Devil Said Bang

Sandman Slim #4

by Richard Kadrey

Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim—aka James Stark—is, quite simply, one of the most outrageous uber-anti-heroes ever to kick serious butt on this or any other world or dimension.

In his previous three adventures—Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, and Aloha from Hell—Stark has fled Hell for California, taken on angels, demons, outlaw bikers, zombies, covert government operatives, and all manner of monsters, while saving humankind from total annihilation on numerous occasions. But in Devil Said Bang, he finally assumes the role he was destined for: as the new Lucifer, ruler of the Underworld.

Combining outrageously edgy humor with a dark and truly twisted vision, Richard Kadrey has once again delivered a masterful amalgam of action novel, urban fantasy, and in-your-face horror that will delight a wide range of readers—from Christopher Moore and Warren Ellis fans to the devoted adherents of Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Simon Green.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal, Audiobook, Supernatural

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2012

About the author

Richard Kadrey is a writer and freelance musician living in Pittsburgh, best known for his Sandman Slim novels. His work has been nominated for the Locus and BSFA awards. Kadrey's newest books are The Secrets of Insects, released in August 2023; The Dead Take the A Train (with Cassandra Khaw), released in September 2023; The Pale House Devil, released in September 2023.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.586 stars. More or less.

➽ Question : How can you not fall head over pincers for a guy who says stuff like:

“I am bacon, hear me roar.”

And also stuff like:

“So what’s this all about? You and your crew want a raise? How about two weeks’ vacation while I pull out your intestines with an oyster fork?”

➽ Answer : you bloody shrimping cannot. I mean, seriously. My boyfriend Jimmy Stark is so devilishly there's a pun here, just so you know. You are quite welcome irresistible I might slightly die. He's a little hot, too. I mean, that thing he has with, um, breaking furniture…Yum. Okay, so I'd rather he'd, um, break furniture with me than with Candy the Meat Grinder (CtMG™) don't ask , to be honest, but I guess crustaceans can't be choosers and stuff. Anyway, my fascinating point is: the guy's Prime Libidinous Material (PLM™). Especially with that super freaky cool mutant delightfully exotic insectile Kissi arm he was recently graced with. Now that's one Super Sexy Drool-Inducing Limb (SSDIL™), if you ask me. Well, some pathetic wimps seem to recoil and blanch and faint at its sight, but not me, nuh-huh. Because I'm no pathetic wimp, obviously. And because I have a thing for Somewhat Unconventional Arthropodic Appendages (SUAA™).



Okay, I better stop fangirling telling you about my most amazing boyfriend otherwise you might end up ODing on his dazzling yumminess and stuff.

So. About my boyfriend .

He is so divinely and scrumptiously mouth-watering, he makes my pincers tingle frenetically with joyful elation and stuff yes, pincers do indeed tingle, it's a scientifically proven fact . There is absolutely no way I can resist a beautifully fished-up, lusciously wry and heavenly snarky guy who happens to be "a magician, an ex-gladiator, a killer, and now YES this is a REAL spoiler, read it at your own risk the Devil himself." That's hopelessly compelling stuff where I come from (the Marianas Trench, in case you were wondering). Another thing that makes my boyfriend slightly appetizing is that he now has a murderous magic 8 ball which is kinda sorta like a Swiss army knife. Only slightly deadlier. Also, Jimmy has super cute fluffy pet called Ms. 45. I love her. She's really, you know, cute and fluffy and stuff you probably shouldn't trust me on that one . Also, also, he says stuff like:

“Answers are rare and come in their own time but hangovers are reliable and never in short supply.”

Also also, also, he says stuff like:

“You don’t look well,” says Deumos. “With a month’s vacation, a face-lift, and a crate of Ecstasy, I might work my way up to feeling like shit.”

Told you it was impossible not to fall head over pincers for him. Damn, the guy is so unbearably hot I might self-combust any second now.

Also, also, also, also, my boyfriend's a Rat Pack fan. And keeps talking about old Hollywood movies and actors and stuff. Sigh. If that isn't most perfect perfection, I don't know what is. Glorious deliciousness is him, I tell you!



Yes, this is what glorious deliciousness looks like in my world (the Marianas Trench, remember?). You're welcome.

So. Still not tired of hearing about my boyfriend? Haven't ODed on his wondrousness yet? Too bad. Oh, good. You're proving quite resistant for a silly bunch of spineless barnacles, you know. It's impressive, really. But I ever so slightly digress.

Okay, so in this installment, my boyfriend finds out how much being the King of Assholes (yes, this is an official title) sucks. Believe it or not, my suicidal squeeze managed to get himself stuck Downtown (aka Hell, you clueless flock) again at the end of Aloha from Hell. What can I say, the guy is voluptuously titillating but he has a thing for "dumb stunts." Which is probably part of his undying charm, come to think of it. Anyway, there he is, generally having a grand time Downtown with his hellion buddies, conscientiously attending reconstruction meetings (don't ask), gleefully dealing with Hellish bureaucracy, and getting enthusiastically mixed up in Hell politics. Time of his life and stuff. Also, everyone is trying to kill him. Yeah, so what else is new? I guess that's what you get for being a foul-mouthed bastard with an attitude and too much sarcasm for your own bad good.



Is there a point to this gif? Not sure. I shall think about it and get back to you post haste.

