diff --git a/mtest/massert/massert.go b/mtest/massert/massert.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de7cf15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mtest/massert/massert.go
@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+// Package massert implements an assertion framework which is useful in tests.
+package massert
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"reflect"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"text/tabwriter"
+)
+
+// AssertErr is an error returned by Assertions which have failed, containing
+// information about both the reason for failure and the Assertion itself.
+type AssertErr struct {
+	Err       error     // The error which occurred
+	Assertion Assertion // The Assertion which failed
+}
+
+func fmtBlock(str string) string {
+	if strings.Index(str, "\n") == -1 {
+		return str
+	}
+	return "\n\t" + strings.Replace(str, "\n", "\n\t", -1) + "\n"
+}
+
+func fmtStack(frames []runtime.Frame) string {
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	tw := tabwriter.NewWriter(buf, 0, 4, 2, ' ', 0)
+	for _, frame := range frames {
+		file := filepath.Base(frame.File)
+		fmt.Fprintf(tw, "%s:%d\t%s\n", file, frame.Line, frame.Function)
+	}
+	if err := tw.Flush(); err != nil {
+		panic(err) // fuck it
+	}
+	return buf.String()
+}
+
+func (ae AssertErr) Error() string {
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	fmt.Fprintf(buf, "Assertion: %s\n", fmtBlock(ae.Assertion.Description()))
+	fmt.Fprintf(buf, "Error: %s\n", fmtBlock(ae.Err.Error()))
+	fmt.Fprintf(buf, "Stack: %s\n", fmtBlock(fmtStack(ae.Assertion.Stack())))
+	return buf.String()
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+// Assertion is an entity which will make some kind of assertion and produce an
+// error if that assertion does not hold true. The error returned will generally
+// be of type AssertErr.
+type Assertion interface {
+	Assert() error
+	Description() string // A description of the Assertion
+
+	// Returns the callstack of where the Assertion was created, ordered from
+	// closest to farthest. This may not necessarily contain the entire
+	// callstack if that would be inconveniently cumbersome.
+	Stack() []runtime.Frame
+}
+
+const maxStackLen = 8
+
+type assertion struct {
+	fn    func() error
+	descr string
+	stack []runtime.Frame
+}
+
+func newAssertion(assertFn func() error, descr string, skip int) Assertion {
+	pcs := make([]uintptr, maxStackLen)
+	// first skip is for runtime.Callers, second is for newAssertion, third is
+	// for whatever is calling newAssertion
+	numPCs := runtime.Callers(skip+3, pcs)
+	stack := make([]runtime.Frame, 0, maxStackLen)
+	frames := runtime.CallersFrames(pcs[:numPCs])
+	for {
+		frame, more := frames.Next()
+		stack = append(stack, frame)
+		if !more || len(stack) == maxStackLen {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	a := &assertion{
+		descr: descr,
+		stack: stack,
+	}
+	a.fn = func() error {
+		err := assertFn()
+		if err == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return AssertErr{
+			Err:       err,
+			Assertion: a,
+		}
+	}
+	return a
+}
+
+func (a *assertion) Assert() error {
+	return a.fn()
+}
+
+func (a *assertion) Description() string {
+	return a.descr
+}
+
+func (a *assertion) Stack() []runtime.Frame {
+	return a.stack
+}
+
+// Assertions represents a set of Assertions which can be tested all at once.
+type Assertions []Assertion
+
+// New returns an empty set of Assertions which can be Add'd to.
+func New() Assertions {
+	return make(Assertions, 0, 8)
+}
+
+// Add adds the given Assertion to the set.
+func (aa *Assertions) Add(a Assertion) {
+	(*aa) = append(*aa, a)
+}
+
+// Assert performs the Assert method of each of the set's Assertions
+// sequentially, stopping at the first error and generating a new one which
+// includes the Assertion's string and stack information.
+func (aa Assertions) Assert() error {
+	for _, a := range aa {
+		if err := a.Assert(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// Assertion wrappers
+
+// if the Assertion is a wrapper for another, this makes sure that if the
+// underlying one returns an AssertErr that this Assertion is what ends up in
+// that AssertErr
+type wrap struct {
+	Assertion
+}
+
+func (wa wrap) Assert() error {
+	err := wa.Assertion.Assert()
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	ae := err.(AssertErr)
+	ae.Assertion = wa.Assertion
+	return ae
+}
+
+type descrWrap struct {
+	Assertion
+	descr string
+}
+
+func (dw descrWrap) Description() string {
+	return dw.descr
+}
+
+// Comment prepends a formatted string to the given Assertions string
+// description.
+func Comment(a Assertion, msg string, args ...interface{}) Assertion {
+	msg = strings.TrimSpace(msg)
+	descr := fmt.Sprintf("/* "+msg+" */\n", args...)
+	descr += a.Description()
+	return wrap{descrWrap{Assertion: a, descr: descr}}
+}
+
+type not struct {
+	Assertion
+}
+
+func (n not) Assert() error {
+	if err := n.Assertion.Assert(); err == nil {
+		return AssertErr{
+			Err:       errors.New("assertion should have failed"),
+			Assertion: n,
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (n not) Description() string {
+	return "not(" + fmtBlock(n.Assertion.Description()) + ")"
+}
+
+// Not negates an Assertion, so that it fails if the given Assertion does not,
+// and vice-versa.
+func Not(a Assertion) Assertion {
+	return not{Assertion: a}
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+var typeOfInt64 = reflect.TypeOf(int64(0))
+
+func toStr(i interface{}) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%T(%#v)", i, i)
+}
+
+// Equal asserts that the two values given are equal. The equality checking
+// done is to some degree fuzzy in the following ways:
+//
+// * All pointers are dereferenced.
+// * All ints and uints are converted to int64.
+//
+func Equal(a, b interface{}) Assertion {
+	normalize := func(v reflect.Value) reflect.Value {
+		v = reflect.Indirect(v)
+		switch v.Kind() {
+		case reflect.Int, reflect.Int8, reflect.Int16, reflect.Int32,
+			reflect.Uint, reflect.Uint8, reflect.Uint16, reflect.Uint32, reflect.Uint64:
+			v = v.Convert(typeOfInt64)
+		}
+		return v
+	}
+
+	fn := func() error {
+		aV, bV := reflect.ValueOf(a), reflect.ValueOf(b)
+		aV, bV = normalize(aV), normalize(bV)
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(aV.Interface(), bV.Interface()) {
+			return errors.New("not equal")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return newAssertion(fn, toStr(a)+" == "+toStr(b), 0)
+}
+
+// Exactly asserts that the two values are exactly equal, and uses the
+// reflect.DeepEquals function to determine if they are.
+func Exactly(a, b interface{}) Assertion {
+	return newAssertion(func() error {
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(a, b) {
+			return errors.New("not exactly equal")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}, toStr(a)+" === "+toStr(b), 0)
+}
diff --git a/mtest/massert/massert_test.go b/mtest/massert/massert_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47c9737
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mtest/massert/massert_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package massert
+
+import . "testing"
+
+func TestAssertions(t *T) {
+	a := Equal(1, 1)
+	b := Equal(2, 2)
+	if err := (Assertions{a, b}).Assert(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Assertions shouldn't return error, returned: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	c := Comment(Equal(3, 3), "this part would succeed")
+	c = Comment(Not(c), "but it's being wrapped in a not, so it then won't")
+
+	aa := New()
+	aa.Add(a)
+	aa.Add(b)
+	aa.Add(c)
+	err := aa.Assert()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second Assertions should have returned an error, returned nil")
+	}
+	t.Logf("got expected second Assertions error:\n%s", err)
+}