Kadrey, Richard: Aloha from Hell
Aloha from Hell (2011)
Written by: Richard Kadrey
Genre: Urban/Dark Fantasy
Pages: 438 (Hardcover)
Series: Book Three (Sandman Slim)
Why I Read It: I loved the series debut, Sandman Slim, and while the follow-up, Kill the Dead, did quite capture me the same way, I was really looking forward to seeing where Kadrey went with the series.
The premise: ganked from publisher's website: Supernatural fantasy’s greatest anti-hero goes back to hell!
In Sandman Slim, Stark came back from hell for revenge.
In Kill the Dead he tackled both a zombie plague and being Lucifer’s bodyguard.
Once again all is not right in L.A. Lucifer is back in Heaven, God is on vacation, and an insane killer mounts a war against both Heaven and Hell.
Stark’s got to head back down to his old stomping grounds in Hell to rescue his long lost love, stop an insane serial killer, prevent both Good and Evil from completely destroying each other, and stop the demonic Kissi from ruining the party for everyone.
Even for Sandman Slim, that’s a tall order. And it’s only the beginning.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. It's a relatively new title and I don't want to spoil any surprises. I also didn't take any notes, so that definitely points to a lack of spoilers. Read on without fear, unless you're in a hurry, and then you can just skip to "My Rating." Everyone else, onward!
With the exception of noting two passages, I didn't take notes. The nice thing about Kadrey's series is that as long as you buy into the narrative voice (first person, present tense), it's easy to get carried away with the story. I seem to remember having a little bit of trouble going from Sandman Slim to Kill the Dead, but I had no such trouble getting into Aloha from Hell. Whether that's a testament to how Kadrey is presenting his story or a testament to my ability to retain the previous stories (or both) is hard to say, but I'm glad I didn't have that stonewall this time. I remembered characters and story arcs, and those that snuck up on me gave me just enough to go, "Oh yeah…" and keep going without banging my head against the hall. I think part of it is the fact the cast is pretty well established at this point, and there's no real need to introduce new characters when there's so many existing ones to play with. Works for me.
Considering the length of the book, it goes by really quickly. You already know, based on the premise, that Stark's going back to Hell. And oddly enough, it takes a while to get there. Sitting back and thinking about how the story lead up to the decision to go to Hell and kick some ass, and -- well -- I really have to think about it. It's not to say that first chunk of the book is bad or slow, because I'm definitely interested and definitely engaged. It's just that once you get to Hell, everything else takes a back seat.
There are some great developments in this book. Some regarding Stark's personal life, some regarding Stark's future or lack thereof, and if I say anything else, I'll venture into spoiler territory, so I'll shut up while I'm ahead. I will say that I remember feeling a wee bit let down after reading Kill the Dead (because Sandman Slim was such a rocking great ride), but Aloha from Hell makes it all better. I still think the debut is my favorite to date, but Kadrey does some great stuff here, so it's all good.
Now, for the promised quotes.
Page 8:
So Vidocq and I are falling. Tinkling glass falls with us like razor-blade snowflakes.
Page 342:
"We were so sure we got you right the first time. Then there was the whole Eden debacle and it was all downhill from there. But don't worry, the new ones are a lot better."
"You're done with us and on to Humanity 2.0?"
"Oh, we're way beyond 2.0. The new ones are nearly perfect. Nearly angels. You'd hate them."
"Fingers crossed I never have to meet one."
He leans over me and speaks in a fake conspiratorial whisper.
"You won't. I put them far, far away from you people. Why do you think space is so big?"
My Rating: Good Read
I hesitated before getting the third installment to Kadrey's Sandman Slim series. Partially because I'm trying really, really hard to control my book-buying habits (says the addict), and partially because after the great ride that was Sandman Slim (the debut, not the series), the follow-up Kill the Dead was a bit of a let down. I should've never feared: Aloha from Hell has plenty of satisfying surprises in store and more than enough WTF moments, but Stark is as cranky as ever, and is learning how to be a monster again. The story wraps up nicely, and if I didn't know there were five to six book planned in the series, I'd suspect Kadrey meant to stop here. But there's more books ahead, and there's just enough hooks planted to keep you reading to the next installment, despite how interestingly things wrap up here. I know I'm looking forward to what happens next, and if you enjoy this series, you will too.
Cover Commentary: Actually, the cover is very, very appropriate for this book. It didn't hit me until I was reading the description of hell and realized just what the artist/designer did with the cover, but I'm quite pleased with how it represents the story inside. The colors are striking, and I'm glad they're staying consistent with the same font and adorably cute size of the hardcover.
Next up: Straying from the Path by Carrie Vaughn