To be disgustingly honest, this installment is not *whispers* the most fascinating in the series so far. The Hellish politics and shenanigans are highly entertaining at first, but they get a little *whispers louder* boring less captivating after a while. And, like my boyfriend, I found myself wishing there was more people punching on his part, and less court scheming. Fortunately, this desperately dry spell didn't last long. Grizzly lobsters, high-tech ninja scuba divers and Kentucky fried insects started happening, and all was right in the world again. Then Snarky Snark—yes, I did just go there and feel no shame. Almost—managed to get back to L.A., where much stupendous mayhem, splendid possessions and non-stop homicidal action ensued. Some of it courtesy of a Lovely Little Giggly Murderous Assassin Girl (LLGMAG™), who, thanks to her manic serial killing skills, now finds herself really high up on my Need to Kidnap Adopt List (NtKAL™).



Look at my cute little baby! Such a charming, lovable kid she is.

What I find most palatably pleasing about this series is that there are no nice people in it. It's quite refreshing, really. As my boyfriend says "nice people are fucking weird," and it's better not to have too many of them running around and stuff. Especially since they tend to give me heartburn and stuff. But I digress. So, no nice people, but a beautifully screwed-up bunch of humans, monsters, non-boring ghosts (yes, there is such a thing), zombies and other assorted freaks. There is, of course, my girlfriend Candy of the superbly serrated teeth and claws. And Kasabian 3.0 (now with legs!). My old chum Allegra is unfortunately turning into a disgustingly self-righteous little bitch, but I still have hope for her. Maybe. Vidocq is not as slightly hot as he used to be, but he's French, so I guess that kind of makes up for it. Ha. Father Traven is getting more luscious by the minute. Because spoilerish reasons and stuff. And Saint James in no fishing comment. Because no fishing comment.

Anything else, you ask? Sure. Lots of spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff. And also some spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff. Not to forget the spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff. And the spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff. Prime quality spoiler spoiler spoiler stuff abounds in this installment! And I'm pretty sure it's about to get much worse in the following ones! Yay!

» And the moral of this Bloody Shrimping Hell It Looks Like Richard Kadrey Has Done it Again I Can't Be So Fishing Lucky I Better Go Down on my Pincers and Pray that this Will Last Until the End of Days Crappy Non Review (BSHILLRKHDiAICBSFLIBGDomPaPttWLUtEoDCNR™) is: this world. Those dialogues. This most wondrous potpourri of weirdoes and evil types. This My Jimmy Stark. His deliciously sarcastic, ever so slightly irreverent voice. I think I must be in Murderous Crustacean Heaven Hell (MCHH™) or something. I need to dance and stuff. Obviously.



P.S. Roman philosophers weren't Greek. They were, you know, Roman and stuff. You're welcome.
P.P.S.



· Book 1: Sandman Slim ★★★★★
· Book 2: Kill the Dead ★★★★★
· Book 3: Aloha from Hell ★★★★
· Book 3.5: Devil in the Dollhouse ★★★★
· Book 5: Kill City Blues ★★★★
· Book 6: The Getaway God ★★★★★
· Book 7: Killing Pretty ★★★★
· Book 8: The Perdition Score ★★★★★
· Book 9: The Kill Society ★★★★★
· Book 10: Hollywood Dead ★★★★★
· Book 11: Ballistic Kiss ★★★★
· Book 12: King Bullet ★★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

And, just like that, Jimmy Stark was catapulted to the top of my Boyfriend Food Chain (BFC™). Now let's dance.



Oh for Shrimp's Sake, put a little more energy into it, people! This is my bloody shrimping, super hot abomination boyfriend we're talking about here!!!



Now that's more like it! Shake your stuff, Leopard Lady!

» Full Pretty Sure Richard Kadrey Sold his Soul to Jimmy Stark Lucifer in Exchange for Most Wondrous Writing Powers There is No Other Explanation to So Much Gloriousness Crappy Non Review (PSRKShStJSLiEfMWWPTiNOEtSMGCNR™) to come.

[Paul O’Neill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life’s too short for rubbish books. There’s a good story in here somewhere. But the main character is far too annoying and stupid, and the whole book is just trying way too hard to be cool. No where near as good as Dresden series, in my view.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one started really slow, but ended...



... (dare I say it?)...



...with a bang!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I have to boil things down to their primary components, I generally have to say whether I had a really good time.

While reading this, I had a really great time.

Everything else is just extra-spicy gravy with bacon, a huge dollop of hellish bureaucracy (because, you know, that IS what hell is all about,) an unhealthy serving of killing, mayhem, and enough sweet snark to fill a mansion of Tony Snarks, and EVEN a suit of Iron Meany to go along with the bubbly humor.

And you've got yourself a tale of dual residency. Of course, all jokes aside, it's kinda hard to tell whether one is in Hell or LA.

Seriously. It IS a real problem.

So between Lucifer doing his damnedest to shirk his duties and returning to LA to wonder why the hell the ghosts are setting up a second-rate soap-opera hell on Earth, I just have to say one thing:

GIVE ME MORE.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, I'm exhausted. Following Sandman Slim, aka James Stark, aka Lucifer around Hell and LA (oddly interchangeable here) can wear you down. That's a good thing. Another amazing adventure with incredible imagery and wholly remarkable characters. If you're looking for something gritty, violent, and at the same time have a blast with great one-liners and dashes of humor, look no further than this series by Richard Kadrey. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride!!!

[Otherwyrld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 of this series finds James Stark AKA Sandman Slim, in charge of Hell as the new Lucifer. He finds its even worse than he thought - he has to attend endless planning meetings to rebuild Hell after it was pretty much destroyed in the last book.

