Publisher’s Synopsis:
A former soldier turned PI tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in a world that’s lost its magic in a compelling debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.
Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.
I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few 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, to the magic, it’s not the humans who need my help.
Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.
Edition:
E-ARC (Net Galley)
My Thoughts:
Ok, so I’ve never seen Black Sails (although I have thought to myself that I really should), so I went into this knowing nothing of Luke Arnold other than that he is apparently an actor on that show. After finishing this book, I now know one more thing – he is a hell of a writer.
The Last Smile in Sunder City is equal parts urban fantasy and detective noir – two genres I’m generally a big fan of. It delivers admirably on what I want from both genres – there are magical (well formerly magical, technically) creatures, a big city, plenty of normal ol’ humans, and a hardboiled, slightly pickled detective.
This particular detective, or ‘man for hire’ as he is known, is Fetch Phillips (what a charmingly noir name, amirite?). The story begins with him being hired to locate a missing vampire by the name of Edmund Albert Rye. He is three hundred years old, and since the magic died, he has been fading fast.
However, as is usually the case, there is much more to the story of Edmund Rye than is initially apparent. We follow Fletch as he gathers information, deals with his own demons, other peoples’ demons, and what might be an actual demon, and puts the pieces of this complicated puzzle together.
The characters are as complex and nuanced as the mystery that Fletch has been tasked with solving. There are few flat characters here. Everyone has some bit of back story, and everyone has a reason for the choices they make. This is, at its core, less a mystery than it is a tale of choice, consequence, and redemption.
“I didn’t want to be here. I was supposed to be finding missing people, not making them disappear myself. But this is who I am: a spineless kind who can get talked into anything because he thinks it will make up for his mistakes.”
Everybody is just trying to adjust to the new normal in a world where normal is tantamount to pretty shitty.
Folks, this book kicks so much ass. I really, really enjoyed it. If you have any love at all for urban fantasy or detective/noir, please do yourself a solid and go pick this up the moment it’s released.
About the Author (from Orbit Books’ website):
Luke Arnold was born in Australia and has spent the last decade acting his way around the world, playing iconic roles such as Long John Silver in the Emmy-winning Black Sails and his award-winning turn as Michael Hutchence in the INXS mini-series Never Tear Us Apart. When he isn’t performing, Luke is a screenwriter, director, novelist, and ambassador for Save the Children Australia.
Rating:
I seriously loved it. This book read fairly quickly and was pretty immersive. I will definitely be getting my hands on a hardcover copy once it releases!
The Last Smile in Sunder City By Luke Arnold Orbit Books Urban Fantasy, Mystery ISBN: 9780316455824 Expected Publication: February 25, 2020 E-book, Paperback, Audio 368 pages Publisher's website
