A Sandman Slim Novel (6/30/13) - By Richard Kadrey

There is a point in every series where one novel becomes the first epitome of the series. While the previous Sandman Slim novels were fun, Kill City Blues stands starkly, surprisingly rich in the voice of the protagonist.

I like Richard Kadrey but, at times he gets disjointed and you get lost in the story. In one book it started over in the middle of the book. Or, prehaps it was the Kindle version that was screwed up.

He smokes meladikons and I start to reading, open a botel, smoke a Marlboro and read until the sun is up. Then I take schower, put a sut on, write some legal stuf, go to court... and then again I Kill City Blues again.

A good book and very true to the Sand Slim universe, but I thought the ending wasn't satisfying. It read like a teaser for a future novel, also after all the history between Aelita and Stark, her demise was very anticlimactic.

Better paced and more thoughtful this book shows even a monster can grow up.
Furthermore, the development of the secondary characters, particularly God, shows real depth to the world.
Definitely worth the read.

I finished the book in one day! This is one series of books that I highly recommend. It keeps your attention not only through a great story line but with great humor. When things seem to be at their worst Sandman Slim has a quick and sharp tongue!

Picked this book up after reading the first four and was not disappointed. Great flow and pace and it reads like you are watching a movie. Two days later I finished it and can't wait for the next book.

Sandman Slim is back and he's even getting a little mellow in his old age, but he's still the baddest man/angel in the universe. My high expectations were met and that is not always easy to do. Long live Starks!

Okay, I've read the other books and enjoyed them for the most part, but at this point I think the question has to be asked: What the hell is this author's obsession with clothing changes? How many times has this character changed t-shirts at this point? Why do I keep hearing about his leather pants?

I had to stop about a quarter into this one. I couldn't take one more change of clothes.

Half-angel James Stark (sometimes known as Sandman Slim) is no longer Lucifer, although he still occupies Lucifer's penthouse at Chateau Marmont. Something not quite human wants to buy the Qomrama Om Ya (a weapon that kills gods) from Stark, but Stark doesn't have it. Since the Qomrama can be used to release the Angra Orn Ya (or to keep the Angra imprisoned), Stark decides finding it will be his best chance to protect humanity from an Angra invasion. The last Stark knew, the Qomrama was in the possession of a rogue angel named Aelita. His search for its current location takes him to Hell (of course), to a whole bunch of bars (naturally), and to a shopping mall called Kill City. Oddly enough, the story turns out to be a search for God (with a capital G), or at least for one of His parts, now that He's been broken into five separate entities.

The story is relatively mindless -- Sandman Slim finds a variety of ways to kill a variety of supernatural entities before they kill him -- but the prose is intelligent, as are the jokes, the snide comments about LA, and the snappy dialog. Kill City Blues works well as a tongue-in-cheek quest/adventure story. Dark humor is mixed with enough light humor to keep the tone from becoming oppressive, while periodic action scenes keep the story moving at a good pace.

Even if you've read all the Sandman Slim novels, it's difficult to keep track of all the gods, demons, angels, werewolves, zombies, vampires, ghosts, sylphs, Dark Eternals, Hellions, and other supernatural characters, not to mention Stark's friends (including a sin eating priest, a girlfriend who needs drugs to control her urge to drink the life out of people, and a guy with a malfunctioning mechanical body). Reading a Sandman Slim novel is like reading a guidebook to all the Netherworlds and spirit realms of the Earth's collected mythologies. Fortunately, Stark is the only one who really matters. He is fully endowed with personality (mostly snarky) and has enough mental anguish and moral qualms to keep a team of therapists busy for decades. The other characters exist only to contribute sideshow amusement.

Readers who don't have a sense of humor about religious beliefs (those who think it is blasphemous to portray God in non-Biblical terms) should probably avoid Kill City Blues. My favorite sentence is uttered to God (or a fraction of God) by Father Traven: "I devoted my life to you and now I see you're nothing but a ridiculous, foulmouthed little man." Talk about a crisis of faith!

I wouldn't call the novel's ending anti-climactic because it never actually reaches a climax. Kill City Blues has the feel of a book that was written to set up the next book in the series. That doesn't mean Kill City Blues is uneventful or that it tells a bad story, but the fizzling out, "to be continued" nature of the final pages is frustrating. I suppose the remedy is to wait for the next Sandman Slim novel. Fortunately, that's something I don't mind doing.

This is the 5th book in the Sandman Slim series and it was an excellent one. I love these characters, the strange cultural references, the gritty surroundings, the crazy action scenes, and of course the hilarious banter between characters. I got a copy of this to review through Edelweiss; thanks to Harper Voyager and Edelweiss for the chance to read this book.

Stark (Sandman Slim) has finally gotten rid of his job as Lucifer and he is trying set up a life for him and Candy in LA. Of course somewhere along the way he misplaced the Qomrama Om Ya, and this kind of was the weapon that is preventing the old gods (you know the ones that want to destroy the earth and humanity) from escaping their prison. So of course he needs to find it, and to find it he will have to venture into the incredibly creepy and dangerous Kill City.

Excellent continuation of this series! I just love these books so much, they are so much fun. I read them and chuckle and laugh out loud the whole time. The violence is hilariously over the top and Stark just has so much attitude. I love watching him trash all the rules and knock heads together...because of course you know he's doing it all for the good of mankind...and maybe a little bit for his own chuckles.

