[[quoteright:341:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marla_mason.jpg]]

The ''Marla Mason'' series by T.A. Pratt is an UrbanFantasy set around the Marla Mason [[CharacterTitle character]], the ruling sorceress of Felport, as she struggles to save her home from insane [[RealityWarper reweavers]], bloodthirsty Aztec gods and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Death itself]].

The series has ten books so far:
* ''Blood Engines'': The first book, which, paradoxically, was set not in Felport but in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It features frogs. Lots of frogs.
* ''Poison Sleep'': A RealityWarper wakes up in Felport.
* ''Dead Reign'': [[TheGrimReaper Death]] comes to Felport.
* ''Spell Games'': Marla's brother comes for a visit and a bit of business.
* ''Bone Shop'': The prequel, self-published after Pratt's publisher dropped him. It details Marla's RagsToRiches story as she ascends through the ranks of Felport's magical elite.
* ''Broken Mirrors'': Written in response to the massive CliffHanger of the fourth book.
* ''Grim Tides'': Continues from the ending of ''Broken Mirrors''.
* ''Bride of Death'': Marla explores her new line of work.
* ''Lady of Misrule'': A crossover with the author's standalone novel ''Literature/TheStrangeAdventuresOfRangergirl''.
* ''Queen of Nothing''
* ''Closing Doors'': the final book in the series so far; although there are short stories set in the same world.

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!!Tropes:

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Felport's dagger of office is this. [[spoiler:Justified in that it's actually the sword of the angel of death.]]
* AfterlifeExpress: Mentioned in the first novel. [[spoiler:becomes a major plot point in ''Dead Reign''.]]
* AllTheoriesAreTrue: Played with.
* TheArchmage: Sanford Cole.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The cloak. It's a magical artifact that can heal its user or make them nearly unstoppable in combat... but it comes with a hefty price. It has a mind of its own, is quite malicious, and will try to overwhelm its wielder's mind. [[spoiler: In this world, it fails--but in other timelines, it has succeeded.]]
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Bradley Bowman's eventual fate.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Marla doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit', even when she ''really should be quitting''.
* [[BadassCape Badass Cloak]]: Marla Marla uses the cloak only as a last resort, but she wears a normal one sometimes, because she realizes that the sight of her in a cloak is intimidating to everyone who knows who she is.
* BattleButler: Pelham.
* BloodKnight: Marla is a little too fond of kicking ass.
* BodySnatcher: Rondeau. [[spoiler: As well as Crapsey, his evil counterpart from another dimension.]]
* BodySurf: Rondeau's ace in the hole. If the body he currently inhabits dies, he can just acquire a new one. [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes horribly wrong]] at the end of ''Spell Games''.]]
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: One of the recurring themes is that sorcerers shouldn't rely exclusively on magic but learn mundane skills as well.
* BrutalHonesty: Marla is really bad at diplomacy.
* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler: What happens to Marla at the end of ''Grim Tides''.]]
* CameBackWrong: Resurrecting the dead is usually a very bad idea; Somerset, an unpleasant man while alive and a terrifying monster while undead, is the best example. Marla strongly disapproves of all things undead because of her experience fighting him.
* CanonWelding: ''Lady of Misrule'' incorporates the previously standalone novel ''The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl'' into the Marla Mason universe.
* CareerVersusMan: In Marla's case, the answer will invariably be her career. [[spoiler:Double subverted and PlayedForDrama in ''Poison Sleep''.]]
* ChallengingTheChief: How the position of Chief Sorcerer in Felport used to work. These days, the major sorcerers have to vote to approve a candidate, even if they've already defeated their predecessor.
* CharmPerson: Joshua Kindler in ''Poison Sleep''. For a nonhuman example, there's the supernaturally adorable critter in ''Pale Dog'' [[spoiler: which turns out to be a hellhound.]]
* ChekhovsSkill:
** [[spoiler:The snake god's power to grow exactly as big as he needs to be to defeat his opponent.]]
** [[spoiler: B's ability to summon an AfterlifeExpress.]]
** [[spoiler: Rondeau's body-jumping.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Elsie Jarrow]], first mentioned in book one, is one of the main antagonists in book seven.
* CombatPragmatist
* ConMan: Marla's brother Jason.
* CrazyPrepared: Marla claims to have a contingency plan for a black hole coming to Felport.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Reversing the cloak from white to purple.
** DesperationAttack
** Rondeau's [[BrownNote Cursing]].
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler: Marla, eventually. It turns out that the position of Queen of the Underworld is not symbolic at all.]]
