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The Fetch Phillips Archives #3
One Foot in the Fade
Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.
AN ANGEL FALLS IN SUNDER CITY…
In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole - undeniably magical - the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.
But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?
Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch's body, his soul, and the fate of the world.
Praise for the Fetch Phillips novels:
"Superb... With a lead who would be at home in the pages of a Raymond Chandler or James Ellory novel and a nicely twisty plot, this installment makes a strong case for Arnold's series to enjoy a long run." ―Publishers Weekly
"Arnold's universe has everything, including the angst of being human. The perfect story for adult fantasy fans—a tough PI and a murder mystery wrapped around the mysticism of Hogwarts, sprinkled with faerie dust." ―Library Journal (starred review)
Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade
AN ANGEL FALLS IN SUNDER CITY…
In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole - undeniably magical - the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.
But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?
Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch's body, his soul, and the fate of the world.
Praise for the Fetch Phillips novels:
"Superb... With a lead who would be at home in the pages of a Raymond Chandler or James Ellory novel and a nicely twisty plot, this installment makes a strong case for Arnold's series to enjoy a long run." ―Publishers Weekly
"Arnold's universe has everything, including the angst of being human. The perfect story for adult fantasy fans—a tough PI and a murder mystery wrapped around the mysticism of Hogwarts, sprinkled with faerie dust." ―Library Journal (starred review)
Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade
465 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2022
86 people are currently reading
1350 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
January 5, 2023
“One time, back before I became a Sheperd, I asked Eliah Hendricks whether he believed in fate.
-Time is a painting, he replied.
+What are we, then ? The artist ? The brush?
-No. We are merely the warm air that dries the paint.
Some days, I think I almost understand what he mean”.
Este fue uno de los libros esperados del año pasado. No veía el día que llegase abril y poder pedirlo. Por diversas razones no pude empezarlo hasta verano, sin embargo, no fue el momento idóneo para leerlo, sobre todo porque el protagonista se encontraba en el mismo estado mental que yo, sumado al hecho que lo estaba leyendo en inglés y en físico. Debido a ello, solo era capaz de leer pocas páginas al día me agobiaba más.
Me daba mucha rabia, no lo voy a negar porque encima como acabo de decir al inicio de esta reseña era un libro que le tenía muchísimas ganas, pero, cuando no es el momento de leer un libro hay saber cuándo parar. Sin embargo, yo bastante tozuda, me seguía incitando a leerlo y eso derivó en tres parones de un par de meses con el libro, hasta que el pasado 1 de enero fue cuando le eché ovarios al asunto y me dije: Elena, solo te queda un quince por ciento, póntelo en el en el lector porque sabes que lees mejor en él que en físico y termínalo de una vez. Y eso, amigos de Goodreads fue lo que hice. Lo terminé y no saben lo contenta que estoy con ello.
“That was the way our minds always worked, wasnt’it? Knowing the right thing to do but always unable to convince ourselves to do it ”.
Ahora, en cuanto al libro en sí, me gustaría decir varias cosas, pero sin destripar la historia pues siento que cuanto menos se diga de la saga, mejor. Quienes no la conozcan, la novela nos presenta a Fetch Phillips un humano que trabaja como “detective” entre otras cosas en un mundo donde ya la magia no existe y todos los seres que antaño eran mágicos ahora o están muertos o deformados a la espera de una vida mejor. Otro consejo que les doy es que si quieres adentrarte a esta novela léelo en el idioma original porque siento que en español pierde muchísimo. El nivel de inglés es de un B2 y contiene registro familiar-coloquial.
“You’re never fighting alone, Fetch. Even when you think you are. But I have no interest in working for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. Let me know when you want to work for the world that’s here. ”
A estos libros desde un punto de vista objetivo les falta profundidad en algunos aspectos como puede ser el escenario y los personajes. Estos últimos, aunque se caracterizan todos por tener un nubarrón encima de la cabeza haces que sientas empatía por ellos.
“The way it left things, and the way things continue to change, it doesnt’it always makes sense. You’ve seen it yourself, right? Most things haven’t stopped. They’ve twisted. They’ve become puzzles that unlocks when you view them from a different angle”.
Asimismo, le pongo cuatro estrellas porque el autor se lo ha trabajado bastante bien y son sus primeras obras, siento que con cada libro mejora su forma de pulir y en este libro nos deja conocer un poco introspectivamente a nuestro protagonista y lo podrido que puede llegar a estar, aunque con ello haya hecho que la historia se desarrolle mucho más lenta que las otras dos entregas, al menos en mi opinión.
“Do you know what you’d do to stay alive? Most of us never have to make that call. Not so clearly that we hace to weigh up our life against another. Instead, we make that choise in a hundred Little decisions every day, when you put our own life, and our own conforts, over everyone else. ”
El final me ha dejado con buen sabor de boca, pero con demasiadas preguntas que necesitan respuestas, pero puedo esperar y releer sus novelas precedentes antes de que salga el cuarto, como he dicho me gusta mucho esta saga y siento que está un poco infravalorada.
“It’s nice to be alive, Mr Phillips.”
-Time is a painting, he replied.
+What are we, then ? The artist ? The brush?
-No. We are merely the warm air that dries the paint.
Some days, I think I almost understand what he mean”.
Este fue uno de los libros esperados del año pasado. No veía el día que llegase abril y poder pedirlo. Por diversas razones no pude empezarlo hasta verano, sin embargo, no fue el momento idóneo para leerlo, sobre todo porque el protagonista se encontraba en el mismo estado mental que yo, sumado al hecho que lo estaba leyendo en inglés y en físico. Debido a ello, solo era capaz de leer pocas páginas al día me agobiaba más.
Me daba mucha rabia, no lo voy a negar porque encima como acabo de decir al inicio de esta reseña era un libro que le tenía muchísimas ganas, pero, cuando no es el momento de leer un libro hay saber cuándo parar. Sin embargo, yo bastante tozuda, me seguía incitando a leerlo y eso derivó en tres parones de un par de meses con el libro, hasta que el pasado 1 de enero fue cuando le eché ovarios al asunto y me dije: Elena, solo te queda un quince por ciento, póntelo en el en el lector porque sabes que lees mejor en él que en físico y termínalo de una vez. Y eso, amigos de Goodreads fue lo que hice. Lo terminé y no saben lo contenta que estoy con ello.
“That was the way our minds always worked, wasnt’it? Knowing the right thing to do but always unable to convince ourselves to do it ”.
Ahora, en cuanto al libro en sí, me gustaría decir varias cosas, pero sin destripar la historia pues siento que cuanto menos se diga de la saga, mejor. Quienes no la conozcan, la novela nos presenta a Fetch Phillips un humano que trabaja como “detective” entre otras cosas en un mundo donde ya la magia no existe y todos los seres que antaño eran mágicos ahora o están muertos o deformados a la espera de una vida mejor. Otro consejo que les doy es que si quieres adentrarte a esta novela léelo en el idioma original porque siento que en español pierde muchísimo. El nivel de inglés es de un B2 y contiene registro familiar-coloquial.
“You’re never fighting alone, Fetch. Even when you think you are. But I have no interest in working for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. Let me know when you want to work for the world that’s here. ”
A estos libros desde un punto de vista objetivo les falta profundidad en algunos aspectos como puede ser el escenario y los personajes. Estos últimos, aunque se caracterizan todos por tener un nubarrón encima de la cabeza haces que sientas empatía por ellos.
“The way it left things, and the way things continue to change, it doesnt’it always makes sense. You’ve seen it yourself, right? Most things haven’t stopped. They’ve twisted. They’ve become puzzles that unlocks when you view them from a different angle”.
Asimismo, le pongo cuatro estrellas porque el autor se lo ha trabajado bastante bien y son sus primeras obras, siento que con cada libro mejora su forma de pulir y en este libro nos deja conocer un poco introspectivamente a nuestro protagonista y lo podrido que puede llegar a estar, aunque con ello haya hecho que la historia se desarrolle mucho más lenta que las otras dos entregas, al menos en mi opinión.
“Do you know what you’d do to stay alive? Most of us never have to make that call. Not so clearly that we hace to weigh up our life against another. Instead, we make that choise in a hundred Little decisions every day, when you put our own life, and our own conforts, over everyone else. ”
El final me ha dejado con buen sabor de boca, pero con demasiadas preguntas que necesitan respuestas, pero puedo esperar y releer sus novelas precedentes antes de que salga el cuarto, como he dicho me gusta mucho esta saga y siento que está un poco infravalorada.
“It’s nice to be alive, Mr Phillips.”
May 3, 2022
*3.5
Full review to come on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
Full review to come on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks
May 23, 2023
Tercera parte de Los Archivos de Fetch Phillips. Nos encontramos ante un nuevo y extraño caso en el que Fetch deberá investigar la muerte de un ángel caído mientras volaba. ¿Pero como es posible si la magia ya no existe y los ángeles ya no tienen alas? Ese es el misterio con el que arranca la historia y con el que Fetch tendrà que colaborar con nigromantes, genios, sociedades secretas y, además, emprender un viaje en el que està en juego el destino de todos los seres màgicos.
Un mundo en el que la magia ha dejado de exisitr, lleno de criaturas mágicas sin sus antiguos poderes, asesinatos, misterios...
No quiero contar mucho más acerca de la trama. Siendo la tercera parte, el riesgo de posibles spoilers es alto. Lo que si puedo decir es que seguimos viendo una evolución de Arnold como escritor en esta tercera entrega. Si bien la trama, quizá, no es tan elaborada como en el segundo libro, si que hay una mejora en el ritmo narrativo y los elemento están mucho más equilibrados que en las dos partes anteriores. Además, mientras sigue expandiendo el mundo más allà de Sunder City, también planeta cuestiones interesantes como el mal menor por el bien mayor o si el capitalismo realmente vale la pena.
En Con un Pie en el Abismo tenemos una novela de fantasía más tradicional, pero sin perder la esencia de novela policíaca y fantasía urbana de los otros dos libros, teniendo así un libro cargado de acción, suspense y sorpresas.
Aunque se ha dicho que es una trilogía, quedan algunos hilos de los que tirar para siguientes entregas. Pese a que no hay anuncio oficial de más libros, estoy seguro de que Luke Arnold regresará con más historias de Fetch Phillips.
Un mundo en el que la magia ha dejado de exisitr, lleno de criaturas mágicas sin sus antiguos poderes, asesinatos, misterios...