All of our favorites are back in this story. Candy, Brigette, the Father, Kasiban, and of course all the pieces of God. They all interact so well together and are so crazy they are just a pleasure to read about.

Stark, with Candy and his friends at his side, is different than before. Now he has backup and people he cares about. Really it's made him a better person, now he has a reason for all the violence that goes beyond survival.

The action scenes are awesome and gory and hilarious, the settings are creative and dank and creepy, the banter between characters in hilarious, and the obscure cultural references make you feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside when you understand them. This series just keeps getting better and better. It is wrong to laugh and chuckle at the murder of people? Nah, not if they are really bad people...right?

The book is lots of fun to read and incredibly entertaining...it was also very hard to put down. Parts are disturbing and parts are hilarious and all of it is downright wonderful. I love that each book wraps up a portion of the story nicely but is part of a broader story as well.

Overall a perfect addition to this series. I love these books so much. This book is gritty, funny, has great interesting characters, wonderfully creative settings, and is spectacularly entertaining to read. Definitely an adults only read, duh. I also love that these are complete stories but are part of a broader story as well. Highly recommended to those who love gritty urban fantasy. Seriously this is one of my favorite urban fantasy series out there. I can't wait to see what this series brings next.

A great opening chapter has Stark, Candy and Samael in Donut Universe while Candy updates Stark and Samael's Wikipedia pages. Stark and his angel half have reunited, he is back to being a nephilim and again has the Key to the Room of Thirteen Doors.

Stark is in a race to find the Qomrama Om Ya, a weapon greater than any other, before the old gods, namely the Angra Om Ya who existed before anything else, can take back and destroy the universe. Aleita has hidden it somewhere and Stark needs to find it before she can do her worst. Which requires a trip to Kill City, a creepy, abandoned shopping mall.

The world building is described in intricate detail and the dialogue and banter between the characters is superb. The violent action is way over the top and there's a serious eww factor as Stark acquires more scars. Some surprise plot developments too.

I love the growth of Stark's character and how he gets a little introspective in this story.

'Most nights I still dream about Hell. I can feel it inside me. It's in the stink of my sweat. Flashing on the place even for a second makes me furious and sometimes afraid and sometimes ashamed of both those things.
On the plus side, I got up close and personal with the killer inside me. I learned I was good at taking lives. Doc Kinski called me a natural-born killer, so now it's what I do. But I don't always like it, and when I do, I don't always like myself for liking it. That's what Hell is. It's the shithole bottom of the universe, but it's a place where you'll learn more about yourself than you ever wanted to know.'

This is gritty urban fantasy at it's darkest. Richard Kadrey's off the wall sense of humour and amazingly imaginative writing, not to mention the unique take on Heaven and Hell and their residents, make this series one of my favourites. The cast of characters, some new and others returning from previous books, is as bizarre and outlandish as ever.

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Richard Kadrey has done what few other writers have ever been able to do. He has taken a character who is instantly loved and dares to evolve that character into someone different. And he has done it very well. That took not only talent, but courage as well.
In Kill City Blues, Sandman Slim, has come full circle. Only he can never be the young nineteen year old young man in love who was cast into hell by a rival warlock; he is no longer any of the other incarnations he was in the last five books. He is no longer a gladiator fighting in the pits of hell. An assassin for a demon warlord. A bounty hunter of paranormal beings. The Devil itself.
No now he is only Sandman Slim; James Stark, warlock and fighter with serious relationship issues with a Jade demon named Candy.

"...I take out the dead man's driver's license and photograph that too. Then toss it and the wallet back on the ground just as a cop car pulls up. They must have been right around the corner.
Voices get shrill behind me. I don't have to look. Villagers with pitchforks are pointing out the monster to the guys with the badges. I wonder what the penalty is for pickpocketing a corpse. I can't be the first person who's done it. This is L.A...."

In Kill City Blues Sandman Slim is asked for the Qomrama Om Ya, an ancient weapon stolen from ancient Gods that may be all that keeps them from invading the universe and taking it back. For in the last few novels, Sandman Slim has been battling The Devil and God (Well aren't we all?) and now that he's weakened both of them, the Old Gods feel the universe is ripe to be taken over.
Samael, who was once the devil and now is an Angel again maneuvers behind the scene. Sandman Slim being instrumental in his release from Hell is never sure that he isn't a pawn in Samael's games. Mr. Munnin who was once God, but has been split into five separate personalities is now reigning in Hell. So the universe as it stands is unprotected and the Old Gods and their disciples are planning to stage a coup. Between them and the universe is Sandman Slim and his band of miscreants who like their screwed up universe just as dysfunctional as it is.

To find the Qomrama Om Ya, Sandman Slim must travel into a forgotten world known only as Kill City. An abandoned and self destructing shopping mall filled with refugees from the paranormal world.

Kill City Blues is rich with characters and absurd moral dilemmas. I especially like the cameo appearance of the street spirit Mustang Sally. Who only shows up to impart wisdom to Sandman and bum a cigarette. There are demons and vampires. Robots and mad billionaires. Devils and Gods and Angels and Demons. Depending upon the moment those are interchangeable.

Through it all comes Sandman Slim, saving the Universe again. And offending everyone he can. Don't think this is all fun and games, like all Sandman Slim novels, there is tragedy and loss. After all that is what his character was based upon, the loss of his love. Like all others it is a novel about redemption and doing what is right when everything about you is wrong.

