"George Alec Effinger - The Zork Chronicles" - читать интересную книгу автора (Effinger George Alec)

"It's politics," said Glorian quickly. "It's who you know."
The elevator reached the lobby before they could discuss the matter any further. There was a
comfortable bar in one corner of the hotel's lobby that was filled with other non-existent, mythical
characters, and Glorian and Amitia took a table near the entrance. A waitress dressed as a medieval
woodland sprite came over and took their orders. "Gin and tonic," said Glorian.
"White wine," said Amitia.
"Typical," said the woodland sprite in a sarcastic tone. She turned her attention to another party of
customers.
"She could at least have left us a bowl of peanuts or pretzels," said Glorian.
"What's the matter?" asked Amitia. "You are getting nervous, aren't you? Admit it! This whole
Campbell Award thing has you climbing the walls!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Glorian. "The Campbell Award? I don't care that much for the
Campbell Award," he said, snapping his fingers. "And besides, there are plenty of other qualified people
nominated this year. It wouldn't be any disgrace to lose to Polylapidus or the Hanged Frog or
Isvahaken."
"What about the Princess Dawn des Malalondes?" asked Amitia with a smug leer.
Glorian's path had crossed the princess's before, when he learned that her real name was Narlinia
von Glech, and that she was about the phoniest, sleaziest, slimiest sylphidine in Creation. "Well," he said,
sipping at the gin and tonic the supernatural waitress had just left at his elbow, "there's very little chance
of that, is there? Everyone knows Narlinia. I think my real competition is Polylapidus. The Hanged Frog
is maybe just a little too melodramatic, if you know what I mean, and Isvahaken shows real talent, but
just hasn't had enough exposure yet. Maybe next year."
"So you do care?" said Amitia, sliding her glass of white wine nearer.
"Of course, I care," said Glorian. "Winning the Joseph Campbell Award for Best Semi-Actual
Persona is what we all aspire to. It could make my career. It could lift me out of the dull range of
supernatural sidekicks and into the category of demigod or even better! Sure, I want to win, but I've
been here often enough in the past to know that, well, if I don't win, the world won't come to an end."
"Sometimes it does," said Amitia, swallowing a little of her wine. "There was that time that Chilean
thunder-god, Pillan or something, lost and got so disappointed and angry that he just clapped the universe
out of existence. Then the committee had to get together and start everything from scratch again, and they
put in those new by-laws тАФ"
"You know I'd never do anything like that. These awards just don't mean so much to me. They're
тАФ"
"Hush, Glorian!" murmured Amitia. "They're going to start!"
There was a podium set up at the front of the bar, and the current president of the Supernatural and
Fantastic Wayfarers Association tested the microphone. It was Savitri, the Indian golden god of the sun.
He tapped the microphone and murmured into it. "Everybody hear me all right out there?"
"Yes, yes," muttered Glorian in an ill humor. "Just get on with it."
"Well," said Savitri, "we had a guest speaker lined up for tonight, but before she could come up
here to address our group, she apparently ate a few pomegranate seeds and was carried off to the
underworld. We're still trying to sort that all out. In any event, in the meantime, I think I'll just get right to
the matter at hand, this year's Joseph Campbell Award."
There was a smattering of applause, and Glorian realized that he was feeling very lightheaded. He
decided that the cure for that was a couple of sudden gulps of gin. The next thing he knew, Savitri was
tearing open an envelope and announcing тАФ
"And the winner is тАж Narlinia von Glech, the Princess Dawn des Malalondes!"
 There were a few boos, some smatterings of applause, and quite a loud ripple of murmured
comment. Narlinia von Glech stood up, looking like a reincarnation of a 1940s Hollywood beauty queen
in her long, dark hair and tight red, sequined gown. She made her way as quickly as she could to the
microphone, where she spoke briefly about how proud she was to win the Campbell Award, and how