No quiero contar mucho más acerca de la trama. Siendo la tercera parte, el riesgo de posibles spoilers es alto. Lo que si puedo decir es que seguimos viendo una evolución de Arnold como escritor en esta tercera entrega. Si bien la trama, quizá, no es tan elaborada como en el segundo libro, si que hay una mejora en el ritmo narrativo y los elemento están mucho más equilibrados que en las dos partes anteriores. Además, mientras sigue expandiendo el mundo más allà de Sunder City, también planeta cuestiones interesantes como el mal menor por el bien mayor o si el capitalismo realmente vale la pena.
En Con un Pie en el Abismo tenemos una novela de fantasía más tradicional, pero sin perder la esencia de novela policíaca y fantasía urbana de los otros dos libros, teniendo así un libro cargado de acción, suspense y sorpresas.
Aunque se ha dicho que es una trilogía, quedan algunos hilos de los que tirar para siguientes entregas. Pese a que no hay anuncio oficial de más libros, estoy seguro de que Luke Arnold regresará con más historias de Fetch Phillips.
May 18, 2022
The conclusion of an excellent trilogy, in good style. This final volume worked well for me.
The story in these three books has evolved along with the main character, Fetch Philips, in a most satisfying away. I’ve read them all within the last year so it was easy to pick up the story each time I started the next volume. Hard to believe this is from a new author, and an actor the rest of the time.
If I can reprise the series to show why I think this last book wrapped it up well?
Volume #1 introduces us to what was an almost a classical fantasy world with magical, mythological creatures of all sorts, where a conflict with humans seems to have switched off the Magic from this world overnight. We start the story soon after this event and as the world adjusts painfully to mortality, illness, having to work to live! And the introduction of a new form of ‘magic’ by humans: industry and commerce. An excellent start, maybe just a little too full of the tell rather than show of world building explanations. The lead character, Fetch, is a noir style human detective deeply affected by his role in the end of the magical world.
Volume 2 continues Fetch’s growing belief that there may be residual magic and that the past magical world can be restored. His conflict with the modern human society, manifested by a particularly nasty businessman/politician, intensifies. His first conflict of interest arises as he also has to deal with the extreme deadly actions of once magical allies/friends.
And finally we arrive at volume 3! Fetch tries to act on his growing belief, and some evidence, that magic is returning. He has allies and he has a location where the solution to the problem may be found. So a journey beckons, a trope of many fantasy tales, but this one is a pretty interesting one.
I’ll avoid plot spoilers but the ending is refreshingly poignant and complicated. Is Fetch trying for too much; if it’s possible do you really want to restore the old world? I’m sure some readers will be disappointed that Fetch isn’t a conventional hero. He’s stubborn, independent, justifiably suspicious of others and this new industrial world. He makes bad choices frequently. Perhaps he should listen to others? Maybe he’s aiming for the wrong solutions. You’ll have to read it to find out but I really enjoyed this very different take on fantasy. I saw where the story was going some time ahead of critical reveals, but it was still interesting seeing Fetch’s growth as he understood events better.
It’s interesting how the author emphasises the wise cracking aspect of his noir detective role in #1, but this is almost lost by #3 for a much more serious, reflective person (and now almost teetotal!).
I’m sure there are some messages in here too, not least about hankering for a ‘golden past’, and it’s restoration as a solution to the problems of today. But you don’t need to go there if you also just want a well written, interesting, sometimes lighthearted, often bitter and sad, adventure.
5* for this volume and for the series.
The story in these three books has evolved along with the main character, Fetch Philips, in a most satisfying away. I’ve read them all within the last year so it was easy to pick up the story each time I started the next volume. Hard to believe this is from a new author, and an actor the rest of the time.
If I can reprise the series to show why I think this last book wrapped it up well?
Volume #1 introduces us to what was an almost a classical fantasy world with magical, mythological creatures of all sorts, where a conflict with humans seems to have switched off the Magic from this world overnight. We start the story soon after this event and as the world adjusts painfully to mortality, illness, having to work to live! And the introduction of a new form of ‘magic’ by humans: industry and commerce. An excellent start, maybe just a little too full of the tell rather than show of world building explanations. The lead character, Fetch, is a noir style human detective deeply affected by his role in the end of the magical world.
Volume 2 continues Fetch’s growing belief that there may be residual magic and that the past magical world can be restored. His conflict with the modern human society, manifested by a particularly nasty businessman/politician, intensifies. His first conflict of interest arises as he also has to deal with the extreme deadly actions of once magical allies/friends.
And finally we arrive at volume 3! Fetch tries to act on his growing belief, and some evidence, that magic is returning. He has allies and he has a location where the solution to the problem may be found. So a journey beckons, a trope of many fantasy tales, but this one is a pretty interesting one.
I’ll avoid plot spoilers but the ending is refreshingly poignant and complicated. Is Fetch trying for too much; if it’s possible do you really want to restore the old world? I’m sure some readers will be disappointed that Fetch isn’t a conventional hero. He’s stubborn, independent, justifiably suspicious of others and this new industrial world. He makes bad choices frequently. Perhaps he should listen to others? Maybe he’s aiming for the wrong solutions. You’ll have to read it to find out but I really enjoyed this very different take on fantasy. I saw where the story was going some time ahead of critical reveals, but it was still interesting seeing Fetch’s growth as he understood events better.
It’s interesting how the author emphasises the wise cracking aspect of his noir detective role in #1, but this is almost lost by #3 for a much more serious, reflective person (and now almost teetotal!).
I’m sure there are some messages in here too, not least about hankering for a ‘golden past’, and it’s restoration as a solution to the problems of today. But you don’t need to go there if you also just want a well written, interesting, sometimes lighthearted, often bitter and sad, adventure.
5* for this volume and for the series.
June 14, 2022
A fantastic, and heart-breaking, third entry in this magnificent series.
September 9, 2023
Reseña pendiente.
September 15, 2022
"Do you know what you'd do to stay alive? Most of us never have to make that call. Not so clearly that we have to weigh up our life against another's. Instead, we make that choice in a hundred little decisions every day, when we put our own life, and our own comforts, over everyone else."What an absolute delight to be back in Sunder City with my boy, Fetch Phillips, Man For Hire. ONE FOOT IN THE FADE is the third book in Luke Arnold's urban fantasy series, The Fetch Phillips Archive. (Please don't let it be the last!) In addition to watching the world of Archetellos grow and expand over these three novels, I've found immense enjoyment watching Luke Arnold tweak and hone his writing chops and I think he really had them dialed in to perfection with this one.
"That's the problem, isn't it? I can work harder, sleep longer and take better care of myself, but I still don't know how to be any smarter today than I was yesterday."
As per usual, there were many moments to chuckle over due to witty retorts, deadpan delivered sarcasm with a healthy dose of snark and sass. Fetch is a character we can all relate to in some form or another. Then Luke Arnold will stop you in your tracks and bring you to tears with a beautifully written chapter due to tragedy or a pivotal moment. I have to wonder if Arnold's ability to place those moments are due to his career in acting. Whatever it is, acting or just old fashioned intuition, it was nothing short of amazing.
Fetch is determined to restore magic to Sunder City and the rest of the world - only problem is, he doesn't know how. The death of an Angel right outside his office seems like a good place to start because the only way those wings got their feathers back was through magic.
This novel sees the return of beloved characters we've met in previous installations, as well as a few new interesting ones. We follow Fetch & Friends on an adventure that is sure to bring maic back this time...provided they all get out alive.
I've heard this was a trilogy and it could definitely end here and be fine, but there are also plenty of ways it was left open for more.
Please let it be more...
August 19, 2023
En breve reseña...
December 30, 2022
The third book in the Fetch Phillips Archives series and my favourite of the three!
May 5, 2022
One Foot in the Fade is the third book in the Fetch Phillips archive, and in my view, the best yet.
In the first two books of the series, we've seen Fetch, the "Man for Hire" in post-magical Sunder City - a sort of cross between an oil rush frontier company boomtown and a de-magicked City of Oz - inhabit the spiritual mantle of a noir detective, walking the mean streets, getting dirty, getting things done. But in One Foot in the Fade, Luke Arnold pivots and very firmly doesn't repeat the trick, giving us instead something rather different, forcing Fetch to confront some hard truths and, perhaps, grow up a bit.
To fill you in on the background, in case you haven't read the other books, in the world of Sunder City, there has been magic but it has dried up. (And Fetch was largely responsible for that - he has a Past, which is trying, with little success, to atone for by 'bringing the magic back'.) As a result this is a society where magical creatures - from elves to vampires to genies - are slowly dying, and where much of the "technology" that was previously relied on has failed. The result is an adjustment to 30s-style industry, proceding apace here in the hands of Thurston Niles and his corporation. The atmosphere of the stories is therefore bizarrely jumbled, with axes, swords and barbarian adventurers jostling alongside firearms, cars and telephones. Arnold is very good at drawing all this together so that it makes sense, creating a unique atmosphere and sensibility in his writing, one which I really enjoy.
Well, in One Foot in the Fade, things get real. Fetch thinks that he has, at last, a lead on a way to restore the magic to his world. That takes him out of Sunder, one of a bizarrely mismatched party of adventurers, seeking a cursed artefact guarded by a castle full of (now ex) Wizards. It's fun seeing Fetch, his friend the straight-talking, hard-drinking librarian Eileen, a fading Genie, a taciturn werewolf and young whippersnapper Larry, set out bickering in a sedan car (that Larry nicked from his dad). There are of course many adventures along the way and, rather to my surprise, a sense that Fetch is actually growing up, becoming more willing to listen to others and even to learn things.
What none of that alters is his obsession with restoring the world. It's become clear over the first two books in this series that there is a price to what he's trying to do, but the unappealing nature of the alternative - Niles's industrial revolution - has only made Fetch dig his heels in and search harder for an answer. Now that he thinks he's found one, he becomes positively obsessed and there seems a real danger that the quest will cost him everything - friendships, safety, perhaps even his life. After all, what else can he do? In that sense, this book moves way beyond the themes of the earlier two, posing questions about responsibility, self-deception and acceptance, questions that Fetch spends most of the book avoiding.
That, perhaps, makes the ending to this third book slightly more downbeat than the previous ones - I don't think you can really say there is a victory here, though perhaps, instead, Fetch finds some space, some clarity, some understanding of what he's about and how to proceed. That still, though, leaves him with a mountain to climb before he can reconcile with the new world he's living in, but at least it's a start.
STRONGLY recommended.
