Kill the Dead-Richard Kadrey

Kill the Dead
Richard Kadrey
Eos, Oct 5 2010, $22.99
ISBN: 9780061714313

Stark, known as Sandman Slim, is not a human. He is a Nephilim; the offspring of a fallen angel and a human mother. He has all the power of a Nephilim, but still was not strong enough to fight black magician Mason Faim, who dispatched him to hell for over a decade. When Lucifer releases Stark, he returns to hell on earth where he dispatches Mason back to Lucifer’s kingdom. While there the mage mason tries to take over Lucifer’s throne.

The devil comes to earth to watch a picture of him being made and wants Stark to serve as his bodyguard. He also takes jobs for the Golden Vigil, sometimes called “Pinkerton’s Angels, such as killing Eleanor the vampire, who wears a belt buckle that interests him for reasons he cannot figure out. Besides the Golden Vigil and Lucifer gigs, Stark works on fighting demons and a way to kill Mason. However, a new threat arises as zombies begin to walk the streets of Los Angeles killing all humans who cross their path. Stark has to figure out who is controlling the walking dead and get rid of him so the zombie menace will end..

Stark is a terrific antihero whose conversations with a horde of paranormal and normal (that is in a specie sense; not a mental sense) is humorously biting satire. He is a half-breed who is neither angel nor demon, but works for both sides as he has no place with either. The story line is fast-paced, filled with high octane testosterone action, but is owned by Stark who tells his latest misadventures in a noir style first person account. Urban fantasy readers will fully appreciate the goings on in the city of angels. This reviewer can’t wait for the next Sandman Slim novel.

Harriet Klausner