I loved the first two books, so I don’t know why I struggled so much with this one. I gave up the first time I started it, and returned over a year later, but I still didn’t like it enough to give it more than three stars.

I know it's beens some time since the book was released but I got a printed copy and found the time to get it out of the tbr mountain!
I am a fan of black sails and I bought the first one because of the author and I ended up loving everything about the book. Obviously I also read the second one and thought it was fantastic. But I was not prepared for One foot in the fade. I don't know it was the amazing cast of characters that returned or the new ones, if it was seeing Fetch evolving and becoming what he is in this book, if it was the action packed scenes or just the amazing story, but this one is so much better than the first 2 (and they are amazing, don't get me wrong).
I hope that was not the last time we hear about Sunder city!

Another cracking read from Luke Arnold.
When Last Smile in Sunder City came out I was wary, a big TV name who I loved has written a book, I was skeptical. But boy was I wrong! A Dresden Files meets Carnival Row meets Shadowhunters world if ever there was one!

We are back wtih Fetch Phillips, possibly the most downtrodden PI in Sunder City. A former soldier now just trying to get by one murder mystery at a time.
This time? Dead angel. A whole, unwhithered, fully winged angel. Which shouldn't be possible since the magic was lost.
Fetch is a stubborn, untrusting and grumpy protaganist and on this hunt to find out what's going on he is having to drag behind him allies including one very scared and confused genie.
It's all wacky, it's all gritty, it's all one hell of a fun book!

The style is detective noir and Arnolds writes it so well! The grimey city comes to life through his words, you can almost taste the cigarette ash flavoured coffee that someone in an alley has brewed. Fetch is witty, deadpan in his retorts, sarcastic and nothing can really prepare you for the moments when Arnolds decides to have him convey seriously deep emotions and have a suddenly quiet and beautiful scene in the midst of all the wacky chaos...

I wish this wasn't the final book in the trilogy. I really do. The ending left so much that could be carried on...
If you want some lighter fantasy that won't hurt you like Hobb, just to enjoy a couple of hours with a rip-rawing stroy, then pick up these books

Sunder City has been without magic for years, and its magical creatures are adapting to living without their powers. But magical artefacts are going missing. And then an angel, with his magical wings fully restored, falls from the sky. The perfect case for Fetch Phillips to investigate, since he's still on his quest to try and restore magic to Sunder City.

The third instalment in the series departs from its gritty noire tone for the majority of the book. Fetch is filled with hope for the first time in a very long time and it's evident throughout the adventure he goes on. It's a refreshing new side to his character, and it works extremely well to have him be the optimist for once. But then there's that gritty side again, when hope turns darker and Fetch ended up being incredibly ruthless and cruel. He really believes he'll be able to bring magic back and redeem himself by doing so, he becomes convinced that the ends justifies the means.

Despite Arnold once again expanding the world he has created, further developing the characters and creatures that inhabit this strange place, and putting Fetch on an action-filled road trip with a merry band of misfits, this book drags incredibly hard in the middle. The epic journey is just one long trek of the same thing happening again and again. I could feel myself losing interest in the story and at times really had to push through the temptation to put the book down and read something else.

Nonetheless, I'm excited to see what comes next. Because there will be a fourth book. Right?

“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.

trigger warning
<spoiler> grief, trauma, torture, being drugged, gore, gun violence </spoiler>

The angel's death is a mystery. Not only does Fetch not know who's responsible for it, despite the world being magicless since the Coda, the angel's wings have been restored to their old glory shortly before his death despite this being utterly impossible.

This is the third book in the series and I doubt that you'll enjoy it if you start here. Too much has gone on, and in large parts it relies on the reader already knowing mentioned characters and the relationship they have to the protagonist. Short explanations are given, but I don't think it'll be enough to get the whole picture.

I can't say if it's because I've been ill or because it's been so long since I read the last book, but I did not enjoy this as much as I did the last read from the series.
It's still a solid urban fantasy crime thing, with less misogyny and other problems than Dresden Files and Labyrinth of London have, though it still reads as pretty vanilla, written by a white dude.

Since Fetch seems to have found some kind of place at the end of this book, I hope it's finished now because I am not sure if I'd read on.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

I’ve enjoyed our journey so far with Fetch Philips, Man for Hire, but this one was a little difficult to get into. (Last Smile in) Sunder City is almost fully under the control of the industrialists, and reading about a population slaving for ‘the man’ at the cost of their own dreams, handed new visions of false wonder, just hit a little too hard. This hasn’t been a cheery series, but ow.

