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    Devil in the Dollhouse: A Sandman Slim Story
    Devil in the Dollhouse: A Sandman Slim Story
    Devil in the Dollhouse: A Sandman Slim Story
    Ebook59 pages55 minutes

    Devil in the Dollhouse: A Sandman Slim Story

    By Richard Kadrey

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim, has a new job, but being the new Lucifer in town gives fresh meaning to the word "Hell." Especially when he hears of hideous massacres near a haunted fortress out on Hell's frontier.

    As far as Stark's concerned, the more dead Hellions, the better, but he still has to prove that no one screws with Sandman Slim. And facing creatures so terrible even Hell does not want them is no cakewalk, even for Lucifer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJul 31, 2012
    ISBN9780062230652
    Author

    Richard Kadrey

    Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir books. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film. Some of his other books include The Wrong Dead Guy, The Everything Box, Metrophage, and Butcher Bird. He also writes the Vertigo comic Lucifer.

    Read more from Richard Kadrey

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    Reviews for Devil in the Dollhouse

    3.5/5

    119 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Pardon me while I geek the fuck out...

      *flails around like the T-1000 in an industrial-sized smelting pot*

      Fuck yeah! This! This is why I love the Sandman Slim series. Yes, the third book did not live up to my expectations, but this one went back to what made the series fun to begin with. Action for days. Twists around every corner. Vulgar, sarcastic dialogue and narration. And I'm actually excited for the next book, which I wasn't after finishing Aloha From Hell. To top it all off, I realized why I disliked the last book as much as I did. Too many feels. Too many questions. And, of course, it took Stark over half the fucking book to make it to Hell. I'm down with character development, but not an entire book of it. The action in AFH was too little, and the drama was too much. What should have been fun urban fantasy turned into some weird amalgamation of literary fiction meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Devil in the Dollhouse fixed all that.

      Narrator MacLeod Andrews is as fantastic as ever here. I highly recommend this series on audio book.

      In summation: If you disliked Aloha as much as I did, don't give up on the series yet. This novella has more action and story than the entirety of the last novel-length venture. So, so looking forward to Devil Said Bang now.

      Geek-gasm over. I think I need a towel.
    • 4/5
      A post-Aloha from Hell, pre-Devil Said Bang interlude, complete with haunted house. No one ever said making people love you would be easy... good thing Stark's not in the market for hearts & flowers.Not sure how well this would stand alone, but when you're familiar with all the players, it's a great lunch-hour read.
    • 3/5
      A quick, fun little short in between books three and four in the series. Don't read it unless you've gotten at least that far; it will make no sense on its own.
    • 4/5
      Sandwiched between Aloha from Hell and The Devil Said Bang, this Sandman Slim short covers his first few days as the new Lucifer. It's obvious he's not happy about his new role.Here's what he has to say on the matter, "Hi. I'm the Devil. No, seriously. I used to be James Stark or sometimes Sandman Slim, but then the 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."If you're not reading Richard Kadrey, you are really missing out. Some of my most enjoyable reading moments over the last few years have been with a Kadrey book. It started, for me, with Butcher Bird, one of my favorite reads from the last five years, and now with the Sandman Slim series."Run like a zebra at a waterhole and a pride of lions just showed up with ketchup and silverware." Yes, run to your local book-seller or online merchant and get started with the first in this wonderful series, Sandman Slim. Just remember, I told you to do it. You can thank me later.
    • 4/5
      I got this story free for Kindle. This is a story that takes place between books 3 and 4 of the Sandman Slim series. It was an interesting addition to the series and full of the all that bad-assness that is Sandman Slim.Sandman Slim is trying to adjust to life as Lucifer and searching for a way back home. Then he is informed by his minions that he has to travel through the circles of Hell to confront a particularly naughty Hellion.This was a very short read (took maybe half an hour to read) but it was entertaining. It’s full of the all the dark humor and fast-paced action that we’ve all grown to love from this series.It’s gory, gritty, and absolutely twisted and disgusting at times...but at the same time oh so very engaging and wonderful.It fills in a bit of the story about what Sandman Slim did while he was in Hell. It’s not necessary to read (I actually read book 4, Devil Said Bang before this book) to know what’s going on in the series. But it’s free and it’s a fun diversion.Overall a fun read. It’s fast-paced, action-packed, and full of the all the dark gritty humor that is Sandman Slim. Ultra-violent, at times a bit stomach turning....but tons of fun all the same. If you are a fan of the series give it a read, you’ll enjoy it. I wouldn’t recommend reading if you haven’t read the series, unless you just want to get a feel for Kadrey’s writing style.
    • 4/5
      A short story of Stark getting used to being Lucifer.

