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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
When I started reading this, I thought it was definitely going to be a masterpiece. The Buddha bringing down the gods and unveiling the treacheries of heaven to mankind, the fall of class-system, and the dawning of the age of enlightenment - all set in a future of our own making; this is the stuff that legends can be made of. Yet, the author uses too much violence, too much hatred, too much blandness to paint Siddhartha's battle against heaven, it ends up being no interesting than a war fought by two ordinary mortals. Oh Roger, you could've so easily used Buddhist sub-text to make this a literary tribute to the concept of Nirvana, but you miss the mark by a couple of football fields.
Purchased upon the recommendation of Walter Mosely in the back of "The Man in My Basement", this book should have hit for me. Although I tend to shy away from most Sci-Fi/Fantasy because I don't like all things alien having lots of Zs and Vs, I am a Buddhist, and this book is heavily entrenched in the Dharma. No doubt, Zelanzny knows his Hindu and Buddhist thought, but this book became a chore. It's very clever. Surprisingly, I never got into the characters. I wanted to like it, but I didn't.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This has a deceptively simple plot - it's about a war between two opposing factions, one in favour of progress, one who wants to stay entrenched in tradition. But in reality it's so much more complex and imaginative. The use of Hindu mythology and the Buddha, the notion of science making gods out of regular people, the wonderful use of flashbacks to tell the story... just about everything in this book is unique from sci-fi and fantasy from the same era. With fully rounded characters on top, there's not much to dislike about this book.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very cool concept, I just think the way it was written kept me for really vibing. I think it needed to be a bit more concrete.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This books takes the fascinating idea of "what if humans colonized another planet, gained power through mutations and the ability to transfer their consciousnesses to new bodies when they got old, and then set themselves up over their offspring as gods?" and creates a fascinating story. It was difficult to read in parts, as the language was skewed to reflect that of Hindu mysticism. However, it was an enjoyable read, and without a doubt is a classic of science fiction. I don't think I'm going to be dying to read it again, though.