Hollywood Dead

Sandman Slim #10

by Richard Kadrey

Life and death takes on an entirely new meaning for half-angel, half-human hero James Stark, aka, Sandman Slim, in this insanely inventive, high-intensity tenth supernatural noir thriller in the New York Times bestselling series.

James Stark is back from Hell, trailing more trouble in his wake. To return to LA, he had to make a deal with the evil power brokers, Wormwood – an arrangement that came with a catch. While he may be home, Stark isn’t quite himself…because he’s only partially alive.

There’s a time limit on his reanimated body, and unless Stark can find the people targeting Wormwood, he will die again – and this time there will be no coming back. Even though he’s armed with the Room of Thirteen Doors, Stark knows he can’t find Wormwood’s enemies alone. To succeed he’s got to enlist the help of new friends – plus a few unexpected old faces.

Stark has been in dangerous situations before – you don’t get named Sandman Slim for nothing. But with a mysterious enemy on the loose, a debt to pay, and a clock ticking down, this may truly be the beginning of his end…

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

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2018

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 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 8.86487522927 stars.

“Anyone can give you chocolate and flowers, but when they’ll disembowel someone for you? That’s true love.”

Truer words were never spoken, methinks.

Okay. What can I tell you about this Slightly Scrumptious Instalment (SSI™), you ask? Besides the fact that it might or might not be one of the Bloody Shrimping Best (BSB™) in the series, you mean? Oh, I don’t know. Well, I guess I could start by repeating for the hundred millionth time telling you that Jimmy Stark is my #1 boyfriend, and that anyone or anything coming near a 1,000,000 mile radius of him will die a somewhat excruciating death at the hands pincers of my murderous children but hey, no pressure and stuff . Then I could tell you that spoiler spoiler spoiler. And also that spoiler spoiler spoiler. And that spoiler spoiler spoiler, too! Amazing, isn’t it?! That’s Richard Kadrey for you. The guy is uncommonly generous with the awesomely spoilerish stuff I wanted to trademark this one but the acronym wasn’t terribly, um, classy and stuff, so I thought better of it. I bet Mr Kadrey will be eternally full of grate and stuff . He can’t help it, he was born that way.

So. In case you missed it, the point I was so brilliantly trying to make up here ↑↑ is: this instalment is One Big Fishing Spoiler (OBFS™) and there is very little I can tell you about it. You are quite welcome.



What I can actually tell you is that Hollywood Dead stressed the shrimp out of nefarious little me from beginning to end. Which felt orgasmically glorious and stuff. My boyfriend is kind of on a deadline in this instalment, you see you probably don’t realize it but this is me being hilariously funny and stuff , and you don’t really know how things are going to turn out until the very last page. Because Evil Mr Kadrey loves to torture his hero’s girlfriend readers like that. And his hero’s girlfriend readers 💕lurve💕 him for it and stuff. Anyway, fun lovely nerve-wracking times and stuff. I think my black, withered heard actually stopped beating several times while I was reading the book. And the murderous shrimps bit their pincers until they bled while listening to the audio version (audiobooks work better for them because they can listen while slaughtering puny humans). Such sensitive little creatures they are.

Anyway, something else what I can actually tell you about this instalment is that there are ill-intentioned people in it who keep unsettling my boyfriend’s “tranquil disposition.” Just when he was trying to “dance around the edges of being a complete asshole!” Can you believe this?! The nerve of some people! My Jimmy is trying not very hard to be all “zen is me” and stuff, but ends up being forced to slightly butcher idiots and making “elevator–in–The Shining levels of blood” flow. That is quite outrageous, if you ask me. To think I just booked a 10-day bloodbath-free meditation retreat for us. I guess I better cancel now. Sigh. This is almost as disappoiting as not being able to “ teach a mollusk to play fetch.” Almost.



Bad mollusk jokes. You either don’t find them funny, or you don’t.

You know what the coolest thing about Jimmy’s latest adventure is? He got some fantastic interior decorating advice from a top-notch—if a teensy little bit unbalanced and somewhat hysterical—magician. What, you didn’t know magicians were extra-super renowned for their home designing skills? Where have you been the past eleven years? Not in hell, obviously. Anyway, Jimmy might have not done “anything smart in years,” but he listened very carefully to what Hijruun told him, and he’s got great plans for our humble abode:

• Eyeballs instead of flowers in the garden.
• Bundles of nerves as surveillance cameras.
• Pink, healthy-looking lungs as doorbell.
• Carpets made of bones and cartilage.
• Candle holders made from ribs and vertebrae.

Our home is going to be SO cozy and welcoming and stuff! Well it will be to Jimmy and I, anyway. You don’t seem to agree. I guess it all depends on what your standard for weird is. Ours is “someone riding a bicycle made of tits and assholes.” What is yours? Okay then, forget I asked. You’re no fun, you know.

