In Ferrett Steinmetz’s Flex, people’s obsessions can wear down the laws of the universe, enabling them to do magic associated with their obsession. Can’t stop playing video games? You may find yourself able to summon those characters into your world, or generate health packs around you when you injure yourself. People whose obsession is art can create living paintings, pyromaniacs can do magic with fire, and cat ladies … well, that one’s never actually explained.

It might be a bit of a disappointment, then – at least at first – to learn that the protagonist of this novel is obsessed with paperwork. He just loves doing paperwork so much that he one day wakes up to find he has magical powers related to filling out forms. I know, it sounds kind of lame. But there’s a lot more excitement in this novel than the main character’s particular talent might suggest. 

Paul Tsabo is an ex-cop who now works at an insurance agency. The reason he’s an ex-cop is that he took down one of these magically obsessed people, called ‘mancers (the magic they do is referred to as ‘mancy – a general suffix used for various specific types of magic, such as pyromancy, illustromancy, paleomancy, videogamemancy, etc). See, after a disaster involving the magic in Europe, ‘mancy is outlawed, and ‘mancers are feared by the public and hunted by a special police force comprising ex-mancers who have had their brains wiped and their powers put to use for the government. Paul killed a ‘mancer while trying to arrest her, but lost his foot in the process and so found himself medically retired from the NYPD. As an insurance agent, he retreated from his guilt over the ‘mancer’s death, as well as from his deteriorating marriage, by letting paperwork and bureaucracy consume him. In checking boxes and filling out forms, he came to feel, he could set things right for people in a way he had been unable to do in the real world. One day, that obsession unleashes strange new abilities, and he has to keep them secret from his loved ones.

Of course, that plan doesn’t work out. Disaster strikes Paul’s family, and it seems that a ‘mancer is behind it. He finds himself teaming up with another ‘mancer to solve a series of escalating mancy-related crimes. Oh, and there’s also a strong Breaking Bad influence in this novel, because it turns out ‘mancy can be distilled into a powder and sold to non-magical people in search of a temporary boost.

There’s a lot more to this novel than what I’ve explained, but that is the gist. If it sounds at all appealing to you, you will almost certainly enjoy this book. You can tell that the author enjoyed writing it. In fact, part of what makes the book such a pleasurable read is the apparent fun the author is having in creating the story and the world in which the story takes place. That this novel is so clearly an act of love allows you to overlook some flaws that might ordinarily drag the book down somewhat. Like the fact that, despite the promise of ‘mancy being able to come out of any obsession, we only really get an up-close look at two or three. You let yourself look past that stuff because you are having fun. And you are having fun, I think, because the author is having fun.

There’s a sequel to this book, because of course there is – it seems like you can’t find a science fiction or fantasy book these days that is not part of at least a three-book series. I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel or not, but I’d say I’m more likely to read it than I am to read the sequels to any of the other fantasy or science fiction books I’ve read recently.

Also, it has the best acknowledgments section I’ve read in any book ever.