GREAT READS

Sandman Slim

Richard Kadrey

After being sent to Hell for eleven years by his circle of magician "friends," Stark manages to return to Los Angeles in Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim in a terminally bad mood, stronger than ever, and with only one thing on his mind: revenge.  In Hell, Stark was an oddity as he was still mortal and had a soul, so he was used to amuse Lucifer and his Generals in the fighting arena and later used as an assassin... a killer of monsters.   Now, I know what you're thinking, but this book is way more entertaining and interesting than I or the book jacket makes it sound.  Think Josey Wales with superpowers and a penchant for mayhem in today's Los Angeles, which is filled with magicians--real magicians, not a sawing-a-woman-in-half kind-- angels and demons, and everything in between... (Much like Joss Whedon's  Buffy  on steroids with none of the cutesy-ness... now it's sounding better, right?)  This twisted, whiskey-fueled, tuxedo t-shirt of a tale kept me on the edge of my seat and the audio book reader's gravelly Tom Waits-type voice matched the noir novel perfectly, though it is also available in print.  I dark-heartedly recommend this book to readers interested in the supernatural, Dresden novels, Sookie Stackhouse, and fights between good and evil.

Recommended by Tim Andrews