➽ And the moral of this Had Anyone Ever Told Me I Would Become Addicted to a First Person Present Tense Series Before I Came Across Sandman Slim I Would Probably Have Unleashed the Crustaceans on Them Crappy Non Review (HAETMIWBAtaFPPTSBICASSIWPHUtCoTCNR™) is: my boyfriend Jimmy Stark might be both a “ham sandwich” and “one big blood sausage ready for frying,” but he is officially the 💕lurve💕 of my UF life. BACK. THE. FISH. OFF. Thank thee kindly.

P.S. Mustang Sally, will you marry me? Pretty please? I promise to buy you tons of junk food and stuff.

· Book 1: Sandman Slim ★★★★★
· Book 2: Kill the Dead ★★★★★
· Book 3: Aloha from Hell ★★★★
· Book 3.5: Devil in the Dollhouse ★★★★★
· Book 4: Devil Said Bang ★★★★
· Book 5: Kill City Blues ★★★★
· Book 6: The Getaway God ★★★★★
· Book 7: Killing Pretty ★★★★
· Book 9: The Kill Society ★★★★★
· Book 11: Ballistic Kiss ★★★★
· Book 12: King Bullet ★★★★★

[Jennifer Mlynowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

read my reviews at http://jenchaosreviews.com

By Richard Kadrey

Harper Voyager, August 28, 2018

Richard Kadrey has done it again with the tenth installment of the Sandman Slim Series. He never disappoints, and Stark is better than ever!



For those of you who haven't read the series before: this could be a spoiler sorry.







Life and death take on a new meaning for half-angel, half-human hero James Stark, aka, Sandman Slim. James Stark is back from the dead, and from Hell(again) and in L.A.  He makes a deal with the infamous Wormwood, sworn enemies of the SubRosa community and dealers in death and souls. The deal comes with a catch, he may be alive, but he's only half-alive, and he has only a few days to complete a mission for Wormwood or die (again) and return to Hell (again), and there is no coming back this time.

The mission is simple, kill the people targeting Wormwood, and he can become fully alive again and have his life the way it was before. Armed with the room of thirteen doors, he knows he cannot find the enemies by himself. He enlists the aid of new people and a cast of familiar faces to help him on this impossible mission before time runs out.

RATING: 5 Stars

REVIEW:

I have been reading the Sandman Slim series for the past year and let me say this is the most enjoyable, most explosive, best-built character-driven series I have seen. Hollywood Dead is the tenth installment in the series, and you CANNOT read this book as a standalone novel. All the Sandman Slim books have to be read in order.

The characters are well known to me by this point, and they stay consistent throughout the series. As I have seen in some series, authors often make their characters something else as a series huffs along and that's when a series becomes, well, not so enjoyable. In this case, Mr. Kadrey made all of his characters have the same traits as they always have with personal development with each book. There is no major upheaval that I could see.



I was disappointed when James Stark died and went to Hell, so I highly anticipated the release of this book. I was anxious to see Stark back in action. This time there is no major catastrophe as was in some of the past books. However, there was terrorism of sorts and a one-man wrecking crew. He never pretended to have all the answers, and that's what I liked about him. I loved the human part of him that made him NOT super intelligent, super healthy and immortal. I have read other books where the protagonist has a tendency never to get hurt and always kills his or her targets effortlessly. Mr. Kadrey however, makes Stark more human than angel. He DOES get hurt; he dies like everyone else, he has the scars to prove it. Does he always get his guy? Not all the time, but that is what leads the books into another sequel (which is why you cannot read these out of order).

The cast of characters are well fleshed out and not always support Stark in his endeavors of saving the world ( or in this case himself). He does have a love interest that has carried on for a few books with a person who is also a monster. Though he loves her and wants to be with her, he knows the mission he is embarking on will only bring trouble to her doorstep ( which happens to be the doorstep of two other friends). He tries hard to stay away from her and feels terrible about not getting in touch with her; but, being dead for a year has placed her in a new relationship and life that she has moved onto without him.

When the action happens, it happens BIG, and Mr. Kadrey describes it with incredible detail and no gratuitous gore. Stark does not always win, but he does come back for vengeance.

WRITING:

It is no secret that Richard Kadry is a tremendous storyteller. He is smooth and consistent. The style is modern and not dull or stiff. I can get through a book in one day. I have never been disappointed with Richard Kadrey's Work.

PLOT:

There was one main plot that was hashed out in the beginning and, really, was mentioned in Book #9, The Kill Society. The sub-plots with the main plot tied together about the end of the book and kept me guessing the whole time. I was not bored or disappointed. The story does not hesitate or stall in any way. The main plot is the mission to find the people that are targeting Wormwood. The subplot number one is making sure Stark can become fully alive with or without Wormwood's help. Some of the other subplots are discovered by reading the book itself.  The ending is not predictable in a way. Some of it is. However, it does leave the door open for a new book. (YAY!)

WHAT I LIKED:

I liked the way Stark confronted his demons. Over the past few novels, he was going through a series of self-discovery. Being dead and in Hell a year gave him time to really inventory his life. He comes back to L.A. the same killer that he is known as being, but this time he is more conscious of what the goal is and tries to stick with it without making too much of a mess of things. Though he takes a deal with the shadiest group in the world (or universe for that matter), he was coerced and wants them to fulfill the end of their bargain.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

I didn't like that he reunited with his friends so late in the book. It seemed he didn't trust them as much as he didn't trust himself. He didn't give his prior girlfriend more credit, and I think that's a bit disheartening.