In the first two books of the series, we've seen Fetch, the "Man for Hire" in post-magical Sunder City - a sort of cross between an oil rush frontier company boomtown and a de-magicked City of Oz - inhabit the spiritual mantle of a noir detective, walking the mean streets, getting dirty, getting things done. But in One Foot in the Fade, Luke Arnold pivots and very firmly doesn't repeat the trick, giving us instead something rather different, forcing Fetch to confront some hard truths and, perhaps, grow up a bit.
To fill you in on the background, in case you haven't read the other books, in the world of Sunder City, there has been magic but it has dried up. (And Fetch was largely responsible for that - he has a Past, which is trying, with little success, to atone for by 'bringing the magic back'.) As a result this is a society where magical creatures - from elves to vampires to genies - are slowly dying, and where much of the "technology" that was previously relied on has failed. The result is an adjustment to 30s-style industry, proceding apace here in the hands of Thurston Niles and his corporation. The atmosphere of the stories is therefore bizarrely jumbled, with axes, swords and barbarian adventurers jostling alongside firearms, cars and telephones. Arnold is very good at drawing all this together so that it makes sense, creating a unique atmosphere and sensibility in his writing, one which I really enjoy.
Well, in One Foot in the Fade, things get real. Fetch thinks that he has, at last, a lead on a way to restore the magic to his world. That takes him out of Sunder, one of a bizarrely mismatched party of adventurers, seeking a cursed artefact guarded by a castle full of (now ex) Wizards. It's fun seeing Fetch, his friend the straight-talking, hard-drinking librarian Eileen, a fading Genie, a taciturn werewolf and young whippersnapper Larry, set out bickering in a sedan car (that Larry nicked from his dad). There are of course many adventures along the way and, rather to my surprise, a sense that Fetch is actually growing up, becoming more willing to listen to others and even to learn things.
What none of that alters is his obsession with restoring the world. It's become clear over the first two books in this series that there is a price to what he's trying to do, but the unappealing nature of the alternative - Niles's industrial revolution - has only made Fetch dig his heels in and search harder for an answer. Now that he thinks he's found one, he becomes positively obsessed and there seems a real danger that the quest will cost him everything - friendships, safety, perhaps even his life. After all, what else can he do? In that sense, this book moves way beyond the themes of the earlier two, posing questions about responsibility, self-deception and acceptance, questions that Fetch spends most of the book avoiding.
That, perhaps, makes the ending to this third book slightly more downbeat than the previous ones - I don't think you can really say there is a victory here, though perhaps, instead, Fetch finds some space, some clarity, some understanding of what he's about and how to proceed. That still, though, leaves him with a mountain to climb before he can reconcile with the new world he's living in, but at least it's a start.
STRONGLY recommended.
April 27, 2022
One of my favourite fantasy series, probably the only one of its kind I think is better than the Rivers of London series.
We are back in Sunder City where the magic is gone but hope springs eternal, with Fetch still determined to bring the magic back. One Foot in the Fade finds him on a kind of quest with a motley crew of companions, seeking a magical object and looking for a fight. Which he'll definitely get.
This is intricately woven within the world we have come to know and the writing is superb. There are such great characters and this instalment was both melancholy and hugely entertaining. An adventure from first page to last.
Loved it. Bring on the next I say!
We are back in Sunder City where the magic is gone but hope springs eternal, with Fetch still determined to bring the magic back. One Foot in the Fade finds him on a kind of quest with a motley crew of companions, seeking a magical object and looking for a fight. Which he'll definitely get.
This is intricately woven within the world we have come to know and the writing is superb. There are such great characters and this instalment was both melancholy and hugely entertaining. An adventure from first page to last.
Loved it. Bring on the next I say!
May 22, 2022
Full review to come soon!
March 18, 2024
if you are a fan of Harry Dresden or Peter Grant, make room in your Bookshelf for Fetch Phillips. Magic has disappeared in Sunder City, but some citizens of this city want it back, at any price. Fetch gets caught up in the black-market of useless magical objects desired by those who have plans to bring back magic. Fletch gets caught between two factions, but who are the good guys? I normally stay far away from celebrity writers, but actor Luke Arnold, best known for his role in Black Sails, knows how to spin a tale.
July 20, 2022
5/5
screaming crying throwing up etc
I never have anything constructive or literary to say in these reviews, they’re just an amalgamation of my thoughts but we continue…
It’s crazy to read Fetch’s growth from depressed alcoholic man who wallows in the fact that magic is dead and will stay dead to depressed alcoholic man who is fighting so hard to bring magic back. . Compared to the first novel it's so moving to read him fighting for redemption, to the point where it's an obsession.
Eileen is back, the last we heard from her was in Book 1, but she’s back again as Fetch’s partner helping him unearth how magic is back? coming back? I think they have a fun dynamic, same with Georgio and Fetch. We also meet Khay, the last Genie, who’s going around town bringing magic back for people . Overall, loved to see Fetch realize the impact he has on people’s lives, and how much he means to them compared to the first book where he was like “they all want me 6 ft underground.”
Fetch is continuing his enemies-to-lovers?friends? thing with Niles Thurston. Niles’ whole plan to industrialize and inject capitalism into Sunder City is successful, and Fetch hates it and will do anything to spite Niles and prove him wrong. Even if it means going on a long road trip to a crazy wizard castle to steal a crown to help bring back magic!! Obsessed with how we went from noir detective story to quest across the the continent with a werewolf man, human kid?, genie, and an ex-witch. It was such a natural shift in the narrative and so fun to read too, even when it went to shit (which given Fetch’s track record is a given). I’d recommend this series just so everyone can experience that road-trip.
The ending was so crazy, like I am unwell and desperately need the fourth book because literally where do we go here.
screaming crying throwing up etc
I never have anything constructive or literary to say in these reviews, they’re just an amalgamation of my thoughts but we continue…
It’s crazy to read Fetch’s growth from depressed alcoholic man who wallows in the fact that magic is dead and will stay dead to depressed alcoholic man who is fighting so hard to bring magic back. . Compared to the first novel it's so moving to read him fighting for redemption, to the point where it's an obsession.
Eileen is back, the last we heard from her was in Book 1, but she’s back again as Fetch’s partner helping him unearth how magic is back? coming back? I think they have a fun dynamic, same with Georgio and Fetch. We also meet Khay, the last Genie, who’s going around town bringing magic back for people . Overall, loved to see Fetch realize the impact he has on people’s lives, and how much he means to them compared to the first book where he was like “they all want me 6 ft underground.”
Fetch is continuing his enemies-to-lovers?friends? thing with Niles Thurston. Niles’ whole plan to industrialize and inject capitalism into Sunder City is successful, and Fetch hates it and will do anything to spite Niles and prove him wrong. Even if it means going on a long road trip to a crazy wizard castle to steal a crown to help bring back magic!! Obsessed with how we went from noir detective story to quest across the the continent with a werewolf man, human kid?, genie, and an ex-witch. It was such a natural shift in the narrative and so fun to read too, even when it went to shit (which given Fetch’s track record is a given). I’d recommend this series just so everyone can experience that road-trip.
The ending was so crazy, like I am unwell and desperately need the fourth book because literally where do we go here.
June 18, 2022
“An Angel had fallen in Sunder City: bloody, broken, and the best thing to happen in seven long years.”
One Foot in the Fade, the third instalment of the Fetch Philips Archives fantasy series, from Luke Arnold, picks up about a year after Dead Man in a Ditch ended.
‘Man for Hire’ Fetch is as determined as ever to bring magic back to Sunder City, and rescue it from the grasp of industrialist, Niles. When an angel plummets to the ground at his feet, Fetch dares to hope that redemption may finally be within reach.
While mostly retaining the same noir tone of previous books, One Foot in the Fade leans more into adventure as Fetch, after catching a jewellery thief, sets out on a cross-country quest to claim a magical artifact, and save the world he broke. Accompanied by a librarian, a genie, a werewolf, and a young college student, Fetch encounters dragons, amalgams, crazed wizards, golems, and a Minotaur in pursuit of a crown hidden in a castle in Incava.
Convinced he has a real chance of rectifying his past mistake, Fetch seems to lose what little good sense he had. Already an anti-hero, Fetch steps closer to villainy, ignoring the means in favour of his ends. I was initially disappointed to see him lose ground made in previous novels, as Fetch, impulsive and abrasive at the best of times, becomes careless and sometimes cruel. Too caught up in his dream of magic returning, Fetch brushes over the harm he is doing until he’s forced to tally the cost of his actions.
This isn’t a series I’d recommend picking up midway as Arnold expands his world with each book, but more importantly, each story relies heavily on the character growth of Fetch.
With its entertaining mix of adventure, drama and dark humour, I enjoyed One Foot in the Fade. Though Arnold may have originally planned the Fetch Phillips Archives as a trilogy, I don’t think this is necessarily the last we will see of Fetch, a possibility hinted at in the last few pages.
One Foot in the Fade, the third instalment of the Fetch Philips Archives fantasy series, from Luke Arnold, picks up about a year after Dead Man in a Ditch ended.
‘Man for Hire’ Fetch is as determined as ever to bring magic back to Sunder City, and rescue it from the grasp of industrialist, Niles. When an angel plummets to the ground at his feet, Fetch dares to hope that redemption may finally be within reach.
While mostly retaining the same noir tone of previous books, One Foot in the Fade leans more into adventure as Fetch, after catching a jewellery thief, sets out on a cross-country quest to claim a magical artifact, and save the world he broke. Accompanied by a librarian, a genie, a werewolf, and a young college student, Fetch encounters dragons, amalgams, crazed wizards, golems, and a Minotaur in pursuit of a crown hidden in a castle in Incava.
Convinced he has a real chance of rectifying his past mistake, Fetch seems to lose what little good sense he had. Already an anti-hero, Fetch steps closer to villainy, ignoring the means in favour of his ends. I was initially disappointed to see him lose ground made in previous novels, as Fetch, impulsive and abrasive at the best of times, becomes careless and sometimes cruel. Too caught up in his dream of magic returning, Fetch brushes over the harm he is doing until he’s forced to tally the cost of his actions.
This isn’t a series I’d recommend picking up midway as Arnold expands his world with each book, but more importantly, each story relies heavily on the character growth of Fetch.
With its entertaining mix of adventure, drama and dark humour, I enjoyed One Foot in the Fade. Though Arnold may have originally planned the Fetch Phillips Archives as a trilogy, I don’t think this is necessarily the last we will see of Fetch, a possibility hinted at in the last few pages.
April 7, 2025
reread 4/7/2025: oprah-shoot-i-wasnt-gonna-cry-here.gif
———————————————
What's worse than Fetch Phillips without a purpose in life? Fetch Phillips with a purpose in life. Mr. Arnold, you've done it again.