Sandman Slim has come full circle. He has evolved. He will never be the young James Stark again. But he does want to be better than what he is.

Kill City Blues is the fifth book in the Sandman Slim series and it is outstanding. In Kill City Blues, everyone and their mother is trying to find a God killing weapon called the Qomrama Om Ya. A psychotic renegade angel named Aelita has it hidden and crazy doomsday cults, vampires, rich collectors, demons are hunting for it and all either want to kill Stark (Slim) because they think he has it, or hire him for big bucks to find it. Stark returns to true form as he tears up the L.A. underworld in his search for answers and along the way maybe save his friends and stop the apocalypse. It is welcome change to see Stark back to his bad self as opposed to his miserable side in Devil Said Bang, which was still good just not as good as the other 4 novels. Stark is angry, he's nasty, he is stomping mud holes in the bad guys like he used to and he is doing it with his trademark sarcastic wit. Mr. Kadrey has done it again and made another great story for the series and I can not wait for the next chapter in the saga. I recommend this to fans of the series, fans of dark humor and fans of horror.

See this group review and others like it at !

Christal and AH's Review - 5 Skulls - A+

Kill City Blues was a definite high point in a consistently entertaining and slightly disturbing series. AH and I both loved this book and gave it 5 stars!

James "Sandman Slim" Stark:

AH: I think Stark has got to be one of the most badass characters I've encountered in urban fantasy. I love his "devil-may-care" attitude (pun definitely intended).

Christal: Lol, nice one! I agree, Stark is hardcore and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. I think he really grew in this novel and it was the first time we have seen him willingly depend on others.

The Supporting Characters:

Christal: Wow, almost everyone was back in Kill City Blues. It was like a reunion and I kind of loved it. I like the Stark is starting to build a "Scooby Gang" and relying on others to watch his back. I still think Candy is a stand out but I really enjoyed seeing Stark and Kasabian's relationship evolve.

AH: I loved that you referred to them as the Scooby gang. That was hilarious and I could seriously see one of them going Ru-roh - sharp-toothed demons on your right or something like that. I loved Candy too - so fierce! Kasabian made me laugh. I'm hoping the next book has his head on a Trevor Mosely body. Speaking of Trevor Mosely, what did you think of the Tick Tock Man's creations?

Christal: I totally want to see Kasabian's head on a Mosley body; that makes more sense than the hellhound. The Trevor Mosley clones were a bit creepy... especially the one that thought he was a real boy. The animals now, those had definite possibilities. I might fight Candy for a Tick Tock Pikachu. ;-)

The World Building:

AH: The world building is so intricately constructed. No details are spared, yet as a reader, you never feel like there is an information overload. The writer did all of his research. I love Kadrey's version of Hell - "Downtown" LA. It's a dirty, gritty world.

Christal:I agree, I love how real this series is -- you can just picture every place that Stark visits. I liked that Mr. Kadrey combined the typical rings of hell with his own version of a mirrored L.A. Very unique!

AH: The research into the series is just amazing - did you know that the names of God's "brothers" are from Kabbalistic teachings? The names of God are the levels of the soul. Kind of odd how God is depicted in almost schizophrenic terms, but it makes sense in this world.

Christal: I didn't know that but now it makes so much sense. I am interested to meet the other "brothers" and see what they are like compared to the "brothers" we've already met. I'm especially looking forward to a meeting between Stark and Ruarch.

The Plot:

AH: This book has got to be one of the best reads so far this year. Richard Kadrey writes amazing urban fantasy. One of my favorite scenes had to be at the beginning where Samael, Stark, and Candy are enjoying donuts. Samael ponders the donut and wonders if he invented them to "destroy mortals from the inside out."

Christal: Ha, I liked that scene too; I also like how Mr. Kadrey carried the joke later into the book with Samael only staying for dinner if there are no donuts. I think my favorite scene was probably the group adventure through Kill City mall. Instinctually, I knew that Stark would probably be okay but that someone else probably wouldn't make it, but I was not prepared for the emotional impact of the ending. Man, that was intense!

AH: The rescue scene from Hell near the end when Stark "rescues" Father Traven and leaves him in "limbo" I thought to myself that Stark really is a nice guy, or as nice as Stark could be.

Christal: Completely agree, he really does have a heart of gold deep deep down. The rescue and eventual compromise with Mr. Muninn were a nice resolution for everything that happened in Kill City.

AH: For some reason during the Kill City scenes, I felt like we were in the middle of an Indiana Jones adventure, complete with booby traps, scary critters, and even a treasure. Speaking of treasure, the Qomrama Om Ya, aka the Magic 8 Ball, aka Stark's holy grail - what do you think will happen with it? Will the Angra come and destroy everything?

Christal: I don't even want to guess. Mr. Kadrey always takes what I think will happen and then twists it into something completely unexpected. I have faith in Stark though, I think he and Candy will both go down fighting in the end no matter what they are up against. I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for Sandman Slim in the next book and to see how he continues to grow and adapt!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC copy of this book!

As Stark, no longer the new Lucifer, sat eating doughnuts with Samael, the former Lucifer, both celebrating their recent job losses, a stranger approached Stark and offered a lot of money for the Magic 8 Ball. No longer in possession of the ancient weapon, the Qomrama Om Ya, Stark turns down the expensively dressed stranger. Then, out of the blue, someone takes a shot at Stark and the fun begins...

