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mburnamfink's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody would ever accuse Harry Turtledove of originality. For a man who specializes in alternate history, his stories usually take a pretty blunt point of departure: time travelling South Africans give the Confederacy AK-47s, aliens with Gulf War military tech attack in the middle of WW2, thing like that.
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump is set in a world where all religions are true, where magic works, and where magic is used to duplicate technology in the early 90s-mostly through endless puns of varying quality. That said, the book itself is an enjoyable noir/technothriller hybrid about strange doings in Angel City, and for all the bad jokes feels appropriately gritty and multicultural, with a lot of freeways and bad hamburgers. As somebody who grew up in a very mundane LA, it's feels just like home.
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump is set in a world where all religions are true, where magic works, and where magic is used to duplicate technology in the early 90s-mostly through endless puns of varying quality. That said, the book itself is an enjoyable noir/technothriller hybrid about strange doings in Angel City, and for all the bad jokes feels appropriately gritty and multicultural, with a lot of freeways and bad hamburgers. As somebody who grew up in a very mundane LA, it's feels just like home.
awyxm's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting book in a very niche genre: a magitech universe in which life is very similar to our world, but where science is replaced by magic.
frater's review
5.0
I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book so much, the idea was cool but the idea of swapping all modern conveniences for magical ones just seemed a little trite and silly to me - probably because it is both of those things.
Turtledove, however, is a master of alternate history and he brings all of his game to bear on this fantasy novel. Despite myself, despite a few eye-rolls especially in the beginning, I couldn't help but get sucked in. Silly? Perhaps, but it is also incredibly fun and creative, and finding little puns hidden in the writing was a pleasant chuckle-worthy surprise. (San Andreas' fault!)
Beneath the gimmick however there is a very solid mystery story here as well, full of evil plans, ruthless conspirators and human sacrifice. A wholly enjoyable book!
Turtledove, however, is a master of alternate history and he brings all of his game to bear on this fantasy novel. Despite myself, despite a few eye-rolls especially in the beginning, I couldn't help but get sucked in. Silly? Perhaps, but it is also incredibly fun and creative, and finding little puns hidden in the writing was a pleasant chuckle-worthy surprise. (San Andreas' fault!)
Beneath the gimmick however there is a very solid mystery story here as well, full of evil plans, ruthless conspirators and human sacrifice. A wholly enjoyable book!
lauraellis's review
4.0
3.5 A slow read but slyly funny, and a good fantasy for government civil servants/bureaucrats trying to put in a good day’s work on a mission they believe in. One of the reasons I love this books is that the hero is an ordinary civil servant. Some unfortunate comments from a settler-colonialist mindset with which I disagree.
carol26388's review
3.0
I've always thought of much of the urban fantasy field as taking off with Ann Rice and Laurel Hamilton books, so when I saw this book was published in 1993, I had to give it a shot. It is of the alternate history kind of urban fantasy, with magic as the basis for technological development. David Fisher works for the Environmental Perfection Agency as an inspector. His manager in the District of St. Columbia wants him to unofficially follow up on a tip that a waste dump north of Angels City might be experiencing problems. As David investigates, he discovers that three area children have been born soulless, and there's more than the usual numbers of elf-shot, werewolves and vampires in the area. The dump manager seems like an honest sort, but it'll take a warrant and legal challenges to get more information. When a monastery is burned down, it becomes clear that David is onto a deadly conspiracy.
Apparently arising out of a discussion at a convention, Turtledove created a world-view that mostly works by Principle of Substitution. Instead of 'Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley,' we have 'Angels City and St. Ferdinand's Valley.' Telephones use imps to pass information, and alarm clocks are powered by small spirits. People use flying carpets instead of cars, and doesn't that just create a new level of merging challenge! Parchment is used instead of paper, but David will still need to convince a judge to issue a warrant to further investigate the dump. Elevators are powered by spell-inscribed parchments and an air spirit. It's an interesting technique; while it allows one to jump right into a story without extensive world-building, I did get the pun-ish vibe of Piers Anthony's Xanth series.
The concepts I found the most intriguing was the general idea of separate-but-equal religions that seems to underlie the worldview. However, I'm not sure it entirely worked, particularly with how the story developed. And no, I don't remember what they said about atheism, except that everyone agreed that the three children born without souls was a profound tragedy. I'm not sure that was ever explained, as it didn't sound like it would impact their earthly experience. There's also some aspects of the story that deal with immigration, an ongoing discussion in the L.A. Basin. I appreciated it was integrated and acknowledged in the story, as so many 'urban' fantasies seem to ignore the nature of the urban setting. However, as the story progressed, I'm not entirely sure that it worked out in a non-judgmental kind of way.
