Broken Mirrors

Marla Mason #5

by T.A. Pratt, Tim Pratt

Serialized online novel which continues the story of Marla Mason in T.A. Pratt's urban fantasy series.

Sorcerer Marla Mason has never been afraid of a fight, but she's about to face her greatest herself. Or, at least, an alternate-universe version of herself, a woman who succumbed to the evil power of a cursed artifact and become a monstrous villain. Now this dark doppelganger is loose in Marla's world... and she has an agenda even more terrible than Marla can imagine.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Paranormal, Supernatural, Audiobook

ebook

First published March 8, 2010

About the author

T.A. Pratt is the pseudonym of Tim Pratt, under which he penned the Marla Mason books.

I've crowdfunded seven projects (four through Kickstarter) successfully in the past few years, and I don't foresee any problems with this one, either. I write novels for a living, and this is a book I'm excited to do. It's always possible there will be bumps and delays on the production process, or an unforeseen illness or other disaster, but if so, I'll keep everyone posted, and we'll get there in the end.

Reviews

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.25 ***

"“There are two ways of spreading light; to be The candle or the mirror that reflects it. –”"

This is a very unique series and I am enjoying going through the wins and failures of Marla Mason and her friends... I was actually very upset with the deaths of couple of the characters, but I guess this was to be expected, in a very ruthless world of sorcery and multi-verses... I am definitely continuing with the series!!!

[Javir11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7,25/10

No es de las novelas que más me han gustado de Marla, pero al mismo tiempo por fin nuestra protagonista encuentra una antagonista a su altura, que ya iba siendo hora.

Me ha gustado que la relación Marla+Rondeau comienza a recuperarse, de hecho para mi es lo mejor de esta saga, sin ellos no tendría sentido ninguno. También destacaría el sinfín de caminos que nos ofrece la trama de esta quinta entrega para el futuro, tanto en el aspecto de los personajes secundarios que desaparecen, como en el modo en que Marla resolverá la situación en la que termina la novela.

Por otro lado, el clímax de la historia ha sido un bluf de cuidado. No quiero meter spoilers, pero es que me esperaba una batalla más espectacular y no lo que termina sucediendo, que deja todo muy descafeinado, de hecho he estado a punto de dejarla en tres estrellas solo por eso.

En fin, seguiré con la saga mientras me entretenga, que por ahora lo hace y bastante.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was a crazy a$$ plot...

[Odo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

[Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit torn on how to comment on Pratt's latest novel, Broken Mirrors. On the one hand, I was quite happy he published another Marla Mason novel, as I find the series one of the few non-cookie cutter urban fantasy series out there. Marla is a tough chick, but has no sexual agenda, never swoons over vampires, elves, or werewolves, and generally could care less of most people like her or not. Plus, they books are just plain fun.

Fans of Pratt realize that the fact the novel even exists is a happy miracle--Pratt's publisher dropped him (along with many other authors) when the economy hit the toilet. Most felt that meant the end of the series. But Pratt's fans donated money for him to write a new serialized story when his wife was laid off of work. (You can find the novella Bone Shop online at Pratt's website) It was successful enough that Pratt decided to do the same for a full-length novel.

The bad news is that you can tell the novel was written without an editor, and in probably less time than usual. If feels a bit scattered, with some plot points and characters recycled from previous novels. The novel picks up not long after the last novel ended, with the accidental death of Bradley by Rondeau. He must find a way to regain Marla's trust, but of course being a Marla Mason novel, all hell breaks loose soon thereafter--aided by Marla's less-than-rational decision to try and replace Bradley. Needless to say, things go poorly. The story moves at a good rate, though the plot and pacing are a bit "jumpy". Some of the characterization feels a bit sketchy as well. I suspect a good editor at a publishing house would have tightened these flaws up quite a bit.

I was impressed with the quality of the paperback I ordered. It seems Pratt arranged some publish-on-demand company to release his book. In fact, the publishing date is listed as the date I placed my order (which is kinda cool). While you can tell it isn't from a major publisher, the quality is surprisingly decent. The price at Amazon was in line with the cost of a typical trade paperback, so I can't complain.

