Excerpt from Devil Said Bang, the forthcoming Sandman Slim novel

IO9 has published the first 40 pages of Devil Said Bang, the fourth of Richard Kadrey's kick-ass, super-gritty demonic supernatural horror Sandman Slim novels (the first three were Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, and Aloha From Hell). I loved Devil. Even by the high standards set by the whole series, it shines. It's out on Aug 28th, and I have a review cued up for then. Here's a snippet: "Filled with perverted sex, awesome one-liners, gore, murder, and a necronomiconical sense of the daemonic, Devil shows that these are the books that Kadrey was born to write. One of the original cyberpunks, Kadrey has always been the grittiest of the gritty lot, the chipped switchblade in a box full of fractal-edged nanofabricated scalpels. Compared to Kadrey, other supernatural horror writers feel like they've been drinking the thrice-brewed tea of HP Lovecraft, while Kadrey has been performing blood sacrifices in abandoned LA parking garages. Read these books, and be delighted."

I punch the tunes into the jukebox and make sure it's turned up loud. I've loaded up the juke with a hundred or so devil tunes. The Hellion Council can't stand it when I come to a meeting with a pocketful of change. Wild Bill, the bartender, hates it too, but he's a damned soul I recruited for the job, so he gets why I do it. I head back to the table and nod to him. He shakes his head and goes back to cleaning glasses.

Les Baxter winds down a spooky "Devil Cult" as I sit down with the rest of Hell's ruling council. We've been here in the Bamboo House of Dolls for a couple of hours. My head hurts from reports, revised timetables, and learned opinions. If I didn't have the music to annoy everyone with, I would probably have killed them all by now.

Buer slides a set of blueprints in my direction.

Hellions look sort of like the little demons in that Hieronymus Bosch painting The Garden of Earthly Delights. Some look pretty human. Some look like the green devils on old absinthe bottles. Some are like what monsters puke up after a long weekend of eating other monsters. Buer looks like a cuttlefish in a Hugo Boss suit and smells like a pet-store Dumpster.

First 40 pages of Richard Kadrey’s new Sandman Slim novel are a Hell of a good time

• [lloydv]

  I can’t wait! I didn’t expect there would be a fourth book in the series, so this is a pleasant surprise.

• [Chad Smith]

  I’ve been waiting for this release all summer.  So far I’ve listened to the audible versions of the first three books, and have been sucked in to the series.

  One small irksome thing I found with Aloha From Hell was the restating of details from earlier books.  I know that in the business of being an author there may be pressure to do this so it can be a stand alone book.  Also, it may be more of an irritation because I listened to it; while reading it may have a different feel in those parts.

  Besides that miniscule complaint, I love the series.  The grittiness, and the unique takes on religious and folklore themes, all make it a hoot.

• [Jim Nelson]

  Already preordered, and should be waiting for me when I get back from Burning Man. God, what a fun series.

• [Ethical Cannibal]

  I just read the first two books, and got my buddies into them too. By the time this comes out, it will be perfect timing for me to read it. 

• [Rickenbacker4001]

  Woo Hoo ! Can’t wait ! Pre ordered…..

• [Crashproof]

  “Kill the Dead” was lots of fun but I forgot to look for his author books, so thanks for the reminder.