The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke ArnoldMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In Part I of a two-part Luke Arnold double feature, we take a trip to Sunder City.
Believe it or not, this is one of the few noir-style detective fiction books in a fantasy setting I've ever read.* That translates as: I'm not an expert on Noir in general. I grew up with my Grandfather who lived and breathed the genre. I didn't pick up too much from him there. I understand it from a stereotypical perspective which means an office and a sultry woman who comes needing help. There's no sultry woman here. What we have is Fletch Phillips: Man for Hire. He is a human in a world that was once filled with the fantastical. We don't know that quite yet.
The use of a sex education/your changing body video to introduce us to the fantasy world was brilliant. Up until that point, the book is a generic detective noir based on my limited understanding. Fetch receives a phone call in his office and goes to the school to meet the Principal who will offer him a job. Nothing at all prepares us for the essence of the story until we watch this film and find out the bodily changes consist of fangs for the girl and stumps growing out of the boy's back. It's then revealed this is a school for fantasy creatures. The Principal himself was once a wizard. But there's no magic and being a fantasy creature is meaningless. This is also explained in the video.
You see before our story starts there was an event known as the Coda. The Humans, including Fetch as a soldier, go to the source of magic to try to harness it themselves. They fail. What they did achieve is to cause the river to crystalize, suddenly cutting off all magic in the world. Wizard's spells were useless. Dragons and Wyverns fall from the sky. Elves age hundreds of years. Vampires no longer are thwarted by the sun but they also are no longer sustained by blood. Creatures lose everything that made them what they were. Now they were, even with different bodies, on the same level as humans who are the true minorities in this world but it doesn't feel like it.
If fantasy creatures were sprinkles, this book would be very crunchy ice cream. There are Sirens, Gnomes, Dwarves, Kobolds, Ogres, Trolls, Demons, Witches, Vampires, Elves, Dragons, Werewolfs, Werecats, Wizards, Banshees, Necromancers, and more. I am not sure what possessed Luke to throw almost every possible type of creature in there but wow. At the same time, the book doesn't feel crowded by all of this. If Luke was any bit of a novice writer I would be dismayed at interaction after interaction. It sounds like too much. Luke finds a way to populate his world without choking us.
I'm sorry. I can't continue this without writing a letter to Luke's parents.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Arnold,
It's common knowledge that you are well acquainted with Classic American movies. But are you acquainted with the classically American movie known as The Waterboy? It has a young Adam Sandler, Fairuza Balk being Fairuza Balk, and Kathy Bates does a dance routine in the background of the final Football game. It's well worth it. Towards the end of the movie, Ron Howard's naturally ugly brother Clint gives a speech to Adam's Waterboy character about how he is an inspiration to people who weren't born with natural talent, charm, or a fully functional brain. This is how I feel knowing your son is in the world. Clint breaks down crying but I will hold myself together. It is staggering that someone with this much capability and skill exists. You guys did a great job raising him.
Ever and Always, Alexander.
The detective plot revolves around a missing Vampire who is a professor of the school, and later a Siren who went to the Vampire for additional lessons. Fletch weaves through a changing cast of characters trying to solve this puzzle while also giving us insight into his background and why people react to him the way they do. He seems to have a history with almost everybody. He actually does. Without revealing it and spoiling the book, I will say that Fletch has a bigger hand in the loss of magic than is initially mentioned. His existence is one of atonement. He's not perfect. Addicted to painkillers. Hanging out in darkened bars. A little cocky and do-what-needs-to-be-done. I kept imagining Luke as Fletch. That's the benefit of having an actor for an author. He'd be perfect for it.
Of course, the mystery of those missing soon reveals a larger plot that will carry us through to the rest of the series.
In one museum scene, Fletch muses "A good man is made through a lifetime of work. Great men are made by their monsters." I love this line. He was referring to how the men who made history usually came in sets. Someone who does great deeds may or may not be remembered. Who cares about someone that does a decent or flawless job? If two enemies engage each other, they are recorded for all time. Think about it in our terms. FDR versus Hitler. Who was the president before FDR? Who rules Germany before Hitler? Who cares. It's the men in conflict we are interested in. And yet why I loved this line is because it made me think of Fletch himself. As I said, he isn't perfect but he is trying to do his best in a world that doesn't believe it needs him. At the same time, Fletch is his own monster. No matter who he faces off in future books, guilt and regret are his biggest adversaries. Men are made by their monsters.
Along with that, one of the central themes of this book is hope.
"I was fine with having nothing. Nothing to hold onto and so no reason to do anyone else any wrong. But give me a little hope and I'll show you who I really am."
"Maybe nobody gets better. Maybe bad people just get worse. It's not the bad things that make people bad, though. From what I've seen, we all work together in the face of adversity. Join up like brothers and work to overcome whatever big old evil wants to hold us down. The thing that kills us is the hope. Give a good man something to protect and you'll turn him into a killer."
See, it's the promise of hope who drives the narrative. In a world without magic, is there a chance it will come back? And what would you do in order to obtain it?
Luke Arnold, everybody. Again, wow. I had to seek this book out as I've had its sequel sitting in wait for me as I kept reading other books in my never-ending pile. When I learned who wrote Dead Men in a Ditch I decided to grab the first one. It's inconceivable how good this is. Top five of the year. Stick around for part II as I cover Dead Men in a Ditch next!!!
