In a world where some people can do magic, ignorance would be bliss. Not knowing about the magical community would be a blessing. But what if one knew about the magical community, could see auras and creatures, but not perform any magic themselves? That person would be at an extreme disadvantage. All the knowledge, none of the power. This is where Conrad Brent finds himself. He’s what’s known as a middling. He knows magic is real, can see magical creatures, and can even use magical devices, but he is incapable of performing any magic on his own. Even worse, middlings are loathed, despised, even hunted, by other magical users. Conrad, however, has learned to hide his inability to perform magic so well that he works for the Watch, a quasi-law enforcement agency for magical beings. The Watch protects the non-magical from the magical, but it does not intervene in beefs between magicians. Brent’s borough is Brooklyn, and he’s the line in the sand between the normies and the magical world. He even has an apprentice that he’s training. Brent relies on his wits and constant deception to survive.

The Middling Affliction begins with Conrad acting as animal control for a supernatural creature. During the job, he learns that the Traveling Fair is coming to New York. This magical auction house is selling a middling. That’s right, they’re selling a human being. Conrad begins to scheme how to save the middling. When his attempt to purchase the middling fails, he recruits help to break into the corporation that bought the female middling. During the rescue, Conrad’s help gets infected with something that prevents him from doing magic. In other words, the corporation has invented a weapon to reduce magic users to middlings. Soon, Conrad gets outed as a middling to the Watch. Due to past performance, he’s allowed to leave. But he knows that a target has been put on his back. So, Conrad’s got a lot going on. In addition to surviving, he’s got to find the cure to help return magic to the afflicted. Hopefully by finding the cure, he can figure out why he’s unable to do magic. Can Conrad find a cure? Can he survive his secret being outed into the world?

The Middling Affliction is a first person point of view (POV) book that follows Conrad Brent. It’s a linear story with settings bouncing from New York to Bern to Chernobyl. Yes, that Chernobyl in Ukraine. The book rests on Conrad Brent. Do you like him or not? Well, I did. He’s likable, smart, a little too snarky, paranoid, and slow on the uptake. His POV is an excellent introduction to Shvartsman’s world.