Lord of Light

Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 23:32

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Roger Zelazny: Lord of Light

Author	Roger Zelazny
Producer	Eos
Date	2004-05-11
Media	Paperback
Catalog	Book
Rank	58106
Availability	Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price	US$12.99
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Reviews:

Rating 4.5/5 from 150 reviews

Zelazny's Best Novel

Rating: 5/5 (1 out of 1 think this is helpful) 2009-12-04

Like Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny had a brilliant knack for mixing religion and science fiction. In Lord of Light, he gives us a unique spin to Indian mythology in a novel that is both serious and a bit whimsical. But at the root of this story there is more, for as with so much fine science fiction, a question is posed: if mankind achieved the power of gods, would we be corrupted by it? Or would we use it to transcend? The Hindu "gods" of Zelazny's imaginary world would seem to indicate the former, but the protagonist, Sam, directs us to the latter.

But even this is not so clear-cut, for Sam himself is subject to all the temptations of both immortality and power, and it is his journey to final understanding that moves the novel forward. It is not mere liberation for the human slaves of his fellow "gods" that he seeks, but a deeper understanding of what it means to be human at all when you have the power to change bodies and thereby live forever. But would such a scientific breakthrough and the immortality it would bring really make us gods, or would we remain merely people?

After all, Sam never claimed to be a god. He also never claimed not to be...

Intelligent novel about Hindu gods on another planet

Rating: 4/5 2009-11-06

A surprisingly good book, given its inherently problematic nature: a group of white people pretend to be Hindu gods on another planet. Yet Zelazny appears to have done his research, creating a rich world and using the character of Siddhartha to skillfully question the ways of the "gods". The world rang true, to my admittedly limited experience of Asia, but that's more than some books about Asia manage. Lord of Light is a book that wears its problematic nature on its sleeve, and opens itself for the attendant discussion. Also, it tells a good story.

A pity

Rating: 2/5 (2 out of 8 think this is helpful) 2009-10-27

that this is an author who can't write very well. His ideas, as I mentioned before, are great.
The story of a nonconformist who refuses to join the 'gods' on a planet populated by former Earthlings. The initial settlers have developed their technology to a point where they have godlike powers; they are capable of transmigrating when their bodies grow old, they have the power to project sadness, energy or destruction. The regular inhabitants are kept in awe of these gods, who have taken Indian names (Vishnu, Shiva) and recreated the Hindu pantheon. In comes Sam, one of the first ones, who refuses to become a 'god' and wants the regular people to share in the technological gains of the gods.
I loved the world Zelazny created but found myself utterly bored by the way he tells a story. He has no sense for dialogue or character. He will describe people in list format (He had blond hair. He was good with cats, that kind of thing); then they disappear from the story. The development of the action is brilliance mixed with teenage upmanship. The dialogue is full of trivial lines that go on and on and shed absolutely no light. At the end, everything is confused and rushed, full of sound and fury - noise masquerading as climax. If I had to describe Zelazny I would call him a brilliant teenager at heart who never developed his gifts. Too bad, 'cause he could have been great.

For Your Permanent Library

Rating: 5/5 2009-10-16

This is a science fiction classic, with a permanent place in my personal library. Great stuff!

Can I give it 11 Stars?

Rating: 5/5 (1 out of 1 think this is helpful) 2009-09-11

The English canon has Henry V, the sci-fi canon has Lord of Light.

It's one of those books you pick up unsuspecting and just smacks you upside the head. I got it from the library in my teens for no other reason than I was reading the science fiction section A-Z (I'm from Kansas --- we got books, drugs, and cow-tipping. I don't do drugs.)

It's hard to believe this ever went OOP. but it's back.

If you're a science fiction fan and you're seeing this post, I assume you haven't read the book. You should. If you're a wannabe sci-fi author (like me), you really, really need to. Zelazny's one of the greats (not necessarily including his Amber series, which IMHO isn't as good), and this book is his probably his best work, though it's difficult to say with such a superb writer.

I'm not giving a synopsis of the book -- why? Read it for yourself and be surprised. Don't read spoiler reviews and come to it with preconceptions. Far future, godlike powers, Indian mythology/relgion, and it works. How often have you read a work where beings with godlike powers could make you care what happens? Zelazny pulls it off.

I've read this a few times over the last 30 years, and was just reminded of it by another, lesser work. This is one of my all time personal favorites, up there with Dune, Neuromancer, Snowcrash, Ringworld, Difference Engine; though very, very different from and in its own way superior to all of them.

I, uh, liked this book. Can I give it 11 stars?

Editorials:

Product Description

Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rules their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons. Lord of Light.

Amazon.com Review

In the 1960s, Roger Zelazny dazzled the SF world with what seemed to be inexhaustible talent and inventiveness. Lord of Light, his third novel, is his finest book: a science fantasy in which the intricate, colorful mechanisms of Hindu religion, capricious gods, and repeated reincarnations are wittily underpinned by technology. "For six days he had offered many kilowatts of prayer, but the static kept him from being heard On High." The gods are a starship crew who subdued a colony world; developed godlike--though often machine-enhanced--powers during successive lifetimes of mind transfer to new, cloned bodies; and now lord it over descendants of the ship's mere passengers. Their tyranny is opposed by retired god Sam, who mocks the Celestial City, introduces Buddhism to subvert Hindu dogma, allies himself with the planet's native "demons" against Heaven, fights pyrotechnic battles with bizarre troops and weapons, plays dirty with politics and poison, and dies horribly but won't stay dead. It's a huge, lumbering, magical story, told largely in flashback, full of wonderfully ornate language (and one unforgivable pun) that builds up the luminous myth of trickster Sam, Lord of Light. Essential SF reading. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Features:

ISBN13: 9780060567231
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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