I also didn't like that the SubRosa community didn't have more of a role in this book as they did in the other books. I would have liked to see them more.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

The book was clean and crisp. The story was as action-packed and full of twists and turns that kept the story exciting and full of life. There was no romance, however, and that is what makes this book and the others stand alone in the Urban Fantasy realm. Sandman Slim is not that kind of series. There is love, yes, but it's more about saving humanity from evil magicians and malevolent demons and gods, (not to mention angry rebel angels) and keeping the characters in one piece. This is a remarkable book, and I am thrilled I read it.

I look forward to re-reading the series.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandman Slim/James Stark is reanimated by a Wormwood necromancer, with a tight timeline to find out who is killing its key members. Unless he delivers, Stark will die again so he is afraid to contact Candy and his other friends. He wanders into the Bamboo House of Dolls, and is recognized (despite his glamour) by bartender, Carlos, who takes him home to meet his roommate/lover, to help slow his deterioration. Stark begins to figure out there is a rival faction led by another psycho from his past, but his body cannot repair the damage being inflicted (despite plastic wrap and duct tape.) Stark eventually gathers a diverse group of supporters, including a girl from The Donut Shop, a SubRosa boss, and his usual cadre. It was great to see the return of Mustang Sally too.

As another more thoughtful reviewer observed: if you liked The Perdition Score, you'll like this one, but if you preferred The Kill Society, you won't.

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antihero version of It's A Wonderful Life, where the world actually might be better off without you. Clever, and funny, and tragic.

The next two book in the series are lame, and I recommend stopping with this one.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars


Hollywood Dead by Richard Kadrey is yet another annual guilty pleasure of mine. It is as always a really great summer read. The Getaway God could have concluded the series but thankfully for us Richard Kadrey is not finished with James and neither are we. This is the now the 10th book of the series and even being dead and downtown we are not done with the adventures of Sandman Slim. I really could read 88 more stories about James Starks and his Scooby gang.

Hollywood Dead, like the last book Kill Society, is a smaller scoped story that now takes place back in LA and James finds himself alone and caught in the middle of yet another war. Kadrey gives us his usual combination of dirty and grimy action twisted with witty and smart ass dialogue. I absolutely love this stuff.



This book and series read to me as near perfection as I am a true fan boy. I would give all the books full marks just for my enjoyment and have decided that as long as Kadrey keeps writing them, I will do just that. He has me as a fan for life and I really hope that we have many more adventures to come for Sandman Slim. Long live Sandman Slim.



This is one of my very favorite series!
This is my biggest guilty pleasure.
I never want it to end.

[Joe Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to believe this series has now hit double digits and the tenth entry is just as fun as the first. James is back from Hell, but at a price. He is only half alive and on a deadline to complete Wormwood's mission or else it is back to Hell. The thing is you don't want to threaten Sandman Slim. Even if it takes cling wrap and duct tape he is going to do things his way. With a little help from old friends and new faces.

This is one of the best Urban Fantasy series and always moves to the top of my tbr pile whenever a new one comes out. It has everything you could want starting with a great main character in James "Sandman Slim" Stark. Add in a strong supporting cast and a gritty locale in Los Angeles makes this a must read.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You already know what "Hollywood dead" is:

When you're Hollywood dead you can die a hundred times and still come back for the sequel.
—p.1

James "Sandman Slim" Stark knows all about that kind of death, too—he's been dying and coming back Hollywood-style (while going through rather more personal pain pretty much every time, it's true) for ten books now. But... this time is different; this time it's worse—Stark's come back from Hell, back to Los Angeles (and yeah, smartass, there's a difference), but his body's still dead, and this time it's not getting better. There is one necromancer who might be able to resurrect him fully, but that guy works for an organization whose methods and goals are somewhat... incompatible with Stark's.

It's a problem Stark can't just kill his way out of, and by now you know how much he loves those.

Fortunately, he still has at least a few friends...

That's how you know someone really likes you. Anyone can give you chocolate and flowers, but when they'll disembowel someone for you? That's true love.
—p.17

*

A little true love for you, now (but no disembowelling): if you aren't already familiar with the Sandman Slim series, get thee hence—I don't think I've dropped any major spoilers for Hollywood Dead here, actually, but you never know...

*

Hollywood Dead picks up seamlessly, exactly where The Kill Society left off—which was good for me because I read these two back-to-back (thanks to a brief and glorious window in between pandemic shutdowns during which our local library system could actually fulfill holds), almost as if they were one book, or two sides of the same obscure death-metal record.

Speaking of which... I liked Kadrey's dedication this time—and I even found links for all the bands:

Sandman Slim wouldn't exist without the music that inspires me and keeps me writing. This book is for Lustmord, Klaus Schulze, Bohren and Der Club of Gore, (early) Tangerine Dream, and Nine Inch Nails.