* TheDeterminator: Marla, full stop.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: An Aztec toad goddess in book one, the incarnation of death in book three.
** In ''Broken Mirrors'', Marla essentially intimidates the god of the multiverse into breaking her rules because Marla is killing every version of her that doesn't decide to help and it's taking a rather extreme toll on her multiplicity self.
* DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu: [[spoiler:Marla ends up getting married to ''the god of death''.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
--> "If you do have any noteworthy nocturnal transmissions, let me know, all right?"
* DomainHolder: Powerful sorcerers can create pocket universes to retreat from the world or to practice the more inconspiciuous forms of magic. Notable examples include Artie Mann's FantasyKitchenSink London, Ernesto's junkyard, and Genevieve Kelley's DreamLand.
* DontFearTheReaper: Death after his (relative) HeelFaceTurn.
* EldritchAbomination: The cloak. ''Death'' is scared of it.
* EnemiesWithDeath: [[DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu Initially.]]
* EnergyBeings: Rondeau is one kind, the [[HolyIsNotSafe Thrones]] are another.
* EntropyAndChaosMagic: The chaos witch Nicolette and the far more powerful Elsie Jarrow.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:[[HumanoidAbomination The Mason]]]] to Marla, [[spoiler:[[{{Bodysurf}} Crapsey]]]] to Rondeau.
* TheExile: In Dead Reign, Death magically exiles Marla from her city. She's annoyed, to say the least. [[spoiler: In Broken Mirrors, the surviving sorcerers of Felport exile her again. This time it’s permanent]]
* FisherKing: In ''Lady of Misrule'', [[spoiler:Nicolette uses a spell to become Fisher King of Felport, the titular Lady of Misrule]].
* ForWantOfANail: An alternate Marla wasn't able to resist the cloak because [[spoiler: her universe’s Jason Mason died as a young boy, meaning that he wasn't around to protect Marla as a kid or teach her how to defend herself as a teenager.]] The result of this is an evil Marla Mason and a dystopian timeline.
* Glamour: Joshua Kindler's main magical ability, to the point where his presence and touch can become addictive.
* GodJob: [[spoiler:Marla becoming the goddess of death]] is set in motion in ''Dead Reign'' and fully realized in ''Grim Tides''.
** In book five [[spoiler:Bradley]] ends up lucking into a recently vacated position. When he accepts every alternate version of him gets lumped together and his job is to oversee the entire multiverse (our multiverse; not the larger overarching cosmic multiverse).
* GravityIsAHarshMistress: Flying is accomplished by insulting the forces of gravity.
* HealingFactor: The white side of the cloak can heal anything.
** [[spoiler:Even ''being set on fire''.]]
** [[spoiler:Even ''headshots''.]]
* TheHedonist: Rondeau.
--> "What's the point of staying alive if you don't live a little?"
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: Teleportation is dangerous because something might just eat you on the way through.
** [[spoiler:Nicolette]] ends up losing an arm on one trip. Most characters consider this relatively lucky.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: At first it seems like the pattern is "Two Words, one being negative / dangerous": ''Blood Engines'', ''Poison Sleep'', ''Dead Reign'', ''Spell Games'', ''Bone Shop'', ''Broken Mirrors'', ''Grim Tides''. Then we get "[Female Noun] of [Negative State]": ''Bride of Death'', ''Lady of Misrule'', ''Queen of Nothing'', and TheLastTitle, ''Closing Doors''.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: [[spoiler: Rondeau after the events of ''Spell Games'']]
* ImAHumanitarian: Bethany, a Los Angeles sorceress with cannibalism-fueled magic.
* ImmortalityImmorality: Not all methods of achieving immortality are immoral in themselves, but they're all bad ideas in the long run. Immortal sorcerers always eventually go crazy, and most do so in catastrophically destructive ways.
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: Rondeau loves these.
* KillAllHumans: [[spoiler:The cloak/[[EvilCounterpart the Mason]].]] [[EnemyToAllLivingThings Kill all dolphins.]]
* KillTheGod: Marla is occasionally pitted against deities, such as the Aztec toad goddess in ''Blood Engines''.
* KungFuWizard
* LiteralGenie: The Bay Witch. She'll keep her promises to the letter. [[spoiler: She promised Death to hide Marla’s cloak where no one but her could find it. She never promised him it would stay there.]]
* LosingYourHead: Happens to [[spoiler: Nicolette]] in ''Bride of Death''.
* MadeOfMagic: Artifacts are this.
* MagicalSociety: Each city has its sorcerers and its chief sorcerer.
