Dead Set
Hardcover | Kindle Edition
Written by Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Cover Price: $22.99

As much as I love the Sandman Slim books from Richard Kadrey and all the gritty noir elements of each of those novels, Dead Set is a welcome departure showcasing a much different, but ultimately still engaging and fascinating, side of Kadrey’s writing. The style, tone, and diction are hugely different from the Sandman Slim books, so if you’re expecting more of the same, then you’re better off re-reading those volumes because Dead Set is a unique dark fantasy tale that offers a rich reading experience.

Our female protagonist is an angst-ridden teen, but you’re not going to find any comparisons to Bella Swan here. Zoe has every reason to be morose–her beloved father passed away recently, leaving her with a mom struggling both emotionally and financially to be the glue that holds them together. She’s not doing much better at school either, although she does befriend a fellow outsider at one point, even if her circle of friends turns out not to be the best.

Kill City Blues
A Sandman Slim Novel (Book 5)
Hardcover | Kindle Edition
Written by Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Cover Price: $24.99

The adventures of everyone’s favorite monster-slaying and generally misanthropic badass Sandman Slim continue in the fifth installment of the series from Richard Kadrey entitled Kill City Blues. As we saw in Devil Said Bang, Stark is fresh off a stint of giving up his title as Lucifer. He’s in a donut shop with Samael, who we normally think of as the most famous Lucifer. Their conversation, which includes discussion of donuts, is hilarious. The person currently wearing the Lucifer hat is doing a much better job than Stark. Unlike Stark, his replacement is considerably more level-headed and more invested in the well-being of Hell and Hellions. But apparently Stark left such an impression that he inspired a Wikipedia entry.

Violence and explosions follow Stark around wherever he goes, so it’s no surprise when he runs into some trouble and a shoot-out of sorts happens. As we saw in the previous volume, Devil Said Bang, God is not so easy to pin down. Not all the pieces of the God puzzle are intact, and in order to neutralize the war between Heaven and Hell, Stark is after a particular god-killing weapon and he’s doing his damndest to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Part of today’s Kindle ebook deal of the day over at Amazon today is Richard Kadrey‘s Sandman Slim for only $1.99 (that’s 75% off the print list price of $7.99).

This title is the first installent in the Sandman Slim novel series.

I HIGHLY recommend grabbing this eBook, as it’s a great read, and the books of the Sandman Slim series have consistently topped our Best Of lists and Gift Guides.

2011 was a big year for doorstopper-sized fantasy novels, particularly A Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin, which is a whopping 1,040 pages. It sold 298,000 copies on its first day alone, which included 170,000 hardcovers, 110,000 eBooks, and 18,000 audiobooks, proving that although ebook sales are catching up, print is still ahead for big releases like this.

Another major series that got a hugely anticipated sequel came in the form of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Wise Man’s Fear, which continues the events of The Name of the Wind and propels Kvothe into an even more compelling situations. Canadian horror also got a few notable entries with Enter, Night and Dead of Winter, both historical fiction novels and both superbly written. Small and mid-sized presses continue to produce some of the best genre fiction out there, and this year proved no exception.

Here’s my picks for the Top 10 Fantasy and Horror Books of 2011.

For a limited time, HarperCollins Voyager is currently offering up the ebook for Richard Kadrey‘s Sandman Slim for only $.99!

You can get the ebook, which is the first installment in the Sandman Slim novel series, for the Kindle through Amazon.com.

Also, the ebook should also be $.99 through other retailers like Barnes & Noble (for their Nook device).