Most people die before they go to Hell...not so with James Stark. He has spent the past
eleven years as a hit man living in Hell, but now he's back on the streets of Los Angeles,
and looking for revenge. He wants the people who killed his girlfriend, and sent him to
Hell to pay the ultimate price.
Richard Kadrey's sense of humor is exceeded only by his fruitful imagination as he takes
Stark from one bad encounter to another. Stark's talent as a magician gets him into and out
of trouble, and keeps the reader guessing. Violent and convulsively funny, Sandman Slim
gives new meaning to fantasy literature. Merriam-Webster defines an anti-hero as a "protagonist
or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities." Stark is all of that...
long on testosterone and ambition, he will keep you reading long into the night.
After beheading second-rate magician Kasabian, Stark parks the head, who still lives and
talks, on a closet shelf. Their conversations with each other are hilarious. Stark goes
hunting for the Black Magician, Faim, who is the target of his revenge, then Homeland Security
agents and a crazy angel get mixed up in the chase.
The plot is not exactly straightforward, but the characters are compelling and the action
is great. Fantasy is not usually my favorite kind of story, but Kadrey's brand of fantasy
may just be addicting.