Sandman Slim Books In Order
Publication Order of Sandman Slim Books
Sandman Slim (2009) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Kill the Dead (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Aloha from Hell (2011) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Devil in the Dollhouse (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Devil Said Bang (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Kill City Blues (2013) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
The Getaway God (2014) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Killing Pretty (2015) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
The Perdition Score (2016) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
The Kill Society (2017) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Hollywood Dead (2018) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Ballistic Kiss (2020) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
King Bullet (2021) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Sandman Slim is a character created by author Richard Kadrey. He first appeared in a book with the same name. The character has appeared in a series of books by this author. Richard is well known to have penned the widely popular 80's book, Metrophage. This was a cyberpunk themed book that became a best seller.
Sandman Slim is a different type of book from Metrophage. It is pure urban fantasy with a hardcore detective twist to it. Urban fantasy is a style that had been innovated by another author known as Jim Butcher. He wrote the Dresden Files a few years before Richard released Sandman Slim. This created a foundation upon which other authors could write uban fantasy and Richard Kardey exceled with his series.
Sandman Slim is a fantastic character. He lives in a world plagued by vampires, demons, magic and all forms of supernatural forces. His real name is James Stark and he is half-human and half-angel. He is very intelligent, has guts and a darkness in his heart.
Sandman Slim describes himself as a mangy angel or nephilim. In the book, he spent 11 years of battling demons in the devil's gladiator pits. After getting fed up, he escapes so as to execute vengeance on the people who murdered his lover. His escape leads him to the dark side of Los Angeles. He encounters a city haunted at every corner by demons and vampires. With his decade of experience fighting demons, he is exceptionally prepared to fight anything and anyone on his path.
In this dark city, Sandman Slim owns a film store known as Max Overdrive. He sells magically made versions of movies that were never created for example a version of Return of the Jedi by David Lynch. This store is Slim's cover for his supernatural activities on earth. When not at his store or murdering demons in search of his lover's killers, he hangs out at the Bamboo House of Dolls. It is a punk bar that has a tiki theme in and around it. It is the coolest in the world and all supernatural beings in the city go there to relax or to hunt. The author indicates that James Stark has saved the world and the universe countless times, all without gratitude or recognition.
The author lets us see the mind and heart of Sandman Slim. Both can be described in one word as tortured. The character is constantly self-loathing. Throughout the book, you will find Sandman Slim's internal monologues. This first-person narrative expresses gripping misanthropy. Slim's voice will snarl, spark, jolt and jab at you throughout the book series. For a complete mix, he has a dark but very well developed sense of humor.
Despite the dark nihilism, the character is able to express smart, funny quips and putdowns as he massacres dark angels and demons. The way that he observes the world will make you laugh and chill you at the same time. The most interesting thing is that his jokes actually indicate that Sandman Slim possesses deep, damaged wisdom.
More about the books featuring Sandman Slim
Sandman Slim is the main character in this series of books. He first appeared in Sandman Slim which was released in 2009. The book was immensely popular and earned a spot among the top 13 paranormal books of the decade according to Barnes & Noble.The second book was Kill the Dead released in October 2010. This book allowed readers to see more of Sandman Slim's mythology and backstory. Ever since, Richard has kept giving fans more of Sandman Slim in books such as Aloha From Hell , Devil Said Bang and Killing Pretty. In all, there are 7 books in the Sandman Slim series and the latest was published in 2015.
In the last book, Richard has pruned away the mythology of Sandman Slim. Throughout the six previous books, there was a thick plot of mythology around Sandman Slim from his days in hell, the demons he has interacted with and so forth. However, space has been created to discover what the character could grow into and he picks a line of work that is different from what he has been doing and yet is exactly what he is good at. The thrasher from hell becomes a private detective who solves cases in the filthy, almost dystopian avenues of Los Angeles. Richard has downscaled the story but it is still cut-throat.
Despite the new perspective in the series, Sandman Slim is still chock full of drama and intrigue. He still has baggage from his past, an ever-widening circle of lovers, frenemies and confidantes who leave you debating who to trust. There is also a horde of new enemies at every corner. The author keeps the dark magic flowing endlessly through Sandman Slim, the settings of his adventures and the premises of the story. The internal monologue is still alive and kicking in the series. Slim keeps soliloquizing and lets you into his mind and heart. Trouble follows him at every turn and the series turns into a scary, seductive pageturner. None of the Sandman Slim Books have been made into a movie. However, They have the depth of plot and thrilling adventures that are the ingredients of a box office hit.
Throughout the books, it is easy to wonder if Slim will finally lose his mind at seeing the clash between reality and his own unreality. One can't blame him for muttering to himself and having explosive fits of internal self-loathing. 11 years of hell will do that to you. There are demons that want him back in the devil's pits for an eternity but our protagonist will have none of that. Interestingly, the author has revealed that Slim's angst and dark humor are his energy source. He needs to be that way so as to survive the steamy, dangerous streets of Los Angeles. There is an almost masochistic atmosphere in the book. It creates new fans for Sandman Slim and Richard Kadrey while keeping old ones clamoring for more.
Book Series In Order » Characters » Sandman Slim