Roger Zelazny
Paperback | Pages: 296 pages Rating: 4.1 | 26200 Users | 1466 Reviews
Specify Regarding Books Lord of Light
| Title | : | Lord of Light |
| Author | : | Roger Zelazny |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 296 pages |
| Published | : | March 30th 2010 by Harper Voyager (first published 1967) |
| Categories | : | Science Fiction. Fantasy. Fiction |
Description Toward Books Lord of Light
Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment at the foot of the Bodhi tree and became the Buddha: his teachings swept across India, striking at the roots of decadent Brahmanism. The Hindu priests were understandably alarmed, but were helpless against the doctrine of the eightfold path as the stale air inside a room against the tempest raging outside. So they did the clever thing: after the Buddha's passing, they assimilated him and made him an avatar of Vishnu (in fact, they licked him by joining him). Perhaps this is the fate of all reformers!This much is history. Roger Zelazny takes the bare bones of this story, adds the exotic ingredients of Indian myth and legend haphazardly, seasons it with the spirit of Prometheus who moved against heaven, and serves it up as a science fiction novel. For people who have not tasted exotic and spicy Indian dishes (at least not regularly), this is extraordinary fare indeed: alas, for my jaded palate, this is quite ordinary.
Zelazny writes superbly. The novel is structured imaginatively-as Adam Roberts says in the introduction, the author deliberately wrong foots us with the flashback. The language is rich and lush and a bit cloying, like India at its exotic best (or worst), seen from an “Orientalist” perspective. In an age when characterization was almost nonexistent in SF, Zelazny gives us rounded characters who behave consistently. The SF elements are also well developed and consistent with a technology so far advanced that it is “indistinguishable from magic” (to borrow from Arthur C. Clarke).
That the author is well acquainted with India is obvious. He knows the names of a lot of Indian gods (not only the Vedic pantheon – Murugan is a Tamil god). From the way the Kathakali performance is described in detail, I am almost sure that Zelazny has travelled in Kerala (my native place). The way each god’s “Attribute” defines him or her is more or less consistent with Hindu mythology – and it has been translated into scientific terms quite convincingly. And the way the “Rakasha” (the Rakshasa s and Asuras of Indian myth) have been described as elemental spirits of the planet, subdued and imprisoned by the human colonisers, closely parallels the real origin of these demons in folklore.
But once all the bells and whistles were removed, I found the story of a renegade god moving against the celestial dictators quite ordinary. If the whole Indian pantheon were not in the story, if it was just the tale of a plain “Sam”‘s rebellion, I do not think this book would have merited a second glance at the awards. It was sold under the label of exotic India, like many other orientalist offerings. One might argue that this was Zeazny’s intention, and that there is nothing wrong in it: I would tend to agree. His vision of using Indian myth to flavor a science fiction novel was (at the time of its publication) a bold, path-breaking move. Only thing is, I am not one of the intended audience!
I have one more caveat: Zelazny mixes and matches the gods and their attributes with a free hand (especially towards the end). Since these are not true gods but human beings who have taken on these attributes, this is technically OK, but it soon becomes a pot-pourri very difficult to follow. Also, in the process, he saw many of the gods only single dimensionally (this is most notable in the case of Krishna, who is seen only as a lecher).
I would recommend this book for people unfamiliar with Indian mythology. I am afraid those who are well-read in the same may feel disappointed.
Particularize Books Concering Lord of Light
| Original Title: | Lord of Light |
| ISBN: | 0060567236 (ISBN13: 9780060567231) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Mahasamatman, Yama, Ratri |
| Literary Awards: | Hugo Award for Best Novel (1968), Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (1967) |
Rating Regarding Books Lord of Light
Ratings: 4.1 From 26200 Users | 1466 ReviewsWrite-Up Regarding Books Lord of Light
(Original review date: 17 March 2009)On page one of Lord of Light, Zelazny drops the reader smack into the middle of an epic and eternal struggle, taking place on a distant planet in the distant future. It's an incredibly disorienting way to enter a story, especially one as bizarre and complicated as this one is. The structure of the novel is no help, either - it's divided into seven long and loosely-connected chapters, presented out of chronological order with no way for the reader to know, at6.0 stars. On my list of "All Time" favorites. An absolutely brilliant novel by one of the masters of science fiction. This book is as good as SF gets and ranks up their with Dune and Ender's Game among the best ever. Unlike those other two books, I do believe that this book is MUCH, MUCH better the second time around. The reason for this is that the story jumps around and the background for the story is reavealed slowly so can be a bit confusing at the outset. Therefore, my advice would be to
Not at all what I expected! I think I sort of expected a "Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" clone but espousing Hinduism instead of Rational Anarchy. While I probably would have liked that also, this was really a very inventive myth retelling and I loved it for that.CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics) (view spoiler)[Transphobic comments/deadnaming, death of loved one, sexual assault (mild) (hide spoiler)]Things to love:-The myth. Holy wow! I read a lot of myths and I adore them.
The Good:So amazing! Great characters, great setting, great ideas, epic scope, and so well written. This is a science fiction story presented like mythology and it works. Did I mention it's funny too?The Bad:The only thing really wrong with this is that the story races ahead of the reader, daring you to try and keep up. It's not often that I think a book should be longer, but in the case of this one it needed more exposition.'Friends' character the protagonist is most like:Sam is cynical,
An alien world colonized by humans. The leaders used technology so advanced that they appeared as Hindu gods while their alien enemies became as demons.One man wishes to give technology to all the common people who worship him as the Buddha.Not fantasy but hard Science Fiction.See;Siddhartha - Binder of the Demons,Fire elementals,The Lords of Karma,Lord Yama - Deathgod,Tak of the Bright Spear,Mara - Lord of Illusion,Mount of Vishnu -the Garuda Bird,The thunder chariot of Lord Shiva,andTaraka of
A science fantasy novel from 1967. A deliberate mash-up of genres, infused with Hinduism and Buddhism.Humans left a dying world behind and settled on a habitable planet where they, thanks to their advanced technology, conquered the local life forms and established themselves as gods.What stands out first and foremost is Roger Zelany's prose. Lord of Light is a gorgeous read. It's possibly somewhat confusing at first, since Zelany starts just before the story ends, then goes back to the
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