?

Its a wild ride from start to finish and a whole lot of fun.

I do have a few complaints. Mainly, with Slim himself. He comes off frequently as one note. He pretty much has only 2 settings: Rage and Snark. Thats it. Its fun, and enjoyable, but after 2 novels he shows very little actual growth. Here he does exhibit more human traits, such as caring for a few people around him. But again, his general outlook is “everything is s*** and humans are s***”.

Do not read this if you want to have faith in humanity restored. This book is not pleasant in that regard, and frequently discuss sex, drugs, and violence against people in the very plainest of terms.

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. I could have been enjoying the character of Stark for years, and here I am just starting off. However, the good news about that is that I have a bunch of books to read that are available right now.

Jimmy Stark has escaped hell, literally, and come back to LA to get revenge on those who are responsible for the years he lost. He's trained to become one of hell of a fighter, and he still has the gift of magic. Now it's reinforced with Hellion magic as well.

Where his journey of revenge takes him, and what he learns about himself is fascinating and fun. You've got action. You've got smartass remarks. You've got fantastic (and I mean that in many ways) supporting characters.

If you haven't read this? Read it now. You won't be sorry.

“Sandman Slim” is the name Stark hates to be called by. He’s still something of a celebrity among the Sub Rosa, which annoys him more than anything else. Everybody seems to have plans for him: helping him, using him, putting him in a position of power. Everyone has their own preconceptions of him, most of which only pin down parts of him. He’s an abomination according to some, still working out what he can and can’t do. He doesn’t have many friends, so he does what he can to help the ones he has. Stark really seems to enjoy shocking people, as much as he enjoys anything. He’s a surprisingly engaging antihero in a dark world where even angels can’t be trusted.

The zombie invasion wasn’t as interesting to me as the events of book one, but I think I’ve just seen too many zombie movies, books, and TV shows lately. I’ve hit a bit of burnout on the topic. Kadrey does some interesting things with the zombies–there are several types, all of them with different levels of awareness and motivation. Killing them is also interesting, seeing as the usual means don’t always work–there’s a fun character who’s a zombie-slayer who teaches Stark how to take them down.

Kadrey provides some truly entertaining dialogues. Then there’s the vampire who uses a flamethrower as a weapon, so that’s fun. The plot went in some interesting directions, particularly the thread about the identity of Stark’s father. There are some events in there that genuinely surprised me, which is great. I’ll have to put a hold on book three from the library; I hope they have the rest of the series!

If our personalities are derived from the characters and novels we tend to enjoy (in my case both reading and writing), then I’d make a strong candidate for Bastard of the Year. Hell, I don’t even need a running mate. I suppose I could leave it at that, and just walk away, probably leaving more than a few of you scratching your heads. But I might as well expound upon my point, because once you start shoveling crap you might as well keep going.

You see, James Stark is a character I’m not supposed to like. In fact, he burns jackets, kills people (bad ones), and even manages to piss off a few angels just for fun. He’s the kind of guy you’re better off pretending you don’t know. If he does happen to come around, you barricade your front door, and then you call the fuzz. If the cops can’t keep him at bay, then you leave LA (it’s filled with people more screwed up than Stark anyway), and head somewhere safer like Mexico or Colombia.

Despite all of that, though, I actually liked the bastard. I rooted for him to rein hell-on-earth and kick the snot out of evil, and ruin a few more coats. I could almost feel his hatred coursing through my veins, and rather than be turned off, I was actually a little turned on. To be fair, it wasn’t all fireflies and sparklers, and I did manage to cringe once or twice, based on yet another terrible path he took. But if I didn’t see at least a fault or two, I’d probably be in more trouble than I already am. So maybe there’s the slimmest of slim chances I’m not completely screwed up.

In the spirit of Stark smashing a few faces, SANDMAN SLIM smashed together more than one genre, and made it work. The plot and dialogue raced forward (other than enough editing errors that I couldn’t help but notice); all the characters were filled with warm and gooey goodness (smirks); the action made it seem as though I was driving on two-wheels down Wilshire Boulevard (without traffic); and I even discovered another reason to hate a junkie or two (when you read it, you’ll see what I mean).

Like this novel so aptly proves time and again: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

I received this book for free at Left Coast Crime.

Robert Downs
Author of Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator

I have no idea why I’ve never heard of Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim novels before. I’m glad our library’s online collection has several of the installments, because I must read more of Stark’s adventures.

One of the things I love best is Stark himself. He was sent to Hell when he was just 19. He’s been gone long enough to get confused by details of mobile phones and the internet, but not so long that he ever really got over thinking of himself as being 19 years old. He’s snarky, but not overly glib. He’s implacable in his mission to avenge Alice. Sometimes he gets in over his head, but he doesn’t care as long as he makes progress on avenging her. People of all types think they have his number, but they tend to miss one or another tidbit of his personality when making assumptions about how he’ll behave. I like that Stark isn’t hugely moralistic, and often doesn’t care about doing the ‘right thing’. But at the same time, he tries to limit his car-stealing to cars that he can convince himself probably belong to rich jerks. He has his own bizarre sort of code that he only really indulges in when it doesn’t interfere with his revenge mission. It’s great watching him stumble through half-hearted attempts to seem ‘normal’. His strong yet damaged personality is deftly woven together.

The world is interesting–paranormal, but not yet another cookie-cutter supernaturally-enhanced world. It has its own personalities and quirks. Its own secrets and agendas. I look forward to seeing where Stark goes from here, since the world clearly has plans for him.

Sandman Slim is a very well researched piece of writing. The author has gone above, below and beyond the usual realms where writers usually get their background data. This has resulted in a book that is loaded with unexpected information about the connections of Homeland Security, for instance. The power struggle between Good and Evil has been added details that make it easier to understand how so many of the good efforts have failed. There are sloppy executives, accidents and just plain corruption where you'd least expect. Angels have their weak point, one of which is human females. This is an important fact to know if you want to make sense of what is happening.
Lucifer has style and character but is surrounded with incompetent though fiery beasts who use too much of their time fighting wit each other and enjoying violence in general. With better mid-level administration he might be able to run the show at least as well it's been run now. He will not get his chance, though.

The author is thoroughly immersed in the physiognomy of lowlives nad the difficulties that are related to dying. The first-person narrative rocks though there are some discrepancies there. This, again is expected as the main character has gone through quite some live-changing events during his last 11 years. In the course of the book, he learns his dark secret and the reason why he was nearly killed in a hunting accident.

If you have religious idea about Heaven and Hell this might be exactly the book you need to get rid of your archaic superstitions. Business is business and if the stakes are really high there, your historical enemy might be the only one powerful enough to put the insurgents back to their place.

I already downloaded the second book.
Thoroughly enjoyed.

"Tonight is the end of someone's world. If it's mine, it's going to be messy." - `Kill the Dead'.

This is second novel in the series of `Sandman Slim' novels by Richard Kadrey and we're back in the pulp noir horror conceit the author effectively established with the first adventure of James Stark, the part angel, part human force of nature with a gloomy sanguinary past and a ready laconic self-deprecating wit. It's not imperative that readers pick up Kadrey's first effort in the series, as the author drops enough hints as to the origins of certain characters, much like John Connolly's `Charlie Parker' series or Peter Straub's `Blue Rose' run of books.

Kadrey picks up Stark's story at pretty much where the author left off with the first book. Stark is still living above the video rental store, `Max Overload' along with his companion, Kasabian, a body-less head addicted to cigarettes, booze and the cheesier type of Hollywood's movie output. Kasabian's role is much like that of Jiminy Cricket to Stark's freakish Pinocchio, only in this instance Kasabian is decidedly less interested in Stark's sense of right and wrong than he is in attempting to avoid his room-mate's proclivity for explosively violent retorts. The plot here, much like Kadrey's first effort is relatively simple: taking jobs with an organisation known as the Golden Vigil, an angelic secret army affiliated with Homeland Security, `Sandman Slim' is called upon to use his incomparably arcane talents to shed light upon paranormal incidents they're investigating. It's while doing this that Stark is asked by Lucifer himself to act as bodyguard for his human self while he oversees a movie being made about the Devil's experience, a biopic giving his side of the story. While preoccupied with protecting Satan's interests it becomes apparent that some nebulous force is responsible for re-animating scores of the dead, a shambling army of zombies that threatens to pick clean the streets of L.A . like a swarm of voracious undead locusts.

There are other sub-plots threaded throughout the text but they exist merely to give Stark's a tenuous sort of context that, when the ultra-violent set-pieces kick in, allow the reader a semblance of empathy with Kadray's foul-mouthed protagonist. As with the first book Stark, the self-confessed "professional shit magnet", is portrayed as a kind of literary mash-up of tough-guy icons; there's nods here to every `bad-ass' character you've likely come across in the last few decades in noir-themed books and, more significantly, the movies. There's elements of Carpenter's anti-heroes Snake Plissken, John Nada, Mignola's Hellboy and many of Eastwood's early westerns (even the zombies here are referred to as `High Plains Drifters'). This is no bad thing but as Kadray tries to infuse his Sandman with so many recognizable strains of the gruff movie anti-hero the overall effect is that the character is often nothing more than a literary echo chamber for the beleaguered tough-guy hero we've seen before, ultimately curiously hollowing out the character by over the top cramming of stereotypes. A seasoned consumer of pop culture over the last couple of generations will easily acknowledge the multiple influences Kadrey pays lip-service to here. There's very little development of the characters the author established in the first book, aside from Kasabian's physically augmented situation and a sub-plot involving Stark's search for his real father and that's frustrating for anyone hoping for the character to lose some of its comic-book style influences, where characters exist in a stilted non-evolving uinverse..

This is fast, enjoyable material, obviously written by an author infatuated with a particular strain of pop-culture, using a likeable, if somewhat cliched protagonist and delivering thrilling, gory and notably cinematically-styled events and set-pieces. Despite some repetition in terms of Stark's character motivation and a lethargically-paced section in the first third of the book where it seems the author is floundering in terms of where the plot is headed, adding pages of tedious exposition in place of narrative direction, it's another involving `Sandman Slim' episode. Though again, as with the first novel, this reviewer is still none the wiser as to why exactly he's been handed this peculiar moniker.

Written by James Keen from Horror Novel Reviews. Horror Novel Reviews does not receive payment for reviews. All books are promotional copies.

"It's a man's body. Naked. Nailed face-first to the wall about six feet off the ground. Somebody has carefully peeled back the outer layers of skin. Let them fall back like pale, fleshy leaves on a plant..." -Sandman Slim.

Creating written mythologies that are intricately engaging is a difficult task when you consider the long list of what has come before in the pantheon of horror and fantasy writing. Taking the real world and juxtaposing it with other-wordly elements to create a convincing literary tapestry is a troublesome endeavour for many authors. John Connelly has managed it with his `Charlie Parker' series - an unsettling combination of detective fiction fused with supernatural elements - and the author Clive Barker has accomplished this same feat time and again with works such as `Cabal', `Imagica', and `The Art...' books. The `tricky' part -in terms of suspending a reader's disbelief- is invariably reliable on the exposition. In the novel `Sandman Slim' Richard Kadrey has fashioned a narrative framework that is not entirely successful when it comes to juggling his own body of myths but he does it in such a propulsive manner that the novel's failings are, by and large, ameliorated by it.

This is a first-person narrative that establishes the unique dilemma of `James Stark', a thirty-ish fugitive from hell, a man possessing "...a soul dirtier than a hobo's boxer shorts" who wakes up/appears in an L.A . cemetery, clothes smouldering and eyes stinging from the daylight. Kadrey's rapid-fire diction feeds the reader brief clues as to his history and establishes Stark's raison d'etre; he wants to obliterate those who are responsible for his eleven year impromptu incarceration in what he refers to as `downtown' (Hell), and to avenge the death of his girlfriend, Alice.

The opening is problematic for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that this tale recalls elements of storytelling the discerning reader has been exposed to many times before. There are obvious similarities to James O'Barr's seminal work `The Crow', echoes of Alan Moore's `Hellblazer' and hints of other high watermarks of genre fiction that are distracting, if only because these archetypes of fiction have been excessively mined by lesser talents with the result that the reader can easily begin second-guessing the narrative's direction. Kadrey counteracts this with an effusive inventiveness; there's the `fish-out-of-water' story dynamic exploring the eleven-year absence of our protagonist set against the inexorable march of technology, as one character observes, "...you might be the Tasmanian Devil and the Angel of Death all rolled into one, but you don't even know how to get a phone." coupled with the abrupt flashbacks Stark has of his experiences in Kadrey's surreal and gruesome netherworld setting. Though this latter device proves to be only marginally diverting as the book progresses, with the rather banal reasoning behind many of Hell's ruling denizens revealing itself as a rather tediously obvious military metaphor.

After the -at times- awkward first third of the book Kadrey picks up the narrative's pace and shows himself to be a smartly entertaining writer. His array of characters are quirky and involving and the book's nemesis, the devious magician Mason Faim proves to be a formidably Machiavellian opponent. There are other less ostentatious delights, too; the writer's portrait of modern day Los Angeles is filtered through Stark's laconic and snarky internal monlogues, in a nod perhaps to the standards of detective fiction of yore. Kadrey's incisive swipes at consumer culture and the vapid nature of Hollywood celebrity are notably amusing. There are also multiple incidences of self-effacing wit, "...even my stupidity has its limits" that do much to encourage the reader's empathy with the character. While the author demonstrates a highly visual grasp of the worlds he describes to achieve atmosphere and action, it's satisfyingly balanced by the metaphysical torment of the central character's extraordinary situation.

