The Runners

The Runners is a science-fiction short story by George R. R. Martin, first published in the September 1975 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It takes place in the "Thousand Worlds" universe, and is set on the Manrealm planet of Old Poseidon during the post-Interregnum period. It is about telepath who is approached by a paranoid man who believes there is a conspiracy against him.

Plot Summary
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Themes
Like many of Martin's works, The Runners contains an existential theme. Colmer alludes to a restlessness he experiences, and his attempts to satisfy it with work, leisure and food. The man who seeks his services, Bryl, seems to suffer from a similar restlessness, a nagging doubt about the meaning of life, but has chosen a more extreme method of distraction - constant fear. Despite initially being baffled by Bryl, Colmer gradually seems to recognise their shared plight.

Author's Notes
Martin claims to have drafted the entire story during a lunch break. He recalls that it is the only story he ever managed to write in a day.

Publication History
The Runners was first published in the September 1975 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

It was included in the Martin's short story collection Songs of Stars and Shadows, published in 1981.

Adaptations
In 2020, an audiobook version of The Runners was released by YouTuber Valkyrist:

Connections to the "Thousand Worlds" Universe
The Runners is set on the sea world of Old Poseidon, in the Manrealm. It is difficult to place its date, as it contains no references to the Double War or the Interregnum, and its events are not referenced in any other works. However, Old Poseidon was one of the few worlds to retain starflight during the Interregnum, so the effects of that event would not have impacted its society as harshly as other worlds.

One clue that the story takes place during the post-Interregnum period is that the planet is called "Old Poseidon" rather than just Poseidon. In contrast, Warship and With Morning Comes Mistfall, which take place during the period of the Federal Empire, both refer to the human homeworld as "Earth," instead of "Old Earth." The fact that all of the post-Interregnum stories refer to the human homeworld as "Old Earth," as they take place thousands of years after the beginning of the Double War, suggests that The Runners also takes place after the Interregnum.