The Last Smile In Sunder City
By Luke Arnold
Blurb
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 Last Smile in Sunder City is the debut novel from actor Luke Arnold - known for his lead role in Black Sails. This contemporary fantasy introduces Fetch Phillips - a character destined to be loved by readers of Ben Aaronovitch, Jim Butcher and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
Our Review
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold is a fantastic book. I received this book free in a mixed bag of books from a bookshop and I devoured it in one sitting. Often once you have read one book of this sort you have read them all but this one was different. I loved the anti-hero protagonist and the creatures that were recognisable but unique at the same time.
"I was only in my thirties but I was old. You don't measure age in years, you measure it in lessons learned and repeated mistakes and how hard it is to force a little hope into your heart. Old just means jaded and cynical and tired. And boy, was I tired."
Fetch is a man for hire and everything that implies. He is also a man with a conscience, a man with a lot to make up for. The world was once abundant with magic but no there is none and Fetch is to blame. Magical creatures are dying or changed in a way that makes them unrecognisable. Fetch drinks to forget his part in it all and the harm he has caused. Then a case falls in his lap that makes him question whether there may be cause for hope.
"It was over. The world will continue to turn and there will still be jobs and seasons and kissing and chocolate; there just won't be any music in it any more. We can bite the fruit and understand that it is sweet but not taste it."
The Last Smile in Sunder City was an unexpectedly riveting book and I will soon be reading the next book in the series.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 21 Times.
Get In Touch
Please feel free to leave a comment to this book review below. Or even leave your own review if you like.
If you run a blog and/or have posted a review to this book, a Q & A or general author interview online you can always add a trackback to it here and following moderation we'll add a link to it below.