For me, though, somehow what came most readily to mind while reading this installment was Blondie's 1981 classic "Rapture" (YouTube link).

*

Hollywood Dead shows Stark at his most profoundly self-pitying—and although that's understandable, since his flesh is decaying out from under him, it's not always fun to read. His trademark wisecracks are less frequent, too—but even kidnapped, blindfolded and bound, Stark still stays cool under pressure. And once again Richard Kadrey proves his familiarity with Los Angeles:

Count to sixty and start again, trying to time the drive. It's well over an hour. In most towns that would mean we're halfway to Argentina, but in L.A. it means we could be circling the block looking for parking.
—p.36

The conclusion of Hollywood Dead feels a lot like an ending, but we already know it isn't—there's at least one more novel to go. And although after ten books it sometimes seems as if Sandman Slim has gotten into a rut, shuttling back and forth between Los Angeles and Hell, gaining and losing friends, and powers, and possessions along the way... as ruts go, it's still a pretty damned good one.

[Soo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

Yes! It may have taken up to 10 books to finally get there but I think this time it will stick. Since book one, Stark has been trying to figure out who he is and what that means to him. I thought that topic was handled about five books ago but events went a little sideways and I was grinding my teeth in frustration.

This book was a wonderful collision of everything that I love about Kadrey's work. Stark, his LA family, violence, confusion, mega warfare on multiple fronts and the drive to do what is right. I love the little twists about the movies that have not been made. The casual phrase or line that evokes clear imagery, laughter and sharp shifts in perspective.

Stark is a warrior who has been carved into the most basic parts. I like that he has flaws, worries and makes mistakes. He's very human. Sometimes, painfully human. I didn't like where the relationship with Candy was going in the past few books. It seemed like all events, interactions and choices lead towards more thoughtless chaos. Sure, the love Stark and Candy feel for each other is real but the relationship was becoming toxic. Only a monster can love a monster like me. That kind of thought kept coming up over and over again.

The last book and this one felt like a journey of self discovery to me. I dig it. It's great! Stark has finally come to settle within himself and literally reborn. It's time to make new habits and have the world/s tossed upside down by the ongoing war on earth and heavens.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, the big question is this: how many times can a man come back from Hell and still remain as fresh as a daisy?

Okay, that's a disingenuous question. And unfair.

Stark has NEVER been as fresh as a daisy and after having gone and come back from Hell THIS MANY TIMES, you might assume he smells like a swine's bunghole after a piggie has the motherload of a tummy-ache.

It doesn't help that he's dead. Mostly. I mean, walking around dead, but still dead and NOT SO FRESH.

But since this is still a classic supernatural Noir-type tale, we've got a carrot and a stick scenario, and IF ONLY HE DOES THIS ONE THING... the necromancers might give him an eau de toilette.

If only they were trustworthy.



I swear. These books devour me.

I mean, I'm literally devouring THEM, but by the same token, they're devouring me. I can't call them popcorn fiction because even I get tired of popcorn sometimes. I'm NOT getting tired of these.

[Kdawg91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, I STOP OTHER BOOKS TO READ THEM. If you like urban fantasy and noir and YOU havent read these books.


you aren't a fan of those genres, go get them all, give Kadrey all your money.

100000000 stars out of 5 (do the math)

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just barely three stars, mostly because Richard Kadrey has such a distinctive writing voice and it's simply nice to be back with Sandman Slim. My brain can safely turn to mush as the character punches his way across Los Angeles.

Which is exactly what he does in Hollywood Dead. Stark escaped Hell via a deal with Wormwood in The Kill Society, so now he has to complete a few fetch quests for Eva Sandoval and her secret society. Apparently, there's a new faction within Wormwood that's stirring things up. More important to the overarching plot, Stark is still mostly dead and only Sandoval's necromancer can fully bring him back to life.

So, naturally, Stark stays on Wormwood's good side so that the necromancer can do his thing toot suite, right? No, of course not, Sandman Slim is a big ol' dummy who makes the wrong decision at every turn. Hollywood Dead is chock full of nonsense twists where some arbitrary action on Stark's part results in his last option to stay alive no longer being an option. It's stupid and tedious and makes Hollywood Dead a much less fun read than some earlier chronicles in this series.

Still: the dialogue is good, the action is brutal, and Stark/Sandman Slim is a character I'm weirdly inclined to root for. The book actually wraps up in a happy ending with no cliffhangers, so points for that. I just wish there was more to Hollywood Dead than "the hero needs to find a way to stay alive amidst a greatest hits tour of all his L.A. pals and the local secret societies."

PS: If you don't have any recollection of the previous nine books in the series, Hollywood Dead might pose an issue because it's intensely focused on Stark's relationships that were established in previous volumes. There are basically no new, notable characters. So, be warned.

[Amy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gah, I'd missed this series so much! Number ten in this gritty, dark humoured urban fantasy was packed full of the things I've always loved about it, and other things that I didn't expect, but were definitely welcome!

