" Perry Rhodan - Atlan 01 - Spider Desert" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

Through one of the regular openings in the net I could make out the form of a large bird of prey which
was perched on one of the arm-thick cables. It was no longer alive and seemed to be bleached out,
withered and more or less mummified.

I steered the rover underneath it as we drove along.

Sights such as this were not unusual in the Spider Desert. Although I had not yet experienced the
hypnotic effects of the silver strands I had certainly seen many creatures who had become victims of the
web in one way or another. Lurking in those shining filaments was a sinister power of death. Whoever or
whatever came in contact with them was irretrievably lost. The victimтАЩs blood seemed to evaporate with
the swiftness of thought, and that which was left behind was a withered corpse. A fast way of dying but
nevertheless terrible.

I caught myself thinking what might happen to Ice Claw if he were to contact the web. Within his
talons was a power that was similar to that of the net above us.

тАЬAre you hot or cold now?тАЭ I inquired of him.

тАЬNeither one?тАЭ he answered to my surprise. тАЬThe temperature is just right.тАЭ

I turned to look at him but had to turn away quickly as though I were Perseus observing the Medusa.
Although I was accustomed to his appearance, in such a brief glance it had not been possible for me to
distinguish his facial features in the crystal transparency of his head.

Ice ClawтАЩs nickname was not alone due to the fact that all organic substance that he grasped with his
claw-like hands became ice. Also in his appearance he seemed to have been sculptured from a block of
ice. His head, body and limbs were completely transparent, and as a consequence his interior presented
a startling but colourful maze of muscles, nerve fibres, arteries and vital organs. Moreover, it was not
always easy for his closest acquaintances to glean much of his mood or expression from looking at his
face. The transparency of his head deceived the eye so that it was difficult to determine whether his
various sense organs were interior or exterior.
 His shape was more or less humanoid although dwarfish. When standing at his full height he just came
up to my chest.

Although it seemed incongruous, Ice Claw loved warmth. The warmer it was the more agile he
became. Yet he feared any extreme of heat because he suspected that he might melt away. On the other
hand, his fear of very low temperatures was equally as great because he believed that under such
conditions the slightest jolt might send him shattering into nothing but splinters and crystals of ice.

His chief concern was always this phobia regarding heat and cold. Because he just couldnтАЩt cope with
it mentally he talked about it continually and as far as circumstances allowed he kept on requesting new
adjustments of the temperature.

Inasmuch as the chretkor had no name, or perhaps to defend him against others he might have had,
such as тАЬspookтАЭ, тАЬIcemanтАЭ, or even тАЬAnatomy ChartтАЭ, we simply and quite aptly called him Ice Claw.

тАЬIs that the right temperature setting for you?тАЭ I inquired.

тАЬYes, quite. I feel excellent at the moment?тАЭ he answered brusquely. тАЬWhy do you keep on asking?
Are you making fun of me?тАЭ