First up are the Sandman Slim novels by Richard Kadrey. The first novel, Sandman Slim, was published in Hardcover in July 2009 and as a Mass Market Paperback in April 2010, which was when I noticed it. The second Sandman Slim novel, Kill the Dead, was published in Hardcover in October 2010.
I really enjoyed reading both novels. They are dark and funny. James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, is not your typical hero by any stretch of the imagination. His motives are certainly not altruistic. He's hard-boiled, sarcastic, and violent. And yet, I root for him to come out on top. He calls it like he sees it, but remember his view is more than a bit twisted. These are wonderfully fun noir supernatural thrillers that poke fun at pop culture and just about everything else. Of all the characters I've read about this year, James Stark is the character that I'd most like to have a drink with.
Sandman Slim
Supernatural fantasy has a new antihero Life sucks, and then you die. Or, if you're James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.
Now Stark's back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But when his first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you'd expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.
Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.
Darkly twisted, irreverent, and completely hilarious, Sandman Slim is the breakthrough novel by an acclaimed author.
Kill The Dead
James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim, crawled out of Hell, took bloody revenge for his girlfriend's murder, and saved the world along the way. After that, what do you do for an encore? You take a lousy job tracking down monsters for money. It's a depressing gig, but it pays for your beer and cigarettes. But in L.A., things can always get worse.
Like when Lucifer comes to town to supervise his movie biography and drafts Stark as his bodyguard. Sandman Slim has to swim with the human and inhuman sharks of L.A.'s underground power elite. That's before the murders start. And before he runs into the Czech porn star who isn't quite what she seems. Even before all those murdered people start coming back from the dead and join a zombie army that will change our world and Stark's forever.
Death bites. Life is worse. All things considered, Hell's not looking so bad.
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Sandman Slim and a Hardcover copy of Kill The Dead by Richard Kadrey.
How: Leave a comment telling The Qwillery which character from a book you read in 2010 that you would like to have a drink with. The drink does not necessarily have to contain alcohol. If you don't answer the question, your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.
There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.
Who & When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 22, 2010. Void where prohibited by law.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
You know, I probably should think on this one. Or pick some sexy alpha hero like Rhys from The Iron Duke or something, but really? Really? It would be too fun to have a drink with Bump from the Downside Ghosts series. Sure, I'd have to keep my guard up to keep him from pushing drugs at me or trying to pimp me out -- but listening to him talk would be a treat.
ReplyDelete(Actually, I'd rather just hand a bottle of vodka over to Stacia and get her to start talking like Bump, but a girl takes what she a can get. lol)
- Chelsea / Vampire Book Club
PS. As you know, I'm a follower. :)
Great giveaway. These are not books I normally read but they remind me a little bit of Horns by Joe Hill and I enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteI think my drink would bewith Jimmy (aka Snowman) from Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood). He's the sole survivor after a catastrophe and I think he would like the company.
I'm a follower by email . jh303015 at gmail dot com
Okay totally weird, Synde just mentioned these books to me on Twitter & I had never heard of them before!
ReplyDeleteI would want to have a drink (some honey maybe?) with Jenks from the Hollows. I'd get all the gossip.
I am a stalker, I mean follower.
I would have a drink with Merit (chicoland vampires by chloe neill) she seems like someone i would hangout with in real life.
ReplyDeletevan
Littopandaxpress(At)yahoo.com
forgot to mention
ReplyDeleteI'm a blog follower.
I'm having trouble answering this one. Hmm... I've got too many and not enough characters floating in my head. Oh, pick one... um... Gin Blanco from the Elemental Assassin series. I think she might be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI gfc follow
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/BooksThings/status/15126008084570113
books (dot) things (at) yahoo (Dot) com
I'd like to have a drink with Charlie Madigan from Kelly Gay's The Better Part of Darkness. I'd probably have a hot chocolate because I'm not much for alcohol.
ReplyDeleteBarbed1951(at)aol(dot)com
GFC follower
I would love to have a drink with Adrian from Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.
ReplyDeletefollower
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Harry Dresden, no question.
ReplyDeletethejoyofthejoyofcooking at hotmail dot com
I'm a GFC follower!
Would love to have a drink with Katniss Everdeen from the HUnger Games books
ReplyDeletedrakebdog@gmail.com
Because I'm reading BLAMELESS by Gail Carriger right now (& really loving this series!), I'd like to have a drink (tea?) with Alexia. Of course, since I'm a common American & don't know all the proper Victorian ettiquette, she'd probably look down her nose at me... :p
ReplyDeletei'd like to have a drink with Danielle from the book Saving Max
ReplyDeletelauren51990 at aol dot com
gfc follow
ReplyDeletelauren51990 at aol dot com
This is a tough decision. I think I'm going to have to go with Adelia Aguilar from Ariana Franklin's mysteries. She's blunt and smart and independent, ahead of her time in many ways, and I'd love to swap stories of modern life for her stories of the medieval world.
ReplyDeleteAlso a follower, and also tweeted (@AnassaRh).
I would love to have a drink with Lincoln Rhyme, from the novels by Jeffery Deaver!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go for a drink or food in this case with Merit from Chicagoland Vampires Series by Chloe Neill! She is pure awesomeness!
ReplyDelete+1 Comment
+1 GFC follower
vicky.vak8(at)gmail.com
There's so many drinks to be had, but lately I've been on an Absinthe kick...and I'll go ahead and pick...gah, who? I read prolifically and retain poorly. Currently reading Cthulhurotica, so I'll go ahead and pick the girl with an incubus on her back from Cody Goodfellow's "Infernal Attractors".
ReplyDelete+1 Tweet ~ http://twitter.com/#!/kaolinfire/statuses/17709807758745600
contact: [kaolin] at [erif.org]
I would have a drink with Mercy Thompson.
ReplyDelete+1 GFC follower
+1 Tweet: http://twitter.com/Sparima/status/17748701481013248
spav05(at)gmail(dot)com
I would most like to have a drink with Barron from Karen Moning's Fever series. I would definitely be interested in hearing some of his past exploits!!
ReplyDelete+1 GFC Follower
Wenj @ Black Lagoon Reviews