The novel's conclusion is gratifying and rewarding; Kadrey leaves the reader with a flawed but ambitious piece of writing, with the welcome promise of more to follow. Despite the oddly vague `explanation' for the protagonist's acquired alternate moniker of `Sandman Slim' and the curiously disengaging sections of the book dealing with Stark/Slim's gladiatorial history in `Downtown/ Hell this is a gripping, blood-thirsty and blackly comic adventure that demands to be wolfed down in a single sitting. Bring on volume two...

Written by James Keen from Horror Novel Reviews. Horror Novel Reviews does not receive payment for reviews. All books are promotional copies.

Good. Fairly well written but... The main character wasn't very admirable - okay, maybe 11 years in Hell kinda pissed him off. I am a huge Desden Files and Laundry Files fan so I found myself doing a comparison. This book lacked the the heart and magical complexity of the the DF and the humour of the LF. I do believe it was a decent start though and I will probably read another one to see if the main character develops over time. There were an awful lot of typos in the kindle edition.

The sequel to Sandman Slim: A Novel opens up six months after the first book's exciting conclusion. And like its predecessor, the book kicks off right away with a lot of action. It's quite an explosive start! Stark currently freelances for both Heaven and Hell, but a young vampire that he puts down becomes a catalyst for another apocalypse for L.A. - this time the city faces a plague of zombies rising up from the bowels of the City of Angels.

Kadrey continues to balance the action, violence and supernatural details with a solid dose of humour, and fun references (this time even Jaws gets a mention!). The style choice to remove the chapters makes it even easier to just keep turning the pages! Stark develops more here - and more details emerge not only about the other returning characters, but about Kadrey's unique universe. And hints about future plots begin to emerge at the end to lay some groundwork for additions to the series.

All in all, this is a hugely fun read - and I am excited for the third book, Aloha from Hell: A Sandman Slim Novel.

A fun read with loads of profanity and violence; so be forewarned. Stark's internal thoughts and comparisons kept me laughing out loud.

In the beginning Stark is a hot mess. He just finished an 11 year stint in hell. His vendetta has given him tunnel vision and he is rushing from one self made disaster to another. Eventually he gets his shit together and puts his talents to good use bringing about a satisfactory but open ending.

Recommended!

Normally, when I don't finish a novel, I give it a 1,. I had to give this more than that because the author is definitely talented and has a really good style. The premise is a betrayed young man who spent 11 years in hell as a gladiator comes back to the world. He is seeking revenge for the betrayal. It is full of hard edges and creativity. However, I just didn't care about him. He is hard, tough, and can fight, but I didn't care whether he won or lost or got his revenge. If I don't care about a character, finding out what happens to him isn't necessary. Therefore, I stopped reading. With all the good things that could be said about the novel, this one small thing is a really big thing for me. I kept going in the hopes that he would show some redeeming quality beside grit and even fearlessness - but even that wasn't so impressive since he did not believe he could die. Good for some, but not my cup of tea. Much prefer Jim Butcher's character.

This is the first book of a series of (to date) five, centered about James Stark. Stark is a man with some magical abilities who is 'betrayed' by his Circle, and sent to Hell, alive. There he survived eleven years as a sort of gladiator in arena fights for the generals of Lucifer, before finding a way to escape Hell, and returning to Earth. Once back in L.A. (from where he had been taken from, he starts to get revenge on those that caused his exile to Hell. While in the midst of this, other problems come about, getting both Angels and Hellions trying to get him to side with them for a battle against a third party. Without spoiling the story, I can't say much more.

Loved the writing style Kadrey displays. There is some great dark, sarcastic humor and conversational exchanges, and plenty of action. The paranormal aspect is there, without focusing too much on one type. I nice almost gritty noir detective sort of story. I found myself hearing some low, gutteral-gritty voice saying the words in my head as I read ... way cool!! Totally enojoyed the read, and will be reading the whole series!!

This noir fantasy will really screw with your brain. After reading "Sandman Slim" I found myself swaggering around in water aerobics class, bumping into the other ladies, and shouting the f-word at political ads on TV. None of this is natural. I mean, I qualified for Medicare at the beginning of this month, for f-word's sake!

The hero, who starts out as Jim (don't call me Jimmy) Stark and ends up as Sandman Slim (for reasons not explained in this book) is ethical, highly motivated, and likeable in spite of his limited vocabulary. He is also extremely hard to kill (think 'Dirty Harry' with a magical Smith & Wesson Model 29.) After spending 11 years in Hell's equivalent of the Roman Coliseum, he kills his demonic master and escapes back to Earth with a couple of magical knick-knacks and an extremely short to-do list: kill the magicians who sent him Downtown while he was still alive.

Even though I'm not normally fond of decapitation and excrement jokes, I thought this book was extremely funny. The plot is simple: kill the bad guys. The story's momentum stalls a bit in the middle of the book, when body parts are flying, but the hero seems to be spinning his stolen wheels, and slaughtering everyone except for the evil magician who put him Downtown in the first place.

However the pace picks up once a couple of the hero's friends are kidnapped by the evil magician. They are scheduled to be slaughtered at the world's most depraved New Year's Eve party in Los Angeles, when the minions of Hell will be let loose on Earth, and life as we normal humans know it will suddenly become a lot more miserable.

Richard Kadrey writes like a Dashiell Hammett on speed, combined with a certain necrophiliac glee. His hero spends the requisite amount of guy-time slobbering over his very cool and partly magical arsenal, if you like that kind of stuff. This fantasy could probably be used as a textbook on Manichaeism, if some of the more vulgar terms for the Divine Being were removed. The ending is happy, and actually rather sweet in a twisted sort of way.

This was the first book I have read by this author. The description sounded good so I gave it a try. I'm not a professional critic like some of the other reviewers seem to be, but I read a lot, and I read a decent variety of genres. This was an entertaining book. I agree that there was not a lot of character development. And for a guy who is supposed to be great at magic, there wasn't much magic being done. But this was an easy read. It's a great book to kill time with if you're on a plane, or you're waiting in the drs office. However, I don't think I'll be reading the series, and I wouldn't recommend it to friends. A book has to be a little more well written for me to recommend to people I know.

The biggest problem I had with this book were all of the editing mistakes. There were more mistakes in this one book than all of the books that I have ever read, which is a decent amount. They weren't giant mistakes, but they were a little distracting. I don't have specifics but for example maybe there was an extra is in the sentence, or the wrong tense of a word was used. On one page towards the end of the book there were 3 mistakes. I've read thousand page books that didn't have that many mistakes in the whole book. For me it detracts a little from the story, but that's just me. Others may not find it as distracting.

Though a little uneven and definitely sagging somewhere near the middle this was an enjoyable read. Not exactly exciting or filled with surprises but the character of 'Sandman' was believable and deep enough for me to suspend my disbelief.

The plot was an interesting twist on Judeo-Christian mythology, the Kissi especially (though they might have been more fully imagined), mashed up with petty criminality (jacking cars, etc.) and life in L.A. (the city, however, is a little on the flat side). All in all if was a good book and it is the first in a popular series.

If you enjoy anti-heroes, urban, hardboiled fantasy/horror, and lots of blood you will enjoy this first entry in a series.

Not a brilliant book but a good summer read for someone who doesn't want to think but does wish to be entertained.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars.

After having read the first novel in this series, "Sandman Slim," I approached with caution. Very excited about the concept and the setup...would this live up to what it began?
Yes, yes it did.
An incredibly well-crafted character marinated in flavors of supernatural meets pulp noir meets mystery/thriller, meets fantasy.
Gruff and seemingly unrepentant though still resonating with humanity (this is a pretty ironic statement given the subject matter) our protagonist continues to develop and take new shape. I will not spoil here as there is much to come.
Lucifer, depicted as brutal in some ways, but more often than not, somber, pensive, brooding and even caring. We see the vulnerable boy to a man who was cast out by Daddy. This Lucifer is ultimately relatable.
Zombies and Vampires and all sorts of creatures of the night/undead meet in this novel to create a fantastic story that spans several generations. It brings new life to some very played out source material(pun unintended, but hey...).
The cast of characters continues to grow and the reader will be completely engrossed in both the story and the alliances...and betrayals.
As usual, I write my reviews more from the perspective of how something made me feel and how well it was executed rather than tell you the tale. I was thrilled reading this novel. I leave that to the author, but fans of the aforementioned genres will not be disappointed.
I love this series and am really looking forward to the next installment due out in October.
Namaste~

Sandman Slim (a.k.a. Stark, a.k.a. the Monster Who Kills Monsters) is the protagonist of Richard Kadrey's outrageously good series of books (as of March 2014, five books and a short story). But God-or the Devil-forbid you call him James (or worse, "Jimmy"), or you might get a na'at through your gut.

The first book, intriguingly titled Sandman Slim, begins just after the title character's escape from Hell:

"I wake up on a pile of smoldering garbage and leaves in the old Hollywood Forever cemetery behind the Paramount Studio lot on Melrose, though these last details don't come to me until later. Right now all I know is that I'm back in the world and I'm on fire."

And so, meet Sandman Slim. Actually, he prefers to be called Stark. Just "Stark." His full name, as we come to learn, is James Butler Hickok Stark, and he is (allgedly) a direct descendant of "Wild Bill" Hickok. We meet him too, in a later book, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Before the novel begins, Stark has spent 11 truly horrifying years in Hell, thanks to the betrayal of some fellow magicians he thought were friends. Yes, Stark is a magician. Not the rabbit-out-of-a-hat kind, but the type with real magic (or "hoodoo," as he calls it). Stark, a very powerful, talented, and natural magician, ran up against a cocky and power-hungry jerk named Mason Faim, who felt threatened by Stark's power and conspired with the rest of their Circle to send Stark to Hell. In Hell, Stark fought Hellions in the arena as a kind of gladiator, owned by Azazel, one of the generals of Hell. For 11 years, he was dissected, vivisected, torn apart, and sewn back together, and somehow managed to survive, focused on the thought of getting back to our world and exacting revenge on Mason and the others for their betrayal. They call him the Monster Who Kills Monsters.

And about that na'at...a na'at is a Hellion weapon, and Stark loves to swing it both in Hell and on Earth. Part harpoon, part whip, all badass-it's Stark's weapon of choice.

Then, something happens that gives Stark even more incentive to get back to Earth: his longtime girlfriend, Alice, dies at Mason's hand. He finds a way to get home-which is where we come in on page 1. Now it's payback, and we're along for one hell of a ride (pun intended).

In a lesser book, Stark's single-minded rampage would fill the rest of the book's pages as he systematically hunted down each member of the Circle who betrayed him and unleashed Hell on their sorry carcasses. But this is no lesser book. Other than Mason, no one's motives are simple or straightforward, and it gets increasingly difficult to tell who's a good guy and who's a bad guy. And it becomes increasingly apparent that Hell may suck, but at least you knew who to watch out for. On Earth, it's waaaaaay more complicated. Even the angels are backstabbing, homicidal maniacs. If you can't trust an angel, who can you trust?

The world that Kadrey has built for his readers is one of the richest and most fascinating I have ever encountered. There are vampires, natch; other magicians (called Sub Rosa, because they tend to be secretive and invisible); and ghosts and demons and zombies and angels and all other manner of supernatural beings. In his quest to unleash Hell on his betrayers, Stark introduces us to a remarkable cast of characters and beings, including Lucifer, and, in later books, The Big Man Upstairs Himself. (Well, He isn't exactly Himself these days, but that's a conversation for another day.)

Stark himself isn't exactly human either-as with most urban fantasy protagonists, he's something more. I won't spoil anything by revealing what he is, but it's yet another layer on this particularly crazy and gleefully lopsided cake. He's a great character-even five books in, you have no idea what he's going to do next, except that it's going to be wild, explosive, and leave a big pile of bodies behind. He's definitely not the type to serve in Heaven, but he might be the kind of guy who could end up ruling in Hell. *cough*

Kadrey's writing style is really the icing on the crazy cake, and what turns this series up to 11, in my opinion. Despite the violent brutality (lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of beings get their heads chopped off, spines ripped out, hearts cut out, limbs hacked off, and so forth), these books are among the wittiest I have ever read; it's rare that more than a page goes by that I didn't laugh out loud. Stark's name might as well be "Snark," and his companions and opponents give as good as they get in that department. If you like your UF with a hefty side of sarcasm and wit that cuts deeper than the sharpest blade, you're in for a treat.

One of my few points of criticism for this series-and it's a big one-is its women. For all the genius and awesomeness of his writing, Kadrey doesn't seem able to conceptualize women who aren't straight out of central casting. There's Alice, the quirky and tough girlfriend with a heart of gold who loves her tough guy. There's Madea Bava, the Head Inquisitor for the Sub Rosa, who's an old biddy with a serious axe to grind with Stark. Aelita is a power-hungry angel who uses her beauty and sexual allure to manipulate the men around her. The women around Stark start out interesting, then deflate faster than a five-day-old birthday balloon. Allegra, an African-American woman with a shaved head who helps run the video store that Stark takes over, turns into a Healer and goes right back to two-dimensional and boring. Brigitte, a zombie slayer who moonlights as a porn star, fades into the background after an initially awesome run ripping out zombies' spines. Even Candy, who ends up being Stark's girlfriend, fails to be interesting. She's a Jade, which is a kind of vampire that sucks out all your innards. Sure, she gives as good as she gets when it gets to breaking the furniture during sex, and she's tough as hell, but she's a static character who doesn't grow at all during the course of five novels. She is the most interesting of the female characters, and I can only hope that in subsequent novels, Kadrey does something with her.

