Devil Said Bang: A Sandman Slim Novel

Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim—aka James Stark—is, quite simply, one of the most outrageous uber-anti-heroes ever to kick serious butt on this or any other world or dimension.

In his previous three adventures—Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, and Aloha from Hell—Stark has fled Hell for California, taken on angels, demons, outlaw bikers, zombies, covert government operatives, and all manner of monsters, while saving humankind from total annihilation on numerous occasions. But in Devil Said Bang, he finally assumes the role he was destined for: as the new Lucifer, ruler of the Underworld.

Combining outrageously edgy humor with a dark and truly twisted vision, Richard Kadrey has once again delivered a masterful amalgam of action novel, urban fantasy, and in-your-face horror that will delight a wide range of readers—from Christopher Moore and Warren Ellis fans to the devoted adherents of Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Simon Green.

Getting out of hell is just the beginning

What do you do after you've escaped Hell, gone back, uncovered the true nature of God, and then managed to become the new Lucifer?

Well, if you're James Stark, you have to figure out how to run Hell while also trying to get back out of it . . . again. Plus there's the small matter of surviving. Because everyone in Heaven, Hell, and in between wants to be the fastest gun in the universe, and the best way to do so is to take down Lucifer, a.k.a. James Stark.

And it's not like being in L.A. is any better—a serial-killer ghost is running wild and Stark's angelic alter ego is hiding among the lost days of time with a secret cabal who can rewrite reality. Starting to care for people and life again is a real bitch for a stone-cold killer.

“Kadrey’s stylized treatment of the ubiquitous urban fantasy genre makes it seem fresh” - Kirkus Reviews on Aloha From Hell

“Compelling...brilliantly metaphoric...profane mixture of noir atmospherics, black humor, and nonstop action will please Kadrey’s many fans.” - Publishers Weekly on Aloha From Hell

“Kadrey’s prose is raw and gutter-tough, Raymond Chandler meets Lux Interior at the Whisky a Go Go at the end of days.” - Austin Chronicle on Aloha From Hell

“Richard Kadrey’s ‘Sandman Slim’ series is one of my favorite sets of fantasy books from the last few years.” - John Scalzi

“I’ve encountered a lot of fictional characters with bad attitudes and vengeance on their minds, but after finishing up Aloha From Hell, the third book in the Sandman Slim series, I’ve officially moved Stark into a category of his own....I hope Kadrey keeps putting out Sandman Slim books for the next 20 years. They’re that much fun to read.” - Wired on Aloha from Hell

“A hell of a good time” - io9.com

“Richard Kadrey continues to knock them way the hell out of the park.” - Cory Doctorow, boingboing.com

“Dark, sarcastic and irreverent.” - Miami Herald

“The most irreverent, darkly comedic, and downright cool installment to date. …The action-packed and bombshell-laden blend of dark fantasy, crime fiction, and Hellish sitcom is utterly readable. - Publishers Weekly

“Hilarious … belongs up there with Dresden Files and Felix Castor novels. … some of the best supernatural buddy comedy ever created. It’s all a whirl of craziness and pop-culture insanity, and you can pretty much inhale it like candy-scented freon. ..And this is that rare sequel that’s actually better than the first book (which was plenty great) and manages to take several leaps forward in ways that make the main character seem a lot more fascinating than the first time around.” - io9.com on Kill the Dead

“The most irreverent, darkly comedic, and downright cool installment to date. ... Powered by Kadrey’s twisted wit and distinctive narrative voice, this novel is replete with memorable lines, images, and pop culture references. …The action-packed and bombshell-laden blend of dark fantasy, crime fiction, and Hellish sitcom is utterly readable.” - Publishers Weekly

“In his previous Sandman Slim novels, Richard Kadrey captivated readers with the story of a James Stark, a vengeful magician/hitman who returns from hell to be an anti-hero. That trend continues in Devil Said Bang, a hard-boiled supernatural thriller that sees Stark taking on a serial-killer ghost running wild in Los Angeles.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Allow me to both love this series for its feel of crossing hard-boiled crime pulp with H.P. Lovecraftian fantasy, and hate the author for being so damn good at it.” - Bookgasm

“…endlessly inventive and high-octane…Kadrey’s an excellent writer who’s able to juggle all of it without dropping a single pin.” - Locus on Kill the Dead

“Don’t compare Kadrey’s prose with Stephenie Meyer’s, or even Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those works are mere fluffy soap operas next to Kadrey’s writing. Richard Kadrey’s imagination is gritty, sleazy, and macabre…Kill the Dead is the kind of fiction that will always provoke strong reactions. Readers will either love it or hate it. I love it, because Kadrey’s prose is deeply engaging, and he makes me feel that my dark side isn’t quite so dark, after all.” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Kill the Dead

“Think Get Shorty meets Hellraiser.” - San Francisco Chronicle on Kill the Dead

“Kadrey knows how to spin a story, his prose is crisp and effortless, and the entertainment value is high.” - Charles de Lint, Fantasy and Science Fiction on Kill the Dead

“The perfect escapist storyline … side-splittingly funny. … gruesome slapstick mixed with down-and-dirty Hammett-esque mayhem and double-dealing. … If you’ve been hoping someone would bring the full-strength SoCal toxic waste to the urban fantasy game, then Sandman Slim is your poison.” - io9.com on Sandman Slim

“Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim books…feature an antihero with a heart full of bourbon and napalm, operating in the town most likely to be at the heart of the apocalypse -- Los Angeles. Dark, violent, and funny in an Army of Darkness way, Kadrey’s brand of noir isn’t out to make friends, hold hands, or take you to a candlelit dinner.” - Fearnet on Aloha From Hell

“Richard Kadrey’s next Sandman Slim book will be out in OCTOBER, so mark your calendars if you’re as much a fan of these incredibly visionary and savage books as I am....These books are incredibly hard-boiled, and the endings are not H.E.A. But Kadrey’s a fascinating writer and no matter how vicious Sandman Slim gets, we’re rooting for him to win.” - Charlaine Harris on Sandman Slim

“A sharp-edged urban fantasy, drenched in blood and cynicism, tipping its hat to Sam Peckinpah, Raymond Chandler and the anti-heroes of Hong Kong cinema. Kadrey brings it off through the propulsive force of Stark’s in-your-face, first-person, present-tense narration. It’s a bravura performance.” - San Francisco Chronicle on Sandman Slim

“His best work yet. . . . Kadrey tells his story in a swirl of tight, darkly intense prose. . . . Sandman Slim is very, very good indeed.” - SF Site on Sandman Slim

“James Stark, antihero of 2009’s Sandman Slim, returns in this gritty, over-the-top tale of supernatural mayhem…Profane, intensely metaphoric language somehow makes self-tortured monster Stark sympathetic and turns a simple story into a powerful noir thriller.” - Publishers Weekly on Kill the Dead

“Full of action, wit, and suspense, this grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Kadrey is a master storyteller (overused, I know, but very apt) and he will have you rooting for him in Hell and on Earth.” - Suspense magazine on Aloha From Hell

“If authors were tarot cards, Richard Kadrey would unarguably be the Hierophant of Paranormal Fantasy.” - Paul Goat Allen on Aloha From Hell