* MarriedToTheJob: Marla. Her relationship with Felport is described in ways that make it appear like a romantic relationship more than once.
* MasterOfOneMagic: Most of the sorcerers in the series qualify. They excel in a certain discipline, and may be able to use it for a lot of different purposes, but they can’t use anything else. Marla herself is a generalist, but her subordinates include a master of sympathetic magic, a wizard of pollution, a sea witch, and a nature wizard.
* MeetCute: [[BodyHorror Subverted]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy completely]] with Marla and Rondeau.
--> '''T.A. Pratt''': "There has seldom been a less cute "meet cute" in the history of buddy-cop stories."
* MoralityPet: The city of Felport to Marla. She loves the place, would do anything to protect it, and is generally more sympathetic once she's inside Felport city limits.
* TheMultiverse: This is the reason the plot for ''Broken Mirrors'' happens. Marla goes to another universe to kidnap an alternate version of her dead friend.
** It turns out that it's actually a layered example as well. Our multiverse is a self contained area in a larger set of multiple universes. This comes into play in one of the short stories when [[spoiler:the cloak]] tries to take over and kill everything in every universe of our section of the cosmos. When the gods who oversee the larger multiverse discuss these events one group has a minor breakdown when they realize they exiled the thing to a set of multiverses instead of a single isolated universe.
* NotQuiteHuman: Rondeau, who is actually an [[EnergyBeings energy being]] possessing a human body.
* OmnicidalManiac: The [[spoiler:cloak]]. It's an exile from a different universe and it's goal eventually boils down to "how can I kill everything living and have some fun doing it?" When it eventually realizes there are multiple universes each with multiple versions of itself it does it's very best to break down the walls so it can have it's own eldritch babies with itself and destroy everything all that much better. In one of the short stories it very nearly succeeds and it takes the intervention of entities more powerful than [[spoiler:Bradley's]] god form to stop it.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Marla and Rondeau. They're very important to each other and their friendship is the great constant of the series. Impressive, considering how they met.
* PragmaticHero: Marla's willing to do just about anything to protect her city.
* PuppeteerParasite: [[BadPowersGoodPeople Rondeau.]] [[spoiler: The cloak.]]
* PurpleIsPowerful: The inner lining of Marla's [[ArtifactOfDoom battle cloak]] is purple. When it switches places with the white outside, [[EvilCostumeSwitch things]] [[DesperationAttack get]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique serious]].
* RapeLeadsToInsanity: Happens to a RealityWarper in ''Poison Sleep'', with disastrous consequences.
* TheRedMage: If you can't be very good at one thing, learn to be decent at a lot of things. Marla's style of magic has been referred to as brute-force-o-mancy in-universe.
* RulingCouple: [[spoiler: After ''Grimm Tides'', Marla and Death rule the underworld together, six months out of the year. It takes both of them to make one complete god.]]
* SealedEvilInACan: The Outsider, which was imprisoned beneath Death Valley long ago and is inadvertently released by Marla.
* SoleSurvivor: When Marla starts studying with Artie Mann in the prequel ''Bone Shop'', she learns that Ernesto was the only survivor of Artie's last batch of apprentices. [[spoiler: Marla herself is the sole survivor of this group.]]
* StrictlyProfessionalRelationship: Marla and Rondeau, without the customary sexual tension.
* SummonBiggerFish: In ''Bride of Death'' Marla is being beaten by a higher dimensional, tentacled monster thing with lots and lots of teeth. She [[spoiler:summons several enormous ghost sharks from prehistoric times and they tear it to pieces.]]
* UnEqualRites: There are countless ways to be a sorcerer and all of them are more or less right.
* UnknownRival: Nicolette is obsessed with becoming Marla's nemesis, while Marla considers her nothing more than a minor nuisance. By ''Lady of Misrule'', several characters outright tell Marla that her refusal to take Nicolette seriously has motivated her to become a far greater threat than she might otherwise have become, as she is now striving to become so dangerous that Marla won't be able to ignore her anymore.
* UrbanFantasy
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Chaos magic is not good for the wielder's mind. Nor is immortality. Or using the cloak...
* WizardsLiveLonger: Most sorcerers use magic to extend their lives in some way.
* {{Workaholic}}: Marla's job of ruling and protecting Felport takes up almost all her time, and she has few interests outside of that job.
* WhamEpisode: ''Broken Mirrors.'' [[spoiler: The true nature of the cloak, Marla and Rondeau’s evil twins, the deaths of half the recurring characters, and of course Marla’s exile. ]]
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