How much this detracts from the overall experience of the series may vary. For me, it wasn't a total deal-breaker; the rest of the total package was strong enough to keep me hooked. There's great writing, compelling protagonists, a fascinating world, scary monsters, even scarier "good guys," and fabulously twisty plots that get more complex from one book to the next. We quickly learn that Mason Faim is not Stark's only or most dangerous foe; he is surrounded by a host of humans and supernatural beings with a vested interest in seeing him either dead or back in Hell (but not necessarily in that order). And then there's the small matter of the Old Gods who want their universe back . . .

Get into Sandman Slim. You'll thank me.

Check out my urban fantasy blog--new posts several times a week at urbanfantasyblog at wordpress dotcom!

Kill the Dead is a dazzling mix of supernatural violence and classic crime novel. What happens when you take vampires, pixies, demons, succubi, a beer drinking disembodied head, and enough zombies to take over LA, and mix them together with a nephilim that has literally been to hell and back? You get a novel of non stop action, gore and even wit that will keep you thoroughly entertained from page one. This book reminds me of a Quentin Tarantino movie on steroids - but with better dialogue.

I really enjoy urban fantasy - I'm a big fan of the Dresden files and many aspects of this novel left me feeling right at home. Make no mistake, Stark is no Harry Dresden. He's a much darker creature but with quite a bit of the same wit. The author did a fabulous job turning Stark into a likeable character of amazing depth and complexity. I totally believed in him and could clearly see his inner battles between his human and angel side, his desire to not be evil, and his confusion. He is a compelling lead character that I gladly followed deep into the belly of LA. I felt his pain and his despair and ultimately cheered for him to retain his humanity.

I did not read Sandman Slim, so I spent a bit of time in the beginning of this one just catching up with things. It didn't take long to get up to speed, but I would recommend that you read the first novel in this series before you tackle this one. If it's half as entertaining as this one was, then you won't regret it. This whole zombie/supernatural genre is getting pretty crowded, which is not always a good thing. This book really stands out because of Sandman Slim himself and the high caliber writing. Does the author go over the top with the violence? Sure he does, but he does it with class. The whole atmosphere of this novel seethes with violence and intrigue. Angels are not always the good guys, Lucifer can sometimes be a sympathetic figure, and Father God seems only a distant presence. Good and Evil are no longer cut and dried and it's up to Sandman Slim to sort it out. God help us all. An enthusiastic recommend.

not playground mud puddle enjoyable, but rather mud pit wrestling with elbows flying and a bit of blood shed here and there, all in good fun. lots of profanity and good old fashioned ass-kicking and if the idea of that offends you then why are you even looking at this book?!
this is a wonderfully dark and gritty series with tons of dry humor and awesome obscure film references.
i found it less like the dresden files and more like mike carey's felix castor series. if you liked the one, most likely you'd enjoy the other as well.
on a side note.
i dislike books written in the first person present tense (there should be some kind of warning on a books front cover) and because of that i had a really hard time getting into this one at first. in fact i picked it up and put it down three times over the course of six months and got nowhere with it.
then someone lent me the audible version and wow...the voice actor they got is amazing!! usually i end up disappointed with audio book voice actors but in this case, i think the narrator made was what made it so enjoyable. so if your like me you might give the audio version a try before giving up on this seriously fun and interesting series.

I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely. The way the author writes is some of the best I have read in a while, he writes in a simplistic way that is engaging and not trying to throw more complex words at us in describing anything except for a few times when is needed. The premise of the story was also really well laid out and well executed. Will definitely read the next one.

It doesn't matter where you land. You just jumped off a cliff.”

Dude is a terrible person with no moral compass and a violent streak the size of Texas and he's got revenge on his mind. At least, that's how he sees himself. Like most, he's more than meets the eye.

You know how sometimes male authors writing about a male character will inadvertently end up a little sexist about women in UF series? Not a problem, here. The women aren't described as eye-candy with no personality. Thanks for that.

The story was a dark and twisty roller coaster and I can't wait to jump on the next ride.

Overall I thought this book was a great second book in the series. My biggest complaint about the first book was that Stark was a thoroughly unlikable person with anger management issues. It didn't really seem like his attitude and personality were scaled back that much, but that little bit really helped a lot.

I liked some of the developments that occurred in the book - especially towards lining up the next show down between Stark and Mason. I liked all the different types of zombies as well. The changes in Stark that start halfway through the book were great as well.

I didn't care for what happened with Aelita and the Golden Vigil.

Spoiler Alert:

When Aelita revealed that she had realized that God had abandoned everyone and that it was necessary for her to go kill God and take his place, I just rolled my eyes. Not that I can think of any other book off hand that did that, but it just seems so cliched for some reason.

End Spoiler Alert

This biggest thing I disliked in this book was that the ending was anti-climatic. The book was building up the bad guys and building up the Zombie Apocalypse and then *poof* everything's taken care of. I still not certain why the bad guys were doing what they were doing either.

Overall a good book, though the ending doesn't live up to the rest of the book.

A few weeks ago, I read Sandman Slim and loved it, so I jumped right into Kill the Dead. I do recommend reading the books in order. While I wish the book had been a bit tighter plot-wise, the fun here lies with the characters and the situations. Kadrey is a true master at blending darkness and humor with fantasy and mystery. As with the first book, Kadrey stays true to his Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) inspiration. James Stark is still capable of being a jerk without veering into the unsympathetic realm. It's a tricky tightrope to walk as a writer, but Kadrey never misses a step. Stark is a guy who spent eleven years in Hell as a hit man, came back to Los Angeles and in this book takes on vampires, zombies, angels and even works for Lucifer himself.

This novel reveals more about Stark's past and advances his character arc nicely. I'll admit that I worry a bit that Stark becomes too powerful in the third act when his human side takes a back seat, but then again, without that extra oomph, he wouldn't survive the adventure. We'll see how this plays out as the series moves forward.

Needless to say, I'm definitely going along for the ride. Speaking of which, I'm off to Hell with Stark for the next adventure. Buy and read these books and I'll save you a good seat for the next round.

When I'm reading a Richard Kadrey novel I'm in another world. A world where anything is posible and right now it's about to be overrun by Drifters (Zombies, Zed, the Dead). Lucifer is here too, attempting to produce a movie about his life. Our hero, Sandman Slim, suspects Lucifer may be his Father. "What kind of kid would want Lucifer for a Father? He'd give you the 'censored by the store' Christmas presents ever. On the other hand, he'd throw the greatest Halloween parties". It's irreverent dialog like this that keeps me coming back for more.

This is Kadrey's 2nd book in the "Sandman Slim" series. The original, "Sandman Slim" is not required reading to enjoy "Kill the Dead", but it wouldn't hurt. He's also the author of the wildly imaginative "Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion" from 2007. One of the best books I've read in the last 5 years.

"Kill the Dead" is filled with Angels, Fallen Angels, the Undead and so much more. Of course being able to suspend your disbelieve is a requirement to enjoy these books, but once you do, this is a wonderful way to escape the everyday. All of Richard kadrey's works are available, both in print and for the the Kindle, at the store.com. Kill the Dead: A Sandman Slim Novel

Once again Richard Kadrey has hit one out of the park with Kill the Dead, the second in a series about a character named Sandman Slim, a half human/half angel (Nephilim) who does odd jobs for the Golden Vigil (God's flunkies)and Lucifer. Now that he has his nemesis tucked away in hell he has a new job, personal bodyguard to the dark lord himself while he is in L.A. assisting with a biographical move about himself. While dodging assassination attempts, Slim takes on a missing person search, Vampire hunt, and tries to prevent a zombie apocalypse with a European porn star/professional zombie killer. While dealing with these problems he tries to tie them all together with the assistance of his disembodied talking head associate Kasabian, his immortal/master thief/alchemist friend Vidocq, a vampire like creature named Candy, an alchemist in training named Allegra and did I mention the sexy porn star? This novel is pure pulp brain candy from start to finish. Sandman is funny, tragic and bada$$ all at once. There was not a dull moment from page 1. I loved the first book and was surprised when the second was that much better. I recommend this to anyone who likes horror, comedy or pulp novels.

"Imagine shoving a cattle prod up a rhino's ass, shouting "April fool!", and hoping the rhino thinks its funny."...
So begins Kill The Dead, the second Sandman Slim novel by Richard Kadrey. Sandman Slim or James Stark as he is refered to throughout most of the novel is a strangely unique character. There are just enough references to his past to make me feel like I really missed out when I did not pick up the first Sandman Slim novel. Slim is a bounty hunter working for both the side of God in the form of the Golden Vigil run by an Angel to hunt down all sorts of evil creatures. The side is as bodyguard to Lucifer, yes that Lucifer.
This novel delves into the darkness of night creatures that are the dead. Not the undead, but the dead. Zombies in all their variations and the mayhem that they shamble forth. And the blood. And the guts. And the feedings. I mean this book could be The Walking Dead but without all the seriousness and introspection.
And that is a good thing.
Kill The Dead hits the tongue in cheek horror genre right on the head and then steamrolls right through.
Fun Fun Capital freaking FUN!!

For eleven years James Stark slaved as a gladiator killing monsters in Lucifer's venue amusing the masses of fallen angels. However, he is finally home currently walking down the mean magical streets of Los Angeles seeking vengeance. He investigates who murdered his girlfriend with intent to dispatch the cretin to hell and seeks to kill black magician Mason Faim, who dispatched him to Lucifer's abode.

James quickly slices off the head of black magician Kasabian, a lousy practitioner; Kasabian's head becomes James' companion as he hunts for Faim, but so far has failed to find him. Homeland Security agents accost him; a psychopathic angel assaults him, and he is unsure what the Kissi want from him, but knows it cannot be good.

This realm filled with angels, demons and Homeland Security agents is a bleak violent world that will stun the audience with the severity of survival that Richard Kadrey writes in convincing gripping detail. For instance satirizing the waterboarding debate: angels should never be alone as there are many who will use torture on them to get what they want: apocalypse now. James is a terrific antihero who keeps the exciting story line centered with his deadly grudge having spent over a decade as a boy toy in Lucifer's venue, but his quest is interrupted by dangerous predators.

Harriet Klausner

So, how do you like your pulp?
Noir?
Hard-Boiled?
Darkly humorous?
Supernatural?
This one has them all and they are all a treat.
I stumbled upon this book after looking into "Johannes Cabal" novels.
It came up as a recommendation and then I noted an endorsement on the front by one of my favorite authors; William Gibson.
Having just reread "Pattern Recognition" I felt this was kismet and did an impulse buy.
Really glad I did.
I think I found one of my new anti-heroes.
Not to give away too much:
Jimmy is fresh back from Hell and pretty pissed off. He has come back to kill those that sent him there and he has brought some new magic along with a really bad case of the "I hate peoples."
A former Necromancer in his own right, Jimmy learned a lot in the pits and he brings this arsenal of knowledge and power to bear against those...who have trespassed before him...:)
Magic, demons, angels, God, Lucifer and his minions all mix together.
Alliances are formed with both old and new friends and a fresh, nasty take on how things get done "Downtown."
I love this character. He is angry, but not over the top. He is both human and beyond humanity. Humane and inhumane. Dark and light.
His agenda is simple, but getting there is a real trip and Kadrey writes in a style very conducive to a fast paced read which is exactly what this book calls for.
I never saw cheese and though sometimes teetering on a cliche or two Kadrey narrowly escapes these trappings.
I am hopeful that this setup for a new series found it necessary to draw upon a few things 'trite' in order to get the 'team' together as it were.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and have just started reading the second in the series, "Kill The Dead."
I cannot wait until the third comes out in October.
Happy Hellhounds!
Namaste~

This is the second novel in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. This time around, James Stark aka Sandman Slim has his hands full as playing bodyguard to Lucifer while stopping a city-wide walking dead attack from one of the magic families in the LA area. Plenty of gritty action and blood-letting, plus some added insight on Stark's heritage, plus the added intrigue on his personal vendetta against Mason, the man who was behind sending him to Hell in the first place. Throw in a little side romance, some cursing, a few angels, demons and who knows what, into one big fight, and Sandman Slim settles it out - until the next time. Looking forward to the novel on the list from this series.

You think you've had a bad day? Stark has just clawed his way out of the literal Hell after eleven years of torment, and it's not too long before he's got to deal with a talkative and angry severed head, a pack of neo-Nazis in league with supernatural forces, an Inquisitor from the Sub Rosa (the community of magicians), a reformed monster who drinks humans like milkshakes, a judgmental and kill-happy angel, an official from Homeland Security, incompetent video store employees, and Brad Pitt's lookalike. And all this because he wants revenge on the members of the Circle, the ones who betrayed him and arranged his one-way ticket to Hell.

There, he was the first living human to enter the Inferno, so as a novelty he was subjected to all sorts of practices that the fallen angels (called Hellions) considered fun. Later, he was forced to fight again and again in the arena against all manner of horrors, and it began to occur to the more observant demon-spawn that he was hard to kill. In fact, not only did he have an unusual knack for survival, but once he'd been hurt by one particular method of attack, he was largely immune to it in the future. It wasn't too much longer before he became the pet assassin of Azazel, one of Lucifer's top generals.

Now, armed with a powerful bone knife, a helpful Veritas coin that gives him advice, and a key to the Room of Thirteen Doors that allows him to go anywhere, he's back in L.A. to settle scores. And drink some beer. And steal a few cars. And get the tar kicked out of him roughly every other day.