While the story was packed with conspiracy, action, and betrayal, there was also a surprising amount of heart in it. Though I love nothing more than watching Stark bring the pain to the bad guys (and gals), I was surprised that many of my favourite parts came from Stark's emotional turmoil. Being back from the dead (again) after a year has definitely taken its toll on his relationships and psyche and left him questioning whether or not it was worth being alive again if his loved ones were better off without him. This led to some dark moments, but if you've read all the books by now and aren't used to dark moments... you've clearly been reading a different series.

The many characters were both old and familiar, yet a year definitely changed them all, though Stark went through the most development. I don't know how many more books will be in this series, if any more, but I would love to see more of Stark and his friends. Knowing him, trouble is just around the corner!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are plenty of things about the 21st century that I despise, what with its thousand-dollar smart phones and two-bit stupid presidents. One of the things I could do without is the overabundance of books with numbers in the titles. I realize that the “series-book” isn’t a new idea; authors in the genres of mystery, fantasy and sci-fi have long been the home of multiple entries that follow this private detective or that game of thrones. But ever since the Harry Potter series conquered the planet Earth, more authors than ever have turned their keyboards into milking machines, squeezing away in a desperate grab for cash long after the creativity udder has been rung bone-dry. That’s what makes me so surprised that I’m not only on the tenth book in Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series, but I still enjoy my annual visits to a Los Angeles that makes a fine neighbor to the one Raymond Chandler brought to life. While Kadrey doesn’t mind tipping his hat to Chandler’s timeless L.A. noir detective Philip Marlowe (as well as an obvious salute to the gloriously-violent crime thrillers Donald Westlake wrote under the pen-name of Richard Stark), he puts his own supernatural stamp on the City of Angels with angels of his own, as well as demons, spirits, magicians, a few zombies here and there and every now and again God pops in for a cameo.
I can’t say that every book in this series manages to hit it out of the park, and that would include this one. There’s no looming supernatural apocalypse to keep the storytelling focused in Hollywood Dead. Then again, a series of books like this one needs to take a breath every now and again, because even apocalypes can wear thin after awhile. This book is mostly concerned with James Stark’s return to the land of the living after he was killed in… the eighth book, I think? I do remember the last book was set in Hell, Kadrey’s second-favorite destination that’s more or less Los Angeles with a few more damned souls and much worse cell-phone reception. That’s the biggest problem I have with “number-books” that not even Kadrey’s series can escape. I read the last book, as well as the eight others before it, but I didn’t memorize them. By the time a year has passed and a new volume comes out, I’ve read a lot of books in between and I get a little foggy on exactly where the story left off and what the many recurring characters were up to. Kadrey does a pretty seamless job of keeping the reader up to speed without an obvious waste of time on tedious recaps of everything that came before, but it can still be a frustrating experience for someone who prefers a story with a beginning, middle and end between its two covers. So, Sandman Slim is temporarily resurrected by members of the Wormwood Corporation and he’s got to kill a bunch of people or he’ll lose his permanent pass back to the land of the living. His girlfriend Candy has moved on to a new relationship and that one religious-zealot bad-guy from five or six books ago pops back up. This doesn’t have much to do with a review. These are just my notes I can check back on when the next book pops up a year from now so maybe I won’t be as lost as I usually am.
I listened to the audiobook version of Hollywood Dead as I have all the other books in this series, and that’s another reason I keep coming back for more. Kadrey has found the perfect narrator in MacLeod Andrews. Just as Kadrey offers homage to the classic noir of page and screen without giving in to slavish imitation, Andrews gives a note-perfect reading of a world-weary LA tough guy without turning into a cartoon character Hollywood gumshoe stereotype. I haven’t run into any other authors toiling away in the “urban paranormal” field as good at writing as Kadrey is and few that do as good a job at reading them as MacLeod Andrews.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I didn't realize that this book came out and I started reading book #11 and realized I had missed some things, so I rushed out to borrow this one first. I'm really glad I did.

Sandman Slim is back from death, sort of, and he has a limited time to do some tasks for the Wormwood organization before his half-dead body gives out. After a year when all his friends have accepted his death, it's hard for him to come back to his old life. It was a really fast-paced ride through the story. Now I can read the next book without feeling like I missed something!

[Hannah (auri.winter) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is good. It is like a splatter movie (at least what I imagine a splatter movie is like), with a lot of blood, gore and action and people who are shooting each other. Most of the time for a reason, sometimes for no reason at all.

I like that the main character is not overly good (in a moral sense) and also does in between really stupid things. Which means, he is kind of likeable but sometimes he is also a total asshole.

