Introduction
Wizard is just a
book, a flight of fancy, a work of fiction.
It is not intended to be prophetic.
It does not represent the views of paganism or heathenry as a whole. This book contains adult themes and
situations and should not be used as a children’s bedtime story or read by
those who are not mentally or emotionally secure.
The
characters do not represent any persons past or present; they are
fictional. All of the characters are
flawed with personal traits that we all can identify with. I have tried to depict humanity at its best
and at its worst. Ordinary people, when
faced with life- changing decisions, make choices, be it for good or ill. Heroes are not born but made. They are ordinary people faced with
extraordinary circumstances, who have chosen to make a stand for what they
believe is right. You will meet heroes
in the pages of this book, and may find some of them to be the most unlikely to
wear that title. And, you will meet the
scum of the earth.
History is
used to flesh out the various concepts presented. For those who take issue with my
interpretation of history, I remind you that this is a work of fiction. I have tried to remain as true to the Celtic
and Germanic/Norse mythos as possible but I do admit that I have stretched a
point or two for the sake of the story.
I use the term, “the Quickening” to describe a series of events that
occurred nearly simultaneously and that brought about the life-changing circumstances
that the characters face.
I am aware
that this work could create controversy among pagans, heathens, and
Christians. However, if this controversy
leads to a dialogue that brings better understanding and tolerance among
people, that is a good thing.
Places
mentioned in the book like Lake George and its surrounding areas, and the Finger Lakes , are very real. Here in the United States we still have many
places to see and visit that are beautiful.
Every one of these great vistas should have a sign that reads, “Don’t
muck this up! Keep it for our
grandchildren’s grandchildren!”
Enjoy!!!
Prologue
This book, The Last
Wizard- The Story of a Reluctant Hero was met with good reviews. However,
many folks asked me why I did not have a “bridge” from the modern to the
post-modern world I storied in Wizard. The answer is simple. My editor at the time argued, rather
strenuously, that I drop the prologue because it read like a “history book” and
gave away the contents. Looking back, I
feel this was a mistake-not the editor’s mistake but mine for going along with it. The reader needs to know the origins of
something, not just the end result.
Therefore I present here the omitted prologue.
“It” finally happened.
This “It” in, later history would be referred to as “The
Quickening.” This was not just a failed
environment but a variety of unrelated issues that combined to bring about
planetary change….
The polar
ice caps melted sooner than expected, creating massive coastal flooding. This caused many people to move inland. The
loss of the polar caps pushed land temperatures up an average of six degrees in
most areas. In the northern hemisphere
the increased temperature reduced snow and rainfall. The lack of water worldwide caused general
sanitation to break down. Humanity, with its false sense of scientific superiority,
had declared bacterial infection defeated decades before.
But those
tiny life forms had just adapted and when the temperature rose, came back with
a vengeance. New strains of cholera,
measles, small pox, influenza, diphtheria, and plague killed untold millions
before a treatment to defeat them was found.
Oil became
black gold. Demand increased while
supply decreased, bringing about sky-rocketing fuel prices. For many years people had heard how
government would create energy independence but to no avail. In an effort to supplement fuel supply,
government turned to the production of ethanol as a quick fix.
As a
result, basic grains never made it to grocery stores let alone family
tables. In effect, western nations put
people’s groceries into their SUVs via ethanol. Governments were aware of this, but for
reasons not fully understood, food production did not increase although the
capacity was there. Some at the time
had speculated it was a combination of climate change, less growing space due
to population increase, and just plain greed.
And bees,
necessary in the process of pollination, were dying off by the millions with no
satisfactory explanation. Before the
ethanol rage, western nations produced grain foodstuffs with large surpluses. This surplus went to feed hungry people in
third world countries. Bu now this
surplus went into ethanol, creating even greater world hunger. Food shortages, combined with fresh drinking
water shortages, brought about mass riots that eventually hobbled many
governments.
Throughout
all of this, the Catholic Church declared a ban on any form of contraception in
South America , Mexico ,
Central America, and Africa . In these poor countries the Church felt it
still had significant influence. This
action only added to the already staggering population growth. People not killed off by disease died from
starvation. The rise of the Christian
Right, who were no more than fascists, added their considerable weight to the
crisis.
This
movement managed to influence the U.S. federal government,
particularly the executive and judicial branches. Their influence had U.S. Presidents reject the Kyoto
Protocol and the Bali Accords, using the excuse that participating in them
would hurt American business interests.
In true Fascist tradition, the American military industrial complex and
right wing Christian ideologues, were cozily in bed with each other. When the developing nations saw the United States pay no more than lip service to Kyoto and Bali , they
followed suit.
Debt –
national, corporate, and personal – was staggering. The Christian Right became deeply entrenched
in government, the military, and business.
But they needed Democrats and began to court them like a rich old geezer
courts a Playboy centerfold. Payment
rendered by the Democrats was the gutting of the Constitution and the repeal of
Roe v. Wade. The Christian Right was
very close to creating their ideal “Christian Nation” but took one huge
misstep.
Nuclear
missiles were shaken by their political puppets like a stick shaken by an
armchair general scolding a poor ally. China and India , considered godless by the
Right, were the targets of this saber rattling, even though they held most of
this nation’s debt. When they had had enough, they called in the debt.
The United States
went financially belly-up and because of the inter-connectedness of the global
economy woven between nations, so did other countries. This worldwide governmental bankruptcy,
combined with things previously mentioned, brought about total collapse. Governments capitulated and civil order
became non-existent, ushering in The Age of Anarchy. The world, now more than ever, needed
heroes………….
Copyright@ 2011 Terry Unger
