The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold

February 6, 2020

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are three things you should know before you hire me:

  1. Sobriety costs extra.
  2. My services are confidential.
  3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal – I’m human myself. But after what happened, it’s not the humans who need my help.

I just want one real case. One chance to do something good. Because it’s my fault the magic is never coming back.

The inhabitants of Sunder City have fallen on hard times. An event known as The Coda has stripped all the magic from their world. Everyone is suffering and each day things only seem to be getting worse. In the shadow of this terrible event, a much-loved teacher has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Fetch Phillips, a down at heel human gumshoe, is tasked with tracing the rogue educator. It shouldn’t be a difficult case. I mean, how far can an ageing ex-vampire who has problems climbing stairs get?

Like all the best literary investigators, Fetch is an absolute shambles as a human being. It’s hardly a surprise really. He sees himself as responsible, at least in part, for the biggest catastrophe to befall the world he lives in. I’d imagine I’d be exactly the same if I was carting about that much guilt. The welcome oblivion of booze promises a brief respite from the memories that haunt Fetch’s every waking moment. As if that wasn’t bad enough there is also a lost love to factor into the equation. I’ll probably come across as a terrible sadist, but I really like a character who has suffered a bit, they always strike me as a little more realistic. Fetch has made some huge mistakes in his life and they have left him broken is many ways. Nothing better than a host of inner demons, metaphorically speaking, to keep a character interesting.

Ironically, all the remorse makes Fetch quite a good detective. Underneath, and I mean way way underneath, all the self-loathing is a person driven to do good. Fetch exhibits a grim determination in every action. He is never going to stop trying to make amends for his role in the loss of magic. When Fetch finds purpose, he’s like a dog with a bone worrying away at a problem until he gets a result.

The denizens of Sunder City are an eclectic bunch. Amongst the bustling streets you’ll find highly educated vampires, chatty gnomes, thumb-less wizards1 and vocally challenged sirens. The Coda has affected every non-human race at a fundamental level. Lycanthropes have been struck mid-transition, trolls have fused with the earth and the mighty strength of ogres disappeared in a flash. We also get to learn what brought Fetch to Sunder City in the first place. Prior to the Coda, there were tensions between magical and non-magic species. The balance of power may have shifted dramatically but those tensions remain. This adds a nice political spin to proceedings. Can human and their previously magical counterparts co-exist peacefully? Fetch finds himself stuck slap bang in the middle of that particular debate.

If you are a fan of the Nightside novels by Simon R Green then I can heartily recommend you give The Last Smile in Sunder City a try. Luke Arnold’s confident debut is great fun, has a host of engaging characters and a premise that will leave you hungry for more. I’m always pleased when a new series comes along an immediately captures my attention. This first foray into the world of Fetch Phillips blends together the best elements of crime noir and fantasy and makes for a genuinely entertaining experience.

My music recommendation to enhance your enjoyment while reading this novel is the soundtrack to I Still See You by the epically talented Bear McCreary2. Haunting, fantastical and suitably tense in parts this soundtrack feels like it was tailor made to accompany Arnold’s writing.

The Last Smile in Sunder City is published by Orbit and is available now. I’m sure I read somewhere that a sequel is set to follow later in the year. I shall look forward to that.

1Turns out the very best mages are such good magic practitioners they don’t need thumbs. Sounds like showing off to me.

2Yay! I managed to get through the entire review with only a very tenuous reference to Black Sails…until now…dammit.

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