Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey

A pretty interesting standalone Urban Fantasy novel from the guy who brought us Sandman Slim. The book precedes Slim but shares many common elements. Our hero is a San Francisco tattoo artist who is violently introduced to the "real" world where monsters, angels and demons share the world without regular people realizing anything is out of the ordinary. He and his companions must travel to hell to seek the means to return our hero's life back to "normal".

Great action, a talent for describing weird monsters and fantastical lands, and some smart-alecky banter make this a fast-paced fun read.

The guys got a way with words:

No, you're going to kill yourself because you can't stand the real world. Reality is a two-ton weight strapped to your balls. And they just keep getting heavier.

I'm not a fan of tattoos or the tattoo and piercing culture but I like the author's treatment of the subject:

Spyder saw much of his early ink less as a tribute to the art and more to his own neuroses. He wore his fear on his skin for everyone to see.

A timely pop culture reference given that the Sr. Strange movie just came out recently.

"You need to work, dude. Get back to what you know and what you're good at. I bet you could really make the colors dance now that you've got all those Dr. Strange super powers."

On an interesting side note Kadrey had his short story "Carbon Copy" turned into the movie No Ordinary Baby, starring Bridget Fonda. He called it a truly awful film. Interesting. Gotta check it out.

Finished reading the book 12/06/2016 6:27 AM.