Characters were well developed. Unfortunately, David's a mid-level bureaucrat, and much of his routine is rather mundane. His inner narrative gives insight to the world he lives in, but even discussion of imps and telephones couldn't keep me interested in his phone calls. I particularly liked his relationship with Judith, an editor and proofreader at a grimoire publishing firm. David uses her as a sounding board, and she contributes valuable ideas when they brainstorm. But what I liked even more is that their relationship seemed mature and balanced, without the interpersonal drama (usually due to misunderstandings) that so characterizes the genre.
Plotting was acceptable, although it dragged a bit in the beginning. I almost felt as if Turtledove really had followed a mid-level bureaucrat through a week of his life and then magicalized it. And, as you might imagine, most people's professional details are not interesting enough that detailing them gives any benefit to the sense of routine. I won't spoil it, but as the investigation of the dump starts to escalate, the plotting picks up and becomes more complicated, almost to the point where it seems like another story.
While I was glad to have finally read Turtledove, a classic fantasy author, the story didn't deeply engage me. I read it with intellectual interest as to the world-building, but that isn't always sustainable for a story. Aspects also reminded me of Terry Pratchett, although I'd be hard pressed to say why. Perhaps the tongue-in-cheek tone that simultaneously wants the reader to care about character predicaments while jokes are being made. I'd recommend it for people that are interested in a wide variety of urban fantasy, those who want perspective on the genre, and fans of the time period.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Open Road Media for providing a review's copy of this book
Apparently arising out of a discussion at a convention, Turtledove created a world-view that mostly works by Principle of Substitution. Instead of 'Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley,' we have 'Angels City and St. Ferdinand's Valley.' Telephones use imps to pass information, and alarm clocks are powered by small spirits. People use flying carpets instead of cars, and doesn't that just create a new level of merging challenge! Parchment is used instead of paper, but David will still need to convince a judge to issue a warrant to further investigate the dump. Elevators are powered by spell-inscribed parchments and an air spirit. It's an interesting technique; while it allows one to jump right into a story without extensive world-building, I did get the pun-ish vibe of Piers Anthony's Xanth series.
The concepts I found the most intriguing was the general idea of separate-but-equal religions that seems to underlie the worldview. However, I'm not sure it entirely worked, particularly with how the story developed. And no, I don't remember what they said about atheism, except that everyone agreed that the three children born without souls was a profound tragedy. I'm not sure that was ever explained, as it didn't sound like it would impact their earthly experience. There's also some aspects of the story that deal with immigration, an ongoing discussion in the L.A. Basin. I appreciated it was integrated and acknowledged in the story, as so many 'urban' fantasies seem to ignore the nature of the urban setting. However, as the story progressed, I'm not entirely sure that it worked out in a non-judgmental kind of way.
Characters were well developed. Unfortunately, David's a mid-level bureaucrat, and much of his routine is rather mundane. His inner narrative gives insight to the world he lives in, but even discussion of imps and telephones couldn't keep me interested in his phone calls. I particularly liked his relationship with Judith, an editor and proofreader at a grimoire publishing firm. David uses her as a sounding board, and she contributes valuable ideas when they brainstorm. But what I liked even more is that their relationship seemed mature and balanced, without the interpersonal drama (usually due to misunderstandings) that so characterizes the genre.
Plotting was acceptable, although it dragged a bit in the beginning. I almost felt as if Turtledove really had followed a mid-level bureaucrat through a week of his life and then magicalized it. And, as you might imagine, most people's professional details are not interesting enough that detailing them gives any benefit to the sense of routine. I won't spoil it, but as the investigation of the dump starts to escalate, the plotting picks up and becomes more complicated, almost to the point where it seems like another story.
While I was glad to have finally read Turtledove, a classic fantasy author, the story didn't deeply engage me. I read it with intellectual interest as to the world-building, but that isn't always sustainable for a story. Aspects also reminded me of Terry Pratchett, although I'd be hard pressed to say why. Perhaps the tongue-in-cheek tone that simultaneously wants the reader to care about character predicaments while jokes are being made. I'd recommend it for people that are interested in a wide variety of urban fantasy, those who want perspective on the genre, and fans of the time period.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Open Road Media for providing a review's copy of this book
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