In the end, I was happy to pay a few dollars to help support Mr. Pratt during his tough financial times. This is the least of the series, but I appreciate the fact he continues to try and entertain his fans. I hope another publisher picks him up, because he deserves it.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Mirrors,

I strongly suggest you read the previous book in the series (Blood Engines, Poison Sleep, Dead Reign and Spell Games) prior to reading this installment.

I was so excited when I saw that there was another Marla Mason novel. I thought due to financial issues, this series unwisely received the short end of the publishing stick. I was also distraught especially since Spell Games ended on a huge-cliffhanger!

Marla Mason is back in action, tough-as-nails with a magical-swagger to match. Marla leaves a destructive path of violence and carnage in her wake. She has a vivacious appetite that is equal parts dreadfully as it is devastatingly beautiful.

I highly recommend this book/series and prequel novella Bone Shop to fellow dark urban fantasy readers. Hopefully we'll see more Marla Mason books in the near future.

To SF fans, this particular installment deals with alternate universes, however, I personally wouldn't categorize it as a hybrid between dark urban fantasy and sci-fi. In any case, it is
extremely interesting and definitely worth a read.

I also recommend some additional tough-as-nails heroines:
Black Magic Sanction (Hollows)
Crimson Wind (Horngate Witches)
Grave Witch (Alex Craft, Book 1)
City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4)
Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla, I love you.

It is an interesting coincidence that several of my favorite series (Kate Daniels, Rachel Morgan, to name two) got a relatively neutral reaction from me at first. When I started the first book about Marla and Felport, I was not swept away. There was no romance, no sex to take a cheap shot and get me hooked. Luckily, the romance came later, if not the sex. Marla is in love with Felport, she's loyal and passionate about her lieutenants and her apprentice and her city. Beneath the rapid fire dialogue and non-stop action, there is rock solid character development and plotting. Never is the romance and the writing more phenomenal than this latest book.

BROKEN MIRRORS splinters one story into many, with action taking place across the two alternate realities. Despite how driven and hard Marla may appear, her passion and humanity shine compared to the alien Mason. BROKEN MIRRORS proves that there are no happy endings, but it also asserts that the sad endings aren't so bad either, as all of these endings make you who you are today.

[February Four · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell it could use a bit more editing, but Pratt is true to form--the stakes just get bigger, bigger, and bigger. I mean, BIGGER. This is great stuff! If this is the potential, unedited Pratt, I can see why I liked the Marla Mason books so much.

But the book needs an editor pretty badly. The story is large and needs a lot of wrangling, and often it doesn't quite seem as if Pratt is up to it. Now that I've read a little more about Pratt himself, I can understand why (because of his life circumstances when he wrote both this book and Bone Shop). But it doesn't excuse the need for an editor.

That said, I loved the story and the ideas. So much raw potential, and almost there! This is a diamond in the rough that could use some polishing.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

After one of her few friends dies, Marla is desperate to bring him back--desperate enough that she threatens a guardian of all reality into letting her kidnap another version of him from an alternate reality. But of course this rips a hole that goes both ways, and the supremely evil Marla Mason from the alternate world comes to this one, just as our Marla crosses over into the other. They each wreak havoc in each other's realities for a while, and it's pretty fun to watch until the Mason flat out starts murdering the sorcerers of Felport, who I've come to really like over the course of these books. It's so awful that I actually agreed with the council's unanimous vote to strip Marla of her title as Chief Sorcerer and exile her from Felport.

All this was intense enough that I'm going to take a little break from Marla's world, before checking out the next book to see what happens next.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grim and grimmer; the only reason I hold back the fourth star is the utter disappointment I felt at the fact that so many interesting characters were slaughtered in the name of plot development, and Marla's reaction to the ending seemed utterly callous and selfish, even for her. Sorry, but did she really expect to stay in power after causing the deaths of so many people? I thought she was coming to terms with regret in the third book, but there was little evidence of that development here. Still compulsively readable, however, even if the road trip scenes in the middle were drawn-out. Just don't expect to be too uplifted when you finish.