It takes him almost exactly half the book before he's back to where he wants to be, which is Los Angeles (which strangely enough doesn't seem that different from Hell). The rest of the book finding him doing his speciality, which is blundering into bad situations then running around killing things. By the end, he's managed to sucker someone else to take on the job of Lucifer, and all is well with the world. That is until the monsters that have been let loose into this universe in this book come round to eat everything. He's not going to ruin the moment though, just enjoy things while he still can...

If you like a book about gods and demons, heaven and hell, all done in a world-weary Raymond Chandler voice, then this is the series for you. There's not really much else to say about this book, except that we finally finds out why Stark is called Sandman Slim. It's a bit rubbish though, which is probably why the author took so long to tell us.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm assuming you've read up to the third book. If you haven't, turn back now. Spoilers ahead!

And here I am again, entirely unsure of how I feel about this book because I'm really not sure what the hell is even going on anymore in a not-so-awesome way. Let me first just say that I'm still enjoying the hell out of this series - the things I don't like about this book are not enough to make me quit Sandman Slim or give up hope on Richard Kadrey - but this series, I think, is in a period where I think Kadrey could benefit with a small break from Stark or at least slowing his plot down a little. That said, I'll just say what I didn't like about this book first and then dive into what I did like and why I still think it's a worthwhile read/series.

Pacing was a huge issue for me in this book. It started off at a very good pace in the beginning and I think what saved it from a 3-star rating was getting its feet back towards the end, but the middle was a hot mess. Things happened at an unreal pace like Kadrey was scrambling to put things in place. I almost think he would have benefited from breaking this up into two books (or just making the damn book longer) so he could devote the right amount of time to each plot. I say each plot because there was a lot going on in this book and that's why there was such a massive trainwreck around the middle. The first half of the book deals with Stark in Hell - he's juggling a lot of things here because he's a) trying to figure how to be Lucifer/get all of Lucifer's juju, b) how to survive/figure out who the hell is trying to assassinate him this time, & c) how to get the hell out of Hell. This, honestly, would have been enough to carry a whole book on its own. The politics of Hell were very well-done and I enjoyed them more than Stark did. But soon he's busted out of Hell and it's like all of that no longer matters because now you have a crazy ghost on the loose and the fabric of reality is coming undone. Of course, you don't realize this nor are told about this until about the 3/4 mark, so it's kinda this huge deal is being crammed into an impossibly small space and expected to somehow unravel itself at an even and decent pace like the aforementioned Hell plot.

And then probably the most upsetting thing in the world for me about this book was what the hell happened to baby Jane Candy, Kadrey? (And secondary characters in general, but let me get to that in a moment.) I feel like Kadrey has just recently stumbled upon the true depths of the otaku/weeaboo...subculture (if I'm going to be super generous and call that garbage a subculture) and so has felt the need to hyper-inject it into the book. Either that or he's just been up late writing and watching the animu block on [adult swim] because he made references to at least four shows that cycle in there at one point or another. Don't get me wrong - I liked animanga & j-music (otherwise the references he made would have sailed right over my head), but it took some of the gritty adultness out of the book and almost made it seem like I was reading a book for fourteen-fifteen year olds when the references would pop up.

That said, it's managed to taint the secondary characters. Cherry Moon, who was once a satirical caricature of a sailor senshi-wannabe, has come back and now has more personality to her while I feel like Candy has lost her personality by emulating her current girlfriend's interests in animanga. Allegra is back to being an outright bitch - I have no problem with characters disagreeing with Stark or calling him out on being a dick, plenty do it; but Allegra has an over-the-top way of doing it that's always irritated me and it's in full-swing after she finds out he's Lucifer not by choice but because God & his angels are assholes. I'm glad her part in the book was downplayed, but I feel like Kadrey could have just simply had her overwhelmed with work at the clinic rather than her more or less removing herself from the situations by being so ridiculous. Especially since with her went Vidocq. To keep from ranting, I think you can see the pattern here that I'm talking about. Characters who rock don't get enough time (or have been taken in a direction I'm not a fan of) and the ones who are bland or generally uninteresting get too much. With the exception of Father Travens who is a badass and I hope he sticks around for a long time to come.

All of that said - I still like this book and I like it better than the last installment of Sandman Slim. I complained last time that a lot of the humor was starting to get stale in the series because of so many reused jokes, but I didn't really notice any reused jokes save Stark ranting about Glocks. (And that's okay. One reused joke isn't going to break it for me.) I also loved everything about Hell. The Convergence in the last book seemed like a really weaksauce way of avoiding trying to explain what Hell really looks like, but I felt like Kadrey touched just enough on what Hell really looks like to keep it from seeming like a cheap cop-out. And as I mentioned earlier, the politics in Hell are extremely interesting to me and I'm a little sad that the whole book wasn't based in Hell, ending with Stark busting out (because let's face it - he's right about not belonging in Hell).

I also really enjoyed the way Kadrey ultimately handled Stark's angelic half. Stark has been consistently seeing part of himself as separate since he discovered what he was until it was a literal split. Although it's somewhat of a backseat issue compared to other pressing matters - like the universe falling apart - it's interesting seeing Stark learning to just accept himself for who and what he is rather than the identities others thrust upon him. (Perhaps one of the most salient quotes of the book, Stark is pondering whether or not it's Hell that made him a monster or if he just learned the truth about himself there. I had to put the book down for a while after that not because it was bad but because I just had to soak that in.) In other words, I feel like Stark's character development has taken a huge step this time around and it's wonderful to see considering there was a little bit of a stagnation there in the third book.

Speaking of the other issues, despite the fact it was somewhat rushed and pushed through, I did like that the book finally decided to tackle the issue of whether or not God (of the Christian flavor) was the creator or the janitor of the universe. I won't say here what the verdict was for the sake of avoiding spoilers, but I love what Kadrey is doing here and I hope it's given more time in the next book than what it was given here.

All of that said, I can't wait for the next book to come out. Kadrey has the eerie ability of fixing my complaints about the series by the next book, so I have hopes that somehow he'll just know and do the same with Kill City Blues.

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Welcome to Hell. It’s just like high school but with more boredom and entrails.”

I must confess, I have not read all the books in this series. I’ve read Sandman Slim and enjoyed it immensely, but I missed books 2 and 3. Having said that, I honestly feel that I really didn’t feel lost when I read Devil Said Bang. The author did an excellent job of recapping prior events. I will go back and read Kill the Dead and Aloha from Hell soon, just to fill in the details.

I loved Devil Said Bang and here’s why:

The World – This is a dark urban fantasy, set in Convergence L.A. where Hell is a mirror image of present day Los Angeles. The real Lucifer has left Downtown (Hell) and guess who is now Lucifer – yup, James Stark aka Sandman Slim. Of course, EVERYONE wants to kill him.

Which brings us to The Politics – In a way, the politics of Hell mirror our present day politics only much more lethal. There is some diabolical scheming going on in Hell and many characters want to be the number one guy. Lucifer doesn’t really have patience for the political machinations and he rapidly learns what pisses the Hellions off.

“I can’t believe I’m learning how politics and court intrigue work. I feel a little dirty. I miss punching people. “

I loved the eccentric characters and beings in this series. Stark (Lucifer) exudes attitude and snark. He has a wry sense of humor. Stark has a commanding presence and he is street smart. Stark’s relative Wild Bill is a hoot, demon marked and forced to run a saloon in convergence L.A. There’s Candy – think land shark meets a vampire – and you have Candy, a Jade. Candy is Stark’s love interest but she swings both ways. I found Kasabian intriguing. Poor guy lost his body and was just a talking head, literally. Now he is attached to a mechanical steampunkish Hellhound. Slimy and scheming, Kasabian makes for a perfect foil for Stark.

“I get Rin Tin Tin’s gnawed off bones and you get to look like Robocop – story of my life.”

There are some pretty interesting gadgets in this book. Lucifer (Stark) gets access to a special armor that makes him impossible to kill, though that doesn’t stop people from trying. He also has the Magic 8 Ball, a fascinating weapon that always returns to him. The hellhounds are truly grotesque – part animal, part steampunk contraption, and always faithful to Stark. Truly horrifying.

The plot was action packed and full of twists and turns. The book was difficult to put down, despite the fact that it lacked chapter breaks. Plan your bio breaks accordingly!

The Sandman Slim series would appeal to lovers of dark urban fantasy. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 4.586 ***

RTC

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've made mention of this before, but the structure of these books is a little weird. The back cover blurb makes it sound a little different than it turns out to be.

Devil Said Bang picks up not long after Aloha From Hell. Stark is adjusting to his new role as Lucifer after being snookered into the job by Original Lucifer. Squashing coups, dodging assassins, it all comes with the territory. Being in Hell isn't all bad though; he found his 3x-great grandfather Wild Bill Hickock, who tends bar now instead of being lost in one of the outlands. Bill isn't such a bad guy, and he offers Slim a lot of sage advice - if only he was smart enough to listen.

Meanwhile, it's been 3 months since Stark left Candy behind in the mortal realm, promising to be back soon. He thinks about her all the time, and dreams of food that isn't disgusting. When he finally makes it back topside - after the halfway point of the book - he discovers that LA isn't the same shithole it was when he left... and Candy is seeing somebody new.

The first half is all about hellion politics and frankly, it's boring but necessary to set up the overarching storyline. Once Stark returns to the mortal world, things get interesting because of all the changes. The sky is green for example, and of course, watching him try to work things out with Candy. I think I would have liked it better if the last half of AFH and the first half of DSB would've been one book.

Next up is Kill City Blues.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I am giving this book 4 stars even though I really enjoy Sandman Slim at the 5 star level. This book by its very nature of taking place after Aloha from Hell(book 3) which ended many of the main story lines is at a disadvantage. It does bring to conclusion the few remaining open ends and really brings Sandman Slim back to his center but offers up little extra.

This is a fun read that takes place first in Hell and then back on the streets of LA. Without spoilers James Stark spends much of this book having to fulfill work obligations all the while trying to figure out a way to reclaim his old life back in LA. Like the previous novels, Kadrey further deepens the storyline of war between heaven and hell, and gives us even more backstory on Lucifer and God himself. Sandman Slim has an amazing arsenal of killing weapons at his disposal, a landspeed breaking motorcycle, and a really sweet piece of armor. There are many great action scenes and the plot has a couple of cool twists. Ii ends in such a way that I am even more pleased with the direction that his story can continue than I was at the end of the last book.

Kadrey’s writing brings life and humor to this dark urban fantasy and makes his books a pleasure to read.


““If wishes were horses we’d all have shit on our boots. Choose, Chuck. A quiet death or a messy life.””

