James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim, crawled out of Hell, took bloody revenge for his girlfriend’s murder, and saved the world along the way. After that, what do you do for an encore? You take a lousy job tracking down monsters for money. It’s a depressing gig, but it pays for your beer and cigarettes. But in L.A., things can always get worse.
Like when Lucifer comes to town to supervise his movie biography and drafts Stark as his bodyguard. Sandman Slim has to swim with the human and inhuman sharks of L.A.’s underground power elite. That’s before the murders start. And before he runs into the Czech porn star who isn’t quite what she seems. Even before all those murdered people start coming back from the dead and join a zombie army that will change our world and Stark’s forever.
Death bites. Life is worse. All things considered, Hell’s not looking so bad.
More mayhem? Try another eerie earful of Sandman Slim.
©2010 Richard Kadrey (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
"Profane, intensely metaphoric language somehow makes self-tortured monster Stark sympathetic and turns a simple story into a powerful noir thriller." (Publishers Weekly)
"Wow"
I loved this book so much!!! It bounced around just a bit thats why I only gave it 4/5. Other than that you gotta pick this one up! You have to read the first book first tho. So many people try skipping books (drives me crazy on these ratings). I cant wait for the next one or for the movie they are working on!!!
BJS
"Book 2 in the Sandman Slim series"
. just gets better and better, can't wait to read the third book in the series. Narrator MacLeod Andrew is fantastic, Richard Kadrey really knows how to keep a story moving thee were NEVER any dull moments. It all ended to soon for me. I hope that Audible will be getting more from this author.
"The Sandman has come at last!!"
The second book of the Sandman Slim is filled with as many if not more twist and turns that will keep you plugged in till the end. Even after the book end it will you still wanting more.
R.K. is a great storyteller and has a great way to keep you in the moment. This book picks up six months after the end of book 1. Giving you a feeling of picking up right where you left off from book one.Sandman is forced in to looking for answers to questions that he really does not want to know. Things are going to get bad, but is he ready?
My only complaint about the book is that, I fear R.K. will take another year to write the next book. He has me chomping at the bit for more.
"Sarcasm? anyone? anyone?"
I'm half way through the second book. It has a good story thus far, however it is literally dripping with sarcasm. Everything that comes out the tough guy hero is sarcastic which gets a little annoying. I will however continue to listen and most likely will continue the series.
Yes. I like his story line and most of his characters. His views on Heaven and Hell are interesting. However PLEASE ease up on the sarcasm....I understand the hero was dealt a bad hand in life, but its hard to imagine anyone holding a conversation with him for more than 5 seconds.
The narrator does fine job bringing the characters to life. He portrays the character well and has a strong knack for the accents.
Say something about yourself!
"I can't get enuf of this series!"
First, this reader is superb. He gets what he's reading...just enough irony, a smattering of boredom, and that clueless guy thing...PERFECT! I love the reluctant, abused character that just keeps coming. I like the support characters, adore his French best friend and his eternal endless pursuit of something resembling a fair shot. The whole heaven/hell discourse is just worldly enough to give me a giggle over the politics. Worth the credit, I bought the first one on sale...the next two full price and can not wait for the fourth!
"Actually a better audiobook than Sandman Slim"
I don't know if was just better production or the narrator was better this time, but it was better than the first book. That is pretty rare, but the book was very good. Definitely worth a credit.
"Antagonists just didn't make it for me."
Kadrey's protagonists are fairly sophisticated characters that you can really get behind, despite (or because of) their huge flaws. The antagonists don't really stand up in the same way. In order to portray traditionally
No
He's solid. Andrews did a great job.
All of the angelic characters as well as the Kishi need to be reworked. It just was not happening.
Avid Zombie fan who's starting to listen to more and more Fantasy and Sci-Fi stories. So, my description is apt to change. Dog lover who's known to have cats. LOL C# coder, part-time prepper, B movie fan, AMC watcher, recovering but successful day trader, perpetual student, overjoyed uncle, former adrenaline junkie with a flare for cooking, and lots more. LOL
"good enough for me to buy book 3"
i found ktd (kill the dead) entertaining but not as entertaining as sandman slim. stark is more of a gumshoe this time around. he works for the golden vigil, collecting a gov't check. stark's brought in for his opinion of the death of an old sub rosa. as the story progresses, we learn more about the sub rosa and their factions.
uriel and candy are on the run and stark comes across a new partner, bridgette bardow, a porn star gypsy who hunts revenants (zombies). she teaches him the proper way to subdue a revenant by tearing out its spinal cord.
in ktd, you never get the sense that stark is evenly matched or outmatched like in sandman slim.
i found lucifer scarier and more terrifying in sandman slim. even though he had a few minor parts, he oozed power. the narrator's calm, easy tone conveyed lucifer's confidence and power. you hung on every word. stark even seemed to bbe afraid of him, not wanting to speak out of turn nor dare be disrespectful. now, stark talks back and throws wise a$$ remarks lucifer's way. i don't get the abrupt change. in ktd, lucifer is portrayed as a celebrity with people fawning over him instead of fearing him and putting their arm around him instead of cowering in fear. this was my biggest disappointment.
macleod andrew's performance was great again. he even pulls off an eastern european porn star. lol
overall, a pretty good follow-up. i grade it a sohmore slump after being blown away by the first book. don't get me wrong, i've already downloaded the 3rd book.
"ONe of the most fantatic series I have read in yrs"
There are few audio books in which I can say this but this series is wy better in audio than print.
Richard cadrey had hit a nerve with the public with this series. Stark is the everyman and no man at the same time. He represents all the bad things that have happened to all of us but he has the ability and will to strike back and do something about it. Thee stories are so well written and and I LOVE HIS TURN OF PHRASE, WHITISISMS, AND ONE LINERS. Kadrey is very talented at this.
I love ther narrators ability in this series. In an industry of so many hum drum narator, he is exceptionaly talented. His a bility for inflextion and indivifual voices has made him one of my favorites.
Be careful when you tell someone to go to hell. They just may do it and be back.
"Good. Period."
The top two: second only to Sandman Slim (read/listen to that one first).
Introduction of new and exciting characters, and more twists and turns than Lombard Street.
Tough question. Stark in the abandoned theater trying to navigate through the zombie multitude. There were others, I'll have to listen to it again...
The folks on the commuter train think I'm an idiot, the way I frequently laugh listening to Kadrey's books.
Movie, movie, movie.... (or miniseries?)