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    Sandman Slim
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    Sandman Slim
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    Sandman Slim
    Ebook358 pages5 hours

    Sandman Slim

    By Richard Kadrey

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 7, 2012
    ISBN9780007445998
    Author

    Richard Kadrey

    Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir books. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film. Some of his other books include The Wrong Dead Guy, The Everything Box, Metrophage, and Butcher Bird. He also writes the Vertigo comic Lucifer.

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    Reviews for Sandman Slim

    4/5

    894 ratings99 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Yes it did take me several years to read this book. Not because it isn't a great book, but because I was reading it on my iPhone kindle ap, which I didn't care for. Then I got a real kindle a few days ago, and ripped through the second half.

      Sandman Slim is a different breed of urban fantasy. It's in your face, who cares, I'm doing what I want and I don't care how you feel storytelling. I love the main character. He's crass, funny, and holds nothing back.

      I have already listened to book 3 on audio, since it's the only one my library had. I will definitely be looking to pick up the others.
    • 4/5
      I picked this book up on a whim at the library; the title caught my eye. I started it without any expectations. I found it to be an excellent read.

      The first line smacked me right in the attention, and dragged me into the rest of the book. Like the main character, the plot hit hard and hit often, maintaining a breakneck pace throughout. The whole thing drips with cynicism and sarcasm with a healthy side of dark humor.

      The elements of this book shouldn't work together. If I outlined this novel, you'd probably laugh. Somehow, Mr. Kadrey manages to not only pull it all together, but make it perfectly reasonable. As the cosmology flies past, it makes perfect sense.

      The characterization is much of what makes this book work. There are no placeholder or cardboard-cut-out characters. Everyone's a real person, even if you don't see everyone's story. You have a good idea of what the main character is like on the first page. Like a quick-sketch artist, the author only needs a few lines to show someone to you.

      If Terry Pratchett, D. H. Lawrence, and Dorothy Parker had a love child, and that child knew far more about the back-streets of LA than could legally be admitted, Sandman Slim could be that love child.
    • 3/5
      3 stars, but could have been so much more.

      Okay, so this was a mash-up of urban fantasy, LA-style noir, gothic punk, with angelic/demonic tendencies, along with the potential to be a great story that didn't quite get there.

      As a 19-year old young man, James Stark was part of a gang heavily involved in magic -- real magic, the kind that can get you killed and sent to Hell. Which is exactly what happened to Stark. Sent to hell for 11 years, where he was used by his demonic tormentors in a gladiator-like arena. He has now escaped, and made his way back to LA for revenge against his former gang.

      That's the set up, and like I said, the potential is great. I'm not sure what happened along the way, but it failed to live up to that potential. The characters were okay, maybe flat and cliche, the plot was good, if a bit overused, and the "surprise" ending was anything but surprising, being broadcast loud and clear from about the halfway point.

      Even still, I'll keep reading/listening to the series for now, in hopes that it will improve.
    • 4/5
      This book was good. A nice addition to the urban paranormal field. It had a few areas that I thought were not handled as well as I would have liked. Sometimes I felt that it tried to hard to be funny. A few dings here and there keeping it from a five but I will read the next one.
    • 4/5
      Not your usual bible story...
      As normal. I'll not re-hash - the author does much better than I at writing. This book had been recommended to me by one I respect, so I went in with an open mind & high expectations. My mind was blown & my source's reputation is unsullied...
      This novel - I wouldn't call it YA (not for my kids anyway)but it is light & quick & gripping & dark.... and I'm kinda tickled they're making a movie - I hope it works like Sin City did (yes, that's what I compare SS to first)
      I read it in a few days (I typically have several books going at once, but focused on this one)& will return it tomorrow to my library where it'll jump into another's happy hands.
      I look forward to the sequel.
      Do check out the author's web pages.
    • 5/5
      Fun, dark, and sort of heart-breakingly ridiculous, this is one of those books that you can't help falling into and catapulting through. I have to imagine it's a little like what could result from a mafia boss locking Stephen King and Christopher Moore into a room, and demanding they write a book for him. It defies genre, and it makes you laugh at things that, if you thought about them for any length of time, might make you cry or crawl into the closet to hide.In other words, it's kind of awesome, and I can't wait to read the next one.So, yes, absolutely, I recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Fast, fun read.
    • 2/5
      Too much cursing.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars for a well-written and engaging book that only suffers because I'm not a huge fan of anti-heroes. The "tempered-by-Hell/motivated by revenge" Stark is a hard character for me to want to have in my head for too long. Still a great read but not a character I'll probably revisit.
    • 5/5
      Awesome. I could totally see where the writing style and dialog and whatnot would really piss off and annoy some people, but everything is just this delightful mix of dry, snarky cynicism that completely appeals to me.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audiobook at work and it surely did make the day pass easily. This was just fun.