[James Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus far in the Marla Mason series, the badass sorcerer has faced some pretty tough characters. However, in "Broken Mirrors," she faces a truly tough character: herself. Or, more to the point, a truly evil version of herself. In a misguided effort to bring a version of her friend Bradley Bowman into this world, Marla opens a rift in space-time that allows evil Marla and her equally evil sidekick Crapsey to enter as well. Evil Marla and her sidekick start bringing the mayhem, and Marla and her sidekick work to get the evil duo back where they belong. This is a real fun ride of urban fantasy and definitely worth the read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked:
* Marla's overwhelming (and blinding) love for B.
* The plot was engaging and kept me engrossed and guessing.
* I'm a sucker for alternate universes and learning about the major life turning points that shape our beloved characters.
* Genuinely creepy villain(s).

Liked Less:
* The book seemed almost more focused on bizarro Marla & Rondeau.
* Deaths were handled rather cavalierly with no real emotional impact for the characters. It makes sense in some cases but not in others.

Overall, a solid installment in one of my favorite UF series.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hovering between a 3 and a 4 on this episode, until the end where Marla actually suffered serious consequence for her actions that led to so many deaths. No magical ending where she is forgiven for her short-sighted, reckless endangerment of her entire city and beyond, and that made all the difference. It will be interesting to see where Pratt takes Marla next.

[Nirkatze · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but rounding up. Series hitting its stride in this book (or I am hopeful so, will see when read the rest). Lots of callbacks to the earlier books, and seeing Marla's impulsive arrogance finally coming back around to really bite her where it hurts. I enjoyed all the geeky references and the look at alternate paths and decisions. There were even some great (and tragic) gut-punch moments, and some fun huzzah!s as well.

[Antonio Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echaba de menos el humor tan propio de Marla, aunque esta entrega me ha gustado un pelín menos lo deja muy bien para la siguiente :)

[Maggie Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally surprised by the ending!

[Tracey Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent story

Loved this one including the ending! All the characters really shining and the story was unguessable to the end! Looking forward to the next book.

[Glennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was serialized on the net at http://www.marlamason.net/mirrors/ I bought a finished copy in eformat only online so I wouldn't have to reload pages and read it when and where I wanted to. The downside to reading this on my phone was I didn't read the book all in one setting but in bits in pieces which turned out to be fine with the way it was written. The events in the book deal with the aftereffects of Spell Games. After the death of someone close to her she tries to bring this person back to her by going to a mirror universe. Of course doing this causes the Anti Marla to come to this world and Marla has to deal with the consequences of her actions and also does a bit of cleanup in the world that Anti Marla comes from. I really liked this and it really drove home the point that there are no easy shortcuts and everything you do has actions that effect other people. The plus to looking up the series online I found out I missed a Kickstarter for the next book but it all ready available to be downloaded in most formats or read online. But kick some money to the writer as a tip please.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series reminds me of how I started with Jim Butcher's Dresden series in that I almost didn't finish the first book in either series because it wasn't until the last 1/4 of the books that it got interesting for me. Then they took off and I have loved every book since. The world building and odd characters are what does it for me. Pratt has created such a cool world with all sorts of wacky neat magic stuff - it's the same thing I like about Simon Green's Nightside series. Pratt also does a good job with characters and stories - he may not have the most complex characters, but they are interesting (even if that interesting is from weird quirky) and solid. Maybe a character will have only one defining trait, but that trait is going to TOTALLY define them. I think I'd recommend to folks who enjoy Simon R. Green and David Gemmell.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've had Marla vs love and Marla vs family. Now it's time for Marla vs Marla. Which wraps up the first major plot arc, I guess. At least, we have enough apocalyptic catastrophe and consequence to count as the end of an arc, and scenery changes are promised for the next book.

As before, the parallels (Marla's brother last book, her evil twin in this one) serve as effective reflections for just how relatively not-horrible Marla is.