Still letting this marinate so all I have to offer are vibes and themes: desperation, the sunk cost fallacy, holding on to hope with a white knuckle grip, the power of friendship, resentment at people for moving on, the futility of your actions, the perils of industrialization, BIG Sisyphus energy, coming to terms with your own inadequacies and selfish motivations, thinking you're in your self-improvement era but really it's just a manic episode. The E.E. Cummings quote, "I'll live my life if it kills me", comes to mind.
I had a great time with Fetch, my pathetic king. (Even though he was less pathetic in this one I must say, but he was still down bad) I cried unexpectedly AGAIN. I think Arnold gets better with every book and you can see the improvement in each one, particularly in terms of character work. I love that he deviates from a mystery and throws in a quest to keep things fresh — I appreciate when a writer is solid enough in their narrative and what they're doing to be able to completely switch it up without feeling disjointed.
Don't sleep on this series!!
———————————————
What's worse than Fetch Phillips without a purpose in life? Fetch Phillips with a purpose in life. Mr. Arnold, you've done it again.
Still letting this marinate so all I have to offer are vibes and themes: desperation, the sunk cost fallacy, holding on to hope with a white knuckle grip, the power of friendship, resentment at people for moving on, the futility of your actions, the perils of industrialization, BIG Sisyphus energy, coming to terms with your own inadequacies and selfish motivations, thinking you're in your self-improvement era but really it's just a manic episode. The E.E. Cummings quote, "I'll live my life if it kills me", comes to mind.
I had a great time with Fetch, my pathetic king. (Even though he was less pathetic in this one I must say, but he was still down bad) I cried unexpectedly AGAIN. I think Arnold gets better with every book and you can see the improvement in each one, particularly in terms of character work. I love that he deviates from a mystery and throws in a quest to keep things fresh — I appreciate when a writer is solid enough in their narrative and what they're doing to be able to completely switch it up without feeling disjointed.
Don't sleep on this series!!
July 2, 2023
Fetch is continuing his efforts to bring magic back into the world, while also trying to thwart human businessman/politician Niles, mostly through arguments with the man, rather than anything substantive.
When he comes across a corpse of an angel with strange markings on him, Fetch is eager to find who managed to return the angel's wings to him. His search leads to an individual who needs to practice their magic in an effort to stave off their own death by laying their hands on other magical beings; an inadvertent benefit to the formerly magical beings is they get back their powers. This individual convinces Fetch that if he can find a particular ancient item for them, they can use it to restore themselves, and then together they can save other magical beings.
Seeing the potential immediately, Fetch rounds up some others and they all head off to steal this item from a bunch of wizards, encountering numerous dangers along the way.
Fetch is a difficult man; he is perpetually mistrustful, too easily angered, unwilling to ask for help when he needs it, and not willing to listen to others a lot of the time. Someone asks him an important question early on: why is he so hellbent on bringing magic back, and for whom, really, is he pummelling others, shouting and running about?
It's a question Fetch is totally unwilling to entertain initially, but as time goes on, and the cumulative experiences on his most recent endeavour as well as those from books one and two pile up and affect him, he's forced to confront his past actions. We already know that he's damaged by all his previous experiences, including the odd circumstances surrounding his childhood, and it becomes clear that Fetch is trying to save everything in an effort to not confront his own issues.
The ending of this terrific third entry in the "Fetch Phillips Archive" brings Fetch to an even darker place emotionally before the end; he's beaten down, betrayed, and must finally begin dealing with his crap. It's not enough to just set things ablaze around him, as, he's proven, time and time again, that his flailing around desperately for a cure to the misery around him won't be found in quickly. Also, not everyone wants or needs him to save them, and it takes his experiences in this book to begin to finally listen to the people around him.
I love this series, and really hope we see where Fetch goes next.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
When he comes across a corpse of an angel with strange markings on him, Fetch is eager to find who managed to return the angel's wings to him. His search leads to an individual who needs to practice their magic in an effort to stave off their own death by laying their hands on other magical beings; an inadvertent benefit to the formerly magical beings is they get back their powers. This individual convinces Fetch that if he can find a particular ancient item for them, they can use it to restore themselves, and then together they can save other magical beings.
Seeing the potential immediately, Fetch rounds up some others and they all head off to steal this item from a bunch of wizards, encountering numerous dangers along the way.
Fetch is a difficult man; he is perpetually mistrustful, too easily angered, unwilling to ask for help when he needs it, and not willing to listen to others a lot of the time. Someone asks him an important question early on: why is he so hellbent on bringing magic back, and for whom, really, is he pummelling others, shouting and running about?
It's a question Fetch is totally unwilling to entertain initially, but as time goes on, and the cumulative experiences on his most recent endeavour as well as those from books one and two pile up and affect him, he's forced to confront his past actions. We already know that he's damaged by all his previous experiences, including the odd circumstances surrounding his childhood, and it becomes clear that Fetch is trying to save everything in an effort to not confront his own issues.
The ending of this terrific third entry in the "Fetch Phillips Archive" brings Fetch to an even darker place emotionally before the end; he's beaten down, betrayed, and must finally begin dealing with his crap. It's not enough to just set things ablaze around him, as, he's proven, time and time again, that his flailing around desperately for a cure to the misery around him won't be found in quickly. Also, not everyone wants or needs him to save them, and it takes his experiences in this book to begin to finally listen to the people around him.
I love this series, and really hope we see where Fetch goes next.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
February 25, 2024
This is my favorite installment in the Fetch Philips series and I really hope that there will be more books to come.
Fetch is more motivated than ever, the new characters are super interesting and the plethora of fantasy creatures making their appearance give this book bags of charm. The action is also top-notch and though there is a bit predictability regarding the final act, I was totally invested that I still enjoyed every last word.
This is one of the best urban-fantasy series out there and I would love to see Luke Arnold adding more chapters to this world.
7,8/10
Fetch is more motivated than ever, the new characters are super interesting and the plethora of fantasy creatures making their appearance give this book bags of charm. The action is also top-notch and though there is a bit predictability regarding the final act, I was totally invested that I still enjoyed every last word.
This is one of the best urban-fantasy series out there and I would love to see Luke Arnold adding more chapters to this world.
7,8/10
April 8, 2022
I'm the type of reader who binges on large quantities of books and then takes time off. This is horrible for retention. I read and loved Luke Arnold's first two books. With this third one, I was struggling. The story separates into two sections. This first takes place within Sunder City and the second is an eventful road trip/mission adventure. While in Sunder, we are plunged right back into the world that by now we are expected to know. Not bad, except I couldn't remember who most of the people were. There are lots of characters in a short period. Occasionally we are reminded of Fletch's past interactions with them but I still couldn't go "Aha!" which was largely disappointing. Again, this is on me.
Once the adventure starts, the book turns from good to incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The traveling party was unique. The suggestions of intentions and the for-the-greater-good storyline were also spot on. So, this got better and better as it went on.
Once the adventure starts, the book turns from good to incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The traveling party was unique. The suggestions of intentions and the for-the-greater-good storyline were also spot on. So, this got better and better as it went on.
Read
May 13, 2022I knew from about twenty pages into book one that I’ll read anything by Luke Arnold, up to and including a pamphlet on beige paint. His writing is that good. I obviously had ridiculously high expectations for this latest installment in the Fetch Phillips novels, and One Foot in the Fade more than delivered. Buckle up, folks: this is going to be a rave. Or you could save yourself the trouble and buy the entire series now, which is the better option.
One Foot in the Fade continues on where Dead Man in a Ditch left off, with a much more motivated and slightly more capable Fetch taking the small bit of hope he’s seized and holding onto it for dear life. Thanks to a friend of his, Fetch’s sign has gone from an advertisement for a P.I. to a declaration: “Bringing the Magic Back”!
After sniffing the slightest possibility of a return to before everything went to crap, returning magic has become Fetch’s driving goal. He’s following every lead and hunting down any hint of a way to make that happen. Which is how he ends ups embroiled in what is either an almost-miracle or a very grisly murder. The answer leads Fetch on a journey both physical and emotional.
One Foot in the Fade takes the series from a grimy noir-fantasy to something completely new and different. I didn’t know what would happen next and I loved it. From duels (aka fights with self-important rich men who hold all the cards in life) to a not-quite-a-corpse, to an unfortunate encounter with a monster of legend, there was plenty of danger and action to be found. However, the heart stopping action scenes weren’t what held me enthralled. Rather, it was the incredible character growth to be found in Fetch.
Fetch Phillips has become one of my favorite characters in fantasy. Ever. His staunch refusal to give up, even when he’s convinced himself that he has, is heartbreaking. His grasp at the smallest glimmer of hope is relatable. And his palpable loneliness and the way he slowly learns to open himself up to the possibility of friendship is amazing and a privilege to read. Despite this being a fantasy setting, or maybe because of it, Fetch is one of the most supremely human characters I’ve read.
One Foot in the Fade has everything I want in a fantasy book. The story is engrossing, the descriptiveness of the writing is brilliant, the characters are all wonderful, and the ending made me tear up. A perfect blend between fantastical creativity and fascinating character development, One Foot in the Fade hooked me from page one.
One Foot in the Fade continues on where Dead Man in a Ditch left off, with a much more motivated and slightly more capable Fetch taking the small bit of hope he’s seized and holding onto it for dear life. Thanks to a friend of his, Fetch’s sign has gone from an advertisement for a P.I. to a declaration: “Bringing the Magic Back”!
After sniffing the slightest possibility of a return to before everything went to crap, returning magic has become Fetch’s driving goal. He’s following every lead and hunting down any hint of a way to make that happen. Which is how he ends ups embroiled in what is either an almost-miracle or a very grisly murder. The answer leads Fetch on a journey both physical and emotional.
One Foot in the Fade takes the series from a grimy noir-fantasy to something completely new and different. I didn’t know what would happen next and I loved it. From duels (aka fights with self-important rich men who hold all the cards in life) to a not-quite-a-corpse, to an unfortunate encounter with a monster of legend, there was plenty of danger and action to be found. However, the heart stopping action scenes weren’t what held me enthralled. Rather, it was the incredible character growth to be found in Fetch.
Fetch Phillips has become one of my favorite characters in fantasy. Ever. His staunch refusal to give up, even when he’s convinced himself that he has, is heartbreaking. His grasp at the smallest glimmer of hope is relatable. And his palpable loneliness and the way he slowly learns to open himself up to the possibility of friendship is amazing and a privilege to read. Despite this being a fantasy setting, or maybe because of it, Fetch is one of the most supremely human characters I’ve read.