I can't go that much into details concerning the plot, as this is already the 10th book in the series and I don't want to spoil anything. Just let me tell you, that I usually need a break from a series after 3 books (sometimes 4 if the series is very good), but in this case, the breaks between the books were really short (I already ordered the next one). Which means, I really recommend this book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollywood Dead
Author: Richard Kadrey
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publishing Date:2018
Edition/Volume: 1st
Pgs: 351
Dewey: F-KAD
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
_________________________________________________
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
Life...death...hell...half angel, anti-hero Sandman Slim aka James Stark has been brought back to the world of the living by old enemies. He was living in hell with Devil, so his making a deal with pricks who think they’re going to cheat both heaven and hell, might not work out so well. An old powerbroker in the occult world has split into factions and is warring over the assets. Stark is half-alive...a quarter alive...mostly dead. And he only gets fully resurected if he completes the assignment that Wormwood has set for him...destroy the other faction. Only, they’re his enemies, will they honor the bargain. What’s become of his life in the year that he’s been gone? Have his friends moved on? Has she? The clock is ticking. The race is on. The gun is fully loaded. The knife blade is sharp. Sandman Slim is back in town with a couple days to kill...before the days kill him, again.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
Literature
Fiction
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Mystery
Thriller
Suspense
Horror


Why this book:
I’ve been meaning to read Sandman Slim for a long time. This was on the New Release Shelf at the Irving Public Library. I’m really glad I picked it up.
_________________________________________________
The Feel:
Die Hard and Lethal Weapon with an occult bent.

You can feel the Wormwood double cross coming. True Slim is planning on killing them all, after the deal is complete. Post-deal isn’t part of the deal.

Favorite Character:
James Stark, Sandman Slim is a great character.

Least Favorite Character:
By and large the characters here are awesome and well drawn. The Wormwood guys, at least the faction that brought Slim back, seem a bit cardboard in comparison with everyone else in the book.

Marshall Larson Wells makes me want to puke. His reappearing in the anti-climax/denouement was unnecessary.

Character I Most Identified With:

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Kasabian and Alessa are a bit cardboard from midpoint through the beginning of the 3rd act. Kas recovers some, but Alessa doubles down. Considering that Alessa is on the hit list, they’re acting like Stark is to blame and he’s taking the blame is all horseshit. Without Stark, they’d have been dead from her being on the hit list whether he re-entered their lives or not.

Trusting Howard isn’t a smart move. I knew it. Howard is a slimeball. Slim is/was much too trusting of Howard. I’m calling that OOC. But, Slim’s brain was turning to rotting cottage cheese at that point.

Favorite Scene / Quote/Concept:
Target practice in a private bowling alley, blowing away the pins...and the homeowner not being pleased. Bonus.

“No sympathy zone. They don’t give it, so they shouldn't expect it. Islands of privilege in a sea of shit and bad karma.” That’s a powerful almost political commentary.

Paragraph of the Year Nominee:
“What’s really getting to me is that as much as I missed her in Hell, it’s a hundred times worse begin back. My perfect, beautiful monster. During my last look at her, she was in her Jade form and tearing Audsley Ishii apart. That’s how you know someone really likes you. Anyone can give you chocolate and flowers, but when they’ll disembowel someone for you? That’s true love.”

Hmm Moments:
Gun Fu with magic, mystical beings, and the apocalypse.

The Na’at blade and the Room of Thirteen Doors are both awesome ideas.

The mystic safe houses that are entered through odd portals, but are actually in another time are pretty damned cool.

WTF Moments:
The shootout in Eva’s foyer is giving me deja vu...or whatever the feeling is when you feel like you’ve read something before. Based on pub date, there’s no way that I’ve read Hollywood Dead before. But I’m damned if it doesn’t all seem like I’ve read that scene, not something similar, but that scene before.

Meh / PFFT Moments:
Was hoping for Alyx to hunt him down rather than UFO alien lady find him...whatever her deal is.

The Unexpected:
A laughing, giant, bone golem made of many bones and mutliple skulls...and each skull laughs as it moves. Helluva description.

Missed Opportunity:
The Na’at Blade needs to be in a D20, RPG.

Dreamcasting:
Sandman Slim is like Constantine mixed with Wick. Keanu should be playing him in movies.

If this were made into a movie in the 70s, Clint Eastwood as Slim.

Eva Sandoval...Charlize Theron.

Sinclair...Sandoval’s 2nd in command/partner in Wormwood, Steve Buscemi.

The guy that plays Cisco on The Flash, Carlos Valdes as the bartender at Bamboo House of Dolls.


Movies and Television:
This would lend itself well to a Netflix/Amazon series...or big budget, multi-film franchise Hollywood vehicle.

Soundtrack:
Sympathy for the Devil, either Rolling Stones or Guns and Roses, should be playing while reading this book.
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Pacing:
The flow and pace of this is electric. The first 20 pages are expo heavy but flow really well. And with all the backstory to get to, well worth the primer. But that pace doesn’t let up all the way through. The only slow down was the denouement. But considering that you were about to crash headlong into the last page, a few pages of slowdown and cool off were probably warranted. Still might ruin you for slower paced books.

When it kicks off, it kicks hard.

Last Page Sound:
Mustang Sally is a bit deus ex machina. But it works for me.

I really liked this book.

Author Assessment:
The characters are well imagined and talk in real speak, not book speak. The scenes are crisp like a well directed movie.

Editorial Assessment:
Well put together.
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[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most depressing book in the series.

