"Simple Magical Things" by Max Fry, summary Automatic translate

This book is the third installment in a fantasy detective series about Sir Max’s adventures in the magical world of Echo. Written in 1997, the protagonist ceases to be a lucky newcomer and begins to consciously master the deeper layers of his own magic, learning to control dreams and navigate the dark paths. The story is part of the renowned literary series "Labyrinths of Echo." It is preceded by the novels "The Outsider" and "Volunteers of Eternity," and continues with "The Dark Side." The text is divided into two independent, yet chronologically linked, stories.

Shadow of Googimagon

Sir Max is testing watercraft on the Huron River. The weather is windy and cold. Sir Shurf Lonely-Lockley contacts him and requests a confidential meeting. They meet in Max’s apartment on Yellow Rock Street. Shurf treats his friend to hot wine from a magical bottomless cup, curing Max of his cold. Shurf explains that an unknown entity is invading his dreams. A frightening presence is felt on the deserted sandy beaches that Max once showed Shurf in a shared dream. Max falls asleep in Philo Melifaro’s enchanted bedroom to investigate. He finds Shurf’s bootprints in the sand and realizes the reality of this place.

The colleagues discuss the situation over dinner at the Ghoul’s Dinner tavern. On the way back, Shurf suddenly attacks Max. He attempts to kill his friend with his deadly gauntlets. Max defends himself with green ball lightning, then suddenly flies over the rooftops of the Old City and escapes. He reaches Juffin Halli. It turns out that Shurf’s mind has been possessed by a powerful mage, who uses other people’s bodies to travel between worlds through Humgat space.

Shurf, now temporarily free, voluntarily locks himself in the magical chamber of the House by the Bridge. Juffin and Max head to the Asylum of the Mad. They speak with the healer Slobath Katshak. Juffin scans the memory of one of the sleeping patients and feels utter loneliness. It turns out that the culprit is the ancient Magister Guggimagon. For years, he has been sucking the life force of insane people to navigate the Corridor between Worlds. The one-eyed mage has already abandoned his physical body and disappeared.

Events are interrupted by Max’s official coronation. He formally becomes the ruler of the nomadic people of Fangahra. General Barkha Bachoy and the old man Fairiba perform a ritual. Max’s true name, written in an ancient language, appears on his palm. His subjects present him with a huge animal — a dog named Druppi. The nomads also bring the king three young wives. The girls are named Heilakh, Helvi, and Kenleh. Max settles them in his residence, explaining that they are free to live there.

Max falls asleep in his old bedroom and is transported to sandy beaches. Guggimagon casts illusions of screaming vacationers and gypsy women upon him. Max flies into a rage, his hands covered in poisonous thorns, and he destroys the illusions. Juffin appears, pinning his enemy in place with a magical cane. Juffin then easily defeats Guggimagon, ripping his shadow in half. The victor forces the vanquished foe to release the stolen souls of the madmen. The door home opens for them, and Guggimagon vanishes forever into the void. Max and Juffin return to Echo and release Shurf.

Simple magical things

Max takes his dog, Droopy, into Secret Investigation. The dog quickly befriends Lieutenant Apurra Blakki. Max and Melamori go for a walk in the garden of the former residence of the Order of the Hidden Herb. Melamori confesses her fear of the unknown. She’s afraid to leave her familiar life and go to her lover in distant Arvaroh. Max convinces her to trust in fate.

Journalist Ande Pu complains to Max about a robbery. An old chest belonging to his pirate grandfather has disappeared from the basement of his house. Witnesses claim the thieves escaped through space. Sir Kofa Yoh takes up the investigation. Max, Shurf, and Ande attend the Three-Horned Moon poetry club. Max listens to the poems of the master Kiba Kimara and experiences a profound emotional shock. Ande Pu’s own performance reveals the young poet’s profound loneliness.

Sir Kofa tracks down the kidnapper. At the Drunken Rain tavern, he finds a former acolyte of the Order of the Green Moons named Zehha Moddorok. The suspect dons an old loohi and vanishes right before the detective’s eyes. Kofa goes outside, gets into his car, and accidentally hits the invisible Zehha, killing him. After examining the body, he finds an old gray cloak. In the capital, this item works as a complete distraction.

Kofa brings the cloak to the office, but soon discovers a substitution. The real artifact was stolen by the Office’s janitor. Max uses magic to search for the dead man’s tracks. The detectives find the murdered janitor in an empty house. The trail of the real killer leads them to the veteran criminal Misa Noseless. She reveals that her employer paid her to eliminate the janitor and took the cloak. Max bends Misa to his will with a green orb.

Max and Kofa find the client at the Kukonin’s Grave tavern. The criminal is just killing a random patron with a stab to the heart while testing his invisibility. Max disarms the villain. He turns out to be Sir Nennurekh Kiehla. Under interrogation, he admits to avenging the destruction of the Order of the Green Moons. The murdered janitor was the Master in hiding, whom Nennurekh tricked into stealing the cloak with the promise of restoring his youth.

Meanwhile, the fate of the second pirate talisman is revealed. A colorful neckerchief was given to a former clerk, Kao Anloch. Kao and Zehha once worked in the Order’s kitchen, and the old pirate promised them his belongings. The item imbued Anloch with an unnatural charm. With the scarf, he unknowingly lured dozens of sailors into signing on for free on his ship, the Tobindona, for a circumnavigation. Detectives confiscate the dangerous item. In exchange, Max cuts off a piece of his black and gold robe and gives it to Anloch for good luck.

Max falls asleep on his friend Tehhi’s pillow. He is transported to a world scorched by the heat. There, he meets Grand Master Loiso Pondohwa. The renowned mage did not die, but was trapped by Juffin in the dying fantasy world of a mad woman. Loiso communicates with Max, using his own face to attract his attention. Max returns to reality with scratched hands and resolves to keep these visits a secret from Tehhi.

The story ends with Ande Pu’s farewell. The journalist had long dreamed of leaving for the southern country of Tasher. Max makes arrangements with a friend, Captain Gjata. The journalist sets off on a long voyage to publish illustrated newspapers for illiterate southerners, while Max falls asleep in his office.