One Foot in the Fade has everything I want in a fantasy book. The story is engrossing, the descriptiveness of the writing is brilliant, the characters are all wonderful, and the ending made me tear up. A perfect blend between fantastical creativity and fascinating character development, One Foot in the Fade hooked me from page one.
July 18, 2025
Another banger! loved the ensemble cast so much more this book! Especially eileen my sweet baby girl<3 i get her. also feel so bad for khay too tbh. So many complex emotions for a very complicated book with interesting and nuanced themes, I lowkey need time to sort it all out. Really hope there’s more!
August 20, 2025
Reread August 2025: Technically a reread because I want to refresh my memory on all of Fetch Phillip's mistakes before I read the most recent novel, but this is actually an Audible listen because I found out Luke Arnold reads his own stuff.
Some reread thoughts: As usual, Luke Arnold narrating his own book is a treat. He does voices! And he's really good at it!
I think I also reread the previous books before this one came out, too, and somehow it's only on this second readthrough that I connected the dots between Fetch being blasted in the chest by a bolt of magic before the Coda (an event narrated in the first book) and him being not-fully-human. There were multiple mentions of chest pains throughout the books and none of the characters have connected the magic bolt to the chest pains to Fetch's magical personhood, so it's not like the author just came up with it on the fly as a convenient plot device; it actually feels like a really solid throughline that shows authorial forethought and planning, which I'm very comforted by. It's always good to feel like an author has a plan for his series, rather just making it up as they go.
Another thought: man, I didn't remember the last quarter or so of the book being quite so depressing. I just remember feeling overall good about my reading experience, but I really didn't remember what happens to Theodore and Georgio, or that of all of Fetch's failures, the Khay thing seems to be the worst in terms of sheer body count, if nothing else. Speaking of Khay, Fetch's showdown and last conversation with her was very moving, and also very cinematic. I can picture it so clearly: the party outside in the night, the floats, the music, the celebration... then inside the museum, cool and dark and tragic. I still don't know what it all means -- what Fetch really saw when she touched him, what Georgio can now hear -- but I still very much want to know, and I also really want to read all about Fetch Phillips as a cafe owner. On to the fourth book!
- - - - - - -
Why I read it: I've read the first two, so, y'know.
Thoughts: I don't really go in for grim, first-person narratives where the narrator keeps going on about his own failures and mistakes, so by all rights, I shouldn't have liked any of the books in this series. Fetch Phillips has undoubtedly fucked things up for himself and others, over and over again, and he undoubtedly keeps thinking about them, being that we're all up in his head all the dang time. And yet!! I always start these books with a downcast feeling of, "Ah geez, here we go again..." And yet!!!!! The author always turns it around for me! And I'm always shockedpikachu.png! I honestly don't know why I never expect that. Three times now, I've read one of these books and at the end went, "Holy shit, that was amazing," which means that by now I should expect some things to happen.
I'm my defence, I do always expect some things. Like Fetch always acting like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders, and also feeling responsible for all of it. Which: fair enough. He did cause the world to fall apart. I didn't expect him to feel even guiltier now that the world is putting itself together again, or that he'd feel even more that it has to be his duty to bring magic back.
I did, however, expect his big plan to fall apart, simply because he's never thought about what comes after. He lives in the here and now, probably because he has never made it far enough in his plans to justify thinking about big things like After, and this book is the one where that really comes back to bite him on the ass. Like, what did he think was going to happen once all the jewellery was collected? How did he envision magic coming back, especially given that he already knew Khay couldn't control what she had.
I didn't expect the road trip to Incava, or the group he set out with (Theodore, my beloved!), or the roadtrip breakdown halfway through, or anything that came after that. I didn't expect the wizard city to be such a goddamn dump, though that one woodsman guy did tell them it sucked.
I didn't expect the reveal about Fetch, though in hindsight I should've. No one can fuck around with magic as much as Fetch has and make it out the same Human as he was before everything (if he ever was Just Human; I guess that's for the next book to answer). I didn't expect whatever the hell that vision was when Khay touched him (more stuff for the next book).
But I liked all those things, the expected and the unexpected. I liked the chosen family vibe of the roadtrip, and I like the Fetch and Eileen stayed friends. I liked the kindness that Fetch extended Khay all throughout. I liked that this book, even more than the second one, explored the world outside of Sunder City.
Most of all, I really like it when authors note the central theme of their writing in the acknowledgements. My reading of Luke Arnold's acknowledgments at the end here lines up with the book's throughline and the ending itself: it's a book about learning your place in the world. It's a book about how difficult that can be. Fetch spends a lot of time thinking about what he is or he isn't. In his past he has followed orders and organisations; in this book he rebels against the very idea because things went to shit whenever he followed someone else, so now he thinks doing the opposite -- going his own way, ever belonging with anyone or anything else -- is the best way forward. Like many people who in the real world have to figure out for themselves that leaning too extremely in one way or another is not a great idea or a way to be a good person, Fetch Phillips gets to spend this book figuring out that while he shouldn't put all his eggs in one organisation or army or political group's basket, neither is he meant to be an island all unto his own, and that caring for and about other people (and letting them care about you) is wonderful, actually.
Stand-out scene: Basically anything to do with Theodore. All the scenes of Theodore teaching Fetch how to do nature stuff were wonderful to begin with, because I love all of that sensory nature stuff, but then he also got... deep. Him telling Fetch that he has to keep learning, keep trying new things, keep changing if he has to was perfect. I dunno if I was moved merely because Fetch desperately needed someone to tell him that -- and I love that the author realised that and wrote it in -- or because that's just how I try to live my life as well, and I believe in what Theodore's telling Fetch.
And obviously, the ending itself was a blessing and a wonder and I, for one, can't wait to see what Fetch Phillips: Man for Hire is going to be up to next.
If this then that, if that then this: Pratchett's City Watch stuff, for sure. A grim city (though this is grimmer) and some hope thrown in. Maybe Rivers of London, but again, that's so much more hopeful than the Fetch Phillips stuff, if only by virtue of Peter Grant actually solving most of his mysteries successfully and not making so many enemies. I know the Dresden Files keep getting mentioned in blurbs or whatever, but I don't think those will ever be on this series's level.
Would I read a sequel or the author's other works: absolutely. Anytime, anywhere. And I hope Luke Arnold gets to do the book release tour of his dreams one day.
Some reread thoughts: As usual, Luke Arnold narrating his own book is a treat. He does voices! And he's really good at it!
I think I also reread the previous books before this one came out, too, and somehow it's only on this second readthrough that I connected the dots between Fetch being blasted in the chest by a bolt of magic before the Coda (an event narrated in the first book) and him being not-fully-human. There were multiple mentions of chest pains throughout the books and none of the characters have connected the magic bolt to the chest pains to Fetch's magical personhood, so it's not like the author just came up with it on the fly as a convenient plot device; it actually feels like a really solid throughline that shows authorial forethought and planning, which I'm very comforted by. It's always good to feel like an author has a plan for his series, rather just making it up as they go.
Another thought: man, I didn't remember the last quarter or so of the book being quite so depressing. I just remember feeling overall good about my reading experience, but I really didn't remember what happens to Theodore and Georgio, or that of all of Fetch's failures, the Khay thing seems to be the worst in terms of sheer body count, if nothing else. Speaking of Khay, Fetch's showdown and last conversation with her was very moving, and also very cinematic. I can picture it so clearly: the party outside in the night, the floats, the music, the celebration... then inside the museum, cool and dark and tragic. I still don't know what it all means -- what Fetch really saw when she touched him, what Georgio can now hear -- but I still very much want to know, and I also really want to read all about Fetch Phillips as a cafe owner. On to the fourth book!
- - - - - - -
Why I read it: I've read the first two, so, y'know.
Thoughts: I don't really go in for grim, first-person narratives where the narrator keeps going on about his own failures and mistakes, so by all rights, I shouldn't have liked any of the books in this series. Fetch Phillips has undoubtedly fucked things up for himself and others, over and over again, and he undoubtedly keeps thinking about them, being that we're all up in his head all the dang time. And yet!! I always start these books with a downcast feeling of, "Ah geez, here we go again..." And yet!!!!! The author always turns it around for me! And I'm always shockedpikachu.png! I honestly don't know why I never expect that. Three times now, I've read one of these books and at the end went, "Holy shit, that was amazing," which means that by now I should expect some things to happen.
I'm my defence, I do always expect some things. Like Fetch always acting like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders, and also feeling responsible for all of it. Which: fair enough. He did cause the world to fall apart. I didn't expect him to feel even guiltier now that the world is putting itself together again, or that he'd feel even more that it has to be his duty to bring magic back.
I did, however, expect his big plan to fall apart, simply because he's never thought about what comes after. He lives in the here and now, probably because he has never made it far enough in his plans to justify thinking about big things like After, and this book is the one where that really comes back to bite him on the ass. Like, what did he think was going to happen once all the jewellery was collected? How did he envision magic coming back, especially given that he already knew Khay couldn't control what she had.
I didn't expect the road trip to Incava, or the group he set out with (Theodore, my beloved!), or the roadtrip breakdown halfway through, or anything that came after that. I didn't expect the wizard city to be such a goddamn dump, though that one woodsman guy did tell them it sucked.
I didn't expect the reveal about Fetch, though in hindsight I should've. No one can fuck around with magic as much as Fetch has and make it out the same Human as he was before everything (if he ever was Just Human; I guess that's for the next book to answer). I didn't expect whatever the hell that vision was when Khay touched him (more stuff for the next book).
But I liked all those things, the expected and the unexpected. I liked the chosen family vibe of the roadtrip, and I like the Fetch and Eileen stayed friends. I liked the kindness that Fetch extended Khay all throughout. I liked that this book, even more than the second one, explored the world outside of Sunder City.
Most of all, I really like it when authors note the central theme of their writing in the acknowledgements. My reading of Luke Arnold's acknowledgments at the end here lines up with the book's throughline and the ending itself: it's a book about learning your place in the world. It's a book about how difficult that can be. Fetch spends a lot of time thinking about what he is or he isn't. In his past he has followed orders and organisations; in this book he rebels against the very idea because things went to shit whenever he followed someone else, so now he thinks doing the opposite -- going his own way, ever belonging with anyone or anything else -- is the best way forward. Like many people who in the real world have to figure out for themselves that leaning too extremely in one way or another is not a great idea or a way to be a good person, Fetch Phillips gets to spend this book figuring out that while he shouldn't put all his eggs in one organisation or army or political group's basket, neither is he meant to be an island all unto his own, and that caring for and about other people (and letting them care about you) is wonderful, actually.
