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.

wonderfully gritty

lots of dark humor, great one liners. fast paced and clever. sandman slim is a broken, cigarette smoking hard case with a set of values all his own. it's hard not to fall in love with this bad boy.

Well I'm hooked

This story was way better then I expected it to be. The narrator for it is perfect and really brings the story together. I manages to be dark and gritty without being vulgar. The main character is an Ahole but redeemable.

I loved this book!

What did you like about this audiobook?

The gritty and passionate voice of the reader, the twisty and truly unpredictable plotline, and the surprisingly eloquent and observant rhetoric.

Do you have any additional comments?

There is a pretty large amount of swearing. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have bought it, but enjoyed it anyway!

Pretty Good

Pretty Good story, a little out there but excellent performance by reader. Not sure if I'm going to continue the series.

Very good start to a series

Sandman Slim is a very good first book in a series. MacLeod Andrews does a great job of reading the characters and bringing them to life. His reading reminded me of Luke Dianiels reading The Iron Druid Chronicles and James Marsters/John Glover reading The Dresden Files. If you are wonding what the book is like, think Desden Files meets the TV show Reaper. Beginning to end it was an entertaining story that hooks you quick and doesn't have to strain to keep your attention.

I'll keep listening

Just started the series myself, but I hear it's worth sticking around for. The anti-Dresden main character has his own unique look, act and sound. The narrator feels like the perfect voice for the foul mouthed beserker that Sandman Slim was for me. Like many first books the author is clearly finding his stride and there are a few awkward spots that seemed unoriginal, but it's obvious how well his universe is coming together for future stories. Overall, I'm glad I picked it up and am looking forward to the next one.

Anti-hero that escaped from hell

What made the experience of listening to Sandman Slim the most enjoyable?

Humor.

What did you like best about this story?

Sandman Slim is about the world where the real world and the magical world co-exist.

What does MacLeod Andrews bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator brings well the sarcasm and angriness from the main character.

Any additional comments?

I found about this book in the goodread profile of Patrick Rothfuss the author of The Name of the wind, and one of my favorite authors.

A bit shy of special

Good book, minus some holes in the story. Seems like it could be a good start to something but misses the mark a little on leading you there by leaving out a lot of details, which makes it frustrating at times.

Performance was what got me through the book as it's pretty great.

Just as good as I had hoped it would be!

I feel like I have been wanting to read this book forever. I bought the ebook more than eight years ago and added the audiobook to my collection nearly six years ago. I am not really sure why it took me so long to finally get started with the series but I am happy to report that this book is really as good as I had hoped it would be. I am so glad that I finally took the time to give this one a listen.

James Stark was only 19 years old when he went to Hell. It is now 11 years later and he is back and ready to deal with the friends who sent him away. The past 11 years have been hard on Stark but he survived and picked up a few skills along the way. Things have changed in the world while he was away and he has a few adjustments to make as he works to settle the score.

I really liked Stark. He is tough and able to think on his feet. We learn pretty early on that he can be rather brutal when necessary but he will also go out of his way to help others who are truly innocent. We really learn a lot about Stark in this book and I think that his past and time in Hell have helped to shape him. Stark does have a sense of humor and there were times that I found myself chuckling. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast of characters and I think that the whole ensemble really helped to make the story entertaining.

This story is really exciting. It is really interesting right out of the gate and everything builds as the story progresses. I like that there is no big information dump as you sometimes find in the first installment in a series. Instead, the world-building happens slowly as the story is told. There is plenty of action to keep things moving and a few scenes where we really get to see how much Stark has lost. I think that the pacing of the story was very well done and I liked that I was always eager to get back to the story.

MacLeod Andrews did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. He really brought James Stark to life and I couldn't imagine this character having a different voice. He handled all of the character voices extremely well and added a lot of excitement to the story. I know that I enjoyed this story a bit more because of his narration.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. This is a very strong start to a series that I can't wait to continue. The characters were very well done and I found myself completely engaged in the story from beginning to end. I cannot wait to read more of this series!

Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim Audible Review

I’ve always loved this story. Macleod Andrew’s performance was perfect for the story. He made Jimmy Stark really come alive.