A good sum up of the first three books that also show off Kadrey’s writing style:

““No. Just thinking about things. Back in Hell, Great-Great-Great-Granddad told me to pick and choose my fights. I agree with him but sometimes it’s hard to pick which fights because you don’t know what they are until you start. I thought I was Elvis on Ice when I stopped Mason’s war with Heaven. But I left all those Hellions Mason’s war with Heaven. But I left all those Hellions worse off because they thought they were going to get free from Hell. Then I come back to L.A. to find Candy off with someone else, Aelita is back, there’s a murdering ghost on the loose, and a scar-faced skinhead’s looking to kill me all because I cut off a Kissi’s head a year ago. He deserved it but that doesn’t matter in the big picture. What matters is everything down the line that killing him triggered. But how do you know what bad juju you’re shaking loose before you start shaking things up?””


I confess that I am a lover of all things with a biblical horror flare, and the Sandman Slim series leads the way. James Stark is a no holds barred killing machine that gets his looks and his style from his father?/uncle? Lucifer himself. This book completes what Aloha from Hell started and concludes at a good place. I highly enjoyed this book as I have all of this series…Highly recommended!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth book in Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim series, “Devil Said Bang” brings back the hard-boiled antihero James Stark on another darkly humorous adventure through supernatural Los Angeles. This time, Stark is fresh out of Hell after killing Mason, the previous ruler. But being Lucifer isn't all it's cracked up to be, as Stark faces challenges and enemies at every turn. And the biggest threat may be hiding right by his side.

Narrator MacLeod Andrews effortlessly channels Stark's gritty first-person voice, capturing his blunt cynicism and gallows humor. Andrews' delivery is a perfect match for Stark's rough narration, making you feel like you're listening to Stark tell the story himself. He voices the expansive cast skillfully, providing unique tones and accents to distinguish the many characters. Andrews particularly shines during the energetic action scenes, relaying Stark's fights and chase sequences with cinematic flair.

As usual in this series, the plot moves at a brisk pace, throwing one crisis after another at Stark. Barely settling into his unwanted role as Lucifer, Stark faces dissent in the ranks from demons questioning his right to rule. The angelic Golden Vigil, who previously had a tentative truce with Stark, are now gunning for him. And the Vigil has secret backing from an unknown traitor right in Stark's midst.

On top of all that, the magical puck Max Overton needs Stark's protection from parties trying to take advantage of Max's reality-bending powers. And a new drug called Chase is giving normal humans dangerous magical abilities, threatening to expose the shadowy supernatural side of LA. Stark must juggle all these threats, while reluctantly learning to harness his newfound divine powers.

The non-stop action includes plenty of Kadrey's trademark violence and black humor. Stark dispatches enemies in gory and creative ways, such as magically compelling a gangster to gorge himself to death. The banter between Stark and his circle of allies provides comic relief, particularly the bickering between Stark and the sarcastic talking head on his keychain. Andrews peppers the narration with deadpan humor and sarcasm, highlighting the absurdity of Stark's larger-than-life circumstances.

Amidst the kinetic fantasy plot, Kadrey weaves thought-provoking ideas about power, corruption, and the nature of divinity. Stark may now be Lucifer, but he despises the political machinations and tyranny typically associated with those in charge. He has no interest in ruling over anyone, just wanting the freedom to live his life. Stark is constantly confronted with difficult moral quandaries, knowing people will suffer no matter what he chooses. His raw, personal voice makes him a compelling noir-ish antihero, grappling with the burden of godlike power he never desired.

As the stakes get higher in this propulsive urban fantasy thriller, Stark finds himself backed into a corner. With enemies attacking from multiple fronts, Stark may have to unleash his full, potentially world-ending powers. But will that play right into the true villain's hands? With its blend of hardboiled attitude, dark supernatural elements, and philosophical themes, Devil Said Bang delivers everything fans have come to expect from Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim series. MacLeod Andrews' virtuoso narration makes this action-packed paranormal noir even more hard hitting and entertaining in audio form.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta say, I was really worried going into this one, because, as I mentioned in the review of book three (and 3.5, for that matter), I just hate stories set in Hell.

And the Sandman Slim Hell has electricity, and television, and phones, and... just no. It may be Hell, but it ain't the Hell I picture (and yes, I fully realize my own biases are slathered all over this.... sue me).

But! About a third of the way through, my attention was tweaked, and then...

And then things just got so good again.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I have to say, this series is ridiculous, improbable, unbelievable...and totally cool. I'm right back to enjoying (dare I say it?) the Hell out of Sandman Slim.

[Kaustubh Dudhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Don’t fear God
Don’t worry about death
What is good is easy to get, and
What is terrible is easy to endure"

James Stark is turning into my favorite monster hero. This book is so good that it corrupts your professional mindset and makes you late on honest reviews requested by the budding authors. I feel no need to comment on the plot and characters. They are extremely crazy and awesome. The plot is mind blowing.

Stark becomes Lucifer and is stuck in Hell. (yeah! Again!) Additionally, the Hellions are not happy at all with a mortal being their King and the protector. Nevertheless, Stark maintains his humor. Read this - "Obyzuth and Samyazah look at me like they caught me eating cookies before dinner."

Although I have found the earlier books full of philosophical shit. (Fuck! Sandman Slim has affected me with his foul mouth.) Here the author have read my mind. "The only thing I'm sicker of than philosophy is philosophers."

Yet he blasts us innocent readers with - "Baby, the only real estate that counts is the pretty grave the other guy goes in."