Stand-out scene: Basically anything to do with Theodore. All the scenes of Theodore teaching Fetch how to do nature stuff were wonderful to begin with, because I love all of that sensory nature stuff, but then he also got... deep. Him telling Fetch that he has to keep learning, keep trying new things, keep changing if he has to was perfect. I dunno if I was moved merely because Fetch desperately needed someone to tell him that -- and I love that the author realised that and wrote it in -- or because that's just how I try to live my life as well, and I believe in what Theodore's telling Fetch.
And obviously, the ending itself was a blessing and a wonder and I, for one, can't wait to see what Fetch Phillips
If this then that, if that then this: Pratchett's City Watch stuff, for sure. A grim city (though this is grimmer) and some hope thrown in. Maybe Rivers of London, but again, that's so much more hopeful than the Fetch Phillips stuff, if only by virtue of Peter Grant actually solving most of his mysteries successfully and not making so many enemies. I know the Dresden Files keep getting mentioned in blurbs or whatever, but I don't think those will ever be on this series's level.
Would I read a sequel or the author's other works: absolutely. Anytime, anywhere. And I hope Luke Arnold gets to do the book release tour of his dreams one day.
May 31, 2023
🌸¿ERES DE DETECTIVES? Ya sabes, ¿de esos que su moralidad es bastante cuestionable y que no sabes muy bien si es el bueno o el malo de la historia🤭?
🌸Y si además te digo ¿que es una mezcla de FANTASÍA URBANA y de CIENCIA FICCIÓN? Y si añado ¿que es UNA HISTORIA OSCURA, en una ciudad fría y peligrosa, con hadas, vampiros y demás seres sobrenaturales😍? Y si, por eso de añadir más leña al fuego, ¿te digo que en Sunder City no hay magia y que no debería de existir ningún ser sobrenatural🤩?
🌸Si tu respuesta es:"Ay, santa Cachucha, lo necesito", te diré que hay conspiraciones, mentiras, persecuciones, muertes, peleas, malos malísimos y un toque de romance🤫
🌸Una fascinante trilogía escrita por LUKE ARNOLD, que seguro habrás visto interpretando el papel del pirata Long John Silver en la serie Black Sails!
1. La útlima sonrisa de Sunder City
2. Un hombre muerto en una zanja
3. Con un pie en el abismo
¡LA TRILOGÍA QUE DESEARÁS HABER LEÍDO ANTES!
🌸Y si además te digo ¿que es una mezcla de FANTASÍA URBANA y de CIENCIA FICCIÓN? Y si añado ¿que es UNA HISTORIA OSCURA, en una ciudad fría y peligrosa, con hadas, vampiros y demás seres sobrenaturales😍? Y si, por eso de añadir más leña al fuego, ¿te digo que en Sunder City no hay magia y que no debería de existir ningún ser sobrenatural🤩?
🌸Si tu respuesta es:"Ay, santa Cachucha, lo necesito", te diré que hay conspiraciones, mentiras, persecuciones, muertes, peleas, malos malísimos y un toque de romance🤫
🌸Una fascinante trilogía escrita por LUKE ARNOLD, que seguro habrás visto interpretando el papel del pirata Long John Silver en la serie Black Sails!
1. La útlima sonrisa de Sunder City
2. Un hombre muerto en una zanja
3. Con un pie en el abismo
¡LA TRILOGÍA QUE DESEARÁS HABER LEÍDO ANTES!
April 30, 2022
Why don't people talk more about this series? It is my favorite ongoing series, by far.
One Foot in the Fade just kept it coming- the humor- gumshoe- array of characters- the heart under everything, and the all the small mysteries enraptured by the overall series storyline.
And Fetch.. always out here getting his heart smashed. Shit is a shame. But he had some series character growth in this title. A few key characters really laid it out on him.
Loved the ending... can't wait for the next entry in the series!
Luke Arnold knows how to write and deliver in an audiobook. 👏👏
One Foot in the Fade just kept it coming- the humor- gumshoe- array of characters- the heart under everything, and the all the small mysteries enraptured by the overall series storyline.
And Fetch.. always out here getting his heart smashed. Shit is a shame. But he had some series character growth in this title. A few key characters really laid it out on him.
Loved the ending... can't wait for the next entry in the series!
Luke Arnold knows how to write and deliver in an audiobook. 👏👏
May 21, 2022
Como bien ha dicho la maravillosa Reme, con la que he hecho lectura conjunta de este también maravilloso libro: cinco estrellas como cinco soles, y no le doy más porque físicamente no puedo, que Goodreads no me deja. Pero que sepáis todos que en mi corazón, este libro tiene un millón de estrellas/5, me da igual que las matemáticas no encajen porque soy de letras y las leyes de los números no me aplican: este libro merece las estrellas que haya en el universo.
Vale, ya paro.
Cuando empecé a leerme a Fetch Phillips, lo hice con la curiosidad de que era el libro de un actor muy guapo y que además tenía una sinopsis que parecía interesante: noir, que apenas leo, mezclado con fantasía, de la que sí leo (y además un montón). Se me puede llamar básica, no me va a ofender oír algo que soy, y se me puede decir que mi criterio es mejorable y bla, bla, bla, lo sé, soy consciente, NEXT. La cosa es que cuando empecé a leerme el primer libro, quedé muy gratamente sorprendida porque no sólo me pareció de lo más original que he leído en mucho tiempo, sino que además está muy bien escrito, la historia engancha, el mundo es una pasada, y tanto Sunder como Fetch merecen una mención aparte.
Porque Sunder es una protagonista innegable de estas historias: Sunder como LA ciudad de Archetellos, Sunder como un ente vivo que va evolucionando a la par que lo hacen los personajes, Sunder como su propio microorganismo sin el cual la historia, el propio Fetch, no se aferra tan bien. Porque la evolución de Sunder, quiera Fetch o no, es la suya propia: de su estado lúgubre cuando la magia desapareció a la evolución, a la adaptación a sus nuevas circunstancias. De un lugar que sobrevive porque no le queda otra, casi a regañadientes, a un lugar que empieza a encontrar su propia forma de seguir adelante... Justo igual que Fetch.
En el primer libro, conocimos a Fetch como un detective deprimidoTM con muchos problemas y una forma muy poco sana de lidiar con ellos. Era un poco cliché, pero gracias a ir viendo los flashbacks de su vida se podía ir entendiendo por qué era así, qué era lo que le había sucedido para tener esa visión tan sombría de su vida, y sobre todo de dónde viene su culpa. En el segundo libro, Fetch va lidiando con esa culpa, va saliendo (muy) poco a poco del agujero en el que terminó metido y va viendo la luz al final del túnel, y en este tercer libro, Fetch ha encontrado algo tan bonito como peligroso: la esperanza. La esperanza de que puede cambiar las cosas, de que nunca está nada perdido del todo y de que siempre hay algo más que hacer, un paso más que dar, una decisión más que tomar; la esperanza que es lo último que se pierde, la esperanza que es como un clavo ardiendo, y la esperanza que también destruye.
Porque si bien en este libro Fetch ha avanzado, crecido y madurado, hay algo que no ha dejado de lado: a él mismo. Y ese él mismo es bueno, muy bueno, pero manipulable; comete muchos errores porque siempre cree en el lado bueno de las personas, pero ni por esas se rinde; intenta hacer lo correcto le pese a quien le pese, y hasta si él mismo termina perjudicado. Creo que la evolución de Fetch en este libro es magnífica, tanto dentro del propio libro con la tremenda bofetada de realidad que se termina Fetch por dar como en la propia trilogía, y en particular creo que el final deja abierta la puerta a un optimismo, a una nueva evolución de Fetch, que personalmente me muero por leer.
Con cada libro, Luke Arnold profundiza un poco más en la mitología de su mundo, y también en la gente que vive en él. Aquí nos hemos reencontrado con antiguos conocidos, como Baxter (mi única crítica de este libro es lo poco que sale Baxter, god bless them) o Eileen, y hemos conocido a personajes que, hasta cuando salían poco, estaban muy bien definidos, como Larry, Theodor o Khay. Y si bien la tentación de hacer el libro, o el conflicto, simples, siempre es una opción, Luke Arnold se niega: los personajes se mueven en diferentes tonos de gris, no siempre entre el blanco y el negro; el bien y el mal son un debate constante en el libro, igual que cuestiones como la industrialización, la modernización o el capitalismo frente a lo que existía antes. ¡Ni siquiera Niles es del todo malo, o del todo bueno, aunque apunte claramente en una dirección! No sé, son libros que están muy trabajados, muy bien hechos, y se nota.
One Foot in the Fade, a diferencia de sus antecesores, no es policiaco: sabes quién es responsable de lo que sucede, del misterio, bastante rápido. Aun así, creo que no le hace falta, que a Luke se le da tan bien la novela de aventura como todo lo demás, y que el cambio de registro no sólo no ha perjudicado el libro, sino que lo ha ayudado, porque aunque no sé elegir un favorito de entre los 3, este sin duda está muy cerca de la posición ganadora, y eso creo que es indicativo de algo.
Así que, en resumidas cuentas: LEED ESTA FANTASÍA DE NOVELA, CON UN RITMO MARAVILLOSO, PERSONAJES INCREÍBLES, WORLDBUILDING ORIGINAL Y EL MEJOR PROTAGONISTA Y PERSONAJE QUE HE LEÍDO EN MUCHO TIEMPO: FETCH PHILLIPS, MAN FOR HIRE.
(Aunque ya esté hired a tiempo completo en mi corazón).
Vale, ya paro.
Cuando empecé a leerme a Fetch Phillips, lo hice con la curiosidad de que era el libro de un actor muy guapo y que además tenía una sinopsis que parecía interesante: noir, que apenas leo, mezclado con fantasía, de la que sí leo (y además un montón). Se me puede llamar básica, no me va a ofender oír algo que soy, y se me puede decir que mi criterio es mejorable y bla, bla, bla, lo sé, soy consciente, NEXT. La cosa es que cuando empecé a leerme el primer libro, quedé muy gratamente sorprendida porque no sólo me pareció de lo más original que he leído en mucho tiempo, sino que además está muy bien escrito, la historia engancha, el mundo es una pasada, y tanto Sunder como Fetch merecen una mención aparte.
