"Diane Duane - Wizards 1 - So You Want To Be A Wizard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duane Diane)

seen it before. She thought she knew the whole stock of the children's library. Yet this wasn't a
new book. It had plainly been there for some time—the pages had that yellow look about their
edges, the color of aging, and the top of the book was dusty, so you want to be a wizard.
hearnssen, the spine said: that was the author's name. Phoenix Press, the publisher. And then in
white ink, in Mrs. Lesser's tidy handwrit-ing, 793. 4: the Dewey Decimal number.
This has to be a joke, Nita said to herself. But the book looked exactly like all the others in the
series. She opened it carefully, so as not to crack the binding, and turned the first few pages to the
table of contents. Normally Nita was a fast reader and would quickly have finished a page with
only a few lines on it; but what she found on that contents page slowed her down a great deal.
"Preliminary Determinations: A Question of Aptitude. " "Wizardly Pre-
14
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WIZARD




I
occupations and Predilections. " "Basic Equipment and Milieus. " "Introduction to Spells,
Bindings and Geasa. " "Familiars and Helpmeets: Advice to the Initiate. " "Psychotropic Spelling.
"
Psychowhat? Nita turned to the page on which that chapter began, looking at the boldface
paragraph beneath its title.
WARNING
Spells of power sufficient to make temporary changes in the human mind are always subject to
sudden and unpredictable backlash on the user. The practitioner is cautioned to make sure that
his/her motives are benev-olent before attempting spelling aimed at...
I don't believe this, Nita thought. She shut the book and stood there holding it in her hand,
confused, amazed, suspicious—and delighted. If it was a joke, it was a great one. If it wasn't—
No, don't be silly.


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 Prologue


But if it isn 't—
People were clumping around upstairs, but Nita hardly heard them. She sat down at one of the low
tables and started reading the book in earnest.
The first couple of pages were a foreword.
Wizardry is one of the most ancient and misunderstood of arts. Its public image for centuries has
been one of a mysterious pursuit, practiced in occult surroundings, and usually used at the peril of
one's soul. The modern wizard, who works with tools more advanced than bat's blood and beings
more complex than medieval demons, knows how far from the truth that image is. Wizardry,
though exciting and interesting, is not a glamorous business, especially these days, when a wizard
must work quietly so as not to attract undue attention.
For those willing to assume the Art's responsibilities and do the work, though, wizardry has many
rewards. The sight of a formerly twisted grow-ing thing now growing straight, of a snarled
motivation untangled, the satisfaction of hearing what a plant is thinking or a dog is saying, of
talking to a stone or a star, is thought by most to be well worth the labor.
Not everyone is suited to be a wizard. Those without enough of the necessary personality traits