It’s worth sticking with, though. The tone does get a little more hopeful, but mostly we end up on a huge adventure. With signs of magic – once as free as oxygen, now long gone, at least partly thanks to Fetch – appearing again, Fetch finds himself trying to help a half-undead (as in, half of her body is raised from the dead; the other half is normal) girl, a flightless angel, and the last of the genies. Set on tracking down a powerful artefact, we head out of Sunder and into the wider world.

My main hook and liking here was the character of Fetch. He’s still a bit of a downer, but he has progressed over the three books in quite a satisfying way. If this ends up being the end of a trilogy, then yes, I think we’ve followed Fetch’s arc and such a lot of growth. There’s a real message to it all, but I won’t give spoilers.

Otherwise, the side characters swing between irritating and ones I’d love to see get a spin-off, but then again it’s nice to have that range, and even lightly drawn characters don’t come across as stereotypes. The world-building is subtle, but it clicked with me most here – in fact, I got a sudden image of this as a ‘more real’ Ankh-Morpork, after the magic is taken away: that mix of creatures and species and a whole lot of bad tempers!

Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, and while I miss a little of the detective-noir feel of the first two books, Fetch’s Big Adventure is bittersweet and excellent. Give him a go!

This is one of my favorite fantasy series, the love child of Chandler and Butcher with a pinch of social remarks.
This is the best book so far and I loved every moment of it.
Great atmosphere, characters and plot as usual. A riveting and gripping read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

I was so excited to get a digital ARC for One Foot in the Fade, the third book in Luke Arnold's 'Sunder City' series. They're some of my favourite books and this third novel took the series to brand new heights, both for the character of Fetch Phillips and for the world around him. The introduction of new characters- the angel who plunges from the sky after his first flight in seven years to the werewolf Theo and the Genie Khay- was brilliantly done and I adored all of them in their own distinctive way, no matter how small a part they might play overall. This book ventured far from the streets of Sunder City and into the woods but Fetch's goal to restore magic was never forgotten, only strengthened. Fetch has grown so incredibly over the first two books and the ending of this one shows an entirely new version of a complicated and broken man, one I can't wait to see more of in the future.

One Foot in the Fade is the third book in this phenomenal series by Luke Arnold. It follows on from The Last Smile in Sunder City and Dead Man in a Ditch.

I love how we see a new, slightly more mature side to Fetch Phillips in this book. In One Foot in the Fade we see Fetch begin to open up a bit more and let himself have friends again. We also see him frustrated that other people seem to be content to forget that magic ever existed.

"Sunder had once been a magical melting pot when the creatures of the world would fill its streets with their ideas, powers, cutures and cuisines, living off each other like a box full of fireworks and mousetraps. Now it was falling under the command of a company who couldn't be trusted. We'd handed over our future to a rich man with no morals, and people were too content and comfortable to see the cost."

Fetch isn't impressed with the way things are going and the way this human run company is trying to erase all trace of magic from this once great city. Then an angel falls from the sky to his death and all hell breaks loose.

"I wish I could tell you that the tears were for my friend. That I was heart broken by the knowledge that we would never again sit down to dinner. That his selfless heart would be forever closed to the most vulnerable members of the city, the ones most of us ignored because our attention was focused on finite and fleeting things.

I felt all of that, but I wasn't crying for my friend. I was crying for the miracle that had sprouted from his back and the first evidence I'd seen since the Coda that the world could become whole again.

An angel had fallen in Sunder City: bloody, broken, and the best thing to happen in seven long years."

I love how this series shows Fetch what the reader already knew, that he has and needs friends in his life. Fetch likes to punish himself for his past mistakes by being solitary and keeping people at a distance but this slowly changes in book three.

"It was strange, after spending so much time alone, to feel so close to these people, bound together by purpose and a growing number of memories, stories and jokes that only the five of us would understand."

One Foot in the Fade has a real saga feel to it and it works well. I loved this series and I am a bit sad that I will have to wait for book four!

