We’re back for the fourth installment of the Sandman Slim series. When we last left our hero, he was literally stuck in Hell. The good news was that he was in charge, the bad news was that he didn’t know enough about the Devil’s powers to get out. So we start off in Devil Said Bang in Hell and go forward from there. James (Sandman Slim) Stark is a wonderful protagonist and Kadrey does enough with Stark and his supporting characters to keep things fresh. So, let’s see what’s going on in the latest book.
Stark is stuck in Hell. Literally and figuratively. Stark is now the Devil and stuck in Hell. And he has to rebuild it. The huge battle at the end of Aloha From Hell, where Mason tried to take over God, left Hell in shambles. Stark is now playing the various demons off each other to consolidate his position by turning their energies outward and to slow down the rebuilding (so they don’t get bored by not having a task to do). He misses is new girlfriend Candy fiercely and knows that there is more power available to the Devil that he doesn’t know how to tap into.
When he finally is able to get himself up to Earth, he finds there is a girl ghost who is killing people (which might cause the end of the world) and some old enemies are making plans with even older enemies which might cause the end of the universe. On top of that Candy has a new girlfriend and Stark doesn’t have his magic key (the key to the room of 13 doors that lets him go anywhere on Earth quickly and easily). Stark finds himself against people and powers that might be too much for even the Devil to handle. If only God were around to help him.
Overall, Devil Said Bang is another fun Sandman Slim novel. The book is basically split into two sections, in hell and on Earth. That’s part of the only problem I had with the novel. Because of the way things are set up, you don’t know what’ s going on in Earth for the first half of the novel and you don’t know what’s going on in Hell for the second half. There are plot lines that just drop because the characters are in a different location and we’re not following them. But the pace of the action and the fun of hanging out with Sandman Slim more than make up for the minor plot issues. The action is pretty much nonstop with problems and hurdles popping up everywhere. The stakes keep getting higher and we’re looking at the end of everything if Stark can’t rally his friends to take it all down. It’s a fun book to read, not one to sit and ponder on. But, when it’s fun, it’s really fun. A drag race from Hell and back where supernatural beings are fighting to save (or destroy) the universe. What more can you ask for? Recommended.
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