diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 1627d21..bbf7211 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Client.prototype.setSocket = function(socket) {
     while (true) {
       parsed = parsePacket(incomingBuffer, self.isServer);
       if (! parsed) break;
-      if (typeof parsed.error !== "undefined") end(parsed.error);
+      if (parsed.error) this.end(parsed.error);
       packet = parsed.results;
       incomingBuffer = incomingBuffer.slice(parsed.size);
       self.emit(packet.id, packet);
diff --git a/lib/protocol.js b/lib/protocol.js
index 70733ac..58fd690 100644
--- a/lib/protocol.js
+++ b/lib/protocol.js
@@ -729,13 +729,13 @@ function readEntityMetadata(buffer, offset) {
     dataType = types[typeName];
     if (!dataType) {
       return {
-        error: "unrecognized entity metadata type " + type
+        error: new Error("unrecognized entity metadata type " + type)
       }
     }
     reader = dataType[0];
     if (!reader) {
       return {
-        error: "missing reader for entity metadata type " + type
+        error: new Error("missing reader for entity metadata type " + type)
       }
     }
     results = reader(buffer, cursor);
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ function readMapChunkBulk (buffer, offset) {
 
   if (chunkColumnCount !== meta.length) {
     return {
-      error: "ChunkColumnCount different from length of meta"
+      error: new Error("ChunkColumnCount different from length of meta")
     }
   }
 
@@ -1215,7 +1215,7 @@ function parsePacket(buffer, isServer) {
   var packetInfo = get(packetId, isServer);
   if (packetInfo == null) {
     return {
-      error: "Unrecognized packetId: " + packetId
+      error: new Error("Unrecognized packetId: " + packetId)
     }
   }
   var i, fieldInfo, read, readResults;
@@ -1224,15 +1224,15 @@ function parsePacket(buffer, isServer) {
     read = types[fieldInfo.type][0];
     if (!read) {
       return {
-        error: "missing reader for data type: " + fieldInfo.type
+        error: new Error("missing reader for data type: " + fieldInfo.type)
       }
     }
     readResults = read(buffer, size);
     if (readResults) {
       // if readResults.error is undef, error stays undef'd
-      if (typeof readResults.error !== "undefined") {
+      if (readResults.error) {
         return {
-          error: readResults.error
+          error: new Error("reader failed : " + readResults.error)
         }
       }
       results[fieldInfo.name] = readResults.value;