Customer Reviews

The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What if the world ran on magic instead of mechanics? What if you had phone imps instead of phone lines, flying carpets instead of cars, sorcware (sorcery) instead of software, virtuous reality instead of virtual reality? And you had toxic spell dump sites that had to be monitored by the Environmental Perfection (yes, perfection) Agency?

I picked this book up thinking that it would be comic fantasy in the vein of Piers Anthony or Terry Prachett. And, there was humor in it, but it was more than that. Apart from the oblivious puns and fun with translating our world into a world of magic (the nightmare of traffic flying in rush hour, evil alarm clock imps...), Turtledove explores the consequences of that kind of world.

David Fisher is an EPA agent, assigned to investigate possible leaking from the Devonshire dump site, in part because of an increase of birth defects in the surrounding area. The most devastating birth defect is aphysica, being born without a soul. In this world the Other Side is very real and all the religions have their actual spiritual counterpart. The gods and whatnot need adoration to survive, so sometimes religions that lose adherents became endangered, and artificial temples and worshippers are made to save the entity. Fisher gets deeper and deeper into what turns into a plot to revive one of the most evil spirits in both Worlds.

I was surprised by this book and enjoyed it. It's not "literary" fiction, but an entertaining and thoughtful read.

I picked this book up not long after it came out due to the title (I have to deal with EPA issues for real). I'm currently reading it for the third time now and am enjoying it as much as the first time. Yes, the story is easy to follow, and yes, it does help to have a working knowledge of current and ancient religions and magic terminology (so you don't miss out on any hilarious puns) but so what? If you want a book to read for pure enjoyment and a lot of laughs (mostly at the expense of those cursed by endless red tape) then this is a great choice!

Harry Turtledove does a good job of looking at things in a new way. He has certainly done that in this book which features the bureaucracy of the EPA fighting those who would poison the world for profit and, possibly, start World War III.

There are differences, however, between this and your run of the mill thriller. In this case EPA stands for Environmental Perfection Agengy and they are not the result of some green fantasy. They look out for the environment by tracking hazardous pollution coming from magic. In fact, the entire society replaces mechanistic techology for magical technology. From this interesting premise an interesting and fun story come forth.

Just because a society works on magic does not mean that bureacracies and red tape are any more palatable. Thy are just more fun. This is a fun book, well worth the time to read it.

This is a very inventive book. The broad outlines of the plot are pretty predictable, but the details are not, and they are funny. The explanation of how devices based on technology would work if they were "powered" by imps, sylphs and demons of various types are eye-opening. They are also a commentary on "mechanical" society. This book may be funnier for people well acquainted with the L.A. area, but most other people will pick up the references.

A decent tale of what the world might be like if magic were the foundation of our civilization. a well thought out and engaging story with the usual everyman hero saving the day, world, girlfriend, etc....Read The Guns of The South for a real look at what this wrter can do

This is one of the first Turtledove books I read, and I consider it one of his best. The premise of an essentially modern world built out of fantastic components is played out to the hilt, and, while the jokes are funny and worth a second or third re-reading just to make sure you've caught them all, it still has a solid story underneath with characters that I found engaging and sympathetic. For years since I've kept this on my bedside table in case I had trouble sleeping and wanted some light, but quality entretainment and humour to help me to sleep. I highly recommend it.

The book is magic-as-technology. Instead of world wars, there are "sorcerous wars". Instead of nuclear waste, there is magical waste, and that goes in the toxic spell dump. Lots of stuff goes into the toxic spell dump.

Of course, magic requires magicians. Gods require priests. Priestly politics can be just as bad as real life politics. Gods fight gods. Sometimes they do it in your backyard. I think you get the idea. The hero fixes such a problem, in the midst of a great deal of irreverent, droll humor that makes about 1 laugh/page.

My only favorite Turtledove book. He should write more of this kind of book. He should also be commended for his census-taking monastery... (deleted spoiler) brothers, indeedy! (har!)

This is not a deep intelectual story. This is a great light read. A pretty straightforward plot mixed with some radical ideas kept me entertained throughout the story. At no point did the story bog down. The only problem I see with this book is horrid proof-reading before it went to print. Some of the typos are bad enough to be a distraction from the story. I still suggest that anybody interested in fantasy should pick it up and read it.

"The Case of The Toxic Spell Dump" has been in my list of "re-readers" since it was first published. When I went to find it, I discovered that the ogres that live in my library must have eaten it, or it was seriously misplaced. Even though it was first published a few years ago, I was lucky that Amazon still carried it. As with the first time I bought it, it is a most satisfying read. The subject matter is just as applicable today as it first was. Harry Turtledove is a marvelous story teller and his twists on language and the puns in the book bring smiles and lighten up what could be a very dark, somewhat exotic story. If you have never read this gem, I highly recommend you do.

In my humble opinion, the best Turtledove has done! altho I enjoy the historic detail of the other series, I never fail to feel refreshed at the humor, detail, and the corking good story whenever I re-read this. I recommend without reservation this book, and I continue to hopr that Mr. Turtledove will take some time off from his other projects and write a sequel! Enjoy this one!