"Robert Weinberg - Logical Magician 01 - A Logical Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinberg Robert)

and truth. For nearly a millennium, I investigated the mystery of my origin. First by magic,
and then during the past few hundred years, by science. I cannot guarantee what I tell you
is the truth, but it is the only explanation I have."
Jack nodded. Better to learn the facts, no matter how unbelievable. He recalled
that Harold Shea, in the Incomplete Enchanter series, didn't realize magic actually worked
until halfway through the first novel. Thinking about the story, Jack realized why Megan
had asked him so many questions about modern-day heroes confronting magic. She had
been preparing him for these revelations. But why then the mathematics?
"Ever since the Age of Reason, man has sought to explain away the supernatural.
Science has no tolerance for anything that cannot be examined under a microscope. Thus,
faeries and elves, demons and devils are dismissed as the foolish beliefs of ignorant
peasants. In this modern world there is no room for magic. Yet, it still exists, and with it
all of the fanciful beasties and beings of myth and legend."
Merlin paused, dramatically. The old man was not only a magician, Jack observed
wryly, but a bit of a ham as well. "Humanity shares a collective subconscious. An
overmind of unlimited potential, it has the power to forge dreams into reality. And it has
done so for all of man's history. This world-mind is the source of all occult and
supernatural beings that have ever existed.
"I sprang into being a thousand years ago, created by the hopes and aspirations of
all those who dreamed of a place called Camelot. Originally, wandering bards sang songs
of the exploits of a nameless magician in Arthur's court, making them up as they
entertained. Soon, storytellers were weaving similar tales of magic, calling this sorcerer
Merlin. The simple peasants of the time listened and believed what they heard was true.
"In time, the legend of Merlin the Magician grew famous throughout the land.
Mankind's collective subconscious absorbed my history and believed it true. People
believed I existed. That evidently was enough. The line between fact and fancy blurred,
and I was born."
Again Merlin paused, as if awed by his own story. "Though perhaps 'born' is not
the right word, for I emerged from the shadows exactly as you see me todayтАФan old man
with flowing white hair and silver beard. I was Merlin the Magician, weaver of spells,
companion of kings.
"For hundreds of years, I traveled about the land, practicing my craft, battling
injustices whenever possible. During that time, I encountered many others like me, beings
created by mankind's dreams and nightmares. Some were good, others evil, but most
possessed both attributes, reflecting the dual nature of their creators.
"Gradually, humanity stopped believing in fairies and elves, ghouls and ghosts.
Rationality overwhelmed superstition. Yet, though man no longer accepted us, we still
survived."
The magician rapped his knuckles on the desktop. "Despite my nebulous origins, I
am as solid and real as any man. As is the case with any supernatural being. Once
created, we exist independent of humanity's wishes. Moreover, since our bodies are
vortexes of mental energy, not flesh and blood, we neither age nor die."
Merlin's pronouncements made an odd sort of sense. Ever the science fiction and
fantasy fan, Jack couldn't help but wonder if this vast, collective subconscious mind as
described by the magician wasn't actually a manifestation of mankind's latent psionic
power. The idea offered all sorts of possibilities. He envisioned a gigantic pool of mental
energy tapped upon by an unsuspecting humanity, giving life to its dreams... and
nightmares.
"How do you explain your magic?" he asked, half-suspecting the answer.
"As a creation of this pool of psychic energy, I, and all those like me, are directly