Having been betrayed and trapped in Hell for eleven years, fighting and killing the most vicious Hellions, Stark is finally given a chance to escape and return to Earth. He arrives in L.A. pissed off and brutalised by his experience. Stark finds both enemies and allies in unexpected places as he hunts the man who sent him to hell, Mason...

Sandman Slim (388 pages) is an urban gothic horror novel by Richard Kadrey, the first in a series of stories.

I’m not really a fan of urban gothic, so I was delightfully surprised just how much I enjoyed the book. Stark could have been a one dimensional characters and the book a ‘paint by numbers’ affair, but what we find within the dust jacket is a book of nuances.

Sure, Stark is a balls out killing machine, I guess spending so much time in Hell fighting demons in the arena will do that to you, but he also has a not so well hidden softer side. If you spend so long killing horrors, a little of that horror rubs off and Stark thinks nothing of using extreme violence to get what he wants, sometimes deliberately, sometimes because he forgets that as a prior Hellion assassin, his strength is greater than your average young stoner.

Back from the dead he heads straight for his first victim, Kasabian, a low life video store owner who used to be a member of the same magic circle as Stark. See, Stark is not a wizard; he’s a real magician, able to cast spells. A real natural talent led him to be one of the best magicians of his generation, gaining the appreciation of some, but because his talent came with a loud mouth he also gained the hatred of others, Mason in particular, a rival magician, who trades Stark to the dwellers of Hell for greater power. If that wasn’t enough to make Stark mad, Mason kills his girlfriend, Alice.

The story is told from Stark’s point of view and the hardened monologues which pepper the story reminded me of the writing of Mickey Spillane. Stark wanders through the underbelly of Los Angeles, amazed at the difference which eleven years has wrought on both him and the city. The fantastical elements of the book are handled well, with certain nonchalance, bringing the extraordinary down into the lives of the ordinary, making their existence amongst us all the creepier.

There are sympathetic characters within the book, but Stark’s quest for vengeance ends up damaging all around, both friend and foe. The book resolves in its final pages, rather than end, but that’s the way with series. Stark discovers many things he wished he hadn’t, many which change him for good.

What we end up with is a very enjoyable read. Some readers might be put off by Stark’s violent nature, but the book is a fasted paced roller coaster, you just have to hold on and enjoy the ride.

8

Charles Packer