      I hope Kadrey does it again.
    • 1/5
      A male Anita Blake. How boring.
    • 4/5
      The premise: Stark is the only living man who's been dragged into Hell, and now he's escaped with a vengeance. Literally: he's going to bring down every single person who betrayed him and stuck him into Hell in the first place, but in doing so, he learns there's much more going on in the world than he ever imagined, and he's being recruited by both Heavenly and Hellion forces to fight. But for a man who only wants revenge, who cares what happens to the rest of the world? Stark is about to find out. My RatingWorth the Cash: I thought long and hard about this rating, and I want to point out the "worth the cash" rating is worth noting because this book is currently available in HARDCOVER. I enjoyed this SO MUCH that when the sequel (surely to God there's a sequel) comes out, I will be getting it in HARDCOVER. So yeah, I enjoyed the hell out of this. I feel it's kind of a cross between Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Butcher, leaning more towards the graphic violence (which makes sense, as Kadrey is also a graphic novelist) and plenty of profanity. The world-building and religious views might also make some people uncomfortable, so know thyself before picking up this book. Neither Heaven nor Hell is painted in a pretty light. Personally, I loved it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Kadrey does with his character of Stark, aka Sandman Slim, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the religious world-building goes into that, because it's anything but cheesy. It's a fast read despite the fact there are NO chapter breaks, and the cast is just ridiculously enjoyable. Where Stark might sometimes feel like an unsympathetic bastard, the supporting cast more than makes up for it in awesomeness. So yeah, worth the cash, and that's in hardcover! Review style: Two sections, what I liked and what I didn't, no spoilers. So if you're interested in the full review, you may find it in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :) REVIEW: Richard Kadrey's SANDMAN SLIM
    • 3/5
      The hero, Stark, was dragged off to hell at the age of 19 and somehow managed to survive for eleven years. He becomes quite a noted killer, even in hell.
      Then, one day, he escapes and comes back to earth to come after all the people that were involved in sending him below.
      This is a very dark book with an interesting, wise-cracking anti-hero.
    • 2/5
      If you like Felix Castor, Dresden Files or Hellblazer, you'll love Sandman Slim. He's a little more cynical and seems to our of far too many close calls but essentially the same noir, detective, urban fantasy.
    • 2/5
      Stark is back on earth, newly arrived from eleven years in hell, and is ready to raise some hell of his own. Wanting revenge on those responsible for the death of the love of Stark's life, he cares not who he hurts in his quest to get to the guilty. While this book had potential, it is just too irreverent with too much violence and not enough plot. There were some interesting plot points, but now enough to carry the story.
    • 4/5
      Awesome! Twisted, but fun. I cannot wait to dig into the next book.
    • 4/5
      Sandman Slim - a book that keeps popping up on my suggested books to read list - Its good. Fairly typical, but better than most in the most genre. And, we get no romance. No sparkly vampires, just gore, and lots of it. This book is dark, full of action, and is smartly written. Exactly what a person needs who wants something easy to read, but still makes sense. Sandman Slim is an anomaly - a human who managed to survive Hell and survive. What doesn't kill him seems to make him stronger. When he gets a chance to escape - he takes, and starts a process that involves copious amounts of blood on the way to his revenge of the person who put him there.Its fairly typical, plot wise. But where it shines is the writing - the plot makes sense, plot holes are filled, characters make sense (and maybe grow a bit). My only critique is the world of Heaven and Hell - I'm always slightly annoyed when these are filled with angels and fallen angels who act human, but with special powers. Also, the editor should have changed the name of the big Evil in this story, its a bit too cute for the story.Regardless of the Angel/Devil thing, I found the book to be a good read. Its typical of the genre, but of a higher writing standard than the average. Read it if you want a dark, fast paced urban fantasy story.
    • 5/5
      Dark, haunting, and funny as hell. You know that you should not like Sandman Slim but at some point you find yourself cheering and saying Hell, yes! as Stark inflicts pain on another one of the hoarde aligned against him. It's hard-boiled science fiction at its best.
    • 5/5
      I picked up Sandman Slim after absolutely adoring another one of Kadrey's novels, Butcher Bird, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. While different from Butcher Bird, Kadrey still makes use of his awesome writing skills, and describes for us the world as it is, or at least as he or maybe better yet, as Sandman Slim sees it. It's a quirky, action packed novel for those of us who can't get enough of the horror genera, but isn't so off-putting that someone who isn't so into horror wouldn't get a kick out of it. As always, I love Kadrey's humanization of both The Devil and angels and demons, and how everything is so gritty. The language and attitudes of the characters fit perfectly and I don't think I've stuck with a series as long as I have with the Sandman Slim books. No holds barred in this series. There are times (as in a lot of books) where the narration drags a little, but it in no way takes away from the epicness that is Sandman Slim. This series has everything - angels, demons, revenants, vampires, and whatever else you can think of, all wrapped up in an ugly little package of awesomeness.
    • 4/5
      My friend phoebe recommended this to me on friday as there was a .99 special for the ebook on amazon. I don't think I even got around to reading the synopsis, sorta just decided that since it was a recommendation and so cheap, why not. Especially after someone said Dresden (I have heard awesome things about the series, and loved the tv show)

