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I've spent several posts describing my sadness over a recent top bestseller. I thought I'd talk about a plesant surprise find in my reading.Sandman Slim.
It's a bit Raymond Chandler and a bit Jim Butcher. Think SIN CITY meets SUPERNATURAL. THEY LIVE action with HARRY DRESDEN dialogue. Its backstory is CONSTANTINE mixed in with GLADIATOR.
It's Richard Kadrey's first outing so sometimes it can be a bit rough ... the lack of rules to the magic and the chaotic cosmology can be a bit mind-spinning. Yet this is only to be expected for building a foundation for further novels in the series. But for the most part it is a fun thrill ride with a hero you can root for.
It has style and wit. Its hero is a man sent to Hell alive to fight for the pleasure of fallen angels. After 11 years of surviving where few do, he escapes back to Los Angeles in order to find those who betrayed him, sent him to Hell, and murdered his girl friend. Instead of simple revenge, he instead finds intrigue and hints of a plot to do something entirely nasty on a hugely epic scale to reality.
Understand it can be violent. It is also funny and thrilling. It will be the one of the best summer blockbusters you ever read. Forgive the proofreader. He must have been caught up in having too good a time reading for sheer fun to spot the grammatical errors.
But beneath the fun and thrills is a subtle question : are we all on the same side?
And the answer is : yes. The side that, in small measure or large, seems intent on hurting itself ... whether by food, drink, greed ... the path has the same signpost : excess.
It asks another question very softly : are the things that got you into whatever hell you find yourself, the very same things that can get you out of it ... if you but use them constructively not destructively?
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And now the book trailer for the novel that is being made into a movie by Tim Burton :
That was great! I knew Lincoln was one of the good guys...
ReplyDeleteIt's all about connecting with the "hero" in a story. That's why writers need beta readers/critique buddies... Very nice post!
This book looks really great. Nice post. And I've been looking at this book (the vampire hunter one) every time I go into the bookstore.
ReplyDeleteUm, okay....haven't heard of that one. I loved your introduction describing the new book Sandman Slim. It sounds like a great read. I'll have to wait on it though...it's too close to what I'm working on and I wouldn't want to unconsciously steal anything. When you get a sec, you know, with all your free time, hop over to my blog...I have something for you...and for the record, I've realy REALLY been enjoying the ghostly visitors...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Sandman Slim review. I've been following Richard Kadrey's blog but haven't read the book, yet. They've sold the movie rights, too!
ReplyDelete~Olivia
Sounds good, deep. Love the questions and answers. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteWell, you scared the holy #@!!* out of me and it's mid day. Think I'll pass on Lincoln as vampire hunter, but am interested in Sandman Slim.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Roland! As you know, in my biz, greed is a biggie in the hell department. All those deadly sins, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm without them, but I consider mine the more benign of the deadlies.
Nice blog, by the way, I'm liking all the extras on the right, like the clock, the spinning planet and things. Cool show.
Lincoln appears to have some WWF moves. Although that's probably not reflected in the novel, it (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is one I am considering picking up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting it.
Well, this is the first book review I've read in a long while that has made my fingers twitch in irritation to get to the book and start flipping those pages. Mm... Here's hoping the library I work at has a copy. If not, I might have to order one.
ReplyDelete