I always have cursed the autorickshaw (a three wheeled cab) drivers in India (particularly in Pune and Mumbai because of their snobbishness and megalomania.) I never have known that the cabbies are similar in L.A.
"Thank God for cabbies. People joke that when the world ends, all that'll be left are the roaches. They forget the cabbies. As long as the roaches have money to pay or something to trade, the cabbies will be there to drive them from their roach motels to their roach offices and out to te roach suburbs, slamming on the brakes, cursing out the window, and overcharging them all the way."

There are couple of times when I laughed out loud. Perhaps, only Full Metal Alchemist fans will understand this - "That's cool. I'm into cosplay. Between the armor and the arm you can be both brothers in Full Metal Alchemist."
"So, we're having a three-way with only two people."
"Shut up and kiss me."

Eventually, the moment I was waiting for the quantum physics to kick in, has come. The author had explained introduced the M-theory which is the basic of this whole series. "In math there's something called M-theory. It says that we live in a universe with many parallel dimensions and many universes all separated by infinitely large membranes."
I had read about M-Theory in Skippy Dies. I am not a geek.

Finally, as per the tradition, I would like to thank Milda Page Runner for the phenomenal recommendation.

[Arun Divakar · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a sort of interest-boredom relationship that I have formed with Richard Kadrey’s character James Stark. The first book – Sandman Slim was a real roller coaster and Stark proved to be an amazing find breaking away from most cookie cutter characters in urban fantasy. However, the subsequent parts were only mildly interesting what with a war between heaven and hell, Lucifer’s woes, God’s nervous breakdown etc. Kadrey has adopted a very predictable approach in his novels which is very similar to how we feed babies. It goes like this :

Mom - Oh look at that pretty little bird, doesn’t baby want to hear it sing ? ( spoons a mouthful closer to the baby’s mouth)

Baby looks flabbergasted and wonders what the bird is all about (the spoonful of food is surreptitiously pushed into the mouth)

Mom – Just one more spoonful now !

Baby seems to figure out this is a trick and closes its mouth stubbornly

The traitorous bird in the meantime begins to sing in a beautiful voice and…

Baby opens its mouth and marvels at the sound (another spoonful goes in)

Mom – Now who’s a good baby !

The bird in this series is a war between a rogue angel who wants to usurp the throne of the grand old man (it’s not Lucifer though !) and our own James Stark. Calling it a war would be a giving it undue importance for Kadrey has been talking about this tiff for three books already with no end in sight. In a 250 page book, he brings in the rogue angel at page 235 whose only role is to say ‘peekaboo, I see you’ and then disappear. Having this done in one book is understandable but three books in a row is rather stale. Stark’s temperament is also rather puerile and does not make it any more interesting. Watching him don the garb of Morningstar is rather painful an experience.

I am this close to abandoning this series. One more book ? Maybe !

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 1 out of 5]

When we last left Sandman Slim he had been tricked by Samel into becoming the next Lucifer and his angel half had ditched him in hell. This book opens with Stark learning how to be Lucifer and to avoid being killed. The hellions are not impressed to have a human in the top spot and seek to overload him with bureaucracy because hell needs to be rebuilt. He taken his ancestor wild Bill on as sort of an adviser but longs to be back in LA.

I am pretty sure that this is going to be the last book in this series that I read. Four books in, and I still don't enjoy the story and this time, I kept drifting from plain old boredom. I have zero investment in Stark, who cannot figure out whether trouble comes to him, or he finds trouble everywhere that he goes. His sarcasm, if one can even call it that, is puerile and his behaviour is the equivalent of a bull in a china shop.

He seems to float from one disaster to another in his attempt to save the world. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but since then, it has been nothing but a series of disappointments. It is really sad because Kadrey has built what could have been an interesting world. God is not the God that we understand him to be, nor is he the creator of the universe.

Honestly, I don't have much to say about this novel except to say that I a glad I am done. I very nearly did not finish. Stark just seemed to meander from place to place with no real point or destination. The conversations were stilted and that is particularly true of any scene involving Wild Bill. It felt like Stark entire mission was to walk around and appear as bad ass as possible. If after four books the protagonist has not developed any complexity or nuance it is quite simply never going to happen.

Read More

[Lianne Pheno · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...


Un tome assez chaotique, mais l’univers me plait toujours autant.
Plus la série avance plus on est sur un coté Rock ‘n Roll bien fun. Le héros est un taré(freak) totalement abîmé par la vie qui se fiche totalement de la morale de ses actions ni de ce que les autres pensent de lui. Il entend bien faire chier le plus de monde possible, et si possible les personnes qui le méritent selon lui.

Pour l’histoire de ce tome, en fait on est plus sur une intrigue de développement de personnage au fur et à mesure qu’un vrai scénario. En dehors des 100 dernières pages ou un truc se met en place. Le héros, James Stark, est devenu par un concours de circonstance le diable.
Il s’agit d’un titre qui vient avec certains pouvoirs donnés par une armure magique. Avec ce titre il est en charge de l’enfer.

Mais c’est vraiment son enfer personnel en fait. Parce qu’il s’agit d’une charge principalement bureaucratique. Tout ce qu’il déteste quoi, lui l’homme d’action qui prend son pied à buter du zombie.
Réunions, comités de décision, dossiers à signer … il est vraiment mal parti !
J’adore l’humour qui est mis en place.

