Sandman Slim

Sandman Slim, Book 1

By: Richard Kadrey

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

When he was 19, James Stark was considered to be one of the greatest natural magicians, a reputation that got him demon-snatched and sent downtown - to Hell - where he survived as a gladiator, a sideshow freak entertaining Satan's fallen angels.

That was 11 years ago. Now, the hitman who goes only by Stark has escaped and is back in L.A. Armed with a fortune-telling coin, a black bone knife, and an infernal key, Stark is determined to destroy the magic circle - led by the conniving and powerful Mason Faim - that stole his life.

Though nearly everything has changed, one constant remains: his friend Vidocq, a 200-year-old Frenchman who has been keeping vigil for the young magician's return. But when Stark's first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head that belongs to the first of the circle, a sleazy video store owner named Kasabian, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than he counted on, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.

©2009 Richard Kadrey (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Love it

Must listen. Sandman Slim is such a lovable asshole. The narrator is the perfect voice for him.

Grungy supernatural novel w/tons of one-liners and hellions

Pretty darn good grungy supernatural novel! MacLeod Andrews is a fantastic narrator. Cool use of biblical myth in its darker forms. The powers seemed a little too over the top and Michael Bay-like at times. Fun book to listen to without needing to think too hard.

good

it started slow comma what about 50% of the way in it started to pick up. Not to say that there wasn't much action towards the beginning of the story just not action that I cared about. I could add the series to the list of ones I read, but I won't could as a priority.

Great characters, strong story and laugh out loud

I loved every minute of it, and am definitely going to listen to the whole series!

Monster Who Kills The Monsters

I had heard good things about this series - repeatedly - but you know ... time. Now that I've listened to the first book - I get it now. This is great urban fantasy & I'm going to be listening to the next books in the series very soon.

This is my first book narrated by MacLeod Andrews - really enjoyed his performance.

Great First Book!

Man, I love this series!
I have read all the books at least twice and now I am listening to the books multiple times too!
The voice actor is a perfect fit for this character!
The story is way cool! And try w characters are likable and fun!
What f you are thinking of checking out this series and the description has you contemplating the f you should chance it and but this book, my suggestion is HELL YES!!
Anyway, I am off to listen to o book 2, Kill the Dead!

Great storytelling

This is a very enjoyable story. I especially liked the humor. I highly recommend it.

Found something with a Dresden files vibe

Was looking for something to fill the void of finishing Dresden Files and this really fit that need! Great overall listen

What Would John McClane Do?

There were things that I loved about this book and there were things that were unbelievably lame.

First, the Good:
The modern supernatural setting in LA is bloody brilliant. I've sampled a good amount of this genre: Dresden, Mercy Thompson, Iron Druid, American Gods, and this one holds its own very well. In one novel Kadrey elaborates some supernatural arcana, teases others, and leaves himself plenty of room to explore.

The action is solid, gruesome, plentiful and well described. While it may not refine exactly who has what powers and the exact mechanics of each, you still get clearly depicted fight scenes, explosions, magical fireballs and whatnot. You're never left waiting long and the story moves quickly.

The story is a common trope: Hero returns from long absence for revenge or redemption, finds world has changed and has to cope with changes and adversity on the way to his goal. See: Payback, The Perfect Weapon, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!, and about a million others. On its own this is fine, if not particularly innovative, but it does play extremely well with the supernatural setting.

The Lame:

The title character is a joke. And it is not because Kadrey can't write good characters. Most of the ones in the book are just fine, some are extremely well developed. Stark (Sandman Slim) is a cartoon.

He is a magically gifted kid who at 19 is betrayed and sent, still alive, to Hell to be tortured and made to fight in gladiatorial combat for 11 years. That in itself is really, really cool. Unfortunately, his portrayal is that of a 14 year old with all the cynicism of a vetran IRS agent depicted by Chuck Palahniuk and a constant pathological need to prove what a tough guy he is. It's silly. It took me 10 minutes to hate him. After that all the trouble he gets himself into is well deserved. I started rooting for people to beat some sense into him.

You can just imagine him thinking, "what would a tough guy drink/smoke/say?" It is like every sentence about the title character should end with, "because I'm a badass."

That said, Andrews's depiction of Slate is dead on. He sounds exactly like he reads, like a young guy trying to do a Jack Nicholson impression. I was well satisfied with Andrews's reading mostly. I had do take some points off for his French accent. It's close, but the way he pronounces Rs are an abomination.

I'M STEELTOE BOOTS IN A BALLET SLIPPER WORLD

NOT A RENT AND ELECTRIC GUY
Stark (Sandman Slim) is just back from Hell, where he has been kicking Demon Butt. This takes place in THE LAND OF CHEESEBURGERS AND COWBOYS. The wise cracks and hard core action is non-stop. The humor is dry, witty and often vulgar. Stark has been away from Earth for eleven years. A lot of things have changed, for instance no smoking in bars. For Stark, who CAN'T SMOKE IN THE SHOWER, BELIEVE ME, HE HAS TRIED, wonders why COFFEE DOES NOT COME IN A CIGARETTE FLAVOR. Stark has not been treated well by his so called friends, and he is out for revenge. Matter of fact they have made him feel DUMPED LIKE THE PROM DATE THAT DIDN'T GIVE OUT.

A GUY WHO ISN'T AFRAID TO PANTS GOD.
You may not have a problem with all the bad language, but still might have a problem with the disrespect for your religion. God is viewed as a deity who makes mistakes, with humans being the biggest ones. The Virgin Mary, Pope and Jesus are also made fun of. DID I HURT YOUR FEELINGS AGAIN? SORRY WHEN THIS OVER, I'LL SEND FLOWERS TO YOUR INNER CHILD.

HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD, I'M A MAGICIAN
I listened to this right after a Harry Dresden Novel. This has a lot in common with that, he even as his own version of Bob. This is gorier, nasty and funnier, if you like that sort of humor and a lot of people will not, so beware. THE TRICK IS NOT TO REMEMBER, THE TRICK IS TO LEARN. There are some intellectual messages hidden in the gory vulgar details. Unlike everyone else who like to lecture in their novels, Kadry knows how to entertain. Yet, some people will get so wrapped up in the vulgarity that they will miss the genius of Richard. SO SIMPLE FUNGUS COULD GET IT.

MY HEAD IS FULL OF MONSTERS AND I'M ONE OF THEM.
I believe fans of Clive Barker and J.A. Konrath will love this. This may sound like it is nothing but a bunch of one liners, but all sentences are well planned out and fit the story and the characters. Most novels kind of go flat in the middle, with a attention getter in the beginning and a grand finale. This book is entertaining from start to finish. NICE OUTFIT, DID YOU GET THAT AT ONE GARAGE SALE OR MORE THEN ONE?

The narrator is a perfect fit for this novel.

YOUR THE ONE WITH ALL THE BOOKS, YOU TELL ME.