At the end of The Kill Society, Stark is sucked out of Hell and into the mortal world by Wormwood, an occult secret society. They need him to stop other bad people and in exchange, they'll make his return to life permanent. See, their insurance policy is keeping Sandman Slim half dead: his soul is back but his body is decomposing, giving him only a couple days to do what they want before he physically can't because, you know. Decomp.

Yeesh.

In between crazy kidnappings and randomish gun battles, we see Stark stalking his old haunts, hoping for a glimpse of Candy. After all, he's been in Hell for a year. The thing is, this isn't the first time Stark has gone to Hell and disappeared on her for a really long time, and everybody looks pretty content with their life now. What exactly would Miss Manners recommend for reintroducing oneself into people's lives after being killed in front of them? I admit, it sounds tricky.

For my money, this one got too maudlin in places. Stark chose to avoid his old friends for too long which just made his situation worse than it had to be. Even after they found out he was back, Stark was determined to wallow in shame and guilt, threatening to put himself out of everyone's misery, including his own.

Yeesh again.

Thankfully, things ended on a good note and I'm looking forward to reading the penultimate novel, Ballistic Kiss.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a character needs to stay dead and other times they need to come back. I love this character and hate to see it end. But they aren’t as strong as they used to be. I did enjoy this one and listened to it quickly. Here is my issues, besides the book feeling like a last whoraw, or however its spelled, The last hour of the text is a complete wrap up of the character. It is an ending. It ride off into the sunsets, be sad its over and was not game of thrones. But there are two more books. Which I will read, but still the pieces were wrapped up and let it go. I fear we are beating a dead horse and it will cause blight on an otherwise great character. Stark just isn’t Stark anymore and not because his character grows. He should have stayed dead. If it wasn’t for how much I love Starks quick whit and some of the lines are just as great as always this is likely a almost a 3 star.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started slowly, at least compared to the pace typical for this series. It still had everything that has made me love this series: cutting dialogue and a contemporary noir vibe. I rarely laugh while reading, but Kadrey is one of the few who can make me do so. Especially liked learning more about one of my favourite secondary characters and that the protagonist himself is actually experiencing character development. Double digit sci fi and fantasy series often feel like nothing ever changes in their world except the monster of the week, but the Sandman Slim books, while part of a larger story arc, feel more distinct from one another than is typical for the genre.

[Beau North · Rating 5 out of 5]

This moved along at such a fast clip, with all the neck-breaking momentum you expect from Sandman Slim. The callbacks to the first two books peppered throughout this book shows us just how far Stark has come as a character, from the literal garbage fire hell-bent on revenge to the man who loves his people so much he’d rather die (AGAIN) than let them down. A dazzling race against the clock that is, when it’s all boiled down, a story about the family you choose, and how they know you even better than you know yourself. I can’t wait to see where this story goes from here

[Frank Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roaring back to a 4.5 (see my review of The Kill Society). My suspicion that Kadrey is stronger when he uses LA as his setting for this series is proven by this stonking read. The supernatural hedge fund (I still think this was an inspired conceit) gets theirs and an old adversary emerges. Very entertaining, I clearly was in the mood to blow through it, and definitely recommended.

[Akshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 books down and this never gets old.
Had to remember few details from last books but thats just stupid me.

The ending was kind of ... well ... Hollywood-ish ... but its all good and ok. Hope this series continues to grow.

[Contrarius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The action in this one is not quite as much fun as the previous book, and at times Stark gets too angsty even for me -- but this is still an enjoyable novel, as all of them are in this series. And, as always, Macleod Andrews is wonderful in the role.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Sandman Slim book. I can't get enough of this series. Write more! Great characters and stories.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Fast paced, dirty, gross, snarky, and WONDERFUL. This is the 10th book in the Sandman Slim series and I highly recommend them all. Great reads.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, lightning-fast, kick-ass read that takes an unfortunate hit from a climax that is both excessively maudlin and LITERALLY deus-ex-machina. And where are the Wizard of Oz references? He’s averaged about five for each previous Sandman Slim entry; not a single one here. Seems a little late to make such a drastic change. Too many fans busting his balls over it? If so he’s less bad-ass than I’d supposed.

[Danny Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good fun! #10 in the series but my first time in the series, written for new fans too.

[Farhad · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Sandman Slim's stories, on par with the first book.
Cosmic L.A. noir at it's finest.

[Doug Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right on par with temhe real of the series....cant wait to read the next one.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tenth book in the The Sandman Slim series. Stark is resurrected by the Wormwood organization to ‘do a job’ in exchange for being rescued from Damnation in Hell. The majority of the book is a Race Against the Clock to satisfy Wormwood’s demands before he decomposes. Betrayals, recriminations from his friends and lovers, and a segue into the next book ensue.


Every good story needs a bar. The Bamboo House of Dolls? All that’s missing is Carlos.

My audiobook was about nine and a half hours long. It had a US copyright of 2018. A dead tree version would be about 350-pages.

Richard Kadrey is an American novelist, freelance writer, and photographer. He has about 20 novels published including this one. This is the tenth book in the author's Sandman Slim Series, of which there are now thirteen books. This is the 13th or 14th book I’ve read by this author. The last being Ballistic Kiss (Sandman Slim, #11) (my review).

