Hexen Sabbath is a warrior who loves to drink, copulate, and fight Danes. But, when he is transported from 1016 England to 2016 New York with by the Angel Abathar with no clothes, weapons, or money he is not sure what to do with himself. But, Abathar has given Hexen Sabbath a mission: stop the oncoming Armageddon by finding the human embodiments of the 7 deadly sins and taking their heads. For a warrior like Hexen Sabbath, this should be a simple task...I really enjoyed this book. First of all,

Sabbath has got to be the most ridiculous book I've read in a while, but that's something I think I needed. John Scalzi excepted, most literature these days - SF, Fantasy, or not - is just so dour and self-serious. This book, on the other hand, is exactly as serious as an Iron Maiden album cover. It wants to be badass, but it just makes me smile.The concept is a trope I've seen in movies and TV more than in prose - that of a man from the past coming to the present to be confused by the modern wo...

First off, I'll admit that Sabbath is stylistically outside my normal fare. But I've learned to trust Nick Mamatas as a writer whose stories never fail to entertain, while delighting with sharp-eyed social commentary and a wit so sharp it leaves you bleeding before you realize what cut you.This is a horror/slasher fever dream, with a grimdark fantasy protagonist thrown into the absurdity of 2016 NYC excess. Tasked with killing personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins, medieval knight Hexen Sabb...

Violent, witty... a must read!This is an action-packed adventure, featuring a great cast of characters and a compelling plot. Another solid effort from author Nick Mamatas. Looking forward to his next book!

Whoever wrote: "Highlander meets Seven in Nick Mamatas's Sabbath." on the Goodreads page was right on. Although this quote is not on the book jacket, it should be. I've only started the book and immediately compared it to the move The Highlander, and for me that was a _good_ comparison. I get picky about "voice" and authenticity in fantasy fiction, but I think this book gets the mix right. Hexen is "given" English from an angel so he can communicate in the 21st century. His English is simple and...

Meh. The idea had potential - an 11th-century warrior transported to (let's call it 2016) New York City and tasked with slaying the personifications of the seven deadly sins before they blow up the world - but the execution was unexciting. Hexen Sabbath (points for the name) is pulled out of time for this epic quest, and then is handed tools to make it completely unchallenging. Any modern knowledge that he needs is granted instantly, so there is no struggle for this anachronistic lout to navigat...

Thank you to Tor for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.Sabbath by Nick Mamatas is a death metal band rolled in a taquito. It is strange, addictive, probably bad for your arteries, and at times makes you want to headbang to some Slayer. These are the mental images I got while reading this story. If Def Leppard could be condensed down to a single book, this would be it.Sabbath is the novelization of Sabbath: All Your Sins Reborn by Mathew Tomao. The graphic...

Exactly what is described on the back cover, plot-wise (and you must already know whether or not that appeals to you), but all spiced with funny dialogue and little barbs of Mamatasian satire aimed at all sorts of subjects. Really fun, and very enjoyably of this moment.

It was the promise of Highlander meets Seven that convinced me to give Sabbath a chance, but the truth is it’s less Highlander and more Terminator, Conan, and Masters of the Universe. This is a bold, brash, brutal, boisterous, blasphemous story (I’m running out of B’s) of a badass barbarian (there they are!) out of time. All of which is entirely fitting for the literary equivalent of an 80’s B-grade fantasy movie.Hexen Sabbath, which is the one of the coolest names ever, is the badass hero who a...

Review on the blog and in the 10/15/19 issue of Booklist: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2019/10...Action packed, bloody, sexual explicit, cinematic, and fun. But also extremely thought provoking and sardonic. dark fantasy horror hybridThree words: explicit, thought provoking, satire

A crazy urban historical fish-out-of-water fantasy… Mamatas has a good way of envisioning each vice as a figure in contemporary society. The lusty massage parlor madam, the glutinous Michelin chef, and a wrathful MMA grappler. From the fighting styles to their seductive, creepy, and intoxicating faces, these characters create atmosphere and interest.Overall. Sabbath. It’s funny… It’s got some depth… It’s imaginative… It’s a fast and fun read. For me, it was one afternoon’s worth of sex, drugs, a...

Like stuffing your face with Cheez Whiz while listening to Iron Maiden, this is the right kind of crazy.

A fun violent romp through New York with a fascinating theological/philosophical examination on the nature of sin and how it relates to humanity.

If Ozzy Osbourne and Monty Python (yes, I know that’s a troupe not a person) had a twisted love child, you just might get Sabbath Hexon. Imagine Conan the Barbarian walking down Fifth Avenue. Imagine leather-clad headbangers armed with giant broadswords. Kind of like that movie where Crocodile Dundee takes the NY Subway. Many heavy metal songs have borrowed liberally from Lord of the Rings and such. Here’s the opposite. Fantasy sort of borrowing heavy metal swagger and attitude in a crazy no-hol...

An ARC of Nick Mamatas’ Sabbath was an unexpected arrival at the house a couple of weeks ago. The cover blurb bills it as “the blood-splattered epic the current year deserves” . . . which sounds like a threat, really. But I couldn’t pass on a sword and sorcery book compared to Highlander.After a bit of a rocky start, Sabbath pleasantly surprised me. It wasn’t just a fun read; it was one with some real depth.Sabbath is an eleventh century knight plucked from time to face and behead demonic person...

3.5 stars, 4.5 stars for audio narrationThis was a really straight forward book. I mean it's literally what the actual blurb on the book says it is. An eleventh century warrior is zapped through time to modern day New York where he is tasked with beheading the Seven Deadly Sins before they can bring about nuclear armageddon. It's kind of ridiculous, but it's also kinda fun. It has some funny bits of satire, and some of the dialogue is pretty witty. At the end of the day it's like a Netflix origi...

Author Nick Mamatas has a unique voice that allows him to write novels that, like the tone of certain guitarists, are inimitable and easily recognizable. That’s why I was skeptical about Sabbath, his latest release. Sabbath is a novel loosely based on the graphic novel Sabbath: All Your Sins Reborn, written by Matt Tamao, so I feared it wouldn’t truly be a Mamatas book. I was wrong. Sabbath is a smart, violent, hilarious narrative packed with the stylish writing, crisp dialogue, and sharp philos...

An excerpt from my review of Sabbath in the November 209 issue of Locus.The novel’s episodic structure – Sabbath hunts, confronts and vanquishes each Sin – and the on-the-nose representation of some of the Sins (Lust is a high-end sex worker, Greed is a Wall Street banker, Gluttony is a gourmand chef) could have made for a dull, predictable, repetitive read. But that’s not Mamatas’s style. From the opening chapter, which ends with Sabbath’s epiphany and farcical death, Mamatas signals his intent...

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Sinners rejoice! Mamatas’ latest is a big, brash, bawdy tale of sin, violence and laugh-out-loud humor, complete with time travel, swords, angels and art galleries.  “I thought Jewish people didn’t believe in the afterlife,” said Jennifer. “I thought Russian Orthodox girls didn’t believe in fucking st...