This is an amazingly gripping and fast-flowing book with a sarcastic semi-hero who can't keep his yap shut and who has poor impulse control. Fortunately, he has a few friends and associates to help him out, although he tries his best to alienate them as well. You've got a pretty standard theme of the single-minded avenger having to learn to live again and to try to imagine a life after vengeance. But it gets a fresh treatment here because of the conceit of an actual Heaven and Hell (although this is not known to the public at large, who still have to take such things on faith), complete with the Devil, assorted Hellions, and various angels, and an off-screen God who's not quite so infallible as Holy Scripture has made Him out to be.

From what I understand, a sequel is in the works, and the book is certainly set up for an open-ended series, although the novel reads perfectly well as a stand-alone entry as well.

Recommended for any fans of punk-tinged urban fantasy, followers of White Wolf's Worlds of Darkness, or those who have wondered what a post-millenial update of the Fred Ward "Cast a Deadly Spell" movie might be like.

The revenge plotline of "Sandman Slim" has been done a thousand times, but there's enough original here that the book is worth a read. You know this plot if you've ever seen, say, Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill," to give just one example. A hero or heroine narrowly escapes death but is put out of action for years. To make things worse, he has lost someone very close to him. Now he has to come back and face down his former associates who treated him so unspeakably, exacting his revenge on them one by one...

The revenge seeker here is James Stark, otherwise known as "Sandman Slim." His former buddies, who were all deeply involved in demonic magick, sent him to hell. Literally. Hell is pretty much what you'd expect, with Lucifer at the center and his demonic generals running things for him. The cruel demons there brutalized Stark in unspeakable ways and then set him to fighting nightmarish creatures in a hellish arena. They found it funny that a living human being had wound up in hell. He was a freak, and they sent their best fighters to kill him while they watched.

You know that old saying, Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger? Well, that's Stark. Thing is, he won all his fights with the demons. Each battle made him tougher. And then he found his way out of hell, back to earth.

He could have emerged a bitter and unfeeling killing machine. There's a little of that, sure, but what makes Stark a compelling character is that he's still very human and in some ways a very sensitive guy. He's got a conscience, and it bugs him sometimes when he has to do nasty things. Not enough to make him show much mercy to the scum who sent him away and killed his girlfriend, of course. But at least he cares about collateral damage...

Richard Kadrey has created an intriguing world to go with his hero. There are all sorts of magic devices, like a coin that tells fortunes with a sarcastic edge to it and a key that opens doors all over the universe. There are supernaturally-warded locations and hidden caverns and decadent demonic pleasure palaces, and elixirs and paranormal weapons. Sure, some of it just feels like Harry Potterish stuff. But by the time you get to the really horrible demonic forces near the end, and things go all cosmic and metaphysical, I think you'll be pulled in deep enough to the dark vision to feel a few shivers. Just like Stark gets pulled into saving the universe when all he wanted was revenge.

One more thing. If Satan gets no sympathy in this book, neither does God. Just a heads-up, in case this might give offense to some readers.

This is the second book in the Sandman Slim series; you wouldn't have to read the first book to read this one, but the first one gives a lot of great background and is a wonderful book so I would recommend reading it. I actually listened to this on audio book; the audio book was exceedingly well done.

Stark (Sandman Slim) is whiling away his time drinking, doing miscellaneous work for the Golden Vigil, and wishing he could kill Mason (the evil man who sent him to hell for eleven years). Then he gets a message that Lucifer (Satan) is in town and wants to meet. Ends up Lucifer needs a body guard while he is in town working on his new movie Morningstar and he wants it to be Stark. As if this wasn't odd enough Stark is called in by the Golden Vigil to consult on a mysterious and violent death. Stark also kind of notices, in between his drunken hazes, that people have been disappearing at a higher rate than normal. Next thing you know revnants (zombies) are roaming the streets and the whole world is on the brink of apocalypse...again. All Stark has to back him up is a mysterious belt buckle, some Hellion hoodoo, some kick-butt weapons, and a bit of half-angelic boost.

This was seriously a very awesome book. I was excited to read it after how much I liked Sandman Slim and I am so happy I did. Stark is tough and not afraid to get hurt; he is an excellent anti-hero who always impresses with his harshness, yet is somehow still a kind of moral hero of sorts. Oh yeah and he is hilarious, the humor in this book is dark but I was laughing out loud a number of times during this book. The shear awesomeness and funess (is that a word?) of the whole thing was just exhilarating. This book is very violent, but in a fun way...

You learn a lot more about Stark and his world in this book. You learn more about his family and more about his history. You get a chance to understand him better and how his human and angelic sides work (or don't work) together. We get some great new characters; one of my favorites was Brigitte. Brigitte is a porn-star/actress with an awesome secret, some serious attitude, and of course some serious sexiness. I also loved that we got to spend so much time with Lucifer and get to understand him better too. There are some shocking revelations in this book that will keep readers guessing as well.

The action scenes and pacing are spectacular, I listened to this on audio book and it was hard to stop. I just wanted to keep listening. Kadrey is just an excellent writer and I can't wait to read the next installment in this series. This story wrapped up well, but definitely has some issues to deal with still in future installments. For some reason this book reminded me a lot of The Crow movie; it has that same anti-hero thing going on, is ultra-violent, and action packed. This book reads like a movie and it would be great if they made it into one some time.

Overall an absolutely stellar read and an excellent addition to this series. These are definitely adult reads (lots of violence and some sex). If you haven't read these books you should give them a try especially if you are a fan of the anti-hero/superhero type of things, love urban fantasy, or love action. Fans of the Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse: A Remy Chandler Novel by Thomas Sniegoski, Spellbent by Lucy Snyder, and The Devil You Know (Felix Castor) by Mike Carey should find lots to love in this book.

Playing both sides can get you killed - it's 6 months after the Kissi have been defeated and Mason cast back into hell, but all's not well in Downtown. Lucifer's up in LA to make a movie about his life and James Stark aka Sandman Slim has been asked to be his bodyguard. Added to Stark's woes, a hit on a vampire who happens to be from one of LA's old families leads him into uncovering a bloody turf war in LA involving Homeland security, zombies, angels and uninvited demons. Oh and a leading lady in Lucifer's biopic who has a skill set unlike any other girl in the town. Richard Kadrey keeps a number of plots on a tight reign and never lets up the pace in this hugely entertaining read. Stark/Slim is an amazing creation battling his own issues with cool aplomb as he battles just about anything heaven and hell throw at him. A brilliant follow-up to Sandman Slim

Robert Craven - author of Get Lenin

I would say Richard Kadrey demonstrates a rapier wit in his novel, Sandman Slim, but it's less like a rapier and more like a sawed-off shotgun. James Stark, the protagonist and narrator of this story, is brash and about as antihero as a character can get. Hell, this guy makes most antiheroes look like boy scouts.

Stark has a pretty good reason for being so pissed off, though. He's been in Hell for more than a decade, and upon learning his girlfriend has been murdered back on Earth, he's busted out of Down Town (Hell's nickname for itself) to return to L.A. and find the people responsible: his former circle of magician friends who sent him to Hell in the first place.

I suppose this novel fits nicely in the urban fantasy genre, what with it set in Los Angeles predominantly and has plenty of demons and magic, but the tone of the novel seems to defy the conventional idea of that sub-genre. There's more anger permeating through the text--it is a revenge tale after all. The quick-witted one-liners and fight scenes do lend themselves to that action-oriented fantasy adventure.

The beginning of the story sets the stakes really well, introducing important characters and alluding to others that appear later. But the first act seems to spin its wheels for a bit. It kind of meanders, or deviates, from the overlying mission Stark is on. It's entertaining, yes, but I had to wait a hundred pages or so for the book to really kick into high gear. But when it did, the book was impossible to put down.

Another plus for this book is that it works as a stand-alone novel, even though it's the first book in a trilogy (or maybe series) that usually forebodes some kind of cliffhanger or "to be continued" moment. Sandman Slim is a very satisfying reading experience all on its own, so I was spared the aggravating feeling that comes with so many books that serve as jump offs for trilogies.

I'll be looking forward to reading the sequel, Kill the Dead, in 2011. Fantasy tales with a barbed-wire tattoo instead of a tramp stamp are a welcome change of pace.

To be frank, I actually read the second book in the series ("Kill the Dead") first because I got it at a serious discount from a retailer who was going out of business. (Borders we hardly knew ye...) I thought it was a fantastic story, so I went back and bought "Sandman Slim" so I could be follow the series chronologically, although I don't think that's a necessity.

I like the dark, gritty world of the paranormal that Richard Kadrey has created, with the anti-hero James Stark, aka "Sandman Slim" (the monster who kills monsters), at its center. Without giving to much away, Stark was dragged down to Hell 11 years ago and forced to compete as a gladiator for the entertainment of the devils who live there. Now he's escaped, and dtermined to get revenge on those who sent him there in the first place.

It's a fanatstic thrill ride as Stark, who was given the nickname "Sandman Slim" in the arena, methodically hunts down those responsible for what happened to him in a Los Angeles that seems to be overrun with monsters, magic and otherworldly creatures.

I ordered this from the library, which means by the time I get it, I can't remember who recommended it or why I thought I wanted to read it. I enjoyed it, but wasn't riveted. I liked the world building and didn't mind James Stark, the only human who survived in Hell, but it was all a bit surface for me, I didn't get in deep with any aspect of the book. At the end he kept saying he didn't know why they called him sandman slim, and we didn't either, and I didn't care... so while it worked, it didn't sparkle for me and I won't rush to read the rest.

This book is a complete hoot.

Sandman Slim is a riotous [and blasphemous] romp that compares favourably to the satirical novels of Christopher Moore. With a shot of Mickey Spillane thrown in for good measure.

It's the story of James Stark, a descendant of Wild Bill Hickock and a practitioner of the dark arts, who returns to his home in modern day Los Angeles after spending eleven long years exiled, but still alive, in Hell. He was sent there by a circle of fellow magicians who were threatened by his superior powers.

During his time in the underworld, Stark served as a gladiator in brutal death matches staged by Satan's generals and now he's thirsty for vengeance. Over the course of his search through LA's underbelly for the leader of the Circle (who also murdered Stark's one true love), he runs across an array of weird and wacky characters - both mortal and supernatural. A centuries old Frenchman who can't die, a sexy vampire nurse, thuggish dark angels and a [literal] talking head are among Stark's rogues gallery of friends, frenemies and foes.

The storyline almost seems lifted from the new breed of graphic novel. Stark is very much the hard-boiled private dick who operates in a mysterious netherworld hidden in plain sight amongst L.A.'s seediest denizens. For the most part it moves along briskly, propelled by the sharp, slangy dialogue uttered by the quirky cast. However, somewhere past the mid-point the proceedings become a bit bogged down, for my taste anyway, with a focus on all the minutiae so typical in speculative fiction. Too many different breeds of mythical beings, monsters and elaborate weaponry. I don't particularly enjoy reading novels that require a glossary to aid my comprehension (probably why I've never read Dune), although for some, this sort of detail adds to the "world building" and is a chief pleasure of fantasy fiction.

But that aside, this book was a pleasure to read. Hilarious and nail-biting by turns, it successfully cross-pollinates several different genres and could really appeal to a wide variety of readers - fans of graphic novels, potboilers, dark satirical fantasy, horror - there really is something for everyone.

And as for the irreverence? I think only the most hardcore fundementalists could possibly be offended by anything here. You know what they say...to heck with 'em if they can't take a joke. Or something like that.

"Sandman Slim" is by no means a literary masterpiece and thank the demons below and the angels above that it isn't. It is, however, an extremely dark urban fantasy littered with the dead bodies of angels, demons, humans, magicians, civilians, Kissi, and Hellions, to name just a few. And one Hell of a good read!

The main character, Jimmy "Sandman Slim" Stark is forced by an evil cadre of magicians into Hell where he lives for eleven years fighting demons, monsters and worse in Lucifer's battle-arena of the macabre. Returning to earth, with the help of a magic amulet, he finds that during his absence the magicians who sent him to the Inferno have also murdered his girlfriend. Bent on revenge and with a little help of his own magic Stark begins an epic search for the men who sent him to Hell and killed the love of his life. Along the way he is befriended by arch-angels, alchemists and monsters and hunted by demons, magicians and police.

Kadrey definitely knows how to spin a dark tale. His language, while offensive to some, fits the character of the story perfectly. Gritty, dark, angst-ridden and graphic the dialogue and fight scenes are coarse, bloody and down-right mean spirited. And to me that's exactly what made this book spark. How could you not write noir razor-blades about a character this flawed and angry? Besides, if you had to deal with half the bad-asses Stark had to you'd be pissed off too! Beheadings, ritual sacrifice, demon weapons, magic, monsters and gore... just the way I like my back-alley fantasy!

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

[...]

A friend of mine recommended this book to me some months ago. I devoured it in one sitting, loving its dark, sarcastic, and violent sensibility. The novel, which can be described in this thumbnail sketch - A guy, not a dead one, gets sent to Hell and escapes 11 years later...and he's pretty pissed about it - doesn't begin to capture its awesomeness, but hopefully it'll whet your appetite to read more about Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim.

James Stark is a magician, but not the kind who pulls rabbits out of hats at kids' birthday parties. Eleven years ago the most evil of his Circle of other local magicians - jealous of and frightened by his talent and annoyed by his young punk attitude - arranged to have him sent to Hell. He ended up as a sort of gladiator in Lucifer's arena, where one and all expected him to come to an early demise. But he kept winning, gaining power, and eventually escaped with vengeance on his mind, which strengthened when he learned of his girlfriend's murder in the interim. The horrors he endured are described matter-of-factly, and with strong visceral impact. He's a man on a mission and won't be deterred, even as a plot to destroy the world begins to play out, with him in the middle of it, involving Homeland Security and God's own angels.

