The Traveler in Black by John Brunner
"The Traveler in Black" is a novel composed of interconnected stories centered around the character Mazda, a magician tasked with transforming chaos into order. The narrative explores themes of desire and consequence, encapsulated in the adage, "Be careful what you wish for." Each story presents Mazda responding to the wishes of various cities plagued by chaos, revealing the limitations and potential dangers of magical solutions to human problems.
In the first tale, Mazda helps the rational citizens of Ryovora confront their chaotic desires by introducing them to the consequences of their wish for a god. Subsequent stories deal with the aristocrats of Ys grappling with the fallout of raising the dead and a gambler from Teq who learns a harsh lesson about luck and consequence through a fatal wager. The novel also includes additional stories that expand on Mazda's encounters with figures seeking power or immortality, ultimately reinforcing the importance of facing reality rather than relying on magic. The conclusion sees Mazda's mission fulfilled as harmony returns to existence, leading to his own non-existence. This rich tapestry of narratives invites readers to reflect on the nature of desire, power, and the pursuit of order in a chaotic world.
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The Traveler in Black
First published: 1971 (The Compleat Traveler in Black, with the story “The Things That Are Gods” added, appeared in 1986)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: Indeterminate
Locale: A parallel universe where chaos reigns
The Plot
The Traveler in Black, a novel formed from interconnected stories, concerns Mazda, a magician ordered to transform chaos into order. When his task is finished, the world, like Mazda, will have one nature, united with the totality of existence. The essence of Mazda’s power is the ability to grant people their expressed desires. His power confirms the adage, “Be careful for what you wish, you may receive it.”
In the first tale, “Imprint of Chaos,” Mazda travels to Ryovora, a city of highly rational people. He finds Ryovora gripped by chaos because its citizens wish for a god. Mazda grants their wish, sending Bernard Brown from contemporary England. Brown, a man of practical imagination, faces the animated idol of the Quadruple God, the horrifying deity of neighboring Acromel. Brown defeats the Quadruple God by erecting an even greater idol that frightens it away. As a result, Ryovora’s people see the power of reason and return to their sensible ways.
In the second story, “Break the Door of Hell,” chaos possesses the city of Ys because its aristocrats blame their ancestors for Ys’s declining trade and infrastructure. Instead of squarely facing the city’s difficulties, they wish to use magic to raise Ys’s dead founders to solve the problems. Mazda grants Ys’s aristocrats the power to raise the dead. Soon, thousands of deceased citizens flood Ys’s streets, stressing its limited resources and in some cases continuing interrupted careers of horror and violence. Thus, Ys’s aristocrats learn that magic produces nothing of value. Mazda returns the dead to their graves.
The third story, “The Wager Lost by Winning,” involves the city of Teq, which worships the goddess of chance, Lady Luck. Lord Fellian is Teq’s most accomplished gambler. In an act of barbarous arrogance, he enslaves a village to use as the ultimate wager. After the enslavement, Mazda bets Fellian that Lady Luck’s idol faces away from the lord’s throne, a sign of misfortune. The stake is the life of the loser. According to tradition, to look at the statue of Lady Luck is to die horribly, so Fellian believes that there is no way to ascertain the truth of Mazda’s assertion. Nevertheless, the challenge troubles him.
After a night of wildly successful gambling, Fellian takes up Mazda’s bet, only to learn that the idol of Lady Luck has collapsed unobserved because of the taboo. The block with Lady Luck’s face, unknowingly used in the building of Fellian’s castle, permanently faces away from his throne. Thus, Fellian loses and passes into nothingness.
In the revised 1986 version, The Compleat Traveler in Black, Brunner adds a new story. Titled “The Things That Are Gods,” it centers on Crancina, a witch who attempts to raise the dead gods of Lake Taxhling through an incantation involving an enormous sacrifice of animal blood.
She enlists the cooperation of the lords and citizenry of Lake Taxhling by promising them immortality. Orrish, a young soldier, does not believe her promise. His wish to expose Crancina’s lie, combined with the wish of Jospil, Crancina’s half brother, to acquire his freedom from his oppressive sister, allows Mazda to defeat Crancina. Victory comes as the dead gods are about to come alive and give Crancina global power.
The final story, “Dread Empire,” is about Garch Thegn of Cleftor Heights, a region known for its unusual prosperity despite its meager resources. Mazda arrives to find a zone of night that barely dissipates with the dawn. He soon learns that Garch Thegn has used magic to create his land’s wealth and is now preparing to bring back the Four Great Ones, the elder gods of chaos, to complete his personal power. Through the wishes of Cleftor Heights’ oppressed citizenry, Mazda prevents this from taking place. The being who gave Mazda his duty of restoring order to the world announces that Mazda’s work is finished and all reality has returned to its one nature. Thus Mazda enters non-existence.