Porque Sunder es una protagonista innegable de estas historias: Sunder como LA ciudad de Archetellos, Sunder como un ente vivo que va evolucionando a la par que lo hacen los personajes, Sunder como su propio microorganismo sin el cual la historia, el propio Fetch, no se aferra tan bien. Porque la evolución de Sunder, quiera Fetch o no, es la suya propia: de su estado lúgubre cuando la magia desapareció a la evolución, a la adaptación a sus nuevas circunstancias. De un lugar que sobrevive porque no le queda otra, casi a regañadientes, a un lugar que empieza a encontrar su propia forma de seguir adelante... Justo igual que Fetch.
En el primer libro, conocimos a Fetch como un detective deprimidoTM con muchos problemas y una forma muy poco sana de lidiar con ellos. Era un poco cliché, pero gracias a ir viendo los flashbacks de su vida se podía ir entendiendo por qué era así, qué era lo que le había sucedido para tener esa visión tan sombría de su vida, y sobre todo de dónde viene su culpa. En el segundo libro, Fetch va lidiando con esa culpa, va saliendo (muy) poco a poco del agujero en el que terminó metido y va viendo la luz al final del túnel, y en este tercer libro, Fetch ha encontrado algo tan bonito como peligroso: la esperanza. La esperanza de que puede cambiar las cosas, de que nunca está nada perdido del todo y de que siempre hay algo más que hacer, un paso más que dar, una decisión más que tomar; la esperanza que es lo último que se pierde, la esperanza que es como un clavo ardiendo, y la esperanza que también destruye.
Porque si bien en este libro Fetch ha avanzado, crecido y madurado, hay algo que no ha dejado de lado: a él mismo. Y ese él mismo es bueno, muy bueno, pero manipulable; comete muchos errores porque siempre cree en el lado bueno de las personas, pero ni por esas se rinde; intenta hacer lo correcto le pese a quien le pese, y hasta si él mismo termina perjudicado. Creo que la evolución de Fetch en este libro es magnífica, tanto dentro del propio libro con la tremenda bofetada de realidad que se termina Fetch por dar como en la propia trilogía, y en particular creo que el final deja abierta la puerta a un optimismo, a una nueva evolución de Fetch, que personalmente me muero por leer.
Con cada libro, Luke Arnold profundiza un poco más en la mitología de su mundo, y también en la gente que vive en él. Aquí nos hemos reencontrado con antiguos conocidos, como Baxter (mi única crítica de este libro es lo poco que sale Baxter, god bless them) o Eileen, y hemos conocido a personajes que, hasta cuando salían poco, estaban muy bien definidos, como Larry, Theodor o Khay. Y si bien la tentación de hacer el libro, o el conflicto, simples, siempre es una opción, Luke Arnold se niega: los personajes se mueven en diferentes tonos de gris, no siempre entre el blanco y el negro; el bien y el mal son un debate constante en el libro, igual que cuestiones como la industrialización, la modernización o el capitalismo frente a lo que existía antes. ¡Ni siquiera Niles es del todo malo, o del todo bueno, aunque apunte claramente en una dirección! No sé, son libros que están muy trabajados, muy bien hechos, y se nota.
One Foot in the Fade, a diferencia de sus antecesores, no es policiaco: sabes quién es responsable de lo que sucede, del misterio, bastante rápido. Aun así, creo que no le hace falta, que a Luke se le da tan bien la novela de aventura como todo lo demás, y que el cambio de registro no sólo no ha perjudicado el libro, sino que lo ha ayudado, porque aunque no sé elegir un favorito de entre los 3, este sin duda está muy cerca de la posición ganadora, y eso creo que es indicativo de algo.
Así que, en resumidas cuentas: LEED ESTA FANTASÍA DE NOVELA, CON UN RITMO MARAVILLOSO, PERSONAJES INCREÍBLES, WORLDBUILDING ORIGINAL Y EL MEJOR PROTAGONISTA Y PERSONAJE QUE HE LEÍDO EN MUCHO TIEMPO: FETCH PHILLIPS, MAN FOR HIRE.
(Aunque ya esté hired a tiempo completo en mi corazón).
April 29, 2022
One Sentence Summary: When Fetch comes face to face with the last Genie, who has been attempting to use her powers to save desperate magical creatures and failing miserably, he ends up setting out on an adventure with her, but at a cost.
Overall
One Foot in the Fade is the third in the Fetch Phillips series. It features Man for Hire Fetch Phillips, a Human working hard for the past seven years to bring the magic back. But, too often, he seems like the only one trying to bring it back, because Humans have taken advantage and have pushed the city forward, bringing the magical creatures along with it if they want to survive. Until Fetch meets Khay, the last Genie, and the hopes of bringing the magic back. One part mystery and one part adventure story, One Foot in the Fade mostly felt like it was focused on world building and character development, but leaves off on an interesting note that shifted quite a few things for me, and I look forward to what’s next.
Extended Thoughts
Man for Hire Fetch Phillips is just a Human trying to bring back the magic, but it’s been seven years. When an Angel, with feathers on his wings, falls from the sky, he thinks it might be coming back. But it leads him on a chase for someone who leaves burn marks on the victims, bringing him face to face with the last Genie. Khay believes she can use her powers to restore a magical creature’s powers, but might not have enough cursed jewelry to make it work properly. With Fetch at her side, and a small motley crew, they set off for the wizard city of Incava, stumbling across more than they expected with the future staring them down.
Where the first book, The Last Smile in Sunder City, felt more like it focused on world and character development and the second book, Dead Man in a Ditch, felt more like it was focused on the forward progress Sunder City as a whole was trying to make, One Foot in the Fade felt like a blend. The world was opened up in this installment and Fetch was forced through a few changes and shifts in perspective. There’s also a lot of forward progress the world as a whole is doing, finding a way to live without magic and letting go of the past. Fetch felt like something of a relic, but the focus on his character development went a long way to smoothing out the story for me.
Just like in the previous novels, the mystery is thin and actually solved really early on. Though it was a lot of fun watching Fetch stumble his way to that. No, One Foot in the Fade felt more like an adventure story to me. Half of it was set in Sunder City and half was basically on the road towards Incava. I did like how the murder mystery actually kind of bobbed and wove through the city. It faded completely in the middle, but I liked how it was set up and how it ended up being resolved at the end. Actually, the end felt like the strongest part of the novel for me. The first half felt a little slow, but I liked the focus on the mystery. Most of the second half was an adventure and it felt like it meandered a little to me, with forward progress constantly being hampered by small events. But the ending really pulled the story together with a surprising amount of feeling, as well as an interesting shift in not just Fetch, but also, possibly, the overarching story to this series.
I felt a little torn about leaving Sunder City. Fetch has wandered away from it before, but he was away for almost half the novel this time. It was nice, though, to get to see more of the world and experience the crazy place the wizards live in. It was interesting to get to see how they were trying to pull through in a post-magical world as well as how it might have an impact on the wider story. I also really liked the introduction of a secret society called the Bridge, which is dedicated to finding a way to bring the magic back. But I wish more of the story had been set in Sunder City. With Humans seemingly taking advantage and introducing all these nifty gadgets like guns and microwaves, I’m intrigued by how well the magical city is adapting to this new way of life. It felt like most were actually adjusting a lot better than Fetch was, which made me question why he was holding on so tightly. It also makes me wonder if there’s a darker undercurrent to what the Humans have planned. Still, it was nice to see so many magical creatures beginning to find their feet and a new purpose.
One Foot in the Fade often felt like its purpose was to further develop Fetch’s character. I found myself both frustrated and impressed by him throughout the novel. His reasoning for just jumping on Khay’s case was flimsy and not at all thought out. From the beginning it felt like a wild goose chase, so Fetch throwing himself into it was, well, within character, but also kind of head scratching to me as a reader. But it was a good launching point for Fetch to evolve as a person. The journey forced him into situations he was uncomfortable with, so it was nice to see shifts in him. By the end, he felt very different from where he was at the beginning, and it also felt like a shift in the overarching story was occurring at the same time.
As much as the adventure part of this story was a bit of a struggle for me, I really liked the group: Genie Khay, witch Eileen, Human financier with more to his story that anyone else knows Lazarus, and hired mercenary Theo. I loved the way they played off each other and carried their weight. They were a lot of fun, and just the right group for Fetch to be caught up in. But Khay was the most important one of the group. She was fascinating in that she was morally gray, trying desperately to do something good, but was she really? I loved that I couldn’t figure her out, that there were times when she leaned one way or the other. But I could certainly understand her desperation. It’s just that sometimes the creatures who were supposed to help her attain her goal were slowing things down too much for her. I never got the sense that time was running out for her, so it sometimes felt more like a walk in the park.
One Foot in the Fade offers an interesting and fun mystery and adventure story. It nicely widens the world and offers a little more history, as well as some fascinating revelations. But it felt more focused on Fetch’s development, which, honestly, was sorely needed to help keep this series fresh. I look forward to what’s in store for him next, as well as where the story and world are going. There were some things I had to suspend belief to get past, but, overall, I found this to be largely pleasant and a lot of fun.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angela Man at Orbit for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Overall
One Foot in the Fade is the third in the Fetch Phillips series. It features Man for Hire Fetch Phillips, a Human working hard for the past seven years to bring the magic back. But, too often, he seems like the only one trying to bring it back, because Humans have taken advantage and have pushed the city forward, bringing the magical creatures along with it if they want to survive. Until Fetch meets Khay, the last Genie, and the hopes of bringing the magic back. One part mystery and one part adventure story, One Foot in the Fade mostly felt like it was focused on world building and character development, but leaves off on an interesting note that shifted quite a few things for me, and I look forward to what’s next.
Extended Thoughts
Man for Hire Fetch Phillips is just a Human trying to bring back the magic, but it’s been seven years. When an Angel, with feathers on his wings, falls from the sky, he thinks it might be coming back. But it leads him on a chase for someone who leaves burn marks on the victims, bringing him face to face with the last Genie. Khay believes she can use her powers to restore a magical creature’s powers, but might not have enough cursed jewelry to make it work properly. With Fetch at her side, and a small motley crew, they set off for the wizard city of Incava, stumbling across more than they expected with the future staring them down.
Where the first book, The Last Smile in Sunder City, felt more like it focused on world and character development and the second book, Dead Man in a Ditch, felt more like it was focused on the forward progress Sunder City as a whole was trying to make, One Foot in the Fade felt like a blend. The world was opened up in this installment and Fetch was forced through a few changes and shifts in perspective. There’s also a lot of forward progress the world as a whole is doing, finding a way to live without magic and letting go of the past. Fetch felt like something of a relic, but the focus on his character development went a long way to smoothing out the story for me.