Urban fantasy novels with biblical underpinnings are all the rage right now. Some authors, like Kadrey and Lori Handeland (the Phoenix Chronicles) do it right. Kadrey has a remarkable ability to marry dark, sarcastic humor with violence (he decapitates a low-rent magician who betrayed him, but keeps the head around, which heckles him throughout the book) and to keep readers on their toes as Stark moves throughout a morally ambiguous world where some of the supposed bad guys (like the demon who, as another reviewer points out, used to "drink people like milkshakes") do good while angels do god-awful things in the name of good.

This is an action-packed book, with lots of whodunit qualities and strong world-building, but it's not long on character development. Focus on character enriches the urban fantasy experience, but the author's punk-noir sensibility almost makes up for it. And while to reveal what Starks learns about himself near the end of the book would be a spoiler, it's something that fascinates me and I can't wait to see what happens to him in Kill the Dead, book two in Kadrey's series.

Enter Sandman Slim (Jimmy), but let's just call him Stark. Back in Hollywood, fresh from hell after eleven years. Only nineteen years old when his "magic" friends somehow got him dragged down to hell.

The book starts off "hot" (literally) with Stark waking up in a cemetery on a pile of smoldering leaves and garbage. His clothes were already trashed and are now burnt, Stark is ran into on the street by what he calls a Brad Pitt stunt double, coked out of his mind. "Brad Pitt" pulls out a stun gun and Stark ends up wearing the guys wardrobe.

Stark is back from hell with a vengeance, looking for whoever had a part in sending him down there and anyone that had a part in killing his girlfriend Alice. He has a special key inside of him that allows him to enter the "Room of Thirteen Doors", which is equal to going into any shadow and teleporting somewhere else. He has his trusty na'at with him at all times, yes its magical. What exactly is a na'at? Who better to explain that then Stark himself, directly from the book - "a na'at is sort of like a spear, but it morphs and changes into a lot more than a spear if you know how to use it right. Like everything else down there (HELL), the name is a Hellion joke. They call a na'at a "thorn" because its full name, na'atzutz, is the kind of bush they used to make Christ's crown of thorns".

"Sandman Slim" is a great book. Don't ask me why, but I knew from the first time I read the synopsis of the book, I was going to love it. Richard Kadrey hit a major homerun with this one and I think he is just hitting his stride and I have high hopes that this is just the first book in a series.

Full of great, colorful characters, this book has enough action, dark comedy and intrigue to keep you engaged! It's dark crime noir with a fantasy magic, good vs. evil twist.

Don't sleep on this one, its a great ride, highly, highly recommended!

Enjoy~

Stark, known as Sandman Slim, is not a human. He is a Nephilim; the offspring of a fallen angel and a human mother. He has all the power of a Nephilim, but still was not strong enough to fight black magician Mason Faim, who dispatched him to hell for over a decade. When Lucifer releases Stark, he returns to hell on earth where he dispatches Mason back to Lucifer's kingdom. While there the mage mason tries to take over Lucifer's throne.

The devil comes to earth to watch a picture of him being made and wants Stark to serve as his bodyguard. He also takes jobs for the Golden Vigil, sometimes called "Pinkerton's Angels, such as killing Eleanor the vampire, who wears a belt buckle that interests him for reasons he cannot figure out. Besides the Golden Vigil and Lucifer gigs, Stark works on fighting demons and a way to kill Mason. However, a new threat arises as zombies begin to walk the streets of Los Angeles killing all humans who cross their path. Stark has to figure out who is controlling the walking dead and get rid of him so the zombie menace will end.

Stark is a terrific antihero whose conversations with a horde of paranormal and normal (that is in a specie sense; not a mental sense) is humorously biting satire. He is a half-breed who is neither angel nor demon, but works for both sides as he has no place with either. The story line is fast-paced, filled with high octane testosterone action, but is owned by Stark who tells his latest misadventures in a noir style first person account. Urban fantasy readers will fully appreciate the goings on in the city of angels. This reviewer can't wait for the next Sandman Slim novel.

Harriet Klausner

Sandman Slim - don't you just like how that rolls off the tongue? This book had me laughing out loud in quite a few places. But it isn't a comedy by any means - it's dark urban fiction and it hooks you right in with Kadrey's character Stark who is smart ass, intense chain smoking & drinking, self indulgent bastard who you can't help but like even with his act now and maybe I'll think about it attitude. You hurt for him and his lost love Alice, though sometimes I think he clung to her memory a bit too much after what ten years? This guy was done wrong and you want to see him get some revenge.

This book has a good mix of stuff. You hear about hell, hellions (demons), fallen angels, angels and other paranormal creatures. I often shy away from books with a theme of angels and demons in it because sometimes I feel like they are a bit too preachy. However, what I like about this book is that I didn't get religious overtones at all. This is like a lesson in all the bad habits one man could possibly ever pick up.

I really like Kadrey's take on the hidden paranormal community that lives along side humans. I definitely recommend this to paranormal and urban fiction fans who like their reading treats with a bit of a darker and dirtier twist. If you get a kick out of Jim Butcher's Dresden files I think you'll like this series as well. I only wish there were more out already, I've zipped through the second book Kill the Dead as soon as it came out and I am eagerly awaiting Aloha from Hell that comes out October 18th!!

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Anti-hero Stark, aka Sandman Slim, escapes Hell and comes back to Earth to exact revenge on the people that sent him there 11 years ago. There is lots of killing, drinking, blasphemy, and magic that is used in the hunt for Mason and his crew; and you cheer Stark on during every minute of it.

Opening Sentence: I wake up on a pile of smoldering garbage and leaves in the old Hollywood Forever cemetery behind the Paramount Studio lot on Melrose, though these last details don't come to me until later.

The Review:

There's a new power in the town of Lost Angels, straight from Hell and out for revenge: James Stark aka Sandman Slim. A man with loose morals and dangerous moves, Stark is the bogeyman of the monsters. His purpose back on Earth is to make the people who sent him Downtown 11 years ago pay with their lives and he will use every weapon at his disposal. Armed with magic, both Sub Rosa and Hellion, and his near-indestructible body, Stark is about to open a can of whoop-a$$ that Los Angeles may or may not be able to withstand.

Just like the villains in the show The Middleman, Stark's purpose is elegant in its simplicity. He escaped for the sole purpose of dealing out revenge, not just from his lost 11 years spent Downtown but for the death of his old girlfriend, Alice. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to get it done. His time away has left him in a similar situation as ex-convicts; he must readjust to normal life. Of course, Stark's world is a little bit more supernatural than the average ex-con's, but the same principle applies. He must make money in order to eat and shelter himself while still funding his war. What kind of job can a guy get when the only thing he's really good at is killing?

Stark's past is slowly revealed throughout the story. He is not the type of man to wallow in the past but his memories remain strong. They are the driving force that makes him the seemingly unstoppable man he is. All of the bad things that have happened to him do not break him down, but build him up even stronger than before, both metaphorically and physically. Each battle wound he receives gives him immunity from the same attack the next time. This also parallels his adaptability to extreme situations. I suppose that anyone that can not only survive in Hell, but thrive, has to have an indomitable will.

Stark's style is as unique as he is. As he describes himself in the book, he is "...steel-toed boots in a ballet-slipper world." His character plows his way through everything without thought of subtlety, both with words and deeds. He cares not for others opinion; including Hellions, humans, and angels alike. Stark is the perfect anti-hero that has readers everywhere cheering him on.

If you have not had the chance to start this series, I strongly urge you to do so. Sandman Slim is a must on any TBR list. Kadrey has opened the door into a dark new world that will leave you willing to sell your soul for the next installment.

Sandman Slim Series:

1. Sandman Slim

2. Kill the Dead

3. Aloha from Hell

3.5 Devil in the Dollhouse

4. Devil Said Bang

FTC Advisory: HarperCollins graciously provided a copy of Sandman Slim. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.

Being an avid reader, there's one thing I've learned about books. If the first paragraph is good, then one of two things are likely to happen. The rest of the book will be just as good, or, it wont. The opening paragraph in "Sandman Slim" was enough to hook me and didn't let go until the end. In the world of fiction, where recently everyone was trying to write the next "DaVinci Code", along comes Kadrey with what I think is a different world. Not that the idea hasn't been done before, but Kadrey's writing made this seem new. Take a story about a magician, add some gothic touches a bit of dark humour and some rather interesting characters and you come up with "Sandman Slim". HOwever, this is not a book for the meek. There is a great deal of rather graphic and very bloody violence. In most cases this is enough to turn me off. But in this book, it just works. I mean come on, spend 11 years in hell as a bit of amusement for Satan and his pals, you bound to be a bit cranky when you get back. However, "Jimmy" hasn't lost his human side, which I think is really important in making him a diverse, memorable character instead of some angry guy out on a vendetta. I really stepped outside of what I normally read and took this one for a test drive...fasten your seatbelts ladies and gents....you're in for a wild ride.

The blurb says "Nicotine and octane in equal parts might come close to the high-energy buzz from Kadrey's Sandman Slim". When I look at the first page, it's written in first-person, present tense. I feel dread. I remember how much I hated Snow Crash, which had a similar blurb, and a similar first page.

But I guess I shouldn't be so prejudiced, because I actually liked Sandman Slim. Could hardly put it down, even. It has a lot of things to like. First, the hero/narrator is a likable guy. He's a little bit gunslinger, a little bit vigilante - he's got cool fighting skills, a hot temper, and a dry sense of humor. The basic idea is that he is a bad guy: violent, angry, murderous tendencies. But he is out for revenge against Even Worse Guys - guys who ruined his life and who might even be out to destroy the world. So, he's the "monster that kills monsters", as they say in the book. Of course, he's an OK guy at heart who cares about the people close to him and worries about the condition of his own humanity.

So that's right - end of the world, revenge story, vigilante, bad boy monster-hunter. Stuff that appeals to pretty much anyone.

And the writing style is fine. I fear present tense writing because it's often so gimmicky: an author uses present tense to force the story to seem more immediate, faster paced, closer. But it's often annoyingly obvious what's going on, because the present tense narration is weird and jarring. In Sandman Slim though, the writing is actually pretty smooth. And the fast pace comes from an actual plot, not from writing style trickery.

A lot of the elements in the story are unique as well. I liked the hero's sarcastic magic coin, which he flips for questionable bitter advice. I laughed pretty hard when the hero visits the Room with 13 Doors (the method by which he can travel anywhere in time/space), and his friend says "My God. It really is a room full of doors. I assumed the doors were a metaphor." Ha.

I mean this in the best sense possible - this is one of the best comics I had ever read. Except there were no pictures, just words. This book is so dynamically written, so bold and rich in detail, that you really feel like you're watching the action happen. At the center of the novel is Stark (also Sandman Slim, the monster who kills monsters), a magician and a punk kid, who was sent to hell at the age of 19 by one of his friends. He emerges 11 years later to exact vengeance for his fate and that of his girlfriend's, subsequently killed by the same friend. This isn't much of a giveaway by the way, since all the exposition happens very quickly. The book is punctuated by Hellions and angels, a game of Heaven and Hell done as well as Milton himself might have written. In the end, of course, the vengeance scheme turns into the epic battle for the fate of the Earth and other realms - thus redeeming our hero who otherwise would be a pretty dark character (though with a kicking sense of humor and the most interesting weapons and skills a superhero might have ever possessed).
There was no page when I didn't laugh out loud, though there was plenty of drama. Kadrey has a way with the language that reminded me of Buffy-verse (and speak) created by Whedon. And this is high praise indeed. I'm off to buy some more of Kadrey's books - unsurprisingly they all are comics.

I liked this book. There, I said it, review over......

Ok, just kidding, I do have a few reasons why I did like this book. It is a hard hitting, funny yet serious story about a slick dude who thinks he can slide through life with no worries, because he's a Magician to whom all things including Magic comes easily. Magician in the sense of he does real Magic, not parlor tricks on stage for others amusements.

He gets his come uppance when his Magic Group sends him to Hell for 11 years to survive by becoming an assasin and killing demons and assorted sundry creatures in The Pit, an arena for fighting to the death.

He eventually finds his way back to Earth and plans to kill those that sent him away, supposedly making things right again. During his adventures he comes up against Angels, Demons, Lucifer himself, as well as a number of interesting characters who help or hinder him, sometimes both.

My title says not for the easily offended, and this is true, as there is a lot of cursing and depictions of acts that some people might find distasteful, and some might physically get sick, depending on your constitution.

This is the seediest, darkest view of Los Angeles, our world, and the Heavens above and Hell below that you will find, but it is a very good story, lots of action, and the obligitory twist and surprises sprinkled throughout.

All that said, I say go for it, you won't be disappointed, and the ending leaves it open for sequels, or even a series perhaps.

I ordered this from the library, which means by the time I get it, I can't remember who recommended it or why I thought I wanted to read it. I enjoyed it, but wasn't riveted. I liked the world building and didn't mind James Stark, the only human who survived in Hell, but it was all a bit surface for me, I didn't get in deep with any aspect of the book. At the end he kept saying he didn't know why they called him sandman slim, and we didn't either, and I didn't care... so while it worked, it didn't sparkle for me and I won't rush to read the rest.

This book is a complete hoot.

Sandman Slim is a riotous [and blasphemous] romp that compares favourably to the satirical novels of Christopher Moore. With a shot of Mickey Spillane thrown in for good measure.

It's the story of James Stark, a descendant of Wild Bill Hickock and a practitioner of the dark arts, who returns to his home in modern day Los Angeles after spending eleven long years exiled, but still alive, in Hell. He was sent there by a circle of fellow magicians who were threatened by his superior powers.

During his time in the underworld, Stark served as a gladiator in brutal death matches staged by Satan's generals and now he's thirsty for vengeance. Over the course of his search through LA's underbelly for the leader of the Circle (who also murdered Stark's one true love), he runs across an array of weird and wacky characters - both mortal and supernatural. A centuries old Frenchman who can't die, a sexy vampire nurse, thuggish dark angels and a [literal] talking head are among Stark's rogues gallery of friends, frenemies and foes.

The storyline almost seems lifted from the new breed of graphic novel. Stark is very much the hard-boiled private dick who operates in a mysterious netherworld hidden in plain sight amongst L.A.'s seediest denizens. For the most part it moves along briskly, propelled by the sharp, slangy dialogue uttered by the quirky cast. However, somewhere past the mid-point the proceedings become a bit bogged down, for my taste anyway, with a focus on all the minutiae so typical in speculative fiction. Too many different breeds of mythical beings, monsters and elaborate weaponry. I don't particularly enjoy reading novels that require a glossary to aid my comprehension (probably why I've never read Dune), although for some, this sort of detail adds to the "world building" and is a chief pleasure of fantasy fiction.

But that aside, this book was a pleasure to read. Hilarious and nail-biting by turns, it successfully cross-pollinates several different genres and could really appeal to a wide variety of readers - fans of graphic novels, potboilers, dark satirical fantasy, horror - there really is something for everyone.

And as for the irreverence? I think only the most hardcore fundementalists could possibly be offended by anything here. You know what they say...to heck with 'em if they can't take a joke. Or something like that.

"Sandman Slim" is by no means a literary masterpiece and thank the demons below and the angels above that it isn't. It is, however, an extremely dark urban fantasy littered with the dead bodies of angels, demons, humans, magicians, civilians, Kissi, and Hellions, to name just a few. And one Hell of a good read!

The main character, Jimmy "Sandman Slim" Stark is forced by an evil cadre of magicians into Hell where he lives for eleven years fighting demons, monsters and worse in Lucifer's battle-arena of the macabre. Returning to earth, with the help of a magic amulet, he finds that during his absence the magicians who sent him to the Inferno have also murdered his girlfriend. Bent on revenge and with a little help of his own magic Stark begins an epic search for the men who sent him to Hell and killed the love of his life. Along the way he is befriended by arch-angels, alchemists and monsters and hunted by demons, magicians and police.

Kadrey definitely knows how to spin a dark tale. His language, while offensive to some, fits the character of the story perfectly. Gritty, dark, angst-ridden and graphic the dialogue and fight scenes are coarse, bloody and down-right mean spirited. And to me that's exactly what made this book spark. How could you not write noir razor-blades about a character this flawed and angry? Besides, if you had to deal with half the bad-asses Stark had to you'd be pissed off too! Beheadings, ritual sacrifice, demon weapons, magic, monsters and gore... just the way I like my back-alley fantasy!

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

[...]

A friend of mine recommended this book to me some months ago. I devoured it in one sitting, loving its dark, sarcastic, and violent sensibility. The novel, which can be described in this thumbnail sketch - A guy, not a dead one, gets sent to Hell and escapes 11 years later...and he's pretty pissed about it - doesn't begin to capture its awesomeness, but hopefully it'll whet your appetite to read more about Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim.

James Stark is a magician, but not the kind who pulls rabbits out of hats at kids' birthday parties. Eleven years ago the most evil of his Circle of other local magicians - jealous of and frightened by his talent and annoyed by his young punk attitude - arranged to have him sent to Hell. He ended up as a sort of gladiator in Lucifer's arena, where one and all expected him to come to an early demise. But he kept winning, gaining power, and eventually escaped with vengeance on his mind, which strengthened when he learned of his girlfriend's murder in the interim. The horrors he endured are described matter-of-factly, and with strong visceral impact. He's a man on a mission and won't be deterred, even as a plot to destroy the world begins to play out, with him in the middle of it, involving Homeland Security and God's own angels.

Urban fantasy novels with biblical underpinnings are all the rage right now. Some authors, like Kadrey and Lori Handeland (the Phoenix Chronicles) do it right. Kadrey has a remarkable ability to marry dark, sarcastic humor with violence (he decapitates a low-rent magician who betrayed him, but keeps the head around, which heckles him throughout the book) and to keep readers on their toes as Stark moves throughout a morally ambiguous world where some of the supposed bad guys (like the demon who, as another reviewer points out, used to "drink people like milkshakes") do good while angels do god-awful things in the name of good.

This is an action-packed book, with lots of whodunit qualities and strong world-building, but it's not long on character development. Focus on character enriches the urban fantasy experience, but the author's punk-noir sensibility almost makes up for it. And while to reveal what Starks learns about himself near the end of the book would be a spoiler, it's something that fascinates me and I can't wait to see what happens to him in Kill the Dead, book two in Kadrey's series.

Enter Sandman Slim (Jimmy), but let's just call him Stark. Back in Hollywood, fresh from hell after eleven years. Only nineteen years old when his "magic" friends somehow got him dragged down to hell.

The book starts off "hot" (literally) with Stark waking up in a cemetery on a pile of smoldering leaves and garbage. His clothes were already trashed and are now burnt, Stark is ran into on the street by what he calls a Brad Pitt stunt double, coked out of his mind. "Brad Pitt" pulls out a stun gun and Stark ends up wearing the guys wardrobe.

Stark is back from hell with a vengeance, looking for whoever had a part in sending him down there and anyone that had a part in killing his girlfriend Alice. He has a special key inside of him that allows him to enter the "Room of Thirteen Doors", which is equal to going into any shadow and teleporting somewhere else. He has his trusty na'at with him at all times, yes its magical. What exactly is a na'at? Who better to explain that then Stark himself, directly from the book - "a na'at is sort of like a spear, but it morphs and changes into a lot more than a spear if you know how to use it right. Like everything else down there (HELL), the name is a Hellion joke. They call a na'at a "thorn" because its full name, na'atzutz, is the kind of bush they used to make Christ's crown of thorns".

"Sandman Slim" is a great book. Don't ask me why, but I knew from the first time I read the synopsis of the book, I was going to love it. Richard Kadrey hit a major homerun with this one and I think he is just hitting his stride and I have high hopes that this is just the first book in a series.

Full of great, colorful characters, this book has enough action, dark comedy and intrigue to keep you engaged! It's dark crime noir with a fantasy magic, good vs. evil twist.

Don't sleep on this one, its a great ride, highly, highly recommended!

Enjoy~

Stark, known as Sandman Slim, is not a human. He is a Nephilim; the offspring of a fallen angel and a human mother. He has all the power of a Nephilim, but still was not strong enough to fight black magician Mason Faim, who dispatched him to hell for over a decade. When Lucifer releases Stark, he returns to hell on earth where he dispatches Mason back to Lucifer's kingdom. While there the mage mason tries to take over Lucifer's throne.

The devil comes to earth to watch a picture of him being made and wants Stark to serve as his bodyguard. He also takes jobs for the Golden Vigil, sometimes called "Pinkerton's Angels, such as killing Eleanor the vampire, who wears a belt buckle that interests him for reasons he cannot figure out. Besides the Golden Vigil and Lucifer gigs, Stark works on fighting demons and a way to kill Mason. However, a new threat arises as zombies begin to walk the streets of Los Angeles killing all humans who cross their path. Stark has to figure out who is controlling the walking dead and get rid of him so the zombie menace will end.

Stark is a terrific antihero whose conversations with a horde of paranormal and normal (that is in a specie sense; not a mental sense) is humorously biting satire. He is a half-breed who is neither angel nor demon, but works for both sides as he has no place with either. The story line is fast-paced, filled with high octane testosterone action, but is owned by Stark who tells his latest misadventures in a noir style first person account. Urban fantasy readers will fully appreciate the goings on in the city of angels. This reviewer can't wait for the next Sandman Slim novel.

Harriet Klausner

Sandman Slim - don't you just like how that rolls off the tongue? This book had me laughing out loud in quite a few places. But it isn't a comedy by any means - it's dark urban fiction and it hooks you right in with Kadrey's character Stark who is smart ass, intense chain smoking & drinking, self indulgent bastard who you can't help but like even with his act now and maybe I'll think about it attitude. You hurt for him and his lost love Alice, though sometimes I think he clung to her memory a bit too much after what ten years? This guy was done wrong and you want to see him get some revenge.

This book has a good mix of stuff. You hear about hell, hellions (demons), fallen angels, angels and other paranormal creatures. I often shy away from books with a theme of angels and demons in it because sometimes I feel like they are a bit too preachy. However, what I like about this book is that I didn't get religious overtones at all. This is like a lesson in all the bad habits one man could possibly ever pick up.

I really like Kadrey's take on the hidden paranormal community that lives along side humans. I definitely recommend this to paranormal and urban fiction fans who like their reading treats with a bit of a darker and dirtier twist. If you get a kick out of Jim Butcher's Dresden files I think you'll like this series as well. I only wish there were more out already, I've zipped through the second book Kill the Dead as soon as it came out and I am eagerly awaiting Aloha from Hell that comes out October 18th!!

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Anti-hero Stark, aka Sandman Slim, escapes Hell and comes back to Earth to exact revenge on the people that sent him there 11 years ago. There is lots of killing, drinking, blasphemy, and magic that is used in the hunt for Mason and his crew; and you cheer Stark on during every minute of it.

Opening Sentence: I wake up on a pile of smoldering garbage and leaves in the old Hollywood Forever cemetery behind the Paramount Studio lot on Melrose, though these last details don't come to me until later.

The Review:

There's a new power in the town of Lost Angels, straight from Hell and out for revenge: James Stark aka Sandman Slim. A man with loose morals and dangerous moves, Stark is the bogeyman of the monsters. His purpose back on Earth is to make the people who sent him Downtown 11 years ago pay with their lives and he will use every weapon at his disposal. Armed with magic, both Sub Rosa and Hellion, and his near-indestructible body, Stark is about to open a can of whoop-a$$ that Los Angeles may or may not be able to withstand.

Just like the villains in the show The Middleman, Stark's purpose is elegant in its simplicity. He escaped for the sole purpose of dealing out revenge, not just from his lost 11 years spent Downtown but for the death of his old girlfriend, Alice. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to get it done. His time away has left him in a similar situation as ex-convicts; he must readjust to normal life. Of course, Stark's world is a little bit more supernatural than the average ex-con's, but the same principle applies. He must make money in order to eat and shelter himself while still funding his war. What kind of job can a guy get when the only thing he's really good at is killing?

Stark's past is slowly revealed throughout the story. He is not the type of man to wallow in the past but his memories remain strong. They are the driving force that makes him the seemingly unstoppable man he is. All of the bad things that have happened to him do not break him down, but build him up even stronger than before, both metaphorically and physically. Each battle wound he receives gives him immunity from the same attack the next time. This also parallels his adaptability to extreme situations. I suppose that anyone that can not only survive in Hell, but thrive, has to have an indomitable will.

Stark's style is as unique as he is. As he describes himself in the book, he is "...steel-toed boots in a ballet-slipper world." His character plows his way through everything without thought of subtlety, both with words and deeds. He cares not for others opinion; including Hellions, humans, and angels alike. Stark is the perfect anti-hero that has readers everywhere cheering him on.

If you have not had the chance to start this series, I strongly urge you to do so. Sandman Slim is a must on any TBR list. Kadrey has opened the door into a dark new world that will leave you willing to sell your soul for the next installment.

Sandman Slim Series:

1. Sandman Slim

2. Kill the Dead

3. Aloha from Hell

3.5 Devil in the Dollhouse

4. Devil Said Bang

FTC Advisory: HarperCollins graciously provided a copy of Sandman Slim. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.

Being an avid reader, there's one thing I've learned about books. If the first paragraph is good, then one of two things are likely to happen. The rest of the book will be just as good, or, it wont. The opening paragraph in "Sandman Slim" was enough to hook me and didn't let go until the end. In the world of fiction, where recently everyone was trying to write the next "DaVinci Code", along comes Kadrey with what I think is a different world. Not that the idea hasn't been done before, but Kadrey's writing made this seem new. Take a story about a magician, add some gothic touches a bit of dark humour and some rather interesting characters and you come up with "Sandman Slim". HOwever, this is not a book for the meek. There is a great deal of rather graphic and very bloody violence. In most cases this is enough to turn me off. But in this book, it just works. I mean come on, spend 11 years in hell as a bit of amusement for Satan and his pals, you bound to be a bit cranky when you get back. However, "Jimmy" hasn't lost his human side, which I think is really important in making him a diverse, memorable character instead of some angry guy out on a vendetta. I really stepped outside of what I normally read and took this one for a test drive...fasten your seatbelts ladies and gents....you're in for a wild ride.

The blurb says "Nicotine and octane in equal parts might come close to the high-energy buzz from Kadrey's Sandman Slim". When I look at the first page, it's written in first-person, present tense. I feel dread. I remember how much I hated Snow Crash, which had a similar blurb, and a similar first page.