    Book preview

    Devil in the Dollhouse - Richard Kadrey

    DEVIL IN THE DOLLHOUSE

    A Sandman Slim Story

    RICHARD KADREY

    voyager_logo.jpg

    CONTENTS

    Devil in the Dollhouse

    An Excerpt from Devil Said Bang

    About the Author

    Also by Richard Kadrey

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    DEVIL IN THE DOLLHOUSE

    The Unimog bounces down a shattered freeway that looks like a set from Crackhead Godzilla Goes on a Bender and Fucks up Everything. Exit signs and overhead lights are melted to slag. Buildings along the edges of the road look more like the stone skeletons of giant fish than settlements. We have to inch our way down and then back up collapsed overpasses like arthritic grasshoppers.

    And it gets worse. This thousand-mile-long ribbon of shit? Technically, I own all of it. All of Hell is falling apart and one of my jobs is to put it back together. But not today.

    Let’s back up and get a look at the big picture.

    There are just as many assholes in Heaven as there are in Hell. The only difference is the ones in Hell aren’t slick enough to hide it. Therefore Hell is a kingdom of assholes, and thus the Devil is the king of the assholes.

    Hi. I’m the Devil. No, seriously. I used to be James Stark or sometimes Sandman Slim, but then the Lucifer 1.0 pissed off back to Heaven and stuck me running Hell. I thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen 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 some place that scares even these evil fallen-angel pricks. Plus, I can’t eat the lunch they packed for me. I never could stand unicorn salad.

    Here’s how it all started: I was hanging out in Lucifer’s library—my library now—when a bookcase opened and two Hellions came in, looking at me like I was a two-headed rattler in the reptile booth at a Texarkana side show.

    So, this is him, said the smaller Hellion.

    I guess so, said the big one.

    He doesn’t look like much of a monster.

    He’s the monster who kills monsters, so naturally he’s a lesser monster.

    He still looks like any other mortal to me.

    You know I’m standing right here, right? I said.

    The smaller Hellion raised his voice, like maybe I was hard of hearing.

    I was saying that you don’t look like much of a monster.

    I look better covered in blood. You never saw me fight in the arena?

    Big Boy shook his head.

    Merihim there is a priest. He can’t go. Me, I don’t like to go. Fighting for fun doesn’t make sense to me.

    Trust me. It wasn’t fun.

    The smaller Hellion was in sleeveless black robes. Every inch of visible skin was tattooed in sacred Hellion script, like he’d been mugged by the tiniest graffiti crew in the universe. Big Boy looked like the Hulk’s runt cousin in rubber overalls. Dangling from his thick leather belt were enough vicious-looking tools to give Torquemada the vapors.

    I’m Ipos, said Big Boy. He hooked a thumb at the tattooed squirt. He’s Merihim.

    I recognized the names. Samael, aka Lucifer 1.0, left me a note with their names. They’re a couple of his spies and sometime advisors.

    Hi, I said. I’m the Devil.

    Merihim nodded. Pursed his lips.

    Yes. That’s what we’re here to talk about. You’re not, entirely, quite Lucifer.

    Then you better tell whoever is Lucifer, because I’m living in his palace, wearing his clothes, and peeing in his shower.

    Yes, said Ipos. You have all the trappings of Lord Lucifer. And you certainly have the title.

    What you lack is the belief, said Merihim.

    I seem to remember killing Mason Faim and stopping a war with Heaven.

    And those facts are what earned you the title. But the title is a thing of the mind. Belief is a thing of the heart. And that you don’t have.

    Not yet, said Ipos.

    "In a conversation like this when someone says ‘not yet’ it makes my balls ache. You know why? Because that’s where the knee is going. Because ‘not yet’ means I have to do something

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