"The Tubur Game" by Max Fry, summary Automatic translate

Max Fry’s fantasy novel was published in 2013. This book is the culmination of the protagonist’s long exile far from the magical capital. The text reveals the mechanism by which people move between worlds through deep dreams. The narrative is structured like an oral story told over a cup of coffee, where everyday conversations seamlessly transition into a discussion of the laws of the universe.

This work is part of the popular "Chronicles of Echo" series, concluding with the eighth and final book. The preceding volumes are "The Forelock of the Earth," "The Lord of Mormora," "The Elusive Habba Hehn," "The Crow on the Bridge," "The Grief of Lord Gro," "The Glutton-Laugher," and "The Gift of Shavanahola."

Conversations in the Fog

The framing story takes place in the Coffee Grounds Inn. The establishment straddles the boundaries of reality and is run by the ever-present Frank. His assistant, Trisha, has brewed berry sauce and quietly eavesdrops on the adults’ conversations. Sir Max is behaving mysteriously, constantly leaving strange objects around the garden. He communicates with a talking cloud, which advises him to stop hiding from his own nature. It soon becomes clear that the scattered objects act as a magical beacon.

A guest emerges from the thick fog toward the inn — Sir Numminorikh Kuta. Max’s former colleague from the capital serves in the Secret Investigation and possesses a unique sense of smell. Smells provide the detective with all the necessary information about his surroundings. Numminorikh dines heartily and begins to recount his recent business trip. First, the guest recalls a curious incident that led him to learn to travel between worlds.

One day, he caught an unmistakable scent from a toy doll hanging in a tree. Driven by curiosity, the detective climbed over a blank stone wall in a dead-end alley of the old quarter and stepped into the void. Finding himself in the Dark Side, the hero relied on his animal instincts and managed to reach the Huron River. Juffin Halli praised this spontaneous talent. His superior advised his subordinate to trust his hidden abilities and patiently await new opportunities.

The King’s Order

Some time later, Juffin summons the detective to his office. The Most Honorable Chief unofficially dispatches Numminorikh to the mountainous land of Thubur. The detective is tasked with finding Lady Keggi Kleggy. The young lady-in-waiting, on the king’s insistent advice, set out to study the art of dreams and disappeared without a trace. The girl comes from a family of powerful mages. Her late great-grandfather, Eshi Harabagud, guarded the dreams of the former monarch from enemy intrusions, saving the crown from powerful assassins.

The lady’s relatives refuse to make a fuss, fearing to tarnish the clan’s reputation. Therefore, the search operation must be conducted in the strictest secrecy, under the guise of an ordinary vacation. Numminorikh arrives in Isamon, a coastal state whose inhabitants are renowned for their astonishing rudeness, scandalousness, and stupidity. Many centuries ago, the powerful witch Gurgulotha Gargahai cursed these people with eternal scandal for a trivial offense.

The traveler doesn’t condemn the natives, but feels genuine pity for the wretched Izamonites. The detective’s sincere sympathy for the innkeeper, Matsutsa Umbetsis, inadvertently breaks an ancient spell. A long-standing evil retreats before the mercy of a random passerby. The city slowly begins to transform, casting off the shackles of magical corruption.

The art of dream control

Upon reaching Tubur, Numminorikh encounters the legendary Dream Riders. The detective converses with the local mages in Hohengron, an ancient language created specifically for discussing weather, death, and night visions. He soon meets Yesi Kudesi. The friendly mountain master takes the hero on as an apprentice. The detective learns to maintain lucidity within the dream by sorting through his mentor’s magical learning caps.

At the same time, he inquires about the missing lady. It turns out that Keggy Kleggy voluntarily entered the Eternal Sleep. This dangerous trap slowly consumes a person entirely, erasing the boundaries of their individual mind. The creator of the Eternal Sleep, the brilliant madman Datchukh Vahurmakh, left a special artifact to his descendants. Whoever wins the genuine Sleeping Cap in the Great Tubur Game wins the right to disappear into illusions forever.

