I’m currently in the middle of a couple of series – all of which I’m really enjoying. I’m going to stay with what I currently have “On The Nightstand” – “House Of Chains” – and am committed to getting through all of the Malazan novels that I still haven’t read before moving to anything else but no guarantee that I won’t drift.
The books “On The Shelf” I wanted to highlight today are the “Sandman Slim” series by Richard Kadrey. I’ve purchased hardcover versions of the first five the series: “Sandman Slim”, “Kill The Dead”, “Aloha From Hell”, “Devil Said Bang” and “Kill City Blues” and I’ve read the first four. I paused on “Kill City Blues” because I wanted to get back to the Malazan novels and am currently well into “House Of Chains” but I’ll eventually get back to these.
Here”s what I’d tell you about these books – they’re just fun. The author has a pretty amazing knowledge of all sorts of weird stuff and – for the lack of a better word – he’s just incredibly witty. My wife actually enjoys it when I read these books – she likes to hear me laugh and when I’m reading any of the books in this series – I laugh out loud – a lot. Besides, until Jim Butcher publishes another Dresden novel – PLEASE HURRY THIS UP – Sandman Slim is a pretty decent alternative.
I don’t think Kadrey’s going to win any awards – and I sincerely apologize if he has and I’m just not aware – but I’d still recommend these books. They’re worth the time and the money – and you may very well make your partner happy – priceless.
Caveat – don’t buy these books if you didn’t find at least some aspects of Milton’s Satan in “Paradise Lost” to be intriguing. In Kadrey’s universe, the lines between worthy and not don’t get drawn cleanly between Heaven and Hell or Angels and Demons. His universe is a lot more complicated and much more interesting than that.
Cheers