The book comes with author's notes attached (at marlamason.net) and I found them salubrious. There are places where I was insufficiently suspicious of Marla's narration. I'd rather cheat than miss the clues entirely. (Although I read the notes *after* the book, not chapter-by-chapter interspersed.)

[Bryan Ewert · Rating 2 out of 5]

50% new story, 50% recap. OK, it wasn't quite that bad, but there were so many paragraphs dedicated to serve as an introduction for the uninitiated reader that, overall, Broken Mirrors just falls flat. I would much prefer that an author give the reader a little credit, rather than catering the entire story to the newbie who jumps into a series at book #5 and expects to fully grasp the history of the characters.

That said, I found the story a little weak. Too many convenient circumstances (extreme liberties with the extents and flexibility of magic powers), and character behaviors that just don't fit their established personalities, seemingly for the convenience of fitting the desired plot. I worry that maybe the Marla universe has begun to jump the shark...

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read in the Marla Mason series. Not the strongest in the series, and it felt a bit too plot-driven at times without a much character development; but overall it was still very satisfying. I think, though, that the nature of this story, essentially Marla versus Marla, would seem to leave the series at a point where any sequels will either have to scale back in scope or else risk going too far over the top in attempting to take things to a higher level. While Mr. Pratt left things hanging a bit with an obvious set-up for the next installment, I would actually prefer to see him turn his talents to something new and fresh.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all: The fact that this novel exists makes me really happy. Pratt basically crowdfunded it after Bantam dropped the series, and I'm so glad that that worked.

Something about the pacing and structure of this novel really worked for me, because I was just SO NERVOUS while reading it. I think it's because the reader has so much more information than the characters about certain things, and it's like when you want to scream at the girl in the horror movie to NOT GO DOWN THAT HALLWAY!

I think more than any of the others this book is the best example of Marla's questionable life choices, but I really like that she's so incredibly flawed.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Marla Mason I read, Dead Reign, remains my favorite. This probably comes in second. I enjoyed the alternate world with its evil versions of Marla, but I'm not generally a fan of alternate worlds. On the other hand, I was annoyed at Marla for blaming Rondeau for taking the life that he did. I understand that she feels upset, but she seems to treat him as though he intentionally murdered someone, which he didn't. It also felt that the book is setting up for something even bigger and more epic.

[Virginia Aikens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Win

I started this series last week and have been thoroughly sucked in. I care about all the characters, both major and minor, and I particularly enjoy that they are all developed with plans and motivations. If you are interested in an butt-kicking sorcerer with almost no subtlety and a cast of sometimes good, sometimes evil allies and competitors, this is a series for you. I would not recommend starting with this book; although it can certainly stand on it's own merits it will be a much more powerful read if you have read the others and have backstory to reflect on.

[Pat Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Marla Mason series. Here Marla is her typical snarky self. But this time she must battle her evil twin from another reality. One who did not have Marla's restraint when it came to 'The Cape.'

I do recommend reading these books in order. This one, especially, because it refers to many characters from past books and also it helps to know the background of characters from Marla's world when you encounter them in the alter-universe.

[Nick Fagerlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

And there aren't really any redshirts in the series; if Pratt needs a sacrifice, he'll prefer to burn an interesting character who's been around for three books. Or four or five of those, in this case.

This book marks a decent almost-end for the story. There are more of them, which I'll probably read at some point, but they're clearly Season Two; this closes off Season One, and I was pretty satisfied with the outcome.

[Azikiwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get it. Why was Bradley Bowmen so important to her that she was willing to go up against the universal entity. Break the laws of the universe for a guy she hardy knew. Like the first book apparently didn't even happen a year ago. I'm not the smartest guy in the world but I know fucking alternate universe is bad.

[William P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the weakest Marla Mason book thus far. I like it, overall, but not a lot. Too many pop culture references, too much focus away from Marla, and a strange lack of depth to most of the characters plagued this installment. Or at least that's how it came across to me.

[Tammykirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the latest book in the Marla Mason series. The ending (many parts of it, at least) wasn't entirely surprising but getting there was fun. I hope that the self-publishing method worked well enough for this book that Pratt will continue with the series.