Since the first book, when Stark broke out of Hell after eleven years fighting hellions in the ring, he has evolved from the friendless angry nephalim (half angel, half human, all Abomination) bent on revenge and itching to bust heads. The gruff anti-hero with anger management issues steals cars for transportation, chain smokes Malediction cigarettes, and is hell on clothes. Now, the still abrupt Stark drives a kick-ass motorcycle from Hell, has a Jade for a girlfriend, but continues to chain smoke and still has an ever-growing pile of destroyed clothing in his room. Some habits are hard to break. In a world that author Richard Kadrey has peopled with vampires, hellions, Sub Rosa, Tick Tock men, fallen angels, God after a mental breakdown, a porn star/assassin, a defrocked priest, a talking head with a hellhound body, and a girlfriend named Candy, the Sandman Slim series is consummate entertainment. The clever storytelling, and snappy, quick-witted dialogue keeps the story at a constant bat-out-of-hell pace.

Squatting in the penthouse suite at the Chateau Marmont and running up an astronomical bill under the name MacHeath, AKA former-Lucifer, Stark and his band of abnormals for friends continue to try to save the world from the Ancient Gods and his arch nemesis, Aelita the rogue angel. And now someone is trying to kill him and he's already killed off the back stabbing Mason Faim, no one can find Aelita, and the Ancient Gods have yet to finish breaking down the last protective layer into earth. So, who is it? And does it have anything to do with the missing Magic 8 Ball?

The hunt for answers, and the Magic 8 Ball, takes Stark from his favorite bar, the Bamboo House of Dolls, to the president of the Sub Rosa community, back into Hell, and finally to Kill City, the enormous mall complex that collapsed years ago and is now inhabited by supernatural freaks of nature. As usual, Stark is supported by his friends, packs enough weapons to outfit an army, plays by his own rules and pisses off a lot of mutants.

It's a fun book, I learned some new and colorful expressions, and I'm loaning my copy to my friend, Howie, who got me hooked on this series in the first place. Thank you Howie.

The blood-soaked hero of this urban fantasy series, James Stark a.k.a. Sandman Slim spent the second third of his life in Hell's equivalent of the Roman Coliseum, and eventually ends up as the reluctant ruler of his Infernal Surroundings (see "Devil Said Bang"). In this fifth book in the series, "Kill City Blues," Stark, who abdicated as Lucifer, divides his time between LA and an abandoned mega-mall, which is worse than Hell in every conceivable way. In fact, when Stark makes a lightning trip to the Infernal Regions toward the end of the book, I was so glad to get out of the mall, I actually felt a twinge of nostalgia.

In a way, this book resembles an entry in another long-running series, i.e. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," in that the plot completely stalls while the main characters embark on a long, bloody, relatively pointless quest for a magical artifact called the Qomrama Om Ya, a.k.a. Magic 8 Ball. Readers could probably skip "Kill City Blues" altogether and pick up the story in the next Sandman Slim book, except for some interesting character developments.

***SPOILER ALERT***

For instance, stone killer, Sandman Slim develops a rudimentary conscience and regrets some of his earlier victims, including a vicious but confused teeny bopper vampire. Also, the author appears to lose interest in a couple of the series' major villains and casually blasts them out of existence. Don't worry. There are plenty of others, including a band of god-killers who keep trying to cross over into our dimension and destroy our Universe. I have a feeling they're going to pop through in the next Sandman Slim installment, which is why I'm going to keep on reading. Does Stark finally defeat He Who Must Not Be Named and marry Hermione? Does Kasabian finally locate a copy of his favorite porno flick, "The Snake Charmer's Daughter?" Stay tuned.

SUGGESTION TO POTENTIAL READERS: Skip the torture scene on pages 230 - 236. It doesn't really add anything to the plot. Of course, I could and did say that about the whole book, except for that nostalgic trip back to Hell.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy, reviewed by Chris.

When it comes to the Sandman Slim novels it seems that people either love them or hate them. I personally fall in to the former camp. These books are fantastic when you just want a book where the character kicks some ass and gets involved in all sorts of crazy s***. Yet there comes a point where even I was wondering just how much crazy s*** ol’ Sandman Slim could get in to and still keep the books fresh. I shouldn’t have worried because KILL CITY BLUES was all that and more

The book opens with Stark (Sandman Slim) and Lucifer (the original one) sitting in a diner. It doesn’t take long before someone is trying to kill Stark. Why? They believe he’s still in possession of the Qomrama Om Ya. What’s that, you ask? It’s a weapon for killing gods and the cult of the ancient gods wants it so they can bring their gods back to power.

Going up against crazies is nothing new for this series, but this time Stark isn’t going it alone. The novel brings back Bridgette, Candy, Father Traven, Allegra and Vidocq. And, of course, everybody’s favorite disembodied head – Kasabian. This ragtag group needs to storm an abandoned mall full of Lurkers and all sorts of other nasties in order to find the Qomrama Om Ya before the bad guys do.

The fact that – for once – Stark isn’t going it alone is the highlight of this book. Sure, the other characters would briefly get in on the action in the other books, but nothing like they do here in KILL CITY BLUES. Getting to see them take part in the ass-kicking was a treat and I hope the next book keeps with the trend. Kadrey has successfully avoided making any of the five books in this series feel like a rehash and if you’re looking for a funny, violent, take-no-prisoners novel then you certainly won’t go wrong with this one.

