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Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis
A genetically modified thief. A cursed electric ghost. A downloaded daemon. In a neon-drenched dystopia, she’s the glitch in the system.
Tattiana the Blood Seer plies her odious trade in Noctara—a festering wart clinging to the blackened hide of a lightless planet. Tattie just wants to break sky and leave Noctara behind, but the fungus-choked metropolis isn’t done with her yet.
Tattie’s one-time lover reappears, packing an illegal implant and begging for help she refuses to give. Then her co-worker makes a pact with a tentacled daemon, and their grimy back-alley club is shuttered for good. With few options left and a disgruntled electrical ghost to feed, Tattie accepts a lucrative gig from the cryptic Verna Shade. The payoff? Enough credits to buy her own space bucket and punch a permanent exit hole in the stratosphere.
The job should be easy: break into a vault patrolled by the N.E.X.’s emotionless grunt army and steal Noctara’s most closely guarded secrets. But nothing’s easy on this cursed ball of dirt. Failure could get her exiled, husked, or killed. Success would shatter the planet’s fragile hold on peace.
Armed with the dire blood magicks of the Arcanoforge, Tattie is done hiding.
It’s Noctara's turn to bleed.
Tattiana the Blood Seer plies her odious trade in Noctara—a festering wart clinging to the blackened hide of a lightless planet. Tattie just wants to break sky and leave Noctara behind, but the fungus-choked metropolis isn’t done with her yet.
Tattie’s one-time lover reappears, packing an illegal implant and begging for help she refuses to give. Then her co-worker makes a pact with a tentacled daemon, and their grimy back-alley club is shuttered for good. With few options left and a disgruntled electrical ghost to feed, Tattie accepts a lucrative gig from the cryptic Verna Shade. The payoff? Enough credits to buy her own space bucket and punch a permanent exit hole in the stratosphere.
The job should be easy: break into a vault patrolled by the N.E.X.’s emotionless grunt army and steal Noctara’s most closely guarded secrets. But nothing’s easy on this cursed ball of dirt. Failure could get her exiled, husked, or killed. Success would shatter the planet’s fragile hold on peace.
Armed with the dire blood magicks of the Arcanoforge, Tattie is done hiding.
It’s Noctara's turn to bleed.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Barnard-Smith
11 books18 followersCaroline Barnard-Smith is an award-winning speculative fiction author with too many ideas. She's written horror, epic fantasy, and sci-fi, and she refuses to pick a favourite.
Alongside her novels, Caroline’s short stories have appeared in Aurealis, Tiny Terrors, and many other places. She is currently writing an epic fantasy trilogy while simultaneously drafting a collection of retro-inspired horror novellas. The effort may well tip her over the edge.
Caroline and her family live in the wild valleys of Devon, in the UK. They are owned by a grumpy orange cat.
Alongside her novels, Caroline’s short stories have appeared in Aurealis, Tiny Terrors, and many other places. She is currently writing an epic fantasy trilogy while simultaneously drafting a collection of retro-inspired horror novellas. The effort may well tip her over the edge.
Caroline and her family live in the wild valleys of Devon, in the UK. They are owned by a grumpy orange cat.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 17, 2025
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis is a feverish plunge into the neon-choked streets of Noctara City, a dystopian sprawl where humans and husks, ghosts and hemo magicians blur into a single, strange pulse. The story follows Tattie, a blood seer who’s fled her dying homeworld, and Brax, the man who tracks her across galaxies as their shared past claws its way back into the present. Around them spin a chorus of restless lives, skaterats, dealers, dreamers, all caught in the thrumming heart of a city that feels alive and dying at once. It’s part cyberpunk, part occult noir, and part heartbreak.
The writing is gritty, poetic, and weirdly tender. Author Caroline Barnard-Smith doesn’t just describe Noctara, she burns it into your head with words. Every street and shadow has its own personality, every conversation crackles like static. I loved how the world felt handmade, patched together with old wires and bad memories. The characters stumble through it broken and fierce, never really heroes, just people trying to stay one step ahead of decay. The prose leans heavily on texture, smells, lights, and sounds, and it builds a rhythm that makes the whole book feel like a song played through busted speakers. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but in the best way.
There’s this deep ache about survival, about what we lose when the world stops caring. I kept thinking about the husks, these half-human enforcers who’ve traded pain for obedience, and how much that says about our own craving for numbness. And Tattie, she’s messy, angry, brilliant. I believed every choice she made, even when it hurt to watch. The story toys with power, guilt, and the ghosts that cling to love long after it’s gone.
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis reads like Blade Runner crashed into The City & The City with a shot of Neuromancer’s grit and the bruised heart of a Becky Chambers story. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction that’s soaked in mood and grit. Fans of Gibson and VanderMeer will feel right at home. If you like your futures dark and your magic dirty, if you want to taste the metal in the air, this book’s for you.
The writing is gritty, poetic, and weirdly tender. Author Caroline Barnard-Smith doesn’t just describe Noctara, she burns it into your head with words. Every street and shadow has its own personality, every conversation crackles like static. I loved how the world felt handmade, patched together with old wires and bad memories. The characters stumble through it broken and fierce, never really heroes, just people trying to stay one step ahead of decay. The prose leans heavily on texture, smells, lights, and sounds, and it builds a rhythm that makes the whole book feel like a song played through busted speakers. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but in the best way.
There’s this deep ache about survival, about what we lose when the world stops caring. I kept thinking about the husks, these half-human enforcers who’ve traded pain for obedience, and how much that says about our own craving for numbness. And Tattie, she’s messy, angry, brilliant. I believed every choice she made, even when it hurt to watch. The story toys with power, guilt, and the ghosts that cling to love long after it’s gone.
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis reads like Blade Runner crashed into The City & The City with a shot of Neuromancer’s grit and the bruised heart of a Becky Chambers story. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction that’s soaked in mood and grit. Fans of Gibson and VanderMeer will feel right at home. If you like your futures dark and your magic dirty, if you want to taste the metal in the air, this book’s for you.
September 12, 2025
Wow! I loved reading Arcanoforge. The characters are complex and interesting, and it was great watching their changes as the story progressed. Tattie is an especially cool character, and I look forward to reading her future stories. The world the author has created is engrossing, with vivid descriptions. The magic system is interesting, especially well Tattie really lets loose during the climax. I highly recommend this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 12, 2025
She wants to leave the planet behind and she may need to do things she never expected to do to gain the freedom from the planet. Watch as the characters get pulled together as they try to gain what they want. See just what is going to happen for her
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a wonderful tale
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a wonderful tale
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews