Book Review: The Perdition Score by Richard Kadrey

This review was first published by Booklist on June 1, 2016.

James Stark (aka Sandman Slim) is living the closest thing he can to a normal life: he works for the Sub Rosa, and he has a girlfriend and a social life (well, he’s part of an underground fight club). Then a dying angel gives him a vial of mysterious “black milk” and another angel tries to kill him for it. The Wormwood Corporation is up to no good, a kid goes missing, and too many coincidences start to pile up. His friends are in danger, Heaven is in revolt, and everyone’s soul hangs in the balance. Now Stark needs to find a way to get back to Hell . . . . The eighth entry in Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series is well paced, gritty, cool, funny, and insightful. The dialogue is whip-smart, the characters remain compelling, and Stark continues to evolve in surprising ways. Not only is this a welcome return for existing fans, it’s also easy for new readers to follow along. This fun and rewarding book has an ending that will leave readers eager for the next one.