The Last Smile in Sunder City

By: Luke Arnold

Narrated by: Luke Arnold

In a world that's lost its magic, a former soldier turned PI solves cases for the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in an imaginative 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.

Praise for The Last Smile in Sunder City:

"Arnold's writing and narration combine for a strong addition to the contemporary fantasy genre and kick off a new series with a powerful start. A must-listen, especially for fantasy lovers and Arnold's fans." ―AudioFile

"A richly imagined world...Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more." ―Publishers Weekly

"A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill." ―Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch

Critic reviews

"A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill."—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

"[T]he focus on meticulous worldbuilding and highly detailed backstory as well as the cast of fully developed and memorable characters are unarguable strengths....The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and Dashiell Hammett."—Kirkus

"A richly imagined world...Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This off-piste detective story set in a magical world, now in meltdown, has verve and charm in abundance and a rough diamond hero with quite a story to tell."—Andrew Caldecott, author of Rotherweird

Beautifully descriptive

If I wasn’t already intrigued by the mashup of some of my favorite genres and entranced by the plot, I’d recommend this book for his diction alone. The metaphors were unique and outlined Fetch’s attention to detail using every sense it’s possible to feel and more. Usually I listen to audiobooks while doing chores, but I frequently had to sit separate from my world and close my eyes in a successful effort to enter the world Mr. Arnold so thoughtfully created for us.

A wonderful surprise

I picked this title up on a whim, and was wary when I saw the narrator was the author. The two are such different sets of skills and talents that I was sure Luke Arnold would fail on one of them. I was wrong. This is a great story with fascinating world-building and a main character you can't help but sympathize with, and Mr. Arnold gave a top-notch performance of his story. I sincerely hope there's more coming soon.

Excellent on audio

It’s a good introduction to a new urban fantasy world. Because it’s an introduction, characters and events can get a bit confusing. It really reminds me of the early Harry Dresden books. There’s a lot of potential to expire the world created in this book so I look forward to more.

A bit haphazard

Don’t get me wrong it ultimately all links together but it feels a bit all over the place. The concept of telling a story with links and flashbacks telling the main character’s origins story isn’t uncommon but the way this one was executed just wasn’t very smooth. So overall the story was good and I might be interested to find out what happens next but I doubt I’d pay for a sequel. The narrator did an excellent job of telling the story so that is certainly a point in its favor.

Not a fan of the genres but....

It's a good book and I may do another. One thing is for sure, for a novice writer and reader this is a slam dunk.

Don't like dystopian society stores nor post apocalyptic settings and am so-so about magic based stories. Despite two strikes and a foul ball before I open the cover, this book still hit a triple. Only read it because someone who didn't like the book was fair enough to highlight good points in the book that are important to me.

The character development is rock solid and I soon became interested in our hero. That, IMO, is a must to "keep me".

The narration was heralded by many reviewers and I'd like to add to that. Mr. Arnold certainly has a talent for story-telling.

In the end was it worth the purchase? I thought it was and would do it again in hindsight. I buy these hoping to get a story told well and in an interesting way. For that, Mr. Arnold gets an A+.