Sandman Slim

I was recommended this book by some people over at a Reddit page known as Suggest Me A Book. So, first of all, thanks to those guys and gals for suggesting it to me. I asked for a modern-day urban fantasy story and they sure delivered!

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AND SPOILERS

The best thing about this novel, in my humble opinion, is the character. He's well-fleshed out and really entertaining to read. He's a bit of a dick, but somehow likeable. However the author pulled that off, I'm not sure.

The side-characters are also suitably interesting and enjoyable to read. You've got an interesting variety of characters, from an immortal alchemist, to a fallen arch-angel, to something known as a Jade. I've heard of Jade's before, sure, but I always thought they were dragon-type things, not what's described in this book. I won't give to much away, but Candy, the Jade in this book, is pretty bad-ass.

There's a lot of world-building in this book. After all, it's the first book in a series of an alternative reality where things like angels, something called Kissi, Jades, Vampires, Magicians, and much more roam the earth. The author has managed to weave all sorts of bits of information about the world into the story, without any of it seeming info-dumpy or hard to keep up with.

I'm going to stop here, because I've already started the next book in the series. A) I keep getting confused between what was in book 1, and what I've already read in book 2, and don't want to spoil the second book. B) The book is calling me back, and I need to read it!

Supernatural action thriller with a noir-inspired main character who's been to hell and back and now wants revenge on those who sent him, as he puts it, Downtown. To add injury to insult, they also killed his woman.

The mythology and types of monsters suggest the Preacher graphic novels and Supernatural television show influence. As for Stark himself, I can imagine Jensen Ackles of Supernatural saying all of Stark's dialogue with all the tough-guy talk, the sarcasm, and so on. I also see a lot of the Preacher's Saint of Killers in Stark's characterization.

It's a cool genre and in some ways Sandman Slim is a lot of fun. An easy read that moves along at a fast pace; quite a page turner. It's just exciting enough to keep me wanting to know what's around the corner for Stark.

The execution doesn't thrill me quite as much as the concept. It's teleplay-ready, based on action sequences and expository dialogue (with occasional moments of smarty ass-ery from Stark and others). One plot point smashes into the next, often without rhyme or reason, just because the author needs it that way.

Oh, I know it's just for fun and not meant to be serious or life-changing, but I've seen writers balance thrills and spills with depth and development. (Felix Castor series excels at this.) I'm not getting much to think about with Sandman Slim.

All the supporting characters are NPC's that revolve around Stark. They only exist to 1) Hurt Stark, 2) Help Stark, or 3) Give Stark information while hurting or helping him (or sometimes flirting or exchanging insults with him).

The is a bit similar to how Harry Dresden began, including the noir style and immaturity of the character. I didn't love the Dresden Files at first either and but ended up getting attached and finding several gems in that series. This was an easy read so I may this series another try and see if the writing improved as it went along.

I'm not gonna lie: I loved the hell out of this book. (Pun intended.) I wish I could have given it 6 stars, or go back and adjust my other previous 5 star reviews down to 4's because this one set a new bar for me. It was a ton of fun to read. It grabbed me immediately and did a great job of balancing character history with running plot.