Until the publication of Sandman Slim Richard Kadrey was known more for his cyberpunk sci-fi efforts, like Metrophage and Butcher Bird as well as his foray into comic books in the form of the Accelerate miniseries. However, he’s no stranger to using demons as characters or sending people to Hell. This effort, however, has a more distinct supernatural feel to it.

We meet the main character, Stark, upon his return from an eleven-year stay in Hell where all manner of horrors happened to him. But he has survived, mostly by keeping his wits about him—and it also doesn’t hurt that he backstabs the demon he was working for and steals a key that leads out of Hell.

And when he gets out, to say that he’s “pissed off” is an understatement. His goal is simple: find those who sent him to Hell and destroy them; his motivations, clear: revenge, not only for sending him to Hell but also for killing the love of his life. Finding them is a different story. First, he has to deal with the one who ratted him out, Kasabian, also a magician, now relegated to being a head. This provides the reader with a much-needed dose of amusement that comes through in the rest of the novel, which features dark, twisted Dexter-esque humour.

Eventually, Stark gets caught in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell, and like many recent depictions of angels (Supernatural, Legion, The Prophecy, Constantine, etc), they ain’t so nice here, either, a refreshing change that colours Sandman Slim with a decidedly gray tint. How a writer handles demons and what they do is also vital in a novel like this, and Kadrey’s resident Hellions do not disappoint. They aren’t horned, hooved two-dimensional evil overlords who are evil “just because” or evil solely because of their nature. Instead, Kadrey paints them with complexity and personal motivations through broad strokes. But don’t expect an emotionally heartfelt weeper. These demons don’t exactly sit around and mope about how they’re “monsters” or lament the loss of Heaven and cry out for the heavenly Father to forgive them. These unapologetic demons definitely kick a lot of ass, and mostly Stark’s, but they’re fun to watch as well as being cliché-free, a welcome addition to the genre.

The supporting characters also do their share. They help Stark on his quest but not in the typical “follow the hero every step of the way and travel in a troupe at all times” sort of thing, most commonly found in epic fantasies.

If you enjoyed the Evil Dead movies, and, as one review pointed out, something that feels like a B movie if Clive Barker and Sergio Leone collaborated, you owe it to yourself to read Sandman Slim. The first person present point of view is one of the most challenging to pull off, but Kadrey’s use of it electrifies the text, breathing new life into the “villain X did something bad to me and now I want revenge” plot. The immediacy and authenticity of the tone and voice are also two of the strongest things about the book that hit me right away. It’s like riding one wild roller coaster with many twists and turns, but best of all, the novel isn’t predictable. Don’t expect a hokey happy ending with Stark’s love come back to life, though—Sandman Slim is all about mirroring the grittiness of reality, which, for Stark, includes a whole lot of loss. Stark is a fleshed-out, three dimensional character with very particular idiosyncracies that set him apart from the other characters and make you root for him in the same way that Wolverine’s brash “devil may care” attitude appeals to fans of the X-men comics.

When you have a novel with demons and Hell, my biggest concern is how the writer handles the depiction of Lucifer—not an easy feat, and something that a lot of scribes (including screenwriters) don’t quite nail. Many handle it very poorly and just make him a suave, smooth-talking walking cardboard cutout cliché. Not so here. Not since William Hjortsberg’s take nor since Neil Gaiman’s interpretation in the similarly titled Sandman series of graphic novels have I ever been so impressed by a description of Lucifer. Kadrey gets him right. And leaves us longing for a sequel where Stark will confront the big bad Beast, baddie of all baddies.

Many urban fantasy writers have sung the priases of Sandman Slim and for good reason—it is a thrill ride that will leave you wanting more, but it has a satisfying resolution—for now. If you’re sick of seeing the same thing over and over again in urban fantasy, do yourself a favour and pick of Sandman Slim. See if you can resist joining the legion of impatient fans (myself included), itching to get our hands on the sequel.