diff --git a/message.py b/message.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c7e828
--- /dev/null
+++ b/message.py
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+"""
+QMP Message format and errors.
+
+This module provides the `Message` class, which represents a single QMP
+message sent to or from the server. Several error-classes that depend on
+knowing the format of this message are also included here.
+"""
+
+import json
+from json import JSONDecodeError
+from typing import (
+    Dict,
+    ItemsView,
+    Iterable,
+    KeysView,
+    Optional,
+    Union,
+    ValuesView,
+)
+
+from error import (
+    DeserializationError,
+    ProtocolError,
+    UnexpectedTypeError,
+)
+
+
+class Message:
+    """
+    Represents a single QMP protocol message.
+
+    QMP uses JSON objects as its basic communicative unit; so this
+    object behaves like a MutableMapping. It may be instantiated from
+    either another mapping (like a dict), or from raw bytes that still
+    need to be deserialized.
+
+    :param value: Initial value, if any.
+    :param eager: When true, attempt to serialize (or deserialize) the
+                  initial value immediately, such that conversion exceptions
+                  are raised during the call to the initialization method.
+    """
+    # TODO: make Message properly a MutableMapping so it can be typed as such?
+    def __init__(self,
+                 value: Union[bytes, Dict[str, object]] = b'', *,
+                 eager: bool = True):
+        self._data: Optional[bytes] = None
+        self._obj: Optional[Dict[str, object]] = None
+
+        if isinstance(value, bytes):
+            self._data = value
+            if eager:
+                self._obj = self._deserialize(self._data)
+        else:
+            self._obj = value
+            if eager:
+                self._data = self._serialize(self._obj)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _serialize(cls, value: object) -> bytes:
+        """
+        Serialize a JSON object as bytes.
+
+        :raises: ValueError, TypeError from the json library.
+        """
+        return json.dumps(value, separators=(',', ':')).encode('utf-8')
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _deserialize(cls, data: bytes) -> Dict[str, object]:
+        """
+        Deserialize JSON bytes into a native python dict.
+
+        :raises: DeserializationError if JSON deserialization
+                 fails for any reason.
+        :raises: UnexpectedTypeError if data does not represent
+                 a JSON object.
+        """
+        try:
+            obj = json.loads(data)
+        except JSONDecodeError as err:
+            emsg = "Failed to deserialize QMP message."
+            raise DeserializationError(emsg, data) from err
+        if not isinstance(obj, dict):
+            raise UnexpectedTypeError(
+                "Incoming QMP message is not a JSON object.",
+                data
+            )
+        return obj
+
+    @property
+    def data(self) -> bytes:
+        """
+        bytes representing this QMP message.
+
+        Generated on-demand if required.
+        """
+        if self._data is None:
+            self._data = self._serialize(self._obj or {})
+        return self._data
+
+    @property
+    def _object(self) -> Dict[str, object]:
+        """
+        dict representing this QMP message.
+
+        Generated on-demand if required; Private because it returns an
+        object that could be used to validate the internal state of the
+        Message object.
+        """
+        if self._obj is None:
+            self._obj = self._deserialize(self._data or b'')
+        return self._obj
+
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        """Pretty-printed representation of this QMP message."""
+        return json.dumps(self._object, indent=2)
+
+    def __bytes__(self) -> bytes:
+        return self.data
+
+    def __contains__(self, item: str) -> bool:  # Container, Collection
+        return item in self._object
+
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterable[str]:  # Iterable, Collection, Mapping
+        return iter(self._object)
+
+    def __len__(self) -> int:  # Sized, Collection, Mapping
+        return len(self._object)
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key: str) -> object:  # Mapping
+        return self._object[key]
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key: str, value: object) -> None:  # MutableMapping
+        self._object[key] = value
+        self._data = None
+
+    def __delitem__(self, key: str) -> None:  # MutableMapping
+        del self._object[key]
+        self._data = None
+
+    def keys(self) -> KeysView[str]:
+        """Return a KeysView object containing all field names."""
+        return self._object.keys()
+
+    def items(self) -> ItemsView[str, object]:
+        """Return an ItemsView object containing all key:value pairs."""
+        return self._object.items()
+
+    def values(self) -> ValuesView[object]:
+        """Return a ValuesView object containing all field values."""
+        return self._object.values()
+
+    def get(self, key: str,
+            default: Optional[object] = None) -> Optional[object]:
+        """Get the value for a single key."""
+        return self._object.get(key, default)
+
+
+class MsgProtocolError(ProtocolError):
+    """Abstract error class for protocol errors that have a JSON object."""
+    def __init__(self, error_message: str, msg: Message):
+        super().__init__(error_message)
+        self.msg = msg
+
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        return "\n".join([
+            super().__str__(),
+            f"  Message was: {str(self.msg)}\n",
+        ])
+
+
+class ObjectTypeError(MsgProtocolError):
+    """
+    Incoming message was a JSON object, but has an unexpected data shape.
+
+    e.g.: A malformed greeting may cause this error.
+    """
+
+
+# FIXME: Remove this? Current draft simply trashes these replies.
+
+# class OrphanedError(MsgProtocolError):
+#     """
+#     Received message, but had no queue to deliver it to.
+#
+#     e.g.: A reply arrives from the server, but the ID does not match any
+#     pending execution requests we are aware of.
+#     """
+
+
+class ServerParseError(MsgProtocolError):
+    """
+    Server sent a `ParsingError` message.
+
+    e.g. A reply arrives from the server, but it is missing the "ID"
+    field, which indicates a parsing error on behalf of the server.
+    """