And that’s not even the worst dream. The worst are when I wake up sweating from nightmares about city-planning meetings. Swear to God. I dream about signing papers. I dream about progress reports on freeway repairs. About digging through mile-high piles of office supplies for Post-its and paper clips.
I’m a magician, an ex-gladiator, a killer, and now the Devil himself and my greatest night terrors revolve around lost memos and trying to remember the Hellion word for “incentivize.”

Heureusement, son quotidien est parsemé de moments funs où des gens tentent de le tuer.
Il va falloir qu’il trouve rapidement un moyen de déléguer, ou de trouver une personne à qui refiler la patate chaude …
Sans parler du fait que quand il était parti à l’origine il avait dit à sa copine qu’il reviendrait dans 3 jours, et bien sur le fait que « Saint James » sa moitié ange (il est un nephilim, une abomination aux yeux de tous) l’a quitté et a rejoint la Terre. Il ne sait pas si celui ci n’a pas provoqué plus de catastrophes depuis …

En gros on a un tome qui dans ses 2/3 est Stark qui tente de résoudre tout ces problèmes. Il faut attendre le dernier tiers pour qu’une vrai intrigue de tome arrive, avec une menace inconnue sous la forme d’un drôle de fantômes de petite fille qui débarque et tue des vivants à coup de couteau (alors que normalement les fantômes ne peuvent pas interagir avec les vivants).

Du coup je dirais que ce tome était clairement un tome de transition, mais qu’il était vraiment fun.

Franchement, si vous cherchez une série déjantée, pleine d’humour et rock ‘n roll, n’hésitez pas à aller voir du coté de celle ci. Elle coche toutes les cases !

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟

[Brainycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brainycat's 5 "B"s:
boobs: 1
blood: 4
bombs: 3
bondage: 0
blasphemy: 4

It's been a long time since I read #3 in the series. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I didn't feel like it did a good job of recapping the supporting cast, and I felt lost through a lot of the book. Perhaps related, I had difficulty getting a clean translation from amazon's file (I didn't check the format) to epub.

Stark hasn't changed much; this story picks up two or three months after #3 ends. And that's one of the reasons I liked this book so much, I got to check in on one of my favorite characters right after I'd seen him last and he hadn't settled into a comfortable old age.

Kadrey's similes and snarky observation still cracked me up through the whole book: "...went through the hellion like a pack of chainsaws fired from a cannon." is just one expression that I had to share with Mrs. Brainycat. Maybe it's my midwestern upbringing, but turns-of-words like that endear me to Kadrey's writing, and Stark is still one of the best anti-heroes I've had the pleasure of reading about.

I hope this isn't the last in the series. I had hoped that Stark would spend at least a whole book ruling Hell, as Kadrey's take on it is unique, refreshing and entertaining. Dealing with the archdemons would have been a great development arc for Stark; not only could he bully and mangle them but he'd have to start learning more political approaches. Clearly, Kadrey wanted to keep Stark the one-trick (read "break stuff and see what happens") pony that he has been through the first three books.

If you're going to read any of the Sandman Slim books, definitely read them in order. If you make it to #4, clearly you like Stark (warts and all) and you appreciate Kadrey's dry laconic style. I made it to number four, and I'm hoping there will be a #5.

[Karen ⚜Mess⚜ · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacHalo Buddy Read

I lurve Sandman Slim.

It's been awhile since I've picked up a Sandman Slim. I'm so glad we're doing a buddy read over at the MacHalos. The 3rd book wasn't all that great. I'm glad to see Kadrey back in the groove of things with this 4th book.

My battle scarred hero is back in hell and has to find his way out, again. Even though he's Lucifer this time, who wants to be stuck in hell pushing paper when he has a girl on Earth?

The story starts off a bit slow, but picks up to the usual Sandman Slim excellence. I had to slow down on my reading. There was so many little things mentioned that I didn't want to miss. Even though most of it didn't have any strong ties to the story, it was still neat to catch all the Easter Eggs.

I'll continue tagging along with the MacHalos to finish this series. Hopefully, we'll do this slow and steady so that I don't prematurely tap out.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first three entries in this series -- Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead. and Aloha From Hell -- were terrific fun. Richard Kadrey juiced the urban fantasy genre with plenty of dark humor and blasphemous wit. His energy and invention flag, unfortunately, with the fourth novel, Devil Said Bang. Considering that the previous tale ended with Lucifer returning to heaven and the hero stuck with the task of running hell, Kadrey may have painted himself into a creative corner. This starts promisingly enough -- Stark is commissioning new designs for Hell's important buildings, telling his architect to come up with something "a little less Albert Speer" -- but the first hundred or so pages felt inert and uninspired, with too many pro forma fights and action scenes. After three bull's-eyes in a row, Kadrey has earned a bit of indulgence from his readers, but I hope the next novel, Kill City Blues, is a significant improvement from over one.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the Sandman Slim but this book was a jumbled pity party. Sandman slim was better when he was driven by his anger at the world and those that had wronged him. The emo version of Stark that the reader is forced to suffer in this book is not the same guy. Somewhere in the endless complaining I think I saw something that looked like a plot but it’s hard to be sure. I vaguely remember something about reality threatening to unravel and random appearances by volcanoes, icebergs, and porn stars.

Major events in the series story line are treated like unimportant little details in this book. They just sort of happen suddenly and none of the characters seem to care very much or react in a manner that makes much sense. All in all this is a very disappointing addition to the Sandman Slim series.

