Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey is a fun ride. It’s about a man who goes to Hell and back (literally) with a vengeance for the people who sent him there.  William Gibson is quoted on as calling it “The best B movie I’ve read in at least twenty years” and I’m not sure that I could describe it better. It’s a paranormal(ish) book that has more in common with noir movies than Twilight.

James (Jimmy) Stark was a natural with magic. Not the kind where you cut women in half, but the real kind. And he hung out with a group of like minded people. But then, the group (and it’s leader Mason) decided to send Stark to Hell. Stark was thrown into battles with all kinds of creatures of Hell and ended up winning them all. He also gained a fun body trick. Once he’s been attacked by a weapon, his body can block that weapon from hurting him again. But then Mason killed Stark’s girlfriend and Stark escapes from Hell to track down the group and kill them.

The book starts out like a paranormal Kill Bill, but ends up following Stark around Los Angeles as he slowly realizes his revenge mission might have bigger implications than he thought. And as he starts encountering strange locations (such as a nightclub where you can attack angels) and people, he starts wondering if Mason killed his girlfriend to draw him back to help him take over Earth, Hell and Heaven.

Sandman Slim is a fun read with a lot of action and a great main character. Most of the supporting cast aren’t fleshed out too much, but seem only to exist to help or hinder Stark. And there are a few jarring places in the book where it appears that Kadrey didn’t do a good job transitioning. But overall it’s well worth reading. And it looks like Kadrey has a sequel all lined up for later this year.

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