Sexual content: Off-screen sex

Richard Stark might be back from Hell--again--but he just can't help doing the Devil's work. Since getting out of his job as the new Lucifer, and passing it off to one of five pieces of God himself, Mr. Munnin, Stark is trying to settle back into life in Los Angeles. He's rejoined with his angel half, has the key to the Thirteen Doors once again, he's back with his main squeeze Candy, and he still has the run of Lucifer's penthouse. Compared to board meetings and other forms of infernal bureaucracy, life is pretty sweet for Sandman Slim. And then the mechanical men show up and ruin everything.

Turns out that the "Magic 8-Ball" he found during his exploits in the last novel, Devil Said Bang, is a weapon of biblical proportions. And everyone with an ax to grind against him wants it. Too bad he doesn't have it anymore. Aelita, the renegade angel with a hate-on for all of human existence has hidden it away, and Stark needs to find it before the divine psychopath figures out how to use it.

Okay, first off: if you haven't read any of the Sandman Slim novels, then nothing in this novel is going to make sense beyond "bad guys have something that good guys want back." There's four novels worth of back story playing out here, and while the fourth novel was a bit of a letdown for me, Kill City Blues brings the series back to its full FTW glory. If you've been a faithful follower of the series, maybe your opinion differs a little. But I felt Kill City Blues got into the nitty-gritty of the story much sooner than Devil Said Bang, and it really did a lot to push the characters in new directions. Heck, this is probably the first novel where Stark has been in full-on boyfriend mode, as his entanglements with Candy has turned into a long-term relationship. And that relationship is strained when Stark starts falling into his old habits of going all Sandman Slim on his enemies, while Candy is repeatedly discouraged from going Jade on goons. Ah, the mating habits of abominations.

Stark's Scooby-Doo gang of friends finally get to band together on his latest mission, though Kasabian is still stuck on the bench. At least the decapitated sidekick has that nifty, albeit slightly beat-up, robotic hellhound body to get around in now. As for the gods imprisoned in another dimension, the ones bent on bringing all of creation to and end, it turns out the ghostly girl with the butcher knife in Devil Said Bang was just a whisper of what they're capable of should they get loose, and they're gaining allies both in Heaven and Hell. How Kadrey keeps track of all these allegiances and betrayals in his series is beyond me. His concordance of characters and storylines must make the King James Bible look like a pamphlet by now.

Kadrey's writing style offers so many quotable lines, he doesn't so much have a handle on the language as he does a stranglehold. If the plot doesn't have you turning pages, just seeing what string of eloquent expletives he'll use next will. It's a return to form in my opinion, and the same great level of quality in the eyes of others, I'm sure.

Kill City Blues is the fifth installment in the Sandman Slim series of novels by Richard Kadrey and is every bit as gritty, dirty, booze-soaked, smoke-fogged, and irreverent as the other four books in the series. In other words, it is as fantastically witty, sarcastic, and disturbing as fans of Sandman Slim have come to expect.
As in the other four books Kill City Blues is packed full of action, foul language, snarky attitudes, and dark humor. If you liked the previous Sandman Slim novels you’ll enjoy this one too. And what fallen angel with a chip on his shoulder wouldn’t?
James Stark “Hitman from Hell” and survivor of multiple otherworld apocalypses is one of the most unique and disturbing characters ever written. His attitudes are Bukowskian, his patience for fools zero, and his ability to slip in and out of shadows Lovecraftian. One part private detective, one part anti-hero, and one part foul-mouthed, hard drinking avenger Sandman Slim must locate a magical weapon if he stands any chance at all of fighting the old gods. Where would you find a mystical weapon capable of killing a god? In the most evil place on the planet; the shopping mall.
Kadrey writes from the gutter, grabs you by your bootstraps, and upends you in the middle of the street daring you to get back up. I recommend you stay down…

5 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

The Sandman Slim Series
1. Sandman Slim (2009)
2. Kill the Dead (2010)
3. Aloha from Hell (2011)
4. Devil Said Bang (2012)
5. Kill City Blues (2013)
6. The Getaway God (2014)

Those of you that recently read Devil Said Bang might agree with me when I say I felt it was more like two mini books in one. With the first half being “escape from Hell” and the second being “save the world”. Aloha from hell felt partitioned in a similar fashion. But in Kill City Blues there was more follow through for one main story.

As always I love all of the pop culture references to everything in the entertainment industry. Being a big anime watcher I seriously love Candy and her gaming and anime watching. Currently tho, I’m waffling back and forth on just how much I really enjoyed this one. While the characters are still great, and you can definitely see the character growth for Stark, and even though we see a lot more of the secondary characters in Kill City Blues I didn’t quite get that sense of closeness to them that had been there in the first few books. Stark is definitely learning more about how to be a team player but the players are almost melding together in a way that leaves them each just a tiny bit less unique.

I’m left wondering – what else could there possibly be left for Start to do in the coming books, I would hate for this to become a rinse repeat sort of series? Some of you probably have some theories already, I have my own as well which I’ll keep to myself for now. There was of course plenty of action, mystery and mayhem to keep me moving from scene to scene, but I think I’m wanting some closure at this point because there have been so many “big” catastrophes that they aren’t having as much of an impact on me anymore. Still a good addition to the series and curious to see where it will go from here.

