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.
The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Archives #1) by Luke Arnold is a dark, noir-flavored urban fantasy with a first-person narrator who perfectly captures a hard-boiled “man for hire” vibe. Fetch Phillips is navigating a city still reeling from the Coda, when magic was killed and its consequences haunt every corner. Werewolves live rough on skid row, cat people hide in alleyways, and vampires scrape by teaching at schools. The city is full of danger, betrayal, and murky morality, a place that can stab you in the back like a dagger in the dark.
I enjoyed how the story slowly reveals Fetch’s past. The narrative moves between his present investigation and flashbacks, and in this case, it works well to drip in his backstory in small increments. Fetch is a classic noir protagonist, but refreshingly he is not defined by the male gaze. His history with women is part of his character, not a source of objectification, which was a welcome change.
The world blends urban fantasy with a secondary-world, epic feel. The world-building isn’t fully fleshed out yet, but it hints at a rich, complex setting that I want to explore more. The mix of familiar city noir and magical fallout keeps the story grounded while leaving room for curiosity and tension.
The story is surprisingly dark. Humans have caused immense destruction, and the monsters of this world are not automatically good or evil. Both sides have their heroes and villains, and the result is a morally complex city where danger and cruelty can come from anyone. That balance between flawed humans and flawed magical creatures made the stakes feel real and the city alive.
The Last Smile in Sunder City is a moody, character-driven urban fantasy with a capable, sarcastic protagonist and a city full of strange, broken, and dangerous inhabitants. It’s a story that is clever, darkly funny at times, and rarely predictable. Not perfect, but an engaging start to a series that promises more twisted, tense, and memorable adventures in Sunder City.