MacLeod Andrews was the narrator. Andrews has been the long term narrator for the series. He’s a good narrator that can ably change his voice with the characters internal and external narrative. Although, he has a limited range of female voices.

I became dazed and confused urban fantasy-wise with all the audiobooks on my phone. I accidently read Ballistic Kiss (Sandman Slim, #11) ahead of this book (#10). Being a long-term reader of the series, it wasn’t a game stopper. However, this book will be unintelligible, if you’ve not been following the series. Long-term plot lines make-up the bones of this story and the author does not provide a lot of backstory.

Writing was good and on a par with the rest of the series. I get true enjoyment over Kadrey’s modern interpretation of hard boiled with an urban fantasy spin. In particular, I treasure his pithy metaphors and bizarre descriptive prose. The action scenes were well handled. However, the typically hardboiled dialog was better than the descriptive prose. In particular, Stark’s inner narrative, off-color aphorisms, and disdainful badinage have always been endearing to me.

As per the series, there is always sex, drugs, rock ’n roll and mega-violence. (Stark (AKA Sandman Slim) is a killer.)

The books in the series always have at least one heterosexual sex scene of the fade-to-black type. That was missing from this book. (Boo!)

Stark always drinks a prodigious amount of alcohol, while eschewing both soft and hard drugs. Currently he’s been drinking the hipper bourbon. At the beginning of the series, he was drinking Jack, or when he could get it, Aqua Regia the rotgut liquor quaffed in Hell. Aqua Regia and a Malediction cigarette at the Bamboo House of Dolls bar being his idea of good living. Maledictions being the corrosive cigarettes smoked in Hell. I imagine them to be like, Russian Black Sobrainies without filters?

There were numerous musical references. In this book, the Dedication includes,

Sandman Slim wouldn’t exist without the music that inspires me and keeps me writing. This book is for Lustmord, Klaus Schulze, Bohren and Der Club of Gore, (early) Tangerine Dream, and Nine Inch Nails

In addition, there were the usual amount of film school critique and film references. Recently, Kadrey has been reviling Nicolas Cage films.

Violence was not particularly graphic, but it was pervasive. In includes: physical, edged-weapons, firearms and Hoo-doo (magic) related. In this book, Sandman Slim uses a minimum of Hoo-doo, and relies more on firearms. He used to be an edged-weapons kinda guy or set folks on fire with Hoo-doo.

Previously, Kadrey's knowledge of firearms was mostly correct. Stark habitually packs a Colt .45 revolver-- a real, classic, hand cannon appropriate for killing monsters. However, here Stark spent some time with a Sig Saur 552 full-auto rifle liberated from a Wormwood tactical unit he wiped-out. Prose was lavished on a rifle whose production ceased 8-years before publication. He never even mentioned the folding stock? Wormwood's well-heeled tactical unit likely would have been equipped with more contemporary weapons.

Stark always takes an extraordinary amount of punishment in every book. In this book as a reanimated corpse, he’s in a particularly delicate condition. A lot of prose is dedicated to his decomposition. Body count is always high to near genocidal.

There was only a small amount character development. Kadrey loves to create characters. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is for Stark to “Know a Guy (or Gal)” to move the plot along or save the day. The series continues with its single POV. James "Sandman Slim" Stark being the protagonist. Stark spends a lot of pages lamenting his personal situation. Since he’s been ‘dead’ for a year as a result of the events in The Perdition Score (Sandman Slim #8) he feels forgotten. He’s wanting to get back to his demon GF Candy. (She has her own GF now.) Although, he manages to hook-up with a thoroughly human, Jennifer. Many old standby characters appear, including: Carlos, Vidocq and Kasabian. In a blast from the past, The Golden Vigil returns to join Wormwood as Stark's antagonists.

Plot was a straight-forward Race Against the Clock. Stark has to do a job for the Wormwood Organization who has resurrected him from Hell or go back. There’s a civil war within Wormwood and he’s got to snuff-out the other side. He’s got a short time to do it. He’s also not completely up to snuff for the job, being half-dead. (Doing Hoo-doo tuckers him out.) Also, life on Earth has moved-on in the year since he ‘died’ and went to Hell and was unable to return by his own efforts. Needless to say Wormwood can’t be trusted to complete their bargain and they betray him. Stark's friends save his hash. Stark also puts a dent in the long-term “War In Heaven” series plotline, without substantially improving his personal situation. He also realizes the value of his friends, despite being A Monster Who Kills Monsters.

This book was OK. It gets Stark out of Hell and back on Earth. It advanced the War In Heaven story arc and re-introduced some old antagonists. Stark spent a lot of time whinging about being a burden on his friends and longing for Candy. However, the series continues to bumble around not getting a lot done, while selling another book. In summary, Hollywood Dead was a readable addition to the series, that moved the story from Hell, back to Earth, but not much else happened. Note that Kadrey will be ending the series with book 12, King Bullet . One more book left to go! .