[Maggie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, although I still enjoyed the adventures of Stark, there was a lot of jumping the shark going on.....not a good sign

[RG · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* My friend has advised me this is his favourite series of all time. I just cant get into since book 1. Stark has returned to LA but I feel like hes attempting to be cool rather than just being cool. Something about Stark annoys me. The action is cool but I feel like the characters journey is just repetetive. Will give it one more book.

[Dan Altomare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 2.5 stars than 3. Least favorite of the series so far. Enthusiasm for sandman slim waning.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is the 4th book in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. I got an eGalley for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This one started off a little slower than previous books, but really picked up speed as the book went on. I ended up loving this one just as much as previous books. It’s gritty, darkly humorous, and Stark is the perfect anti-hero.

The book starts with Stark down in Hell trying to do his job as Lucifer. When he finds out Lucifer mainly does a lot of paper work he continues looking for a way back to L.A. He gets back to L.A. only to find that a serial killer ghost is on the rampage; if Stark doesn’t figure out how to stop the ghost then L.A. could end up worse than Hell.

This book is kind of like two books, or at least two distinct parts of one story. The first part deals with Stark in Hell as he tries to figure out Lucifer’s job, evade assassinations and find a way back to L.A. I didn’t enjoy this part as much as previous Sandman Slim books. Yeah there is a lot of action, but you also get a lot of Hellion names thrown at you and it gets hard to keep track of all the Generals, etc.

I did enjoy watching Stark run the Hellion administration Sandman Slim style. It was pretty hilarious to watch him smack down all those Hellish administrative types. I also enjoyed the secret and truly deadly weapon that looks like a Magic 8 ball.

Things pick up pace and become much more interesting when Stark gets back to L.A. This goes back to the more traditional “Stark solves a murder to save the world” sort of story line. I loved that all of the great characters from previous books feature. Candy is back in full force and it was great to watch her and Stark kick some butt. The Father is back as well and he has learned some truly awesome and deadly spiritual magic and is backing Stark up with more than just intellect. Brigette makes a cameo appearance too.

As with previous books Stark has to solve a mystery or the whole city (and lots of the world) will bite it. In this case it is a murderous young girl ghost that he is chasing. As he solves this mystery we are introduced to more detail of the ghost realms and some new and interesting characters.

Stark actually develops quite a bit as a character in this book. He has to track down his angelic half and make peace with it, and he is starting to actually care about some of the people around him. He is just as tragic as in previous books but he is changing and growing some. It was great to have some character development here.

The action scenes are awesome, the settings dank and gritty. The dialogue sounds like it feel out of an old black and white noir film and it totally over the top at times; I absolutely love it! This is a gritty and ugly urban fantasy and I absolutely adore it.

Overall an excellent addition to the series. The beginning does drag a bit, but things really pick up in the second half of the book. All of our favorite characters are back and Stark makes some awesome progress in character development. This isn’t my favorite Sandman Slim novel, but it is still an excellent one. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of gritty urban fantasy.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I may be generous for making it a 3.5 star rating because the actual developments that happened in this book could have been handled in two novellas and cut out the extra that made up the reasons to balk, grumble, kick things and basically stick Stark's head in a hole.

Towards the end of the book, my fear was that the book would be a filler novel. One of those that have minor developments but don't do anything else. Perhaps I set myself up with high expectations for the series and Kadrey's writing but this one didn't hold up as well as the other books I've read. This one read as a filler for me.

At the most basic, it looked like Kadrey had key points that he wanted to address in this book and made sure that they happened. It had all the elements that one would expect to read in a Sandman Slim piece but it lacked passion, Stark's drive and the cool reveal.

The message is that everything is a mess but don't screw with the way it is because it's our mess. The bad guys want to be in charge. The not-so-bad guys are playing Switzerland or twiddling their fingers away from the action and definitely running away from duty, responsibility or holding up the world from breaking.

Keepers from this book:

-WWWBD = What Would Wild Bill Do?
-Clouds colliding into a ginormous mass, splitting apart into mini-tornadoes and spitting fish & rocks.
-Brigitte is awesome. Good to have her back.
-The fallen angels/hellions are a mess and it's amazingly depressingly sad. It makes sense in a twisted way. The bleak & mourning landscape was a great setting. I liked it. I just wish Stark did something about it rather than pawn it off on someone else. Then again, all of his actions fit him as the avoidance kid that didn't want to hold onto anything but love for one gal.

If the (crappy) evil doer from this book is the key figure in the next one, I hope the villain becomes more interesting because it's really hard to top old Satin, God/s, Mason and Aelita.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now when I picked this up I didn't realize that this was part of a series but thankfully this wasn't a problem in following the story or who was who as Kadrey does give a brief explanation as part of the story progression. This book finds Sandman Slim (also known as James Stark) running Hell, or trying to, while avoiding the pitfalls and traps that come with the role and with being him it seems and of course all the while trying to escape Hell for the second time. As the title hints this was an entertaining and humorous read with some great characters both good and bad and plenty in between. I am definitely looking out for the rest of this series.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment in the series has some of the tightest, smoothest action I've ever read. The plot progresses forward with few digressions, information is imparted in such a manner that it doesn't stall the story or the action in anyway. The dreamers however, pushed my suspension of disbelief a little too much, I think that part coud have been left out.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another great addition to the series. I laughed so much as I read this one and I can't help but get excited about what sandman slim will be doing next. The fact that there are some horrible situations that make me laugh make me wonder about my own mental state.