      I think this was my first urban fantasy novel. I found I couldn't put it down. I was 50% done before 24 hours was up. I finished the rest of the book today.

      It had a lot of the god/heaven-hell mythology tied into it. Angels, Demons, Other things. I'm not really sure what to say about that, but I thought it was put together to form a good book. Even the minor characters seemed to enough depth to pull you in and like them (or hate them).

      I've already picked up the next book and will get to it asap.
    • 4/5
      It's a guy who escaped from Hell with the intention of killing everyone who put him there. Simple as that. There's no reluctant hero, no romance, no quest, no internal struggle, no touchy-feely. Just a guy who's going to kill you all. The best part is that the novel delivers what it promises, but then it delivers more. So much more.
    • 4/5
      A young man who can do real magic, is sent down to hell by the members of his circle. He survives (alive) for 10 years and figures out a way to escape. His arrival back on Earth is focused on revenge - on those who sent him to hell, and murdered his girlfriend. I found the book a bit hard to get into at first, but once I got over the whole, 'god' 'the devil' 'hell' 'angel' and 'heaven' thing, I found it intriguing. Especially once the worlds began to coalesce and you saw that those words, while common, are used for quite different things than you assume.Fast paced, noir, brutal at times, the main character is hard to like. But he grows and evolves and more importantly grows up.I'll certainly be continuing this series.
    • 5/5
      Sandman Slim fits into that small slice of urban fantasy not completely populated with ass-kicking girls in revealing clothing... it's still dark and grisly, populated with all sorts of monsters, and lots of ass-kicking but Sandman Slim makes a wonderful addition to the pages of the genre.Jimmy Stark doesn't seem to fit in. He didn't fit in as a youngster, always showing them up the other magicians in the circle. He certainly didn't fit into Hell, where he was the only human to ever find their way Downtown, spending eleven years as a gladiator and demonic assassin. Now back on earth, he's stronger, faster, and all but invulnerable to death.... and he's got a hit list that just might destroy the world. Pissing off angels, humans, and all variety of nasty creatures, Stark must decide who he is, and what is worth fighting for.The story is well worth reading. It flows well... and while it's predictable, it's very entertaining. It's a book where you can easily get lost in the pages
    • 4/5
      While I did have moments where things didn't flow as well as maybe I might like but overall this was an excellent read. James Stark is back, he's been to hell and back, literally and now he's out for revenge. He's going to find the other people from his magical circle and determine why he was exiled to hell and why they killed his girlfriend. He's learned a skill or two in hell and picked up a souvenir or too as well.He's not a pleasant man, but he's a good friend to people and wants them to be safe and he desperately wants revenge, helping to stop the apocalypse is a good side-effect if he can wrangle it.Kick ass and interesting I liked the read.
    • 4/5
