mk4_naka's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
catbooking's review
2.0
The end is so rushed that it feels like the front end of a crown vic looks after it smashes into an overpass support pillar going 80 miles per hour. Did the publishing company withdraw its request for the series to be longer than three books? Did the author get bored with this long arc and wanted to do something else? Was this book two books, because some things in the first half completely disappeared while the second half solutions happened on the spot?
The musings on why this book was such a crumple zone aside, I have other thoughts, of the unkind sort, to share.
The use of the refrigerated girlfriend as motivation has grown stale. First couple of books, sure, but her death and the mystery around it is still being treated like the big important reveal all the way to the end when it had no impact on story or character arcs. We even get her visiting Stark stark (hah) naked because there was a need to make up for the lack of sex in the first book, I guess. I know the reason for that scene, I really do, but at that point it feels like just more gratuitous unnecessary sex.
Speaking of gratuitous unnecessary sex. There is a pattern I noticed in a lot of urban fantasy books of needing to prove to the reader that the protagonist is a hot blooded straight male that definitely has sex. This series at first appeared to have broken from the norm and choose a different path, that is until now.
Stark spends a lot of time remembering all the sex he had with his now dead girlfriend. I do not think there is a single memory where they are fully dressed doing something mundane like washing dishes, it is always right after or right before sex. And while the two have lots of sex what they don't have is a relationship, because you cannot have a relationship with a dead person. When he does meet a live woman, with whom a relationship is possible, the two have sex and then the relationship is not possible because reasons. But soon after he starts having sex with another woman, with whom sex is even better, but again no relationship is possible because reasons, and the two cannot discuss those reasons because 'it is all a waste of time and the result of him going soft because he is topside'. In summary, fucking is for manly men who are manly but actual emotion/connection/relationship is stupid human stuff that Stark is too hardcore to stoop to. (Don't worry he feels all sorts of bad about having sex with all these women while remembering his girlfriend, but not enough to actually not have sex.)
The last thing, and this one actually makes me a little mad, is Stark's lack of trauma. When I read the first book I was excited to finally find an urban fantasy with male protagonist where the protagonist suffered losing it all. Where he discovered what it was like to be helpless and powerless and was able to get back to the top by whatever means necessary and carried that knowledge and those scars with him. Before, we were getting some hints of what Stark experienced but nothing too specific or concrete. In this book, we finally got some details. And what a disappointment those details were, because apparently the horrible humiliation he suffered was kicking his guards' asses in spectacular fashion. And the torture was when a sexy female soul was having him talk about feelings after having sex with him. Where is the suffering? Where is him being brought low? I don't need details but if he was going to talk about the experience being horrible then it should be at least adjacent to something not great. Being really good at kicking everyone's ass and having sex with yet another woman is not horrible.
So yeah, I had to take breaks reading the last half of this book because I would have to fight the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes. I waited for the series to be done before I dove back in because I enjoyed the snark of the first book so much. But the clever quips can keep my attention only so long if I have to fight through the testosterone and the mentions of na'at twisting. The first one is annoying the second one is boring and neither are entertaining enough to keep me reading.
The musings on why this book was such a crumple zone aside, I have other thoughts, of the unkind sort, to share.
The use of the refrigerated girlfriend as motivation has grown stale. First couple of books, sure, but her death and the mystery around it is still being treated like the big important reveal all the way to the end when it had no impact on story or character arcs. We even get her visiting Stark stark (hah) naked because there was a need to make up for the lack of sex in the first book, I guess. I know the reason for that scene, I really do, but at that point it feels like just more gratuitous unnecessary sex.
Speaking of gratuitous unnecessary sex. There is a pattern I noticed in a lot of urban fantasy books of needing to prove to the reader that the protagonist is a hot blooded straight male that definitely has sex. This series at first appeared to have broken from the norm and choose a different path, that is until now.
Stark spends a lot of time remembering all the sex he had with his now dead girlfriend. I do not think there is a single memory where they are fully dressed doing something mundane like washing dishes, it is always right after or right before sex. And while the two have lots of sex what they don't have is a relationship, because you cannot have a relationship with a dead person. When he does meet a live woman, with whom a relationship is possible, the two have sex and then the relationship is not possible because reasons. But soon after he starts having sex with another woman, with whom sex is even better, but again no relationship is possible because reasons, and the two cannot discuss those reasons because 'it is all a waste of time and the result of him going soft because he is topside'. In summary, fucking is for manly men who are manly but actual emotion/connection/relationship is stupid human stuff that Stark is too hardcore to stoop to. (Don't worry he feels all sorts of bad about having sex with all these women while remembering his girlfriend, but not enough to actually not have sex.)
The last thing, and this one actually makes me a little mad, is Stark's lack of trauma. When I read the first book I was excited to finally find an urban fantasy with male protagonist where the protagonist suffered losing it all. Where he discovered what it was like to be helpless and powerless and was able to get back to the top by whatever means necessary and carried that knowledge and those scars with him. Before, we were getting some hints of what Stark experienced but nothing too specific or concrete. In this book, we finally got some details. And what a disappointment those details were, because apparently the horrible humiliation he suffered was kicking his guards' asses in spectacular fashion. And the torture was when a sexy female soul was having him talk about feelings after having sex with him. Where is the suffering? Where is him being brought low? I don't need details but if he was going to talk about the experience being horrible then it should be at least adjacent to something not great. Being really good at kicking everyone's ass and having sex with yet another woman is not horrible.
So yeah, I had to take breaks reading the last half of this book because I would have to fight the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes. I waited for the series to be done before I dove back in because I enjoyed the snark of the first book so much. But the clever quips can keep my attention only so long if I have to fight through the testosterone and the mentions of na'at twisting. The first one is annoying the second one is boring and neither are entertaining enough to keep me reading.
markmtz's review against another edition
4.0
Another wild ride Downtown with Sandman Slim. Can't keep up with all the movie references. We need a video playlist. Anyone know of such a beast?
dekker1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
csdaley's review
4.0
So much better than book 2. I was about to give up on this series. Now I can't wait to see what book 4 has in store for us.
atomicwizard's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
davidscrimshaw's review
3.0
It moved along, but Sandman Slim has moves from LA to Hell. Not metaphorically. This just wasn't compelling enough for me.
And no talking cats.
And no talking cats.