But I guess I shouldn't be so prejudiced, because I actually liked Sandman Slim. Could hardly put it down, even. It has a lot of things to like. First, the hero/narrator is a likable guy. He's a little bit gunslinger, a little bit vigilante - he's got cool fighting skills, a hot temper, and a dry sense of humor. The basic idea is that he is a bad guy: violent, angry, murderous tendencies. But he is out for revenge against Even Worse Guys - guys who ruined his life and who might even be out to destroy the world. So, he's the "monster that kills monsters", as they say in the book. Of course, he's an OK guy at heart who cares about the people close to him and worries about the condition of his own humanity.

So that's right - end of the world, revenge story, vigilante, bad boy monster-hunter. Stuff that appeals to pretty much anyone.

And the writing style is fine. I fear present tense writing because it's often so gimmicky: an author uses present tense to force the story to seem more immediate, faster paced, closer. But it's often annoyingly obvious what's going on, because the present tense narration is weird and jarring. In Sandman Slim though, the writing is actually pretty smooth. And the fast pace comes from an actual plot, not from writing style trickery.

A lot of the elements in the story are unique as well. I liked the hero's sarcastic magic coin, which he flips for questionable bitter advice. I laughed pretty hard when the hero visits the Room with 13 Doors (the method by which he can travel anywhere in time/space), and his friend says "My God. It really is a room full of doors. I assumed the doors were a metaphor." Ha.

I mean this in the best sense possible - this is one of the best comics I had ever read. Except there were no pictures, just words. This book is so dynamically written, so bold and rich in detail, that you really feel like you're watching the action happen. At the center of the novel is Stark (also Sandman Slim, the monster who kills monsters), a magician and a punk kid, who was sent to hell at the age of 19 by one of his friends. He emerges 11 years later to exact vengeance for his fate and that of his girlfriend's, subsequently killed by the same friend. This isn't much of a giveaway by the way, since all the exposition happens very quickly. The book is punctuated by Hellions and angels, a game of Heaven and Hell done as well as Milton himself might have written. In the end, of course, the vengeance scheme turns into the epic battle for the fate of the Earth and other realms - thus redeeming our hero who otherwise would be a pretty dark character (though with a kicking sense of humor and the most interesting weapons and skills a superhero might have ever possessed).
There was no page when I didn't laugh out loud, though there was plenty of drama. Kadrey has a way with the language that reminded me of Buffy-verse (and speak) created by Whedon. And this is high praise indeed. I'm off to buy some more of Kadrey's books - unsurprisingly they all are comics.

I liked this book. There, I said it, review over......

Ok, just kidding, I do have a few reasons why I did like this book. It is a hard hitting, funny yet serious story about a slick dude who thinks he can slide through life with no worries, because he's a Magician to whom all things including Magic comes easily. Magician in the sense of he does real Magic, not parlor tricks on stage for others amusements.

He gets his come uppance when his Magic Group sends him to Hell for 11 years to survive by becoming an assasin and killing demons and assorted sundry creatures in The Pit, an arena for fighting to the death.

He eventually finds his way back to Earth and plans to kill those that sent him away, supposedly making things right again. During his adventures he comes up against Angels, Demons, Lucifer himself, as well as a number of interesting characters who help or hinder him, sometimes both.

My title says not for the easily offended, and this is true, as there is a lot of cursing and depictions of acts that some people might find distasteful, and some might physically get sick, depending on your constitution.

This is the seediest, darkest view of Los Angeles, our world, and the Heavens above and Hell below that you will find, but it is a very good story, lots of action, and the obligitory twist and surprises sprinkled throughout.

All that said, I say go for it, you won't be disappointed, and the ending leaves it open for sequels, or even a series perhaps.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It has suspense, humor, mystery and characters that I liked getting to know. I expected it to be maybe a 2 or 2.5 star, but the humor bumps it to 4 stars.

Sandman Slim
Sandman Slim Book One
By Richard Kadrey

What happens when your supposed friends sent you to Hell, and kills the woman you love? Well for James Stark he survives, returning to earth after eleven years of being a gladiator fighting many different kinds of monsters and fallen angels, and now he is set on revenge. Stark will hunt down each of the people responsible, but he soon realizes there is a lot to learn in this new world as well as a lot more to his little group of friends than just sending him to hell.

This was an amazing novel, Stark is snarky and so hostile, but after eleven years in hell I think I would be too. The story itself is intriguing the author blends snippets of the past into the current day story so you're able to appreciate the magnitude of loss that Stark faces when Alice is murdered. The world Richard Kadrey creates for Stark is purely original, if you are a hard core Christian and cannot appreciate that this is a fictitious novel you may want to skip it, Stark is neither for Heaven, Hell, or any other creatures that lie waiting in the dark he is purely for himself and the revenge that motivates him. This is definitely a fun read, though I don't know how the author will ever be able to top this one but I look forward to seeing him try.

"Stark" doesn't like his real name (Jimmy), but most of his friends use it anyway, just to let the reader know that deep down, he's not as "stark" as he pretends to be. Jimmy has a soul and his soul bleeds. Jimmy is a member of the Sub Rosa, a fairly large group of people who can do magic, and because his natural ability at magic was better than just about anybody else's, Jimmy attracted enemies, who tricked him and got him banished to Hell for 11 years.

Now Jimmy is back, looking for revenge and incidentally, getting ready to save the world. This is a terrific book. The prose is hard bitten and right on. It's a high octane rollercoaster ride. The action is furious, the dialogue witty, filled with off the cuff double entendres and pithy asides. The magical Universe is more than interesting. Hell is populated by "Hellions," many of whom left Heaven out of rebellion against the stuffy strictures of the Almighty. Hell is a pretty forlorn and miserable neighbourhood but many of the Hellions aren't so bad. We don't get to see Heaven, but the only Angel who figures prominently in the book is smug, arrogant, self righteous and blood thirsty. One gets the idea that Satan may have had a point.

Satan is in only two scenes, and his personality doesn't really come out. He seems to keep his word, though and while he may be the baddest bad guy of them all, you can't tell it from the brief interactions our hero has with him.

The book ends with a bang and here's hoping for a sequel. I loved it.

This really is a great series, make sure you start with Sandman Slim. This is the 2nd novel, and while I didnt think the plot was as exciting as either the first or the third, you can tell the author is progressing as a writer. This series is a definate page turner.

Our favorite demon hunting Hell assasin is back and he wants some answers. And he gets them along with lots more questions.

This series is great if you like Dredon or twenty palaces. I read all of them in about a weeks time, maybe less. And thats with fitting in 11 hour work days, and workingout, and the rest of my normal life. They just got me that hooked. (I didnt get much sleep, but it was worth it!)

It may have been the cover or it may have been the description of the main character Stark, but while reading this book I felt a little film noir vibe going on. Was a nice touch and gave the story some flavor.

Stark was a cocky young magician who was betrayed and sent to hell by jealous fellow magicians. After managing to survive eleven long years, first as a sideshow attraction and then as a hitman, he manages to escape and returns to LA with revenge on his mind. After surviving the demons of hell, LA should be a cakewalk.

He wants revenge not just for sending him to hell, but also for the murder of his girlfriend. With a little help from new friends and old, Stark tracks down his old magician "friends" and gets to work. But no matter how much of a bad guy he believes he is, Stark can't seem to help doing a good deed every now and then. He's one of those heroes who does the right thing for maybe the wrong reasons, but still saves the day.

Read this book in one day, which is unbelievably fast for me. But it was so good that I couldn't wait to see what happened next! It's got dark humor, which I love, and is a little gritty. Be warned that Stark doesn't think much of angels or demons and lets them know it, so if you're easily offended, then this book isn't for you. Would love to see this turned into a series, as I'd like to see Stark again. Gave this book 4 stars as it was well written, fast paced, and darkly humorous.

Sandman Slim is a character you don't want to like but have to based solely on how much you are really not going to like the other characters in the story. Slim takes the anti-hero persona to the tenth degree and then beyond.
The writing is crisp and visceral, with a strong tendancy toward the darker side that is as addictive as it is chilling. Laced in all this is a sense of humor that doesn't lighten the mood as blend effortlessly in. Like a sweet chili sauce on a buffalo wing. Burns as it goes down with just enough sweetness that you know you will have another and another.
Here is a taste. A conversation between Sandman Slim and The Devil.

..."You can have these."
He looks at them and gives me a big, toothy Prince of Darkness smile.
"Seven stones. Seven stones to chase away the devil. Are you trying to prove that you're not afraid of me Jimmy? That's adorable. And how very Old Testament. Don't tell me that you've gone and read a book?"
"I saw it in an old monster movie."
"Phew."
Lucifer picks up a stone between his thumb and forefinger, takes my hand, and drops the stone into it.
"Keep it. You just might need it someday, Sandman Slim."
I don't know what that means, but the way he says it makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck....

Sandman Slim is a rip roaring start the series. Pick it up. Read it but be ready for the darkside of any roller coaster ride you have ever been upon.

Sandman Slim is an action packed novel which grabs you by the hair and drags you along for the ride.

Stark (aka Sandman Slim) was banished to Hell, alive, but his magician friends. After 11 years in Hell, fighting in the Hellion's Arena, he has become hard to kill, and mad as Hell (pardon the pun). When his girlfriend is murdered, he escapes from Hell, and goes in search of the people who killed her, and who put him in Hell. Through the novel, he reunites with old friends, meets new friends (some which are more monstrous than he is), and manages to do good a little good for all mankind in general.

The story line reminds me of the Crow, except Stark is not dead. The characters are well developed and each has his or her own unique personality,with the exception of the main antagonist. He seems to just be the boogie man throughout the novel, and when he finally appears, he is very one-dimensional. My only problem with the story was the anti-climatic meetings a couple of the former circle. The ladies are mentioned, but you never really get to see Stark hash out his grudge with them. Also... the "Sandman Slim" just comes from out of the blue, with no explanation of its origin. Rather odd.

Even with those couple of oddities in the storyline, I did enjoy this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to for a unique stand alone urban fantasy novel.

James "Don't call me Jimmy" Stark is back from Hell and out for revenge.

Over a decade ago Stark was betrayed by the other members of his Circle, led by Mason who was jealous of Stark's natural affinity towards magic. They set a trap and had Stark dragged Downtown while still alive. But after a very long and painful stay, Stark has managed to work his way back, bringing weapons and magics from Hell with him.

Led by his outdated memory of LA and the often snarky Veritas coin, Stark goes off in search of the members of the Circle. Without really having a plan or knowing the lay of the land, Stark manages to make new enemies to add to his list, and by the end this novel is much more than a simple revenge story.

The story is told in first-person present-tense which makes the supernatural world more accessible and immediate. Stark is a likeable but damaged hero. Like Bruce Willis in "Die Hard" he has a good personality, makes some good quips, but also makes some bad decisions and gets himself, and occasionally others, hurt in the process.

Sandman Slim is funny sometimes, bloody sometimes, scary sometimes, and good the whole way through.

SANDMAN SLIM is a surprisingly good hard-boiled dark fantasy. It's similar to the dozens of pretentious dark urban fantasy novels out there (Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse, Dresden Files, etc.), except this one succeeds where all the other ones fail. The book is tough, mean-spirited, witty, and easy to read.

First, the main character. James Stark is an unabashed anti-hero. He defines the idea of morally gray. He's back from a long stint in hell where he was sent by some of his best friends, and he's come back to avenge the murder of the only dame he ever loved. And that's all he cares about. The novel could have quickly deteriorated into an exploration of the world's mythology, but Stark doesn't want to explore the occult elements of the world. He wants revenge. And as he plods through an alien yet familiar LA he holds onto a dirty and distanced sense of morality that helps guide him in his journey. The character's outlook was best summed up when he said, "The only difference between friends and enemies is what day of the week it is."

Second, the mythology of the world is rich. The occult underground of the novel is internally consistent with its own values. Unlike any of the other modern dark fantasy out there it doesn't have any contradictions, confusions or badly conceived notions. The magic and magical creatures are dark, gritty and discomforting. The relation between heaven and hell is clearly defined, and well-conceived. And the little details help make the world feel alive. Demons have a bad sense of humor. Angels are morally indignant camp counselors. Vampires aren't anything special. And Kadrey really helps create this feeling where the magical side of reality is the underbelly of the world we live in. It's not glamorous, and it's only cool in a tragically hip sort of way.

The plot is good, and well-conceived. It follows a typical noir style, with enough twists and turns to make it interesting. I read it in an afternoon, and was engrossed the entire time. But let's face it. You're not reading this book for plot or character development. You're reading it because you want to see if Kadrey can keep you interested with his eclectic style of magic, drugs and murder.

All and all, this book kicked ass at what it attempted to do. I can't wait until the next book comes out.

At once noir-ish and funny, "Sandman Slim" is a very entertaining read. Kadrey has a wicked sense of sarcastic humor and it tickles me to no end. I'm such a geek -- I even underlined the funniest lines and kept an index of them on a leading page so I can revisit them for a chuckle now and again.

Our smart-aleck protagonist is Stark/"Sandman Slim", a magician (no, not that kind) recently returned to L.A. from Hell (which he calls "Downtown") to wreak havoc and vengeance upon those who sent him down there and, later, murdered his girlfriend. Some might argue, though, that returning to L.A. from Hell is really more of a lateral move. I bet Sandman Slim would agree.

What follows is a "film noir"-ish adventure with a supernatural twist and plenty of outlandish and fantastical violence. This novel could easily be made into an anime cartoon or live-action thriller. I picture both Clive Owen or Mickey Rourke as possibilities to play the title character, and there is one character that might be perfectly suited for John Malkovich. As Allegra, an ally Stark picks up early in the book, I cast my vote for Canadian actress Lindy Booth (who is so cute it hurts).

