ridel reviewed One Foot in the Fade by Luke Elliot Arnold
Review of 'One Foot in the Fade' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I absolutely adore Fetch Phillips: the character, the narration style, and especially the world-building. I’m not sure if Luke Arnold is aware, but the world of Fetch is one of the most grimdark fantasy settings I’ve had the joy to experience. Games Workshop should take notes (and I say this as someone that has read a ridiculous amount of WH40K fluff).
As the third book in the series, I can assure you that Luke Arnold continues to deliver. Fetch has grown a bit from the last novels, but not so much that it’s a different character. The story is a bit wider in scope, and you’ll see more of the continent instead of being solely focused on Sunder City. The world has also started to move on, with significant changes since the Coda. All these things contribute to the feeling that the world lives and breathes on its own, and …
I absolutely adore Fetch Phillips: the character, the narration style, and especially the world-building. I’m not sure if Luke Arnold is aware, but the world of Fetch is one of the most grimdark fantasy settings I’ve had the joy to experience. Games Workshop should take notes (and I say this as someone that has read a ridiculous amount of WH40K fluff).
As the third book in the series, I can assure you that Luke Arnold continues to deliver. Fetch has grown a bit from the last novels, but not so much that it’s a different character. The story is a bit wider in scope, and you’ll see more of the continent instead of being solely focused on Sunder City. The world has also started to move on, with significant changes since the Coda. All these things contribute to the feeling that the world lives and breathes on its own, and Fetch is just one viewpoint amongst many in this incredible exercise in world-building. It’s a joy to experience and the author deserves a great deal of praise.
That said, fans will also likely expect to get punched in the feels. I won’t lie: the last half of the book is always dreadful. You love the characters and you know things will go bad. Sigh.
Five stars. Absolutely recommended — and please Luke, keep writing!
I did briefly think that this might be a trilogy but at some point it was fairly obvious that the plot wouldn’t go… well. The progression of magic as a resource is extremely interesting and I am really curious where Luke Arnold is going with it. It does feel like Fetch might eventually succeed in his task, though I doubt the restoration of the Sacred River will be a good thing. Knowing how grimdark this series has been, it’ll likely due more harm than good.
I’m also left all smiles near the end - honestly if Giorgio stayed dead, I would be ending the story incredibly saddened. His return, and Fetch’s sudden change into a diner chef, was a surprisingly lighthearted end.
This novel was not as devastating as either of the previous two, and I think that’s good because Fetch’s character growth doesn’t deserve that kind of punishment.