''Matari'' (or reissued as ''White Wind, Black Rider'') is a book written by Luke Rhinehart, a

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of George Cockcroft. ''Matari'' was published in the UK in 1975, and is currently out-of-print. It was published in the US under the name of ''White Wind, Black Rider'' (2002).

Plot summary

The story is set in 18th century

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and features a conflict between four very different characters - Oboko (nb, Ōbaku is a form of Zen), a poet of the wind and Buddhist monk; Izzi, court poet and extrovert; Lord Arishi, samurai and lord of the realm; and finally Matari, beautiful, intelligent, and on the run for her life. The story might be described as a love story - all three of the men are, in their own way, in love with Matari. Yet they each have their own outlook on life, and their own sense of honour and morality. While individually we might applaud them as good men and true, the meeting of the three results in tragedy. Oboko survives the story and is later mentioned in '' The Book of the Die'' by the same author. The various ISBNs of the different editions are: * – January 1975 (''Matari'',

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

) * – September 2, 1976 (''Matari'', paperback) * – November 27, 2002 (''White Wind, Black Rider'', hardcover) * – November 27, 2002 (''White Wind, Black Rider'', paperback) 1975 British novels Historical novels Novels set in Japan Novels set in the 18th century Japan in non-Japanese culture {{1970s-hist-novel-stub