Recommended with great enthusiasm.

This was entertaining, but I agree with other reviewers that there wasn't enough information for a reader who hadn't read the previous book, that the plot was overcluttered, and that the secondary characters were underutilized. I'd add a fourth problem: inadequate foreshadowing. It was as if Kadrey came up with an idea and wrote the scene, but didn't go back to make the twist less of a deus ex machina. No spoilers here, but the prime example is the climactic scene, which is resolved in half a page, after the inspiration for the solution is mentioned in the previous paragraph. Kadrey's an engaging writer, and I can only imagine that this book turned out this way because he didn't have enough time or energy.

While Sandman Slim in novel form is a must-read for all Dresden fans, the Audiobook version is a must-listen-to for anyone who's ever enjoyed a good Film Noir. If you've ever played Max Payne and enjoyed the dark, gritty narration in the first person, then you will love MacLeod Andrews' performance in Sandman Slim. Andrews really brings the story to life to the point that you feel like you're actually there. His voice variance for each character is solid and different enough to bring new depth to each one. Purchasing this on Audible is probably the best purchase I've ever made. I look forward to the next one!

While not as great as the first book, this one still had its moments. My peeves was Lucifer. How could he be protrayed as such a wimp? That he now wants out of hell to get back into heavan and be forgiven. This book seemed less thought out as with Kadney's first book and I had begun to think Starks father was Lucifer. This book does continue with the same originality as the other one but, again, not as concise as Sandman Slim. This time Stark is helping protect Lucifer while he is on earth and running into all sorts of problems. It had great moments but not as noteworthy as before.

Sandman Slim is about a cocky magician that was tricked into hell by his circle. When they kill his true love he escapes hell and with a vengence tracks down those involved in her murder.

The main character, who goes by many names including Sandman Slim, is a monster who consideres going good and stays with his basic nature. He does have a heat, although it may not be inline with those around him.

If you like action novels then pick up this book. There is almost no sex and the violence is only as descriptive as you make it. There is weird stuff happening in the novel, like a decapitated head.

Overall the book is good. It can be a little slow at times but that is few and far between. Also, for as bad as the main character is suppose to be he doesn't act that way. I think the intensity could have been upped a little so the reader can respsect him. Also, there are questions that are left until the end of the book ~ for one why do they call him Sandman Slim. Did someone somewhere just make it up and it stuck?

4.5 stars A truly intriguing story. If it wasn't for the editing problems, most of which where words in the wrong places, I would have given it 5 stars. It's a dark, twisted, sarcastic, bad ass story. Sandman Slim is all that and then some. His character and the story unfolds perfectly. No wasted words. No redundancy.
Sandman Slim: A Novel

man i like this book! flies and death and stuff. angels, devils, unholy creatures, and its chock full o' ass kicking. who doesn't want a key to the room of thirteen doors? if none this makes sense, then read this book & find out what all the fuss is about...

Clever, witty, well-researched, action-packed... Why this book hasn't been made into a movie already is beyond me, except that it doesn't need any digital enhancement. It's so richly laid out, seamlessly written, and complete as-is. Within three weeks of reading the first in this series, I'm nearly done with the third, and have the fourth waiting in the wings. When I finish the seventh in this series, I will go back and read Kadrey's other work. (This book was my intro to his writing.)

Sandman Slim is profane, irreverent, heretical, and a punch in the gut to genteel readers. It's also an action-packed, highly entertaining tautly written supernatural thriller. To be honest, this book wasn't always for me - it was just a little too dark at times and portrayed life as full of despair and pain. However, I was able to overlook the dark tone because the story of how Stark (Sandman Slim) escapes from hell to get revenge on his girlfriend's killers was a fascinating tale - I wanted to see what would happen.

Great supporting characters in the book too, like Stark's 200-year old French magician friend and father figure, and a new love interest who appears to be a type of humanistic monster who feeds on people, not to mention all the various low-life of the magic circle that betrayed Stark and sent him to hell.

My advice is to avoid the book if you are offended by harsh language, violence, and mocking of religion. You may really like this book if you want an octane-powered thrill ride through revenge, magic, and non-stop action.

I'm not sure what's wrong with me lately. I keep finding myself reading some gloriously blasphemous works of fantasy literature. I reviewed Jesse Bullington's The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and accepted that it could very well show up as a stain on my soul's credit report. Now, having just finished Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim, I might as well file eternal bankruptcy.

James Stark was betrayed and sent to hell for 11 years. While in Hell he learned a few things like killing, drinking heavily, and swearing like it was an Olympic sport. James Stark's only goals are payback for his banishment, and revenge for the murder of his one true love... Anything else that happens along the way is just a bonus.

Stark's one-track mind makes him seem a little self-centered. Combine that with his colorful vocabulary, and Stark is nearly unapproachable. On the other hand, he's also funny, tremendously powerful, and becoming a better person despite his best efforts to the contrary. Stark grew on me, and by the end of the story I ranked him among my favorite characters in fantasy literature.

Kadrey's writing is solid and surprisingly eloquent in its own way. You literary nerds who just spit your drink on your monitors, please clean off your screen and hear me out. Richard Kadrey has a way with words; his descriptions and images are vivid and creative and his metaphors are simultaneously both funny and accurate. For example, when Stark walks in on a dark magic ceremony, he comments:

Don't devil worshipers have any imagination? It's like a Hot Topic Halloween party.

Or when he tries on some Kevlar:

I'll wear the liner under the over-coat and hope it's not so bulky I look like a robot in a bathrobe.

In just a couple of concise sentences, Kadrey lets me know exactly what the scene looks like -- and he makes me laugh. The verbiage is also very modern. It's rife with pop-culture references and slang, so in 20 years it will feel a little dated, but who chooses a fantasy book purely based on its potential future relevance? I also didn't mind the vulgarity, and found it quite refreshing compared to the politically-correct word choices in a lot of today's books.

Sandman Slim hit the bull's-eye for me. It contained humor, a gritty style, and a fast pace -- everything I love about urban fantasy. --Justin from FantasyLiterature

Sandman Slim is a great entry into the world of the supernatural. Sandman just fought his way out of Hell and back into Los Angeles to avenge the death of his girlfriend. And what a ride it is! Throw in a bit of Heaven, Hell and in between with assorted other bad guys and magic users and you've got a good time. It seems that Sandman was part of a group of magic users who threw him down into Hell eleven years ago. Now he's on a mission to find all of them and exact payback.

The story has a few ups and down initially. I found that once I was beyond the first fifty pages, I was hooked. The story throws enough twists to you that you're definitely going to be saying to yourself that you didn't see that twist coming. And I really did find myself saying that a few times.

I'm a fan of hardboiled fiction and this is definitely in that genre. I would highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what else Richard Kadrey writes next.

since I am reading the first one last I can say the whole series is one of my favorite reads and am looking forward to the new release coming out later this month. someone should make it a mini tv series. tons of fun.

I was looking for a series to fill the void left by finishing the Dresden Files so I picked up Sandman Slim and it blew me away. Solid writing and world building, the plot zips along at a break neck pase. If you're looking for something darker than Dresden, look no further.

I had fun with this one. High energy, dirty mouths, and a sense of something greater that doesn't give a crap. I don't suppose anyone leaving the pits of hell would have a great attitude, but revenge is always a particularly satisfying motive when it's in trying to find those who stuck you in there. Not to mention Kasabian who becomes the guy with the table for legs because of a hex. Just a satisfying gritty satirical horror novel.

Sandman Slim is an alchemy spell concocted with trace tinctures from Dante, Umberto Eco, and Gibson's Neuromancer, with Harry Potter for grownups thrown into the mix. That isn't to say it's derivative. Not at all. James Stark is a natural-born magician, whose craft comes effortlessly, to the envy of wannabe spell-binders who turn enemy on him. After 11 years of being demon-snatched to play gladiator to the fallen angels of hell, Stark escapes with the key to the universe. The room of 13 doors allows him to go anywhere instantly, and he plans to use the key to get revenge on those who sent him "Downtown."

The structure holds loosely to The Count of Monte Cristo without all the messy moral issues of the cost of revenge, but it picks up on the point of Stark's return to life in LA. The unspoken irony of City of Angels is delicious (nah, so it happens to be the Fallen Ones). Acerbic wit plays well. Stark has nothing left to lose, even if he has nothing to gain. He's hell-bent to find those who betrayed him. The writing is many layers deep, weaving a tapestry of historical and pop references that keep you on your toes, while you keep guessing where it all leads. The take-away value is diversionary; you're in it for the journey. With the elements of demons, occult, black, and white magic, you can expect the ride to be irreverent, coarse, and full of mayhem. You can't read a book like this with any other expectation, so if you're afraid your sensibilities might be offended, they probably will. Sandman Slim is a reference to Stark's title as a go-to guy for demons, and eventually the forces of light, but the name is the only element that didn't seem fully developed.

I picked up the book to see how another author treated themes similar to my Twice Fallen novel. I enjoyed the contrasting style and took tips from Kadrey's unique tone and style.

This is a fun book. Is it Faulkner? No. Nor is it a deeply insightful examination of the nature of the human condition, nor a no holds barred, satirical blitzkrieg waging open siege upon the hypocrisies of modern society.

A great character, engaging writing, the pacing of a well choreographed cinematic fight scene, these are things I can get behind, and that's what this book delivers. Sandman Slim is a badass with style. Just enough tongue-in-cheek attitude to keep it from being cheesy, but still reaching out to the adolescent fantasy of hoisting the bully over a cliff by their Fruit-of-the-Looms with one hand while pulling the sexy vixen into a lurid embrace with the other. Because sometimes we just want some high quality, ass-kicking, demon slaying, weird hellion spear/whip/axe wielding god damned (pending appeal) entertainment.

Looking forward to book 2.

Read this book. And then read it again. Okay, I don't know about read it again, but read the sequel. Which is what I'm about to do.

I fell ass backwards into this book and am so glad I did. I became an instant Stark groupie and have a serious hard-on (the girly kind) for Richard Kadrey's writing. I think I have a bit of a crush, to be honest. Any writer who can take a genre I don't (think) I like and make me love it and write the entire book in a way that I am completely able to visualize it...is pretty much brilliant.

Not once in this book did I have to try. I did not have to try and visualize or try and understand or try and follow the plot. It was fluid and damn near perfect and yeah, I'm a little jealous. Oh, and if you are a dialogue junkie, then this books is even more of a perfect fit for you. The dialogue is pretty much audible to your internal ear as you read.

If Sandman Slim were a movie, it would be my go to sick day, rainy day, lazy day movie. It would be the kind of movie I could recite verbatim. As it goes, I guess it'll be a 'slipper book'. That's what I call the books that live on my shelves that I grab when I want to read a good book but my brain is not up for new and unexplored territory. They happen to be my favorite books ever and this book is going right up there with them.

This noir fantasy will really screw with your brain. After reading "Sandman Slim" I found myself swaggering around in water aerobics class, bumping into the other ladies, and shouting the f-word at political ads on TV. None of this is natural. I mean, I qualified for Medicare at the beginning of this month, for f-word's sake!

The hero, who starts out as Jim (don't call me Jimmy) Stark and ends up as Sandman Slim (for reasons not explained in this book) is ethical, highly motivated, and likeable in spite of his limited vocabulary. He is also extremely hard to kill (think 'Dirty Harry' with a magical Smith & Wesson Model 29.) After spending 11 years in Hell's equivalent of the Roman Coliseum, he kills his demonic master and escapes back to Earth with a couple of magical knick-knacks and an extremely short to-do list: kill the magicians who sent him Downtown while he was still alive.

Even though I'm not normally fond of decapitation and excrement jokes, I thought this book was extremely funny. The plot is simple: kill the bad guys. The story's momentum stalls a bit in the middle of the book, when body parts are flying, but the hero seems to be spinning his stolen wheels, and slaughtering everyone except for the evil magician who put him Downtown in the first place.

However the pace picks up once a couple of the hero's friends are kidnapped by the evil magician. They are scheduled to be slaughtered at the world's most depraved New Year's Eve party in Los Angeles, when the minions of Hell will be let loose on Earth, and life as we normal humans know it will suddenly become a lot more miserable.

Richard Kadrey writes like a Dashiell Hammett on speed, combined with a certain necrophiliac glee. His hero spends the requisite amount of guy-time slobbering over his very cool and partly magical arsenal, if you like that kind of stuff. This fantasy could probably be used as a textbook on Manichaeism, if some of the more vulgar terms for the Divine Being were removed. The ending is happy, and actually rather sweet in a twisted sort of way.

10 pages in, I knew I was in trouble; this was going to be tough to put down. I was right but fortunately the weekend cooperated and reality had minimal intrusions on my reading time.

Stark, don't call him James and definitely not Jimmy, is brutal, possesses a questionable moral code (if he has one at all) and has some ex-friends that he plans on killing now that he's back from 11 years in Hell. Oh yeah, he's also picked up a few tricks during his time there that makes him amongst the baddest of the bad.

Kadrey paints a dark anti-hero in Stark and I loved every minute of it. I've been a relatively recent fan of Harry Connolly who also writes a very good series with a main character who can't cleanly be called a hero and Kadrey is very much in that vein with Sandman Slim.

There's a fair bit of violence, questionable friendships and alliances and a whole supernatural world that unfolds over the pages. If you like a bit of gray in your "heroes" and can handle magic without elves or kindly wizards, this is definitely a book worth picking up.