The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump is a fantasy novel by American writer Harry Turtledove,[1] published by Baen Books in 1993.
Premise and setting
While having some aspects of an alternate history, it is mainly a work of science fantasy depicting a world where spells, pragmatically used by some to achieve the same results as the use of technology, call upon a spectrum of major to minor deities of the present to the past that are functioning when called upon or omni-present and restricted to local use or having a greater area of influence. Spells are not toxin-free and can have an ill effect on the environment when the appropriate deities and if certain practices are not considered, disaster can follow.
The book is set in a recognizable present-day United States (specifically, in a very recognizable analogue of Los Angeles), with many present-day technologies and institutions having a magical equivalent (for example, the analogue of the CIA is staffed by actual, literal spooks, and computers use a multitude of imps instead of microchips). The title refers to magic spells that can have toxic side-effects, much the same as industrial practices in our world; therefore, there is the need for a place where those toxins can be dumped to avoid damaging the environment.
The book also employs many of the conventions of the hard-boiled detective novel, transposed to this setting. The protagonist, EPA (Environmental Perfection Agency) agent David Fisher, is assigned a case that would appear to need little attention and a simple solution soon becomes complicated and dangerous.
See also
- Magic, Inc. - a similar fantasy world by Robert Heinlein
- Operation Chaos/Operation Luna - a similar fantasy world by Poul Anderson
References
- ^ "Uchronia: The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump". www.uchronia.net.
External links
- The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Review by Doug Linger Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Review on the Baen Books website Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Review by Jeph Gord
- Online sample
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The Tale of Krispos |
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Time of Troubles |
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a.k.a. Timeline-191
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American Empire |
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Settling Accounts |
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- Into the Darkness
- Darkness Descending
- Through the Darkness
- Rulers of the Darkness
- Jaws of Darkness
- Out of the Darkness
- Gunpowder Empire
- Curious Notions
- In High Places
- The Disunited States of America
- The Gladiator
- The Valley-Westside War
- The Bastard King
- The Chernagor Pirates
- The Scepter's Return
- Beyond the Gap
- The Breath of God
- The Golden Shrine
- Hitler's War
- West and East
- The Big Switch
- Coup d'Etat
- Two Fronts
- Last Orders
- Eruption
- All Fall Down
- Supervolcano
- Maelstrom
- Bombs Away
- Fallout
- Armistice
and Three Men and...Stories
- "Visitor from the East"
- "Peace is Better"
- "Typecasting"
- "Something Fishy"
- "Always Something New"
- "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"
- "Three Men and a Vampire"
- "Three Men and a Werewolf"
- "Three Men and a Sasquatch"
- A Different Flesh
- A World of Difference
- Agent of Byzantium
- Alpha and Omega
- And the Last Trump Shall Sound
- Between the Rivers
- The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump
- Conan of Venarium
- Down in the Bottomlands
- Every Inch a King
- Fort Pillow
- Give Me Back My Legions!
- The Guns of the South
- Hail! Hail!
- Household Gods
- The House of Daniel
- In the Presence of Mine Enemies
- Joe Steele
- Justinian
- The Man with the Iron Heart
- Noninterference
- Or Even Eagle Flew
- Ruled Britannia
- Thessalonica
- The Two Georges
- Through Darkest Europe
- "A Massachusetts Yankee in King Arthur's Court"
- "Election Day"
- "Getting Real"
- "The House That George Built"
- "Joe Steele"
- "Lee at the Alamo"
- "Liberating Alaska"
- "The Last Article"
- "Powerless"
- "The Road Not Taken"
- "Topanga and the Chatsworth Lancers"
- "Uncle Alf"
- "Vilcabamba"
- "Zigeuner"
- Atlantis and Other Places
- Counting Up, Counting Down
- Departures
- Earthgrip
- Kaleidoscope
- Reincarnations
- The Best of Harry Turtledove
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