Being Lucifer isn’t a fun job and it takes Stark into the outer reaches of hell in this short, violent and very bloody story. Lucifer #1 has left him a hell of a mess to clean up and although it’s the last thing he wants, Stark has to make sure he is acknowledged, if not approved, as the Lord of the Underworld. 'I used to be James Stark or sometimes Sandman Slim but then Lucifer 1.0 pissed off back to Heaven and stuck me running Hell. I thought that was the worst thing that ever happened to me. That was three days ago. Today things got worse. Today I’m in a truck convoy heading somewhere I never heard of to find someplace that scares even these evil fallen-angel pricks.'So, while trying to negotiate the politics in Hell, sorting out a demon even the worst Hellions fear and trying to find a way back home, Stark has his work cut out, to put things mildly.A great bridge between Aloha from Hell and Devil said Bang filled with Richard Kadrey’s brilliant writing. 4.5 StarsDevil in the Dollhouse is a novella that takes place between books three and book four in the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey. I love this series and cannot get enough of Sandman Slim. I am not sure how I missed this fun little ride down a road in hell.This novel tells a short adventure about James Stark also known as Sandman Slim, and now known as Lucifer or Satan, or The Devil, or The Lord of Lies, or….I think you get the point. This novella covers one of James first missions since becoming Lucifer. All the things in Hell are cool……..The writing is top notch:“The scene reminds me of LA when a load of High Plains Drifters— that’s zombies to you— were running extremely amok. Bullets didn’t slow them either and even if they did, how do you know which one to shoot when there are six or seven on top of you ripping you to pieces? That’s how these brainless bone sacks win. They wear you down until it doesn’t matter how many of them you kill. All it takes is for a few to swarm you and you’re gone. Short of flamethrowers, nukes, or a bunch of trained Drifter killers, the best strategy is nature’s simplest: run like you’re a zebra at a waterhole and a pride of lions just showed up with ketchup and silverware. But where do we retreat to? No one is going to follow me into the rain ring and there’s no forest to hide in anymore.”I am a huge fan of Richard Kadreys, and I cannot wait for more from Sandman Slim!!!
What do You think about Devil In The Dollhouse (2012)?
Short, and not necessary to the series, just another adventure in Hell.
—dkspirit
Fun short story - looking forward to starting the next book now!!
—MaddieLove13
A good short tale to keep the series going but not my favorite.
—12345
Way too short even for a short story! So happy it was free!
—nita