I thought this series was duology so it was a happy surprise to find out about the third book. In One Foot in the Fade, Fetch was sober and he tried to help a genie regain her power. I actually really enjoy the new elements and new characters. Especially Theo was an amazing side character. The storyline keeps getting better with every installment too. The road trip was quite fun to read. Also, some parts were really sad and I actually cried a little. Overall, this series was really fun to read with a lot of great characters and an interesting storyline. I can't wait to read the next book.

I adore Fetch Philips. I love the mix of classical Noir detective and high fantasy hero. I love how he has those two warring sides of him in his head. The sweep into action without thinking side mixed with the self doubting, reaching for alcohol as a crutch, voice in his head that belittles him, his determination to help. He is just such a dynamic character. I love how he is both his own worst enemy but also knows he can do it. He is just very human. I really enjoyed his growth as a person in this one, the introspection was not as dark and started to tend towards the hopeful. We still get all the false bravado and cheeky banter we have got used to but also we got a lot more the the trusting side to Fetch in this one. There are still the moments of sheer stupidity and moments of heart-warming joy that I have come to expect from these books

The story was amazing, part investigation, part buddy journey across the wild and magical land (replete with training montages), part heist. All of it was entertaining. I loved some of the new characters we met, learning more and more about the world outside Sunder City and what happened after the Coda. As we spend so long outside the city this book does take on a more classic fantasy adventure than the previous more urban fantasy based books. However, I think this move really keeps things interesting as we get to explore more and witness how the whole world is adapting and changing to life without magic and not just Sunder city itself. It takes Fetch out of his comfort zone and with new companions allows him to grow as a character a lot more

I did find this instalment to be a lot slower paced than the previous two but again this felt a lot more character driven. We got to see and experience a lot more about this world as readers and that was just as enjoyable as the fights every 2nd page of the previous books. Arnold’s writing is so well balanced and truly makes this book. It is so well paced knowing when to hit us with action, with a little sass or with a heart wrenching moment. All of these keep the pages turning. And oh the ending, bittersweet yet satisfying it does open up for more in this series which does make me excited.

Overall, like I have said before about both Book 1 and 2 and now about 3 these books just have the perfect combination of magic, mystery, pensive angst, and humour, to make it an excellent read. It is such a unique setting and story that are a joy to read.

I found this series whilst I was waiting for the next Rivers of London book to be released and I do believe that it is shaping up nicely. This is book three and, as with most series of this genre, it is best to start from book one and read in order. There are catch-ups but i think they are more suited to being memory joggers rather than anything else.
So, magic still gone but Fetch is still trying to bring it back. We start with him finding a treasure trove of possibly magical, definitely stolen, items. Then we switch to witness a fallen angel... literally as Fetch comes across one who has miraculously (or magically) regrown their wings, not ending well though. This concerns Fetch, obviously, but more than that, it piques his interest that there might be someone who can help him with his task to bring the magic back.
And that's all I'm saying as it all, like previous books, gets a little convoluted and interconnected. It also gets a bit slow in the middle third, but the action does start up again, with a vengeance, and it then becomes a veritable race to the end.
We also see a bit more of Fetch's past herein. As he struggles to come to terms with his past. That past pretty much dictating his present, and I imagine, his future. He does come across as a bit blinkered at times but with a goal as strong as the one he has, who can blame him.
If you enjoyed the first two books, and you have read them, haven't you ? Then you will enjoy this one too. Me, I'm now hanging for book 4...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Fetch Phillip's third book offers readers a new view of Sunder City, brings in new magical creatures, and gives new hope, even if it's airy, that maybe it's possible for magic to come back. But how much does this exploration and travel affect Fetch's own being? Although Fetch is sober, he still uses clever and humorous techniques to solve his cases, and miraculously they even work every time. But as expected, reclaiming magic will not be as easy as one might expect, and what happens if the cost of reclaiming it is too high? Fetch has always been a rebel and a tester of new things, but what if he has to choose between his dream and greater good.
It's calmer than the first two parts, but the story is exciting. And the story ends in such a way that a reader could hope for at least one more book.

🔹One Foot in the Fade🔹

By Luke Arnold @longlukearnold

After reading The Last Smile in Sunder City and Dead Man in a Ditch back to back last year, the latest instalment in this series was one of my most anticipated new releases for this year.

I was lucky enough to get hold of an arc of One Foot in the Fade and happily it completely lived up to my expectations.

