"Medium Miriam" by Dakha Taratorina, summary Automatic translate

This book is a humorous and adventurous fantasy about a girl with a supernatural gift. Published in 2021, the story revolves around an unusual crew: the heroine travels with a wayward fairy, a loyal werewolf friend, and a half-elf ghost who can gain physicality through physical contact with her. The text is replete with bizarre situations, verbal exchanges, and battles with mercenaries. The plot seamlessly blends a road trip with the gradual development of the characters’ personalities.

The story revolves around a young con artist named Miriam. She possesses a genuine talent for seeing ghosts, thanks to her golden left eye, which she usually hides under a pirate eyepatch. She travels the roads in a red wagon pulled by a giant two-tailed cat named Beast. She is accompanied by a petite but extremely scandalous, sharp-tongued, and hard-drinking fairy named Vixie. In a sleazy tavern, they successfully deceive a wealthy widow named Nonna. The two women fake a seance, although Miriam is actually seeing the spirit of her late husband, Ulius. The widow pays handsomely for the opportunity to speak, and her late husband rejoices at the chance to have the last word.

The emergence of the team and the intervention of mercenaries

After a successful deal, the girls decide to spend the winter in a village of double-souls — werewolves capable of assuming animal forms. Miriam had once fled there from her parents and lived there for several years. In the village, she is joyfully greeted by Lesha’s childhood friend, who takes the form of a huge gray dog. During their awkward encounter, a fire breaks out in a cramped storage room. The incident disrupts an important initiation rite. Spirits who came from beyond the worlds remain among the living.

Among the stranded ghosts, an arrogant half-elf named Marah is discovered. He claims he’s not dead at all. His living body was stolen by unknown assailants, and he himself was ejected from his corporeal form. Marah stalks Miriam, irritating her with sarcastic remarks and demanding her help. The situation escalates when a squad of professional mercenaries infiltrates the village: a hulking troll, a pair of identical dwarves, a graceful elf, and a leader with a scarred face named Ram.

Criminals kill the old shaman Ledna, Leshi’s grandmother, and steal a mysterious cargo. The werewolf dog is deeply distressed by the loss and vows to avenge his relative’s death. Marakh convinces the company that the mercenaries took his body, which had been treated with a special potion for preservation. The four heroes — Miriam, Leshi, Vixie, and Marakh, invisible to the others — set off in pursuit in a red van. The team heads to a monastery, whose abbot, the dwarf Nishek, is believed to be brewing the elixir the criminals need.

In search of answers

At the monastery, Nishek refuses to give out information without reason. The abbot asks him to rid the monastery of the pesky ghost of Lyad the Fourth. The heroes descend into the dank catacombs and catch the young monk Agus stealing the monastery’s wine. It turns out that an old tunnel leads to a convent, haunted by the spirit of Abbess Ida. The ghosts quarrel over a bricked-up passage. Miriam intimidates Nishek with a fake seance, forcing the dwarf to destroy the wall. In exchange, she learns that the mercenary Ram has headed for the southern port.

The friends arrive in the large trading city of Yerhaithul, also known as the Southern Spire. The city is renowned for its eternal summer, hot rivers, and free spirit. On a lit street, Miriam is accosted by a drunken elf. Enraged, Leshi brutally beats the assailant, displaying a frightening, animalistic rage. The werewolf confesses to the medium of a long-standing romantic attachment. Miriam gently rejects his feelings. She values her freedom and wants to travel further, while Leshi dreams of settling down and starting a family.

Later that night, Miriam and Marah are alone. The ghost notices a strange pattern: when making physical contact with the girl, he gains solidity and becomes a living human again. The half-elf passionately kisses Miriam, enjoying the warmth of her body, but receives a resounding slap. The scene arouses Lesha’s burning jealousy. A brief fight breaks out between the men, which Miriam and Vixey stop by dousing them with ice-cold water from a leather waterskin. The rivals are forced to call a temporary truce.

In the morning, the group visits an abandoned pastry shop owned by Aunt Vixie. The premises are ravaged by a violent ghost, throwing furniture around. The spirit turns out to be Vixie’s late grandfather, a grumpy old troll. The fairy bids an emotional farewell to her relative, after which the troll finally passes away. That same evening, Marakh and Lyoshi are attacked by petty street robbers. The men easily defeat the criminals. The bandit’s leader, a one-eyed thief, offers them part-time work with a mercenary friend.

Battle of Fire Bay

The one-eyed man leads Lesha and Marakh to Ram’s dark lair. The werewolf recognizes his grandmother’s killers by their distinctive scent. A brutal battle ensues in the cramped space. Marakh, who only becomes solid near Miriam, remains a disembodied observer most of the time, only occasionally helping the dog fend off attacks. Ram kills the one-eyed thief. The mercenaries start a fire and escape with the body wrapped in cloth. The half-elf recognizes the corpse as that of his younger brother, Haram.

The heroes take a shortcut through a toll dwarven tunnel and outpace the bandits at Fiery Bay — a unique place where the sand glows brightly in the dark. At night, the mercenaries disembark. A bloody battle ensues. Leshi attacks Rama, Marakh seizes the dwarven swords and dispatches the infantry. A colossal troll grabs Miriam and climbs the sheer cliff. The giant cat Beast tries to save his mistress, but is mortally wounded by a crossbow bolt from Ram.

An enraged Vixie knocks the troll off the cliff with a bottle of vintage wine. The giant falls to his death on the rocks. Marah holds the girl at the edge of the abyss, saving her from falling. After the battle, a grief-stricken Miriam buries her faithful Beast on the shore of the bay. The surviving Ram confesses that the shaman Ledna voluntarily allowed the criminals into the village for money. Ram complied with orders to leave no witnesses, but Haram orchestrated the scam. Marah’s brother planned to transfer his soul into the body of the heir to take over the island of El Ruado.

Return to El Ruado and farewell

Miriam, Vixie, Leshi, and Marah reach an island castle on a raft piloted by a chatty merman. The estate is in deep disrepair. In a dusty parlor, they are met by the living Marah — or rather, Haram, who has taken over his brother’s husk. He hates his elder relative fiercely because of his father’s preferences. Haram confesses to stealing the portrait of the half-elf’s fiancée and corresponding with her in order to seize his title and the love of another. The false heir challenges his disembodied brother to a duel.

The battle takes place on a dirty sandy beach. Haram attacks furiously, knowing full well that Marah will not kill his own brother. Miriam and Leshi join forces. Using the talents of a medium and an untrained shaman, they call upon the souls of their ancestors and perform a reversal ritual. The fairy Vixie rams the false Marah’s sword, preventing a fatal blow. The true heir of El Ruado returns to his body, and Haram falls unconscious into his own shell. Leshi stuns his awakened opponent with a powerful blow.

The brothers’ father, the stern old man Redan, arrives on the scene. He demands that Marah immediately return to the castle and fulfill his filial duty — marry the wealthy heiress to save the devastated lands. The half-elf flatly refuses to submit to the tyrant. He throws his sword into the sea, renounces his title forever, and declares that from now on, the fate of El Ruado rests solely in the hands of the awakened Haram. Marah leaves the island with his newfound comrades.

The group sails back to the mainland. On Lesha’s raft, he informs Miriam of his final decision. The werewolf abandons further travels and returns to his home village. He will fill the vacant shaman’s seat, train the youth, and assume responsibility for the leaderless pack. Miriam sadly accepts his choice. She, Marakh, and Vixie plan to travel to the Four Winds Fair. The medium anticipates new adventures, and the half-elf, freed from his family shackles, readily agrees to follow her.