Richard Kadrey has made quite an impression with his Sandman Slim series of books. The main character is acerbic, violent, dark and yet heroic. His latest adventure in Kill City Blues shows our hero in a more laid back setting than when he was the latest Lucifer. The latest book isn’t as plot heavy as previous stories, but Kadrey makes up for it with a lot of characterization and keeps the reader invested in the story despite the slower plot. Let’s check it out.

The basic plot follows from the end of the previous book, Devil Said Bang (my review), with Stark and the original Lucifer having a nice drink discussing the past (to remind readers what happened previously), especially about God splitting himself into 5 pieces and taking over Hell. The plot gets kicked into motion when Stark finds out that someone (and possibly many someones) is looking for the Qomrama Om Ya. The Qomrama Om Ya is a weapon that can kill a God. A plot point in the previous books was that our God stole the Universe from a previous God(s). And the previous God(s) is trying to come back. And Stark needs the Qomrama Om Ya to save our God and Universe. Or someone else can use to destroy everything.

Stark runs around with his usual cast and crew to find out where the Qomrama Om Ya is and it’s in the aptly named Kill City. Kill City is an abandoned, never finished mall that collapsed during construction, killing dozens of people. The place is now haunted by Sub Rosa and ghosts, many of whom aren’t that happy to see visitors. Stark gets his crew and a guide and heads in to find the Qomrama Om Ya or die trying.

Last book was plot and metaphysical heavy. This one has a much more relaxed pace. They go into Kill City about halfway through the book. There isn’t a lot of plot going on before, so the majority of the book focuses more on Stark and his relationships with people. The book is a much more relaxed romp through the Sandman Slim universe. It has enough plot to keep readers turning the page, but this book feels like getting everything into place for the next book (The Getaway God, coming in 2014). Even though this is a slower paced book, it doesn’t feel like it. The interactions between Stark and his friends keep things entertaining (I love Kasabian and Candy) and there is enough plot to keep the reader moving. Recommended.

This post is part of the thread: Sandman Slim – an ongoing story on this site. View the thread timeline for more context on this post.