The use of a sex education/your changing body video to introduce us to the fantasy world was brilliant. Up until that point, the book is a generic detective noir based on my limited understanding. Fetch receives a phone call in his office and goes to the school to meet the Principal who will offer him a job. Nothing at all prepares us for the essence of the story until we watch this film and find out the bodily changes consist of fangs for the girl and stumps growing out of the boy's back. It's then revealed this is a school for fantasy creatures. The Principal himself was once a wizard. But there's no magic and being a fantasy creature is meaningless. This is also explained in the video.
You see before our story starts there was an event known as the Coda. The Humans, including Fetch as a soldier, go to the source of magic to try to harness it themselves. They fail. What they did achieve is to cause the river to crystalize, suddenly cutting off all magic in the world. Wizard's spells were useless. Dragons and Wyverns fall from the sky. Elves age hundreds of years. Vampires no longer are thwarted by the sun but they also are no longer sustained by blood. Creatures lose everything that made them what they were. Now they were, even with different bodies, on the same level as humans who are the true minorities in this world but it doesn't feel like it.
If fantasy creatures were sprinkles, this book would be very crunchy ice cream. There are Sirens, Gnomes, Dwarves, Kobolds, Ogres, Trolls, Demons, Witches, Vampires, Elves, Dragons, Werewolfs, Werecats, Wizards, Banshees, Necromancers, and more. I am not sure what possessed Luke to throw almost every possible type of creature in there but wow. At the same time, the book doesn't feel crowded by all of this. If Luke was any bit of a novice writer I would be dismayed at interaction after interaction. It sounds like too much. Luke finds a way to populate his world without choking us.
I'm sorry. I can't continue this without writing a letter to Luke's parents.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Arnold,
It's common knowledge that you are well acquainted with Classic American movies. But are you acquainted with the classically American movie known as The Waterboy? It has a young Adam Sandler, Fairuza Balk being Fairuza Balk, and Kathy Bates does a dance routine in the background of the final Football game. It's well worth it. Towards the end of the movie, Ron Howard's naturally ugly brother Clint gives a speech to Adam's Waterboy character about how he is an inspiration to people who weren't born with natural talent, charm, or a fully functional brain. This is how I feel knowing your son is in the world. Clint breaks down crying but I will hold myself together. It is staggering that someone with this much capability and skill exists. You guys did a great job raising him.
Ever and Always, Alexander.
The detective plot revolves around a missing Vampire who is a professor of the school, and later a Siren who went to the Vampire for additional lessons. Fletch weaves through a changing cast of characters trying to solve this puzzle while also giving us insight into his background and why people react to him the way they do. He seems to have a history with almost everybody. He actually does. Without revealing it and spoiling the book, I will say that Fletch has a bigger hand in the loss of magic than is initially mentioned. His existence is one of atonement. He's not perfect. Addicted to painkillers. Hanging out in darkened bars. A little cocky and do-what-needs-to-be-done. I kept imagining Luke as Fletch. That's the benefit of having an actor for an author. He'd be perfect for it.
Of course, the mystery of those missing soon reveals a larger plot that will carry us through to the rest of the series.
In one museum scene, Fletch muses "A good man is made through a lifetime of work. Great men are made by their monsters." I love this line. He was referring to how the men who made history usually came in sets. Someone who does great deeds may or may not be remembered. Who cares about someone that does a decent or flawless job? If two enemies engage each other, they are recorded for all time. Think about it in our terms. FDR versus Hitler. Who was the president before FDR? Who rules Germany before Hitler? Who cares. It's the men in conflict we are interested in. And yet why I loved this line is because it made me think of Fletch himself. As I said, he isn't perfect but he is trying to do his best in a world that doesn't believe it needs him. At the same time, Fletch is his own monster. No matter who he faces off in future books, guilt and regret are his biggest adversaries. Men are made by their monsters.
Along with that, one of the central themes of this book is hope.
"I was fine with having nothing. Nothing to hold onto and so no reason to do anyone else any wrong. But give me a little hope and I'll show you who I really am."
"Maybe nobody gets better. Maybe bad people just get worse. It's not the bad things that make people bad, though. From what I've seen, we all work together in the face of adversity. Join up like brothers and work to overcome whatever big old evil wants to hold us down. The thing that kills us is the hope. Give a good man something to protect and you'll turn him into a killer."
See, it's the promise of hope who drives the narrative. In a world without magic, is there a chance it will come back? And what would you do in order to obtain it?
Luke Arnold, everybody. Again, wow. I had to seek this book out as I've had its sequel sitting in wait for me as I kept reading other books in my never-ending pile. When I learned who wrote Dead Men in a Ditch I decided to grab the first one. It's inconceivable how good this is. Top five of the year. Stick around for part II as I cover Dead Men in a Ditch next!!!
*The other, of course, being the Bobby Dollar books by Tad Williams. They are Urban Fantasy Noir. The series is about the angel Doloriel who investigates as souls mysteriously go missing instead of ending up in heaven or hell. Book two has the greatest imagining of Hell that I've ever read.
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