Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

I had no idea what to expect from this novel, but I thought the premise sounded interesting so I gave it a shot and I wasn't disappointed.

Jimmy Stark (known simply as Stark) is a magician. Eleven years ago a group of fellow magicians made a deal that sent Stark to hell in exchange for more power. Now Stark has found a way back to Earth determined to get revenge. However, he learns that he has found himself in the middle of something much deeper and much darker than he realized.

I only recommend this book to someone interested in dark fantasy, who wouldn't be offended by irreverent depictions of heaven and hell, and the beings associated with each demesne. Stark makes for an extremely flawed, but interesting protagonist.

The ending of this novel set it up perfectly to become a series focusing on Stark's character. So it will be interesting to see if Kadrey does indeed turn this into a series.