James Stark, otherwise known as Sandman Slim, is back in his beloved LA squatting in Lucifer's luxury hotel suite with his jade girlfriend Candy and Kasabian, who is now wearing a hellhound body. Stark gathers together the whole gang, Candy, Vidocq, Brigitte, and Traven, along with a mechanical man named Delon to hunt for the Qomrama Om Ya, the only weapon that can kill a god. It is hidden in Kill City, a haunted abandoned shopping mall. The building is full of ghosts and crazy ex-Sub Rosa families. It's a harrowing journey through many levels of this kill zone and not all of the members of the search party will survive.

This was my favorite of the Sandman Slim novels so far. The characters have formed a strong bond and I enjoyed revisiting all of them. It starts out slower than the other books, but picks up speed when they get to Kill City. At the beginning the author reacquaints the read with Sandman Slims world. This is a benefit but a bit redundant.

This book sets up the next novel in the series nicely. I have become fond of Stark and his outcast comrades and look forward to the next book.

The fifth installment in the Sandman Slim series opens as explosively as ever! Having wiggled out of being the new Lucifer, Stark is back in L.A. full time - enjoying a few of the Devil's earthly perks still (like the hotel suite hidden in the grandfather clock). The new threat to L.A. (and all of existence really) first introduced in Devil Said Bang: A Sandman Slim Novel becomes the central focus here. Again, Stark strives to save the world by reclaiming the "Godeater" weapon from the mad angel, Aelita. Familiar faces reappear in Stark's quest into the titular Kill City - a defunct shopping mall that houses a wide range of dangers.

The narration is as consistent as ever - filled with humour, fun references and plenty of action. And once again Kadrey lays more foundation for future novels in the series. More details fill in an even more complete picture of Kadrey's unique Heaven, Hell and L.A. It's a fun series and I love the characters and as always, the book ends leaving me anxious for the next book.

This book should have been called The World's Longest Trip to the Mall. Yikes! From page 188 to page 311 the story was spent trying to find a weapon of sorts - the Qomrama Om Ya - that can be used to make a way for older, badder, banished gods to get back to Earth. So this was some spectacular shopping and entertainment mall called Blue World Village in Los Angeles that was never completed because it collapsed during construction and killed so many people when portions of it went down. Now it is known as Kill City. Insurance companies and lawyers are still picking over old bones to attach blame. At least the bones they were able to find in the rubble. Now the place is filled with all types of demons and workers of all kinds of magic roaming around in gangs that evidently do nothing but kill, kill, kill. Well, what else would a demon find to do at the mall anyway?

So James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim - half human, half angel, is no longer Lucifer and no longer confined to Hell. He discovers in a general way where the Qomrama has been hidden so he loads up all his buddies and heads for the mall to find the hiding place of the 8 Ball. And along the way they have so many adventures, mis-adventures and deaths or near deaths that it takes the author 123 pages out of 383 to tell us about it. This is book number five in the Sandman Slim series. I had read three of them and yet I have absolutely no idea where this book was trying to take the series. We went on a very long treasure hunt that I did not especially enjoy and ended up pretty much were we started from.

Don't try to begin this series here. This is definitely dark urban fantasy but so complicated in its "world" that new readers could quite easily get completely lost. There are so many named gods and demons and religious or non-religious beliefs that it is pretty hard for even a die-hard fan to keep them straight. I find I'm not laughing at the quips and jokes any more. Take my advice and use the "look inside this book" feature on the book product page to read the sample. Or download a Kindle sample, but read some of this before you commit to buying it. You just might save yourself lots of time and some money.

Any reader who enjoys urban fantasy is destined to become a fan of Sandman Slim. This latest installment of the series is just as fast paced and wildly imaginative as the prior volumes, and continues to provide that incredible combination of horror, snark and just plain off the wall action that readers have come to know and love.

I will shamefully admit that I missed the last installment of the series, but had no trouble catching up with story. It was as unpredictable as ever, with enough irreverence to make me laugh out loud and feel just a bit shocked all at the same time. Any fan of the series will be pleased with this latest offering, and if you are just starting out - please do yourself a favor and go back to the beginning so you don't miss out on any of the fun. All of the Sandman Slim books are an enthusiastic recommend for any fan of urban fantasy or off the wall fiction. This series should be in a category all by itself.

The 5th of Richard Kadrey's "Sandman Slim" novels, "Kill City Blues" finds our resident former Lucifer, James Stark, looking for the Qomrama Om Ya a weapon that the gods are looking for. The hunt leads to an LA shopping mall & a place known as Kill City. It is in this location that Stark has to locate the weapon & survive a lot more than he bargained for. Kadrey's story pretty much continues along the same vein as the prior installments with just an many twists & turns & as much blood & gore as you'd expect from this novel. The humor isn't quite there in this story although there is enough here to keep the story enjoyable & fast moving along with definitely enough material to keep this going for a while to come.

The Sandman Slim series from Richard Kadrey is one of the absolute best that has come out in the last ten to fifteen years and with each book, Kadrey continues to impress readers with the exploits of anti-hero James Stark, aka Sandman Slim. This time around he has to deal with finding a god-killing weapon before it gets into the wrong hands and to do so before the wrong people get their hands on it. There's also a new Lucifer in Hell that Stark must make sure he stays on the good side of, and all the series favorites are back including Vidocq, Kasabian, and Stark's main squeeze, Candy. With "Kill City Blues," Kadrey has returned to what made the first Sandman Slim book, "Sandman Slim", such a good and unique thrill-ride and the ending of this volume in the series sets up what will make for a must-read follow-up. Any urban fantasy fan who hasn't yet read Kadrey's Sandman Slim books doesn't know what they're missing.