We rejoin Fetch Phillips as he continues his quest to return magic to the world, but after the events of Dead Man in a Ditch, it seems like he is the only one that actually wants the old world back.

When he gets caught up in another investigation that points to the involvement of magic, he ends up going on a traditional fantasy quest to retrieve a an object that could change everything.

I really enjoyed this part of the book. I love the gritty setting of Sunder City but it’s fascinating to see a bit more of the wider world. Fetch continues his hard-earned growth in some great scenes with a new mentor/father-figure. Of course, being Fetch, he is still impulsive, stubborn, and his own worst enemy. It’s all very two steps forward, one step back, and often vice versa, but Fetch is slowly figuring out who he needs to be.

The book ends on a really great point which is satisfying but also raises many more questions. I can’t wait for the next one!

One Foot in the Fade is another great entry in this brilliant urban fantasy series from Luke Arnold.

I also have to point out how much I love the covers of this series!

Thanks to @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. One Foot in the Fade will be released on the 26th of April.

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.

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 demagicked City of Oz, inhabit the spiritual mantle of a noir detective, walking the mean streets and getting dirty. But in One Foot in the Fade, Luke Arnold pivots and very firmly doesn't repeat the trick, giving us instead something rather different and 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 industry, preceding 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 the writing which I really enjoy.

Well, in One Foot in the Fade, things get real. Fetch think s that he has, at last, a lead on a way to restore things. That takes him out of Sunder, one in 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 - Nile'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.

This is a welcome return to Sunder City by Luke Arnold, who uses the third book of his urban fantasy series to take us further afield in the world he has created.
In his determination to atone for his actions and bring magic back to the world, Fetch Philips agrees to help a genie steal a magical artefact from a castle inhabited by wizards. This new case takes us out into the world beyond Sunder City to show us the ramifications of Philips's early actions during the war.
This is a tough world created by Luke Arnold and in this one, we are introduced to more fantastical creatures than in the previous two and it is all the better for it.
An excellent instalment and hopefully not the last.

The third in the Fetch Philips series and the world building in this one really shines for me. This is a detective story in a world we’re magic has disappeared and Fetch is trying desperately to get it back. There’s more questions that need answered and, for me, this makes me want another book in the series even though this one’s only just coming out! The plot is fast paced, there’s some graphic fight scenes and a little romance - if you’re a fan of urban fantasy but want a little more of the fantasy then I recommend this series. Damn good times!

Luke Arnold returns to the world of Sunder City and its surrounds in One Foot in the Fade, the third volume in his Fetch Philips series. Once again he delivers a winning, if slightly downbeat, combination of hard boiled gumshoe, urban fantasy, high fantasy and social commentary all filtered through the world-weary narration of his hero/anti-hero Philips.
Arnold returns to his world where the magic has gone away, magical creatures are suffering and humans are in the ascendancy. Fetch Philips not only had something to do with this but in Dead Man in a Ditch he saved Sunder City which is now beholden to the rapacious Niles Thurston. But Fetch still has hope that there is a way to bring the magic back. And when an indication that magic can return and a chance presents itself he starts to investigate. Before long he has gathered a crew and set out on a quest. Being a Fetch Philips quest this is one which is full of enemies, violence and close scrapes but he keeps his goal in mind, no matter how much punishment he takes or how many personal bridges he has to burn.
The down at heel Philips continues to both be true to himself and to (slowly) develop in this book. He is too focussed on bringing magic back and assuaging his deep pit of guilt to see when he is doing the wrong thing, but self-aware enough to reflect on his mistakes later on. He is also handy with a sword from his army days and as tough as old boot leather which is useful when you get beaten up as much as he does. Once again, though, readers will stick with Philips and forgive him to a point, because they too will be hoping he can bring the magic back into this world. In this respect Arnold uses Philips optimism as a bulwark against the darkness inherent in the series’ premise, the rise of commercialism and pragmatism over the wonders of the past.
In some ways, One Foot in the Fade is closer to classic fantasy than the previous books in the series. Philips gathers a group together to go on a quest to steal a precious item from a heavily guarded fortress. But as with the other books in this series, Arnold is as interested in subverting these genre standards and the expectations that come with them as he is in using them. And the mission is bookended by the more urban and familiar environs of Sunder City.
Overall though this is another great entry in a series that continues to impress.