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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
My favorite book of all time, and the finest work of science fiction ever written.
Sam is a cool guy, but how cool can he be when describe in such a manner?
The story unveils in a non-linear manner and to be honest I wasn't able to grasp his character to fullest. I didn't understood his motivation and why exactly he was fighting the "gods". Yes, there were episode with bad body that was given him by Brahma, but is it enough?
My understanding is that I didn't like the book because of the style chosen by author to told the story (indian mythic ethos). This style brings with it not only dialog and exposition structure, but also lack of necessity for writing characters, their motivation and functional details (e.g. death of Brahma).
Overall this is a good book, cause good book motivates you to think, read some extra stuff and gives some ideas. In this terms Lord of Light is definitely a good book that did all of that, but great book in my opinion is also interesting on the surface. Great book grasp reader giving them fascinating story, behind which there could be something completely different, something deep. But without stuff on surface, that what is somewhere deep looses part of it's value.
The story unveils in a non-linear manner and to be honest I wasn't able to grasp his character to fullest. I didn't understood his motivation and why exactly he was fighting the "gods". Yes, there were episode with bad body that was given him by Brahma, but is it enough?
My understanding is that I didn't like the book because of the style chosen by author to told the story (indian mythic ethos). This style brings with it not only dialog and exposition structure, but also lack of necessity for writing characters, their motivation and functional details (e.g. death of Brahma).
Overall this is a good book, cause good book motivates you to think, read some extra stuff and gives some ideas. In this terms Lord of Light is definitely a good book that did all of that, but great book in my opinion is also interesting on the surface. Great book grasp reader giving them fascinating story, behind which there could be something completely different, something deep. But without stuff on surface, that what is somewhere deep looses part of it's value.
I *loved* this book. A clever, beautifully written sci-fi/theology mashup. It progresses almost meditatively, whilst still being dramatic in places and often funny. I was totally drawn in, and I can tell I'll be thinking about it long after finishing it. In fact it begs to be re-read. A fantastic novel. (Although avoid the 'Introduction' in this edition. It's unnecessarily spoiler-y).
A favourite line: 'He smelled the smells of commerce and listened to the cursing of the sailors, both of which he admired: the former, as it reeked of wealth, and the latter because it combined his two other chief preoccupations, these being theology and anatomy.'
A favourite line: 'He smelled the smells of commerce and listened to the cursing of the sailors, both of which he admired: the former, as it reeked of wealth, and the latter because it combined his two other chief preoccupations, these being theology and anatomy.'
“Being a god is one of the oldest professions in the world.”
~p 16
This is a thoroughly confusing, beautiful science fiction work. I am still puzzling over it and its meanings. It is a war novel, a farce, written with lovely, sharp prose and a virtuosic series of events.
~p 16
This is a thoroughly confusing, beautiful science fiction work. I am still puzzling over it and its meanings. It is a war novel, a farce, written with lovely, sharp prose and a virtuosic series of events.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my favorite books as a young adult. I re-read it every 5 years or so. Great book!
Incredible, imaginative and inspiring. Especially the poetic descriptions of the purple grove and celestial city. The description of arms and armor created by Yama, it was very artistically inspiring to me.
The coolest thing about this book was how it blends together the science fiction and fantasy genres. At the surface level of the book is a conflict between the Hindu gods and the Buddha (aka Siddhartha aka Mahasamatman aka Binder of Demons aka Sam). But it's made clear that their power comes from their technology.
And that technological prowess serves as the central conflict. You see, the Hindu gods are descendants of the crew of a colony ship and are monopolizing the tech and forcing the masses into a technological stasis by refusing to share their technology and actively quashing innovation. They're even using the Hindu faith as a way to control dissidents. Sam, on the other hand, has decided 'to hell with that' and is on a crusade to bring down Heaven and the gods.
Early in the book there's a discussion about what the demons or Rakshasa are. That while they are hostile, long-lived and have the ability to manipulate the environment through unseen means but they are not supernatural. And that makes all the difference; it's the difference between the unknowable and the simply unknown. It sets the tone that for all the power the gods can bring to bear they're not gods at all. Just oppressors with a tech advantage.
And there is one hilarious scene when the Buddha and Taraka, king of the demons discuss religion. Taraka asks which religion is correct and Sam basically responds with, "How should I know?" Then points out that he could've used Christianity but crucifixion hurts.
On a final note, I do have to wonder how a Buddhist or Hindu would react to this book. Being a Christian, I am fairly disconnected from both and take no umbrage from the use of Buddhism and Hinduism but I'm wondering how a believer would take it.
And that technological prowess serves as the central conflict. You see, the Hindu gods are descendants of the crew of a colony ship and are monopolizing the tech and forcing the masses into a technological stasis by refusing to share their technology and actively quashing innovation. They're even using the Hindu faith as a way to control dissidents. Sam, on the other hand, has decided 'to hell with that' and is on a crusade to bring down Heaven and the gods.
Early in the book there's a discussion about what the demons or Rakshasa are. That while they are hostile, long-lived and have the ability to manipulate the environment through unseen means but they are not supernatural. And that makes all the difference; it's the difference between the unknowable and the simply unknown. It sets the tone that for all the power the gods can bring to bear they're not gods at all. Just oppressors with a tech advantage.
And there is one hilarious scene when the Buddha and Taraka, king of the demons discuss religion. Taraka asks which religion is correct and Sam basically responds with, "How should I know?" Then points out that he could've used Christianity but crucifixion hurts.
On a final note, I do have to wonder how a Buddhist or Hindu would react to this book. Being a Christian, I am fairly disconnected from both and take no umbrage from the use of Buddhism and Hinduism but I'm wondering how a believer would take it.
An interesting mixture of petty politics and a (retelling? reimagining?) of Hinduism and the rise of Buddhism. The characters were rich and interesting. It was a tad boring at certain parts but Roger's well crafted writing easily made up for those portions.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No