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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
this was a change from what i usually read, and it was interesting. i'm not sure whether i liked it or not? there were a lot of interesting ideas that really appealed to me, but it somehow never quite came together. it was constantly *almost* there.
also, it that kind of that oldschool scifi thing where you're just thrown into it with very little explanation and only grasp what's happening when you're mostly done with it, and i can't say i'm like.... a huge fan of that approach. it was really hard to get into for a long time.
but again: it was interesting! sometimes that's all you can ask for.
(the way he writes women is really atrocious though. not surprising, but pretty atrocious.)
also, it that kind of that oldschool scifi thing where you're just thrown into it with very little explanation and only grasp what's happening when you're mostly done with it, and i can't say i'm like.... a huge fan of that approach. it was really hard to get into for a long time.
but again: it was interesting! sometimes that's all you can ask for.
(the way he writes women is really atrocious though. not surprising, but pretty atrocious.)
Five stars, because i really liked it and would recommend it to others.
This book is a sci-fi'ish take on hinduisim and Buddhism. Late age humans adopting such future tech that allows them to become the objects of their own lore.
This is a really interesting premise, and very well executed. Just enough detail to provide rich worldbuilding, but keep the reader guessing. Not enough detail to the point where it can trip itself up in details or become dated at a future point.
Prose that has more in common with ancient sagas and parables, than modern sci-fi. I found this prose very enjoyable to read, with its poetic influences. The style of the text reinforced the themes and setting of the book, much like the Gibson cyberpunk novels.
overall, LoL is a very ambitious work, and at points it does seem like it took too much on. Zelazny seems exhausted by the last 1/3, just pushing through plot and time in big jumps. It was still interesting, enjoyable, but it felt a bit rushed.
Also theres a lot of characters, and its not always obvious who is important and why, a reference page would have helped. This is a minor quibble tho, and reflects a complex pantheon of gods.
Usually i would knock off a star because of a botched conclusion, but the overall quality of this work supercedes minor constructive criticisms.
This book is a sci-fi'ish take on hinduisim and Buddhism. Late age humans adopting such future tech that allows them to become the objects of their own lore.
This is a really interesting premise, and very well executed. Just enough detail to provide rich worldbuilding, but keep the reader guessing. Not enough detail to the point where it can trip itself up in details or become dated at a future point.
Prose that has more in common with ancient sagas and parables, than modern sci-fi. I found this prose very enjoyable to read, with its poetic influences. The style of the text reinforced the themes and setting of the book, much like the Gibson cyberpunk novels.
overall, LoL is a very ambitious work, and at points it does seem like it took too much on. Zelazny seems exhausted by the last 1/3, just pushing through plot and time in big jumps. It was still interesting, enjoyable, but it felt a bit rushed.
Also theres a lot of characters, and its not always obvious who is important and why, a reference page would have helped. This is a minor quibble tho, and reflects a complex pantheon of gods.
Usually i would knock off a star because of a botched conclusion, but the overall quality of this work supercedes minor constructive criticisms.
So going into this I had heard it was a little tricky to start off with and it totally was. BUT I have to say one you gain your bearings this is such a fun ride. I would say this is more science fantasy than science fiction because the first settlers of the world have gained fantastical powers through what is later revealed as mutation and surgery. There's a whole lot about religion but not theology. The religion is just a cover for the ruling political scheme. I liked Sam as a character because he is strong yet fails utterly and still is able to regroup and work towards his goals. He also made me laugh at the way he seems to take life in a nonchalant manner and yet is very manipulative and goal oriented. I was also surprised to see a truly transgender character in a book written in 1967.
I liked it, but I kept having uncomfortable feelings about cultural appropriation and the problem of representing what is (in the West, especially) a minority religion. I wish I could find a good review that explains my issues (I feel like some of the livejournal peeps could have some good insight here) ...
I know people love this book, but I just enjoyed it. Maybe if I read it four or five more times that would change. Probably.
I know people love this book, but I just enjoyed it. Maybe if I read it four or five more times that would change. Probably.
Lord of Light is hard to describe without spoilers up to the last third of the book, so I won't even try. You have been warned: hic sunt ~~dracones~~ spoilers. Even adding this book to my "space monks" list is technically a spoiler.
*Lord of Light* is Hindu and Buddhist mythology, in space, with advanced technology, dialled up to 11. Sounds good? Sounds good.
You get to piece together the worldbuilding yourself. Zelazny is good at giving you enough details to allow you to make out a confusing picture, and then validating your guesses. A sci-fi staple, but I like feeling smart, so I won't complain. Said worldbuilding comes down to this: Some humans, in the far-out future, can develop god-like psychic (but very real and technical) powers. This takes a ton of time and everybody can learn at most one of those, and then good luck figuring out how to use it well.
Humans travelled to a new planet. Here they had tons of descendents and nuked/imprisoned all native life forms. Then they went "oops, we shouldn't give our dirty native children nukes to play with" and installed themselves as gods. Because religion is hard or they were lazy, they went with the Hindu pantheon – enough space for everybody and some variation. Also useful to keep everybody in check by using the whole reincarnation (which everybody gets, state-mandated, once they turn 60) thing as a way to keep dissidents in check (place them in a lower caste). They also suppress new technology like the printing press.
Some of the original travelers are not amused. Our protagonist is introduced thus: "His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha- and the -atman, however, and called himself Sam." He uses Buddhism (because he knows how to use it with and against Hinduism) to get people to resist their technologically advanced gods, and leads a war against heaven. That's it, that's the story. It's well-told, it's fun, and it has aged well. The only really sketchy bit is how everybody is still straight and a bit hung up on their birth gender (if they switched), but that's still way ahead of its time and could also be written today – and at least Zelazny considered the question of gender swaps and reasonable reactions at all. Way ahead of his time.
What I found really interesting is that this is a take on cultural appropriation – after all, both parties just grab a convenient culture and use it to their own ends. I kept wondering if this book would have been published today, and if public reaction would've managed to see it as a *commentary on* cultural appropriation instead of appropriation in its own right. I'd like to think so, but then, I'm an optimist.
*Lord of Light* is Hindu and Buddhist mythology, in space, with advanced technology, dialled up to 11. Sounds good? Sounds good.
You get to piece together the worldbuilding yourself. Zelazny is good at giving you enough details to allow you to make out a confusing picture, and then validating your guesses. A sci-fi staple, but I like feeling smart, so I won't complain. Said worldbuilding comes down to this: Some humans, in the far-out future, can develop god-like psychic (but very real and technical) powers. This takes a ton of time and everybody can learn at most one of those, and then good luck figuring out how to use it well.
Humans travelled to a new planet. Here they had tons of descendents and nuked/imprisoned all native life forms. Then they went "oops, we shouldn't give our dirty native children nukes to play with" and installed themselves as gods. Because religion is hard or they were lazy, they went with the Hindu pantheon – enough space for everybody and some variation. Also useful to keep everybody in check by using the whole reincarnation (which everybody gets, state-mandated, once they turn 60) thing as a way to keep dissidents in check (place them in a lower caste). They also suppress new technology like the printing press.
Some of the original travelers are not amused. Our protagonist is introduced thus: "His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha- and the -atman, however, and called himself Sam." He uses Buddhism (because he knows how to use it with and against Hinduism) to get people to resist their technologically advanced gods, and leads a war against heaven. That's it, that's the story. It's well-told, it's fun, and it has aged well. The only really sketchy bit is how everybody is still straight and a bit hung up on their birth gender (if they switched), but that's still way ahead of its time and could also