REVIEW | Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey (Eos)

Last year Sandman Slim was the most adrenaline pounding, foul-mouthed, and no-nonsense take on Urban Fantasy seen in years.  Kadrey took Urban Fantasy slapped it around, gave it some balls, and didn't apologize for it.  Nor should he have. So the sequel Kill the Dead comes to us on quite a high and I can happily report that it lives up to the first volume. I wouldn't say it was better, but most definitely on the same plateau. I loved every second of all the zombie killing, alcoholism, and back talking. Stark is still the anti-hero Kadrey's LA needs.  Kill the Dead is more a mystery story than crime novel as Sandman Slim was.

Kill the Dead sees Stark getting drawn into a missing person case while also being tasked as Satan's bodyguard. At first you have to ask what the hell does Satan need a body guard for? Well, he has got enemies. Lots of them from nearly every camp whether light, dark, or grey. Other reasons are eventually given as well. Satan is in town to make a movie because that is what every one in LA is trying to do, which means this time around Stark levels up the crowd he mixes with. Not that they are better people. Just richer and even more perverse than we've seen so far, which says quite a bit.

There were a few characters who got left in the dust this time around. The good Doctor Kinski and his nurse barely show up and Stark's magic fellows Allegra and Vidocq do little more than mix some potions, which seems a poor use, especially given Vidocq's background. There wasn't enough Angelic interaction this time around, but Kadrey makes up for it with a big change to Stark in the last quarter and a few good backstory reveals and plenty of action. 

We do get just the right amount of Kasabian, the bodiless head, filling the world with his thoughts that just bring to mind a dirty old landlord wearing a stained wife-beater every time. As a character Satan brings a lot to the table as well. Kadrey definitely makes him feel fresh and dangerous. Also, Stark finally gets a love interest of sorts that certainly knocked my socks off. Let's just say she was the perfect kind of woman for him.
mystery

Kill the Dead delivers more combat than most action movies and blends in the feel of a modern take on Mickey Spillane. The Noir style still plays off well and the lack of chapter breaks makes the story speed by at a lightning pace to the point that it ends before you are ready for it to stop. Kadrey gives you no fluff as every detail is used to propel the story ahead. I give Kill the Dead 8 out of 10 hats. The use of zombies at first made me groan as I didn't think Kadrey needed to go there given the big world he created in Sandman Slim, but he manages to use them as a lethal weapon and even gives them a few nice twists. Kill the Dead is just as strong as Sandman Slim and left me wanting for the Angel showdown that we know is coming in the third volume Aloha From Hell.

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REVIEW | Sleepless by Charlie Huston (Ballantine)

Sleepless is Charlie Huston's 11th and probably most challenging book to date. It is definitely one of the most difficult books I've read in recent years, but not challenging in the sense that I couldn't follow what was going on as the events and actions of the characters are all too believable. Sleepless while in keeping with Huston's noir style is vastly different from his other works. This is more than just a brooding type book like the Joe Pitt casebooks.

Sleepless is horrifically real. The realism is at such a high level I felt I was reading the personal journal of someone who went through these events.  We are thrown into a harsh near future apocalyptic where a disease called Sleepless is running rampant. Those with the disease slowly degrade mentally and physically over a year before dieing. If anything they are very zombie-like yet worse off for realizing what is happening to them as opposed to becoming completely mindless, which would be a blessing in this case. This is a Los Angeles where factions have sprung up dividing the city and hope is all but completely lost. The SLP disease is spreading with more than 10% of the world's population infected. There is no cure and no hope for one. The only relief suffers can hope for is the highly regulated drug Dreamer/DR33M3R, which can alleviate most of the pain for a short time.

At first I didn't realize the story was told from two different points of view, which was probably just me missing a cue, but once I had a better handle everything coalesced well. The main part is from Parker Haas's compelling perspective who is a hard nosed undercover cop. I was immediately drawn to Haas as he is in a horrible situation from all angles, but he is still trying to do his job and care for his family as his wife suffers and his empathy for her captures you in its wake.

Haas was forced to go into drug investigation work while his wife is at home suffering from Sleepless with their infant. He trudges through LA's seedy underbelly dealing with drugged out rich boys and hardworking RPG entrepreneurs with selflessness and& resilience. A strong online RPG element is enmeshed in this world as everyone is trying to escape the daily horror that is real life, which echoes the fears of many mothers nowadays. The other point of view is that of a hitman who always collects his due. I was a bit taken aback by some of his proclivities as they seemed out of place, but he grew on me with the telling.

Huston proves with this work he is more than capable taking chances that pay off. Sleepless is a high concept Thriller that mixes just the right amounts of Noir Crime, Horror, and Science Fiction that'll keep you coming back despite the anxiety caused from the story. I give Sleepless 8.5 out of 10 Hats. It is a dark, but worthy journey to undertake. I'll definitely need some lighter fiction though to cleanse my reading spirit a bit lest it rebel.


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