Dead Man in a Ditch

By Luke Arnold

You ever suddenly, shockingly, find yourself in the present moment? Drop right into right now? And all it does is highlight the fact that you spend every other moment somewhere else?

    The second installment of The Man for Hires story proved just as wonderful and non-magical as the first. With more hints that magic might come back, and enough evidence to almost convince the man who destroyed it himself, more and more parlor tricks come into the light.  

Fletch thought he'd really seen it all, but as magical threats and allegations come to light, it becomes clear to him how, despite the facade of a few people trying to crawl forwards, most people were trying to sprint back to how things had been. Doctors stole magic from the remains of those who didn't survive the coda, and surgeons reconstructed the youth that was stolen from hundreds of year old creatures who expected to live for centuries only 6 years before. 

Fletch knew to be spectacle, after all, he had seen the magic with his own eyes. 

Despite being a realist most of his story, in this part of his life, we see how hopeful Fletch really is. Fletch was alone most of the first book, working alone and resting alone. He seems much older than about 34 until his mentor comes back from the dead.

I felt such a crazy change in Fletch's character. He felt like a puppy who finally found his master, like a kid who was lost but then found his mom at the store again. The sense of relief that came through Fletch that Arnold managed to bring into existence for the readers was amazing. His mentor was back to save the day, here with the solution, here to make it all better. Here to give orders and have Fletch carry them out.

Until Fletch discovered his mentors plan was to destroy Sunder City and leave no survivors.

Seeing a character so relieved by his mentors presence, only to have to turn against them, is usually a huge turning point in most stories, and it was here as well. Fletch finally decided that if anyone could save Sunder, it was him. After discovering the fires that ran the city  from below were still lit, Fletch knew what he had to do. 

I am really excited for the next installment by Arnold. This has been one of the most unique stories I've read. I love seeing more and more of Sunder City and getting to know more of the characters.

If there was a music genre for Fletch, it would be the band Poor Man's Poison, any of their songs really captures Fletch's attitude. He sad, stoic, but still flys by the seat of his pants. 

I have no clue what will happen in the next installment, but I am so excited for it!

:)