Necromancer Nine is the second book in the True Game trilogy by Sheri S. Tepper, following on from King's Blood Four. It continues with the adventures of Peter, son of Mavin Manyshaped and the custodian of the Gamesmen of Barish. The Gamesmen are more than playpieces, they hold the pattern of the original eleven talented people, and Peter can communicate with them and use their power.
Peter has been living at the Bright Demesne, home of Himaggery the Wizard and all Himaggery's allies. He has decided that he wants to find his mother, having met her only briefly during the seige of Bannerwell. Despite Himaggery's protests, he leaves the Bright Demesne to travel to schooltown and ask Mavin's brother King Mertyn if he knows where to find her. He travels dressed as a Necromancer, since he has that talent from the Gamespiece of Dorn, first Necormancer, and he knows it is unlikely he will be bothered in that guise.
When he speaks to Mertyn, he is given a riddle, which Mavin left with Mertyn so they could find her. It seems to make no sense, but he knows he has to begin the journey by going north from Bannerwell. Before leaving schooltown they receive an urgent message from the Bright Demesne. Windlow and Himaggery have vanished. Gamespeople have been vanishing for a long time, the brightest and the most moral, the progressive thinkers, they have simply gone. They are not dead, for no Necromancer can find any trace of them, they are just gone.
Mertyn tells Peter that the best thing he can do is go and find Mavin, to see if she can help. So Peter continues on to Bannerwell, where he meets again with Riddle, leader of the Immutables. He learns that Mandor has killed himself and Huld has somehow escaped from his imprisonment. The Immutables have found strange devices beneath Bannerwell, that none of them understand, but they suspect they may have come from the mysterious Magicians in the West.
Following Mavin's directions, Peter goes North to 'The City the Fears the Unborn', wondering at the name. It turns out that the city is Betand, and it is haunted by the spirit of an unborn child, which howls around the town all night. It is the fault of a drunken Necromancer, who died before putting it to rest. He finds himself engaged in a bizarrer situation. In order to get the ghost born as soon as possible, all the women must bear as often as they can. However, sex outside marriage is rape. So every stranger who comes to Betand is given the name 'Nobody', because how can nobody commit the crime of rape?
Peter finds himself with a girl called Sylbie, a virgin who is as nervous as he is, and he calls upon Trandilar to help him to make the evening beautiful instead of difficult. Sylbie is very enamoured of him, but depressed that she have to marry some old man because she has a large dowry. He promises to fix the problem for her, and goes to see the town leader. He offers to put the ghost to rest in exchange for the life of one citizen. After dealing with the problem with Dorn's help, he says that he wants the life of Sylbie, that she be allowed to marry or not however she chooses.
As he leaves Betand, he is dragged into conversation with a Trader called Laggy Nap, who insists that Peter join his group. There is a lovely woman there called Izia, and Peter soon realises all is not right. Laggy Nap controls all the people in his company by means of mechanical boots that cannot be removed, and when they disobey, he uses the boots to burn them. Peter knows he is in great danger, and takes the Gamespiece of Shattnir, Sorceress, to store power from the heat of the sun. His chance comes when they come to a rocky hillside. He goes into a cave there, taking the Gamespiece of Wafnor, Tragamor, who can move things with his mind. Together they use the power stored by Shattnir to pull down an avalanche, burying the cave. Laggy Nap believes Peter dead and leaves.
Peter continues his journey, encountering the Shadow People, little furry animals with large ears who guide him to Schlaizy Noithn, the monument to Thandbar, the original Shifter. This is where Shifter young practice their talent, and some get stuck, unable to shift back from being landscape, or buildings, or trees. On a high peak, he finds Mavin.
They are overlooking a place known only as the Blot, and Mavin tells him that his cousins, the twins Swolwys and Dolwys, have been in Laggy Nap's company disguised as oxen. Laggy Nap comes regularly to the Blot to have the power for the boots renewed and to bring the things that the Magicians require. Peter wants desperately to rescue Izia and the opportunity arrives when Laggy Nap is sent away without his company, punishment for losing Peter.
There are two mutant humans at the Blot, who give the cargo to someone known as 'Tallman'. As the cargo is sent into a tunnel with the Tallman, Peter glimpses Windlow laid on the cart. Peter and his cousin kill the mutants and bring Izia up to where Mavin waits. Peter recognises her at last, she is the sister of Yarrel, believed to be dead. He sends her to her family with the twins while he and Maving sneak into the Blot.
They find the remnants of a scientific community, who have long forgotten their purpose. They believe that they are there to study 'monsters', mutants that they keep in pits. But they were originally sent to the planet to study Didir, the first Demon. The whole planet has been populated by the descendants of the settlers from earth, and they have all forgotten. While moving around in the tunnels, they find that Huld has come and is trying to activate the mysterious Defenders. The Magicians believe that the defenders will defend them, but actually it is a way of defending earth by destroying the base.
Mavin and Peter watch helplessly as Windlow and Himaggery are turned into 'blues', tiny gamepieces. Peter recognises them as those used in schooltowns to teach students the game, and they realise that all the ones who have disappeared have become blues. The empty bodies are carted away to underneath a glacier. Peter and Mavin manage to resurrect Himaggery, but the machine breaks when they try to do it with Windlow. Peter takes his blue and keeps it with the rest of the Gamesmen of Barish.
Several of the Magicians and some pawnish techs announce they are leaving to go out into the real world, and the leader of the Magicians panics and orders the defenders released. Peter, Mavin and Himaggery flee to the distant cavern where the bodies are kept. Huld is there waiting for them, but they escape together as the Magician's base explodes. As they travel to the Bright Demesne, they discuss how they will try to gather all the blues and restore the Gamespeople who have been taken, but they don't know how to do it.
One day while Peter is working in the garden, Yarrel and Izia come to visit. Things are not quite as they were when they were boys, but it is better, and they are friends once more.