The rest receive high-quality copies, guaranteeing only ordinary, vivid dreams. Keggi Kleggy won the competition by wearing the original and sank into oblivion. Numminorikh decides to save the girl, contrary to the mountaineers’ customs, which sacredly honor the absolute free will of every dreamer. Eshi Harabagud agrees to help him. The ghost of the dead warrior secretly follows his great-granddaughter, vainly trying to protect her from harm.

The accomplices wait until nightfall and steal the Sleepy Cap from a dilapidated barn just before the next game. The dreamer puts on the artifact and falls into Eternal Sleep. The illusion tries to tempt the hero with omnipotence, offering to become the creator of a new universe and rule the world. His sharp mind and cheerful disposition help Numminorikh resist temptation. He remembers his promise to his wife to always return alive.

The Captain’s Awakening

The hero finds the missing lady in the guise of a fearsome pirate captain. The girl revels in her power over the imaginary sea and her Ucumbian ship. She categorically refuses to return to the real world, finding waking life unbearably boring. The detective recites a special poetic spell from Maba Kaloha, capable of breaking the shackles of Eternal Sleep. Shouting the lines of a simple children’s rhyme, he transforms into a gusty sea breeze. A powerful magical flurry destroys the dreamscape and forces the stubborn woman to awaken against her will.

Left alone, the hero recalls Sir Max’s lessons and finds his way out of the illusion via a rope ladder from his own childhood dreams. Having left the alien dream, he decides to take a short walk. The detective emerges into the Dark Side of the Thubur Mountains. The Underside of the World sharpens perception, allowing direct interaction with magical matter. The sky above the Dark Side emanates an ominous black light.

Numminorikh finds the physical embodiment of Datchukh Vahurmakh’s hat and turns it inside out. This simple gesture forever alters the properties of the ancient artifact. The ominous darkness immediately dissipates, giving way to a transparent golden glow. Awakening is difficult for Numminorikh. The icy water poured by the teacher barely brings him back to reality. Rescued, Keggi Kleggy is initially furious with the detective and, in a fit of anger, smashes his self-writing tablets.

Then the girl calms down, listens to her great-grandfather’s arguments, and with relief forgives her savior. The travelers set off on their return journey. Arriving in Izamon, they don’t recognize the transformed city. The rude locals have become calm, reasonable people and have united to undertake a massive renovation of the port facilities. The curse is lifted forever. A pleasant surprise awaits the travelers at the pier.

The pirate Anchifa Melifaro arrived to pick them up on a fast shikkai at the personal request of Sir Kofa Yoh. On board, Keggi Kleggy meets the former pirate Yogo Chungaga. The young people become passionately attracted to each other and leave the capital together to wander the vast seas. The ghost of Esha Harabaguda, assured of his great-granddaughter’s safety, sets off on new adventures, reveling in his phantom freedom.

The end of exile

The detective returns home safely. Juffin Halli praises his subordinate’s work. The boss explains that turning the cap inside out opened a corridor between isolated worlds. From that day on, a wide variety of people gained the ability to travel in deep dreams. Many of them accidentally find themselves in the magical capital, drawn to the Heart of the World.

The problem is that inexperienced dreamers are unable to awaken. Their physical bodies risk dying of complete exhaustion in their home worlds. Lost souls require qualified assistance from the Dark Side. This difficult task can only be performed by the creator of the capital’s reality.

Numminorich’s story comes to an end. The audience warmly thanks the storyteller for a wonderful evening, and he disappears into the night mist. Juffin Halli appears at the inn. The Most Honorable Chief invites Sir Max to a game of cards. The stake in this contest is the exile’s return to his loyal friends and his beloved work in the Secret Investigation.

The boss openly declares his intention to give in to him. He wants to force the hero to lose, so he can shed the yoke of his own youthful stubbornness. Max happily accepts the rules of this cunning game, agreeing to leave the cozy refuge between worlds forever. The story ends with dawn and the arrival of the first customers in the coffee shop.