Poison Sleep is the new Marla Mason book from Tim Pratt, writing as T. A. Pratt. Blood Engines, the first volume in what is bound to be a successful series of books following the adventures of the same heroine, was released in 2007, and future volumes (Dead Reign and Grift Sense) are planned for 2008 and 2009.
Why do I say the series is bound for success? I do have only the one to go on, not having read Blood Engines; but in some ways I think that makes more credible my assertion that Poison Sleep can be read as a stand-alone novel, without difficulty and without commitment. Without difficulty because it’s an easy one-sitting read: Marla Mason exists in a fast-paced world of action and action and more action, with funny stuff and a bit of pathos in between. Without commitment because even if you never read another, or never go back and read the first; even if Marla Mason and Mr. Pratt sell the umpteen books in this series I’m confident they can and you read every one out of order or backwards, each one will probably be as tasty and as ephemeral as a plate of delicious cheese fries or an afternoon quickie.
An intro to our heroine and her world: Marla Mason is Chief Mage of the city of Felport. It’s her city. She’s a badass. Nobody messes with the city of a badass without calling down all kinds of hurt upon themselves.
Marla’s job is complicated — she must maintain a delicate balance of power between all magic-wielders in Felport. This means distributing wealth and favors; slapping wrists; soothing egos; dabbling in petty politics and not-so-petty politics — all while protecting an unwitting non-magical population from the effects of sorcerous battles and magical fallout. And Marla is simultaneously funding her own private enterprises with businesses just the other side of legal. Basically, if there’s a problem in the city of magical proportions — and the biggest ones inevitably are — it’s Marla’s job to set things right. Not only is it her job, it’s her responsibility, her duty, her compulsion. Remember: it’s her city, and she’s a total badass.
So when a comatose inmate, one of the most powerful and volatile sorcerers Felport has ever produced, goes missing from the Blackwing Institute for Criminally Insane Sorcerers — taking a chunk of the Institute wall and an even bigger chunk of reality with her — Marla’s called in to return her or nullify the potential threat of her. Either way, Marla’s going to take care of her city. And did I mention that bit about her being a badass? (Note to readers: For the record, I wrote this review before I visited MarlaMason.net. That I stressed and restressed her bad-assedness all on my own in advance simply proves the accuracy of my assessment.)
Overwhelmingly, I can’t help feeling Poison Sleep is a television show waiting to happen. It has the same sense of unapologetic campy action, detours into richly-layered settings of great visual detail, unexpected flash insights into characters revealed through dialogue. It keeps what I can only describe as a television pace. Other works which spring to mind for comparison are all successful television shows. I’m not talking about content; there’s nothing with a similar enough content for an acurate comparison. The closest written series might be the Harry Potter books (all grown up) or Anne Rice’s original vampire novels (now with less brooding!). Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Black stories would be the obvious choice for comparison, and yet . . . not at all satisfying. I keep returning to the idea that the pace, the energy, even the — in no way intended as an insult — fluff factor of Marla Mason is exciting more in the manner of the best television series, especially new! improved! genre favorites: Battlestar Gallactica, The Bionic Woman. Firefly, Buffy, Xena: Warrior Princess — none of those and yet all of those.
Insightful, philosophical introspections about the nature of the universe this book most definitely is not. Crazy — even immature in a snickeringly charming way — grownup humor and stylish magic clashing against stylish magic at a breakneck pace is what Poison Sleep offers in spades. Damn, television people out there! Buy this stuff quick and get cracking on the series! It obviously needs to be started right now. Thank you.
(Bantam Spectra, 2008)