      This was a fairly fun yarn about a human who escapes from Hell to take revenge on those who sent him there and killed his girlfriend. There's a lot of magic stuff and religious stuff involved. My main complaint is it feels pretty derivative. The main character seems like the kind of snarky anti-hero we've seen so many times before, the kind who wisecracks before, during, and after he slaughters the bad guys and is about as complex as a paper clip. Still it's OK for light reading.
    • 5/5
      people that enjoy jim butcher the dresden files will love this series. The main character is what I would refer to as an anti hero
    • 4/5
      This first book in the series was the high point for me. I read all five before writing any reviews. I like noir and I like the supernatural. This series combines them with a quality I haven't felt since Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt series. The goodness of this series is uneven, to the point I did not really like the fifth book.The series starts off with a bang, a hum-dinger of a fast-pitch and I ate it up. There are a crap-ton of flaws but I enjoyed this book enough to rate it above average. Some of the phrases Stark comes up with are pure awesome-sauce, put together by a wordsmith with an eye for humor.
    • 2/5
      When I first started the book, I disapproved of the main character, James Stark, but I couldn't help liking him. He way way far to the left of the antihero meter. After escaping Hell, emerging from a graveyard, and patting down clothes still smouldering with hellfire, his first action is to mug a guy for his wallet, jacket, and sunglasses (he left him his carkeys and credit cards). He's bitter, vengeful, and unapologetically so--but he's so phegmatic and wry that I found it hard not to like him.
      Then the story started deviating from my expectations. Stark has come back to earth to hunt down the people who sent him down under. We all know how this plot goes. He's supposed to come back, form relationships, start realizing that there is something bigger than himself going on, and slowly, become a human rather than a monster. Not Stark. The only reason he can even take the position of antiheroic protagonist is that the villains are apparently worse than him. He is hateful to people who risk everything for him, vicious to his enemies, and rude to just about everyone.
      For a while, I had trouble putting the book down. Then we start meeting the angels, who are as obnoxious as the demons, hear the world mythology, and learn that there is a struggle between heaven, hell, and the Kissi (not pronounced the way it sounds). If the afterlives are totally unmysterious and there's no good left in the world, what's the point? Why not just let it all burn? Why worry if people die if it's the same everywhere?
      This is not my kind of protagonist. I like them flawed, but good deep down. Stark is an asshole. He might be entertaining, but he is inhumanly detached. The same goes for the book's morality--I need a book to acknowledge that the world at least HAS a moral center; I'm not sure the author thinks this. I don't think Stark's analyzed anything hard enough to even ask the question. It's all just mindless violence and rage, "justified" by being against "monsters". The book leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
    • 4/5
      In this work Jimmy was sent to Hell 11 years ago by the people in his circle. Now he is back and looking for revenge. In the process he will save the world, not once but twice and make some new friends. This book has an interesting take on heaven and hell and the in-between. The characters are the interesting and well developed, and I really loved Candy.