One Foot in the Fade

By: Luke Arnold

Narrated by: Luke Arnold

Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

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

Critic reviews

"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 on Dead Man in a Ditch (starred review)

"A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill."—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"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 on Dead Man in a Ditch

"[T]he focus on meticulous worldbuilding and highly detailed backstory as well as the cast of fully developed and memorable characters are unarguable strengths....The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and Dashiell Hammett."—Kirkus on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"A richly imagined world...Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Last Smile in Sunder City

"This off-piste detective story set in a magical world, now in meltdown, has verve and charm in abundance and a rough diamond hero with quite a story to tell."—Andrew Caldecott, author of Rotherweird on The Last Smile in Sunder City

Love it!

This is quickly becoming my favorite series. Everything… from the characters and their development, to the fantastic setting, and the gritty yet hopeful tone of it all, makes me feel like I’m truly reading an original work for the first time in years. Luke has outdone himself with this one. I can’t wait for more!

Breaks my rules

The books in this series have proven to me that 1. I really do enjoy fantasies and 2. I can love an author who reads their own books!
This book is excellently written and narrated. The story kept my interest from beginning to end. Although the ending was perfect, I can’t help wishing Luke Arnold would have more to say.

Even more engaging than the first two.

I will mark these stories as favorites making them easy to find when I am ready to enjoy them again. How rare that a talented author is also such a fabulous teller of tales. More please.

True noir never goes down easy

“I screamed to quiet the world, but the world just screamed back.”
The best books make you feel, even if the feeling isn’t always sunny and bright. This is a fantasy noir series that brings the mood and the brood and drags you through grit and jagged glass before you come out the other side, where the best you hope for is to see another tainted sunrise. I enjoyed this the way. I occasionally enjoy romance books that rip your heart out and then give you a ten minute HEA.

“What are her skills? She’s a librarian- and she makes a killer martini.”
The first half combined fantasy noir with a marginally lighter quest that had it feeling like a heist caper. It took a bit to get going. Then, it spent a long time on a journey through the wilds, where Team Fetch runs afoul of an unreasonably large number of cutthroats, over and over again. Once the heist truly begins, there’s finally action and twists… before the noir inexorably seeps back in.

“Time is a painting … [and] we are merely the warm air that dries the paint.”
My biggest frustration was that Fetch had zero character growth since book 1. He’s still stumbling along, desperate to fix the world he broke, and generally causing more harm than good, especially to those in his orbit. I would have liked to see more smart investigative work, but instead got more broody introspection and deep thoughts about the meaning of life. By this book, I knew the pattern, saw the hole that Fetch was digging early on, and was therefore rather annoyed with him through most of the book. The book has a beginning, middle and end … but not much of a happily ever after. If you were expecting anything else after three books in this series, you haven’t been paying attention.

Loved everything about this!

Third in the series. Lots of action. Amazing world. Can’t wait to come back to Sunder City.