Just like in the previous novels, the mystery is thin and actually solved really early on. Though it was a lot of fun watching Fetch stumble his way to that. No, One Foot in the Fade felt more like an adventure story to me. Half of it was set in Sunder City and half was basically on the road towards Incava. I did like how the murder mystery actually kind of bobbed and wove through the city. It faded completely in the middle, but I liked how it was set up and how it ended up being resolved at the end. Actually, the end felt like the strongest part of the novel for me. The first half felt a little slow, but I liked the focus on the mystery. Most of the second half was an adventure and it felt like it meandered a little to me, with forward progress constantly being hampered by small events. But the ending really pulled the story together with a surprising amount of feeling, as well as an interesting shift in not just Fetch, but also, possibly, the overarching story to this series.
I felt a little torn about leaving Sunder City. Fetch has wandered away from it before, but he was away for almost half the novel this time. It was nice, though, to get to see more of the world and experience the crazy place the wizards live in. It was interesting to get to see how they were trying to pull through in a post-magical world as well as how it might have an impact on the wider story. I also really liked the introduction of a secret society called the Bridge, which is dedicated to finding a way to bring the magic back. But I wish more of the story had been set in Sunder City. With Humans seemingly taking advantage and introducing all these nifty gadgets like guns and microwaves, I’m intrigued by how well the magical city is adapting to this new way of life. It felt like most were actually adjusting a lot better than Fetch was, which made me question why he was holding on so tightly. It also makes me wonder if there’s a darker undercurrent to what the Humans have planned. Still, it was nice to see so many magical creatures beginning to find their feet and a new purpose.
One Foot in the Fade often felt like its purpose was to further develop Fetch’s character. I found myself both frustrated and impressed by him throughout the novel. His reasoning for just jumping on Khay’s case was flimsy and not at all thought out. From the beginning it felt like a wild goose chase, so Fetch throwing himself into it was, well, within character, but also kind of head scratching to me as a reader. But it was a good launching point for Fetch to evolve as a person. The journey forced him into situations he was uncomfortable with, so it was nice to see shifts in him. By the end, he felt very different from where he was at the beginning, and it also felt like a shift in the overarching story was occurring at the same time.
As much as the adventure part of this story was a bit of a struggle for me, I really liked the group: Genie Khay, witch Eileen, Human financier with more to his story that anyone else knows Lazarus, and hired mercenary Theo. I loved the way they played off each other and carried their weight. They were a lot of fun, and just the right group for Fetch to be caught up in. But Khay was the most important one of the group. She was fascinating in that she was morally gray, trying desperately to do something good, but was she really? I loved that I couldn’t figure her out, that there were times when she leaned one way or the other. But I could certainly understand her desperation. It’s just that sometimes the creatures who were supposed to help her attain her goal were slowing things down too much for her. I never got the sense that time was running out for her, so it sometimes felt more like a walk in the park.
One Foot in the Fade offers an interesting and fun mystery and adventure story. It nicely widens the world and offers a little more history, as well as some fascinating revelations. But it felt more focused on Fetch’s development, which, honestly, was sorely needed to help keep this series fresh. I look forward to what’s in store for him next, as well as where the story and world are going. There were some things I had to suspend belief to get past, but, overall, I found this to be largely pleasant and a lot of fun.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angela Man at Orbit for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
September 5, 2022
The world lost its magic when Fetch made a mistake, and he’s desperate to rectify it. So when an angel falls to the ground, after clearly flying, Fetch is desperate to find out how. But there are forces who don’t want to see magic back and has Fetch chosen the right side on which to get magic back? An adventure like no other and Fetch is about to face many challenges, both physical and mental.
The third book in the series and another enjoyable romp. This book really test Fetch and goes to show how desperate he is to return the magic to Sunder City.
The third book in the series and another enjoyable romp. This book really test Fetch and goes to show how desperate he is to return the magic to Sunder City.
April 23, 2022
Bravo Luke Arnold. One Foot in the Fade is NOT the first book in the series set in an Urban Fantasy where magic is gone from the world and magical creatures are struggling (and often failing) to adjust or get by. Wracked by guilt and depression, private investigator Fetch Phillips also struggles to make sense of things, to make a difference, to become something greater. The writing is tight, the situations and characters are interesting and dynamic, and you truly come to care about these challenged, and challenging folks.
This premise was so promising, so different, that I sought out the previous two books to read first. Well worth the investment.
This premise was so promising, so different, that I sought out the previous two books to read first. Well worth the investment.
June 3, 2024
Hoy os traigo la tercera entrega de Los Archivos de Fetch Phillips.
Volvemos a adentrarnos en un mundo de fantasía donde la magia se ha desvanecido, donde los humanos cada vez van cogiendo más fuerza, controlando el monopolio del mundo. Aun así, Fetch sigue buscando, tratando de buscar una solución a la Coda, encontrar una solución para que la magia vuelva a habitar en todos los seres fantásticos.
Bien. El libro me ha gustado mucho, aunque, desde mi punto de vista, no llega al nivel de la segunda entrega, Hombre muerto en una zanja.
Luke Arnold demuestra que puede crear un nuevo mundo donde la magia no es lo que se esperaba. Nos descubre más personajes, profundiza en otros y... Nos enseña más allá de Sunder, cosa que me ha encantado. También he sentido que se ha vuelto más despiadado, más cruel. Que poco a poco ha ido ensombreciéndose más, cosa que ya era oscura. Sí, es una novela de fantasía urbana y de aventuras, pero también es una novela policiaca, de las clásicas.
Lo que más me ha gustado del libro son los puntos de vista. Uno ya no llega a saber que es lo correcto, cómo separar el bien del mal, los buenos de los malos. Es algo que no se había explorado en los libros anteriores y en los que me ha dejado pensando un buen rato...
Y bueno... vamos a ver. ¿Cierre de trilogía? Yo creo que hay más, mucho más. Con ese final... Hay demasiadas cosas que contar, que explorar. Así que no va a ser el cierre de Fetch, eso lo sé.
Volvemos a adentrarnos en un mundo de fantasía donde la magia se ha desvanecido, donde los humanos cada vez van cogiendo más fuerza, controlando el monopolio del mundo. Aun así, Fetch sigue buscando, tratando de buscar una solución a la Coda, encontrar una solución para que la magia vuelva a habitar en todos los seres fantásticos.
Bien. El libro me ha gustado mucho, aunque, desde mi punto de vista, no llega al nivel de la segunda entrega, Hombre muerto en una zanja.
Luke Arnold demuestra que puede crear un nuevo mundo donde la magia no es lo que se esperaba. Nos descubre más personajes, profundiza en otros y... Nos enseña más allá de Sunder, cosa que me ha encantado. También he sentido que se ha vuelto más despiadado, más cruel. Que poco a poco ha ido ensombreciéndose más, cosa que ya era oscura. Sí, es una novela de fantasía urbana y de aventuras, pero también es una novela policiaca, de las clásicas.
Lo que más me ha gustado del libro son los puntos de vista. Uno ya no llega a saber que es lo correcto, cómo separar el bien del mal, los buenos de los malos. Es algo que no se había explorado en los libros anteriores y en los que me ha dejado pensando un buen rato...
Y bueno... vamos a ver. ¿Cierre de trilogía? Yo creo que hay más, mucho más. Con ese final... Hay demasiadas cosas que contar, que explorar. Así que no va a ser el cierre de Fetch, eso lo sé.
May 25, 2023
Oh, it was too good to be true, wasn't it? I was starting to get my hopes up after having fun with Dead Man in a Ditch, but it turns out that the magic has indeed vanished in more ways than one. One Foot in the Fade feels like a blockbuster adventure movie that has gone horribly over budget while mid-production. It meanders until, as if suddenly noticing it's running out of time, makes one final mad dash towards the end of the line and just falls down dead. To call this story blatantly unfinished would be an understatement of epic proportions; if this is truly the last chapter of Fetch's tale as the author implies, then the "conclusion" (I can't fit enough air quotes to do it justice) is downright appalling in its unwillingness to wrap things up, and one of the worst I've ever read in this genre. Cliffhangers are one thing, but what happens here amounts to the author throwing his unresolved plot points in the air like confetti and screaming "WELL, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! I ADMIT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THESE":
Again: If this is the last we see of this world, then this is an insult to the reader's time and goodwill. I can't for the life of me understand what was going through Luke Arnold's mind when he decided this would be a fitting denouement.
If asked to sum up my feelings for this series in one word, it would be frustration. Archetellos is a captivating fantasy setting with an interesting premise that ends up imploded by underwhelming, confusing decisions regarding storytelling. There are too many characters with incomplete narratives; flashy action set pieces come and go without letting the reader understand how they impact the larger storyline; a small scene that feels like an afterthought near the end offers one of the most random reasons for a time skip I've ever read... I could go on, but I feel enough has been said already. Arnold is no hack, though; his prose has improved since the first book, he can write effective emotional beats and offer interesting observations on life through Fetch's musings, but the man has seemingly unlearned how to plot his story. Maybe it has become too big for him and he's better at smaller tales. Perhaps he ran out of time. I can't tell, and I'm dangerously close to not caring anymore. What a letdown. I hope the man rethinks his decision of making this a trilogy and writes at least another instalment to solve the myriad of unresolved plot holes. Until then, you should give it a wide berth unless you're crazy about journeys that lead nowhere.
Again: If this is the last we see of this world, then this is an insult to the reader's time and goodwill. I can't for the life of me understand what was going through Luke Arnold's mind when he decided this would be a fitting denouement.
If asked to sum up my feelings for this series in one word, it would be frustration. Archetellos is a captivating fantasy setting with an interesting premise that ends up imploded by underwhelming, confusing decisions regarding storytelling. There are too many characters with incomplete narratives; flashy action set pieces come and go without letting the reader understand how they impact the larger storyline; a small scene that feels like an afterthought near the end offers one of the most random reasons for a time skip I've ever read... I could go on, but I feel enough has been said already. Arnold is no hack, though; his prose has improved since the first book, he can write effective emotional beats and offer interesting observations on life through Fetch's musings, but the man has seemingly unlearned how to plot his story. Maybe it has become too big for him and he's better at smaller tales. Perhaps he ran out of time. I can't tell, and I'm dangerously close to not caring anymore. What a letdown. I hope the man rethinks his decision of making this a trilogy and writes at least another instalment to solve the myriad of unresolved plot holes. Until then, you should give it a wide berth unless you're crazy about journeys that lead nowhere.
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