I received the first Sandman Slim novel for review, and now have also purchased it for my Kindle. While I often get tired and bored with series novels, these books keep me interested and excited for more. Plus, each novel is great as a stand-alone, which isn't always true of a series.

Sandman Slim has gone from being an actual Sandman to taking the role of Lucifer himself, and is now back on the surface. He rides the line between natural and supernatural. Don't worry, we still have shades, demons, gods, and all matter of violence balanced out by some true friendship and love.

Just read the book!

"Kill City Blues: A Sandman Slim Novel" by Richard Kadrey is one heck of a good book. This author does a great job of keeping a story moving with great prose and witty humor mixed with a lot of action. I didn't know what I was in for when I ordered this book and I'm glad I didn't. This book was so full of unexpected surprises that had me groaning and laughing at the same time and I couldn't put it down.

I have got to read more of these Sandman Slim books. This one was just so much fun to read! Who can't resist a tongue in cheek bit of humor in a book with devils, demons, ghosts, and all sort of other spiritual beings.

Richard Kadrey has the most outrageously great imagination that pulls you into his story and makes you believe it.

Richard Kadrey's Kill City Blues, book 5 in the Sandman Slim series, was an enjoyable romp through the world of the edgiest of anti-heroes in American fiction today. The plot and characters are becoming a little stale and some important subplots are brought to a bloody conclusion in this book but the story was still a lot of fun.

As always, the narrative is fast moving and there is always something happening. This, to a great extent, saved the book...otherwise it would have been a bit boring.

Recommended for hardcore fans of Sandman Slim.

Rating: a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

Even though I haven't read any of the previous Sandman Slim novels I had no trouble jumping right into this one, getting into the action, and understanding the basic premise of the book.

Kill City Blues manages to combine supernatural characters, the fun and fast patter of an old Thin Man movie, action and adventure all in one book. The characters are interesting. In this novel a weapon has gone missing and Slim is trying to recover it, taking him into all sorts of situations and people (or not- people).

There was a little dragginess about 2/3 through but it was a slight respite in a book full of rapid action and patter.

This is the fifth installment of the Sandman Slim series. I really like it!! Stark is back to the real world, but he lost a pretty important piece of hardware on the way - and the game is afoot!! I would not recommend reading this story as a stand-alone. The arc of the story is one of the beauties of this series. I prefer the earth side of this urban fantasy and this book comes back to that setting and delivered completely. The author does a great job of mixing his over the top violence with a good mix of emotional writing... perfect combination. Take your time reading this book... it's great!!!

All the best,

Jay

Kill City Blues
Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager, Jul 30 2013, $24.99
ISBN: 9780062094599

In Los Angeles half-angel James "Sandman Slim" Stark and Samael the ex-demon relish the taste of deep-fried dough at the Donut Universe as both are relieved they are no longer Lucifer. Samael dumped the position on Stark who dumped the Devil position on Mr. Muninn; who ironically is one fifth of God after the deity's nervous breakdown. At times Stark feels guilt but not when he tastes fritters with Candy at his side.

Declan Garrett interrupts their devilishly good snack offering Stark a million to bring him the Qomrama Om Ya god-killing weapon that the former Lucifer used against the child ghost. Stark says Aelita the angel possesses the weapon now; but realizes he better take back the Qomrama so if needed he can destroy its creators, the former owners of this universe before an upstart God conned the angry Angra Old Gods out of what is theirs.

The latest Sandman Slim irreverent humorous urban fantasy (see Devil Said Bang, Aloha From Hell and Kill the Dead) is a fun over the top of the Hollywood sign thriller. Fast-paced, Stark and his band search for the god-weapon ending up in the lampooned Kill City Mall where they meet a horde of supernatural losers while seeking one of the splintered five essences of God; as once again this is religious satire at its amusingly darkest.

Harriet Klausner

OK, I like the Sandman Slim series. I also do like Urban fantasy but without all the gooey romantic stuff since I happen to be a guy. I like kicking butt, magic, and fighting with monsters stuff and Kadrey delivers that and I have enjoyed this series. This last book though wasn't quite up to the same level as the first four though. It just didn't capture my attention initially and I kind of slogged through it..until I got to the second half and it became all good again. So it's worth reading, definitely, but you have to work a little harder for your enjoyment.

I have no idea why I expected the series to end after four books, but after reading the fifth one I'm glad I was wrong in that assumption. I like that Stark is trying to figure out a balance between the violent urges and the want to work smarter. I really like the fact that he doesn't always win the internal battles. There was just enough violence, snark, romance, and story in this book. I was sad to see it go, but I loved the ride. Speaking of rides I want his damn bike! I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, but until then I have five other books to keep me warm at night.

The thing I most appreciate about these books is the evolving story line. You never know when a main character might die or even how final it is...considering the protagonist can go to Hell at will. This story is fast paced and continues all of the plot lines of the previous books.

When I read the first book of the series I unfavorably compared it to Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt series. It had the same sort of dark feel, but unlike the Joe Pitt series, this one actually has moments of civility and happiness.

These are incredible books. I also ended up getting the audiobooks, read by MacLeod Andrews, who is brilliant in the readings. Sandman Slim took me by surprise and now I just want more and more. Nothing PC here. Gritty and so funny you have to stop just to totally enjoy a line here and there. Read anything that made you do that lately?

Kill City Blues did get a bit congested and confusing at the end, but it still gets 5 stars from me. The worst thing I can say about it is that I finished it... and I want MORE!!!

If you liked the previous Sandman Slim Books then you'll love Kill City Blues, it's as simple as that.

Kill City Blues is dark, funny, and chalk full of kick butt action. Stark has a new mission in this installment in the series, find the Qomrama Om Ya and use it to stop the old gods from coming back and killing everyone and everything. This mission breaths new life into the series and revitalizes the energy of the story.

On top of that, readers will be pulled in from the first page and wont be able to put it down until the last. Kadrey writes some of the most disturbing and excellent action scenes out there and to say Kill City Blues is full of them is an understatement.

Readers will enjoy seeing characters of all sorts from the previous books in the series make an appearance, and will be especially delighted to see Vidocq not have a sizable role again but also see him in action.

Really all that you need to know is that Kill City Blues is dark, disturbing, and full of action. This book is not for everyone but if you've read and liked the previous books in the series then this is definitely the book for you.

[...]

Against my better sense, I have read this 4th installment of the Sandman Slim novels.

I liked the first three. I liked this one. Wit. Tough main character. LA Noir magic stuff. The devil and heaven in a war. Funny one-liner wisecracks.

This one is pretty good, too, but it lacks the three book arc, the battle for Hell, that structured the first three. A reader enjoys the book, but wishes that the author could invent a new character and setting, move on... why bother?

Still, a strange review to say you like it, you recommend it, but you hope that this is the last one.

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

This story was interesting in that it polarized all the characters into a nice clean path for the next book. Along the way, this plot was ok and Slim was back into action. I like the way the author is molding him away from his old self and showing character growth. Overall, not my favorite but I like the story lines.

These are incredible books. I also ended up getting the audiobooks, read by MacLeod Andrews, who is brilliant in the readings. Sandman Slim took me by surprise and now I just want more and more. Nothing PC here. Gritty and so funny you have to stop just to totally enjoy a line here and there. Read anything that made you do that lately?

Kill City Blues did get a bit congested and confusing at the end, but it still gets 5 stars from me. The worst thing I can say about it is that I finished it... and I want MORE!!!

If you liked the previous Sandman Slim Books then you'll love Kill City Blues, it's as simple as that.

Kill City Blues is dark, funny, and chalk full of kick butt action. Stark has a new mission in this installment in the series, find the Qomrama Om Ya and use it to stop the old gods from coming back and killing everyone and everything. This mission breaths new life into the series and revitalizes the energy of the story.

On top of that, readers will be pulled in from the first page and wont be able to put it down until the last. Kadrey writes some of the most disturbing and excellent action scenes out there and to say Kill City Blues is full of them is an understatement.

Readers will enjoy seeing characters of all sorts from the previous books in the series make an appearance, and will be especially delighted to see Vidocq not have a sizable role again but also see him in action.

Really all that you need to know is that Kill City Blues is dark, disturbing, and full of action. This book is not for everyone but if you've read and liked the previous books in the series then this is definitely the book for you.

[...]

Against my better sense, I have read this 4th installment of the Sandman Slim novels.

I liked the first three. I liked this one. Wit. Tough main character. LA Noir magic stuff. The devil and heaven in a war. Funny one-liner wisecracks.

This one is pretty good, too, but it lacks the three book arc, the battle for Hell, that structured the first three. A reader enjoys the book, but wishes that the author could invent a new character and setting, move on... why bother?

Still, a strange review to say you like it, you recommend it, but you hope that this is the last one.

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

This story was interesting in that it polarized all the characters into a nice clean path for the next book. Along the way, this plot was ok and Slim was back into action. I like the way the author is molding him away from his old self and showing character growth. Overall, not my favorite but I like the story lines.

Years ago, I reviewed Kadrey's first mass-produced published novel. This genre isn't really my thing anymore, because it gives me nightmares, but I wanted to see how Kadrey's writing was holding up.

He does not disappoint.

The Sandman Slim series is as inventive and funny as it ever was. It's easy to read, and entertaining.

If this is your type of book: highly recommended.

This series continues to provide fine diversion. As noted in a review of a prior book in the series, this is good urban fantasy told from a male perspective with a refreshing take on the genre now do dominated by the 'sexy vampire, hot werewolf' bodice busters. Recommended.

the Sandman Slim stories continue to impress me with the flow and build of the characters and storyline. I also really enjoy the lack of chapters, the style builds the story in a strong linear progression. in some ways it feels almost real time.

In my opinion Kadrey is a Master of the first person narrative, and like his other sandman slim novels he does not disappoint. the way he brings out the evolving nature of the characters bringing the tale of Sandman Slim to life.

Sandman Slim lives in modern L. A., and the violence has increased. Richard Kadrey puts the Oomrama Om Ya, a magical device that can destroy the universe, in an abandoned mall filled with ghosts and demons. So our half-ange hero who was lucifer in a previous book has to track it down singing the Kill City Blues (hard from Harper Voyager) The abandoned mall is more dangerous than Hell, literally. This is a fun, over-the-top, fantasy p.i. tale and just as much fun as the previous exciting adventures.
Review printed in the Philadelphia Weekly Press

No way in hell am I going to pay $11.04 for a book that I'll finish in 4 hours. The series while enjoyable was already pricey at $8.00, but $11 is just insulting. For that much I'll get off my lazy ass and go find it on a torrent site and read it for nothing. That's all you really accomplish when you attempt you gouge your customer base on something that exists in digital format.