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The Last Smile in Sunder City

The Last Smile in Sunder City 

by Luke Arnold

“You want proof, Fetch? Look in the mirror. You hold on to guilt like it’s a life preserver. So angry at yourself, and your mob, that you can’t smell the blood on the hands of the rest of us. But it isn't about you and your kind tonight. It’s just me. Sometimes, the one who looks like the monster turns out to be a monster.” (Arnold 169). 

There are three things you need to know about the main character Fetch Phillips. 

1. Sobriety costs extra.

2. His services are confidential. 

3. He doesn’t work for humans. 


As a man for hire in a world where magic has recently run out, Fetch has seen it all. Vampires no longer drink blood, werewolves are stuck somewhere between human and beasts, necromancers stopped raising the dead, and Satyrs disappear and humans are the only ones who make it out unscathed.

All except Fetch. 

He knows what killed the magic, what caused the death of thousands of people and the love of his life, and all the suffering thereafter. Fetch lives and operates in Sunder City which is still raw from the loss of the magic, and the few souls who are trying to move forwards, end up going missing.

Fetch is brought in to find a vampire who’s gone missing. As he looks around the city for clues and runs into old friends and enemies, we get to see that Fetch is more than the tough, drunken ex-soldier he pretends to be. After some well-paced flashbacks into Fetch’s past, it makes sense why he doesn’t work with humans, or really trust anyone around him. 

Arnold managed to deliver a story with multiple layers. Fetch is a deep character and unique from so many modern day protagonists. The first way he is unique is that he’s old. Well, old compared to most protagonists. At 30 years old, he has a wisdom about him and a more believable case of alcoholism because he’s had the time for that to develop. 

I wanted to add in a few quotes below, just because I liked them, and I want to say/write/type a few things about the first quote at the top of this review. 

“I like books. They’re quiet and dignified and absolute. A man might falter but his words, once written, will hold.” (Arnold 18). 

“Friends serve a purpose, but every man needs a few good enemies to remind him who he is.” (Arnold 226). 

“A good man is made through a lifetime of work. Great men are made by their monsters.” (Arnold 252).

Those are just a few nuggets of Arnolds writing that showcase his skills.

The line “Sometimes, the one who looks like the monster turns out to be a monster.”, formed a full circle for me. I mean, I feel like books nowadays make the “monsters” or villains, or antagonists beautiful. Their beauty adds to their charm and makes it harder to see them for what they are.

Arnold noticed this trend and framed it in the opposite way. Now, we all know to be suspicious of that beauty, but we aren’t looking at the actual beast in the corner of the room with claws and venom, but we’re still surprised when it uses them. 

So, long story-short, I’ve really enjoyed this story. There is a sequel called Dead man in a Ditch, and I’m excited to see where the story goes. 

:)


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