| The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump | |
| Author: | Harry Turtledove |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Cover Artist: | Stephen Hickman |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Published: | 1993 (Baen) |
| Media Type: | Print (Paperback & Hardcover) |
| Isbn: | 0-671-72196-8 |
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump is a fantasy novel by American writer Harry Turtledove,[1] published by Baen Books in 1993.
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.