"Colin Wilson - Spiderworld 05 - The Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilson Colin)

daughter of King Kazak, and is tempted to remain in the underground city. But when he
overhears Merlew describing him as "that skinny boy," he is disillusioned, and decides to
return home with his father.
It is during the journey home, driven to take refuge from a sandstorm in a ruined
city, that Niall kills a giant spider, and unintentionally seals the fate of Dira, which is
overrun by the spiders soon after. And while Niall is away from home, his own father is
killed and his family taken captive by spiders.
Niall sets out to follow them, but is himself soon taken prisoner.
On a sea journey to the spider city, Niall is instrumental in saving the life of one
of the spiders, which has been washed overboard in a storm. The result is that on his
arrival in the spider city, he and his family are treated with a certain consideration, and
are assigned to live in the palace of King Kazak, who has become an ally and accomplice
of the spiders. It is there that Niall learns that the spiders are engaged in a breeding
experiment to reduce human intelligence and to prevent men from ever again becoming a
challenge to the spiders.
It is when Niall discovers that Kazak is betraying his own people that he runs
away, and takes refuge in the mysterious white tower that dominates the center of the
spider city. This proves to be a time capsule, built by earlier men to inform their
descendants of how they fled from the Earth to avoid a strike by the radioactive comet
Opik.
Inside the white tower, in a sleep-learning machine, Niall is taught about the
history of mankind before the Opik catastrophe. He also learns that the center of the
living force that created giant insects lies in the Delta; the spiders worship this force as
the goddess Nuada.
When he leaves the white tower, Niall takes refuge in the slave quarter, most of
whose inhabitants have been turned into imbeciles by selective breeding.
Appointed overseer to a squad of slaves, Niall finds his way to the nearby city of
the bombardier beetles, and renews his acquaintance with the explosives expert Bill
Doggins. The beetles adore explosions, and Doggins has been appointed to satisfy their
immense appetite for this form of entertainment.
Niall has arrived on "Boomday," when Doggins is Master of Ceremonies at an
immense firework display. But an accident results in a tremendous blast that destroys the
whole remaining stock of explosives. Doggins decides that he has no alternative but to
lead an expedition to the spider city, seeking a legendary stockpile of explosives in the
abandoned barracks known as the Fortress.
They are successful beyond their most optimistic dreams, discovering crates full
of "reapers," an atomic blaster which is one of the most awesome weapons ever invented.
Surprised by the spiders, they shoot their way out of trouble, steal spider balloons, and
return to the city of the bombardier beetles, which is already being besieged by spiders.
Again, the reapers save the day. But when Niall is ordered by the Master of the
bombardier beetles to destroy the reapers, he decides to disobey, and to travel instead to
the Delta, in a bid to destroy the force that has created the giant insects.
Niall quickly discovers that the Delta deserves its reputation as the most
dangerous place on Earth. One by one, their party is reduced, until Niall and Doggins are
the only ones to reach the foot of the great hill that they have identified as the center of
the force. But it is Niall who finally scales the hill alone -- to learn that the "goddess
Nuada" is actually a giant plant, which has been carried to Earth from another galaxy in
the tail of the comet Opik.
On his return to the city of the beetles, Niall is placed under arrest, and handed
over to the spiders. In a horrific encounter with the Spider Lord, he comes close to being