The Getaway God: A Sandman Slim Novel

Richard Kadrey

Aug 2014 · Sandman Slim Book 6 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

End times are here again

A half-human, half-angel with a bad rep and a worse attitude—we are talking abuout the former Lucifer here—James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, has made a few enemies. None, though, are as fearsome as the vindictive Angra Om Ya—the insatiable, destructive old gods. But their imminent invasion is just one of Stark's problems, as L.A. descends into chaos, and a new evil stalks the city.

No ordinary killer, the man known as St. Nick takes Stark deep into a conspiracy that stretches from Earth to Heaven and Hell. Further complicating matters is that he may be the only person alive who knows how to keep the world from going extinct. He's also Stark's worst enemy—the only man in existence Stark would enjoy killing twice—and one with a direct line to the voracious, ancient gods.

Ratings and reviews

An enjoyable but disappointing change in the overall picture the author wants to project about Sandman Slim. In the previous books things get to a point where Stark appears untouchable by anyone or anything, but this installment of the series brings Slim's powers to an annoying low. It certainly doesn't feel like the monster who kills monsters anymore. Also, The getaway god feels like a forced, painful synopsis of every book before it. Reading The Devil said Bang and this one back to back in less than a week, you can see how there is almost a copy-paste attitude and a need to deeply explain so many things that shouldn't need explanation. As in every series, if a reader wants to start at Book 5 or 6, there is an assumption that there will be missing things unless you read the rest of the books. Here, Kadrey explains over, and over, and over again why and how things happen, and you really don't know if he is trying to restart a saga or end it completely (which he clearly isn't). As mentioned above, it is very disappointing to see Sandman Slim, killer of monsters, Samael's buddy, God's pal, abomination of abominations, turned into a salary man just like poor Bobby Dollar.

I really enjoyed this series. This book brings everything from the previous books in the series together for a gruesome and satisfying climax. The characters, while usually spouting witty banter, were developed well throughout the series and I really felt invested in the "grey" areas of the universe and the personalties involved on all levels. I would read this series again and recommend it to anyone with a slightly dark and cynical sense of humor and an appreciation for modern day fantasy.

A fitting bookend to a great storyline with a fantastic cast of characters. I can't wait for the next chapter. If you're quick witted and open minded about most organized religion, death, angels, and have a good sense of humor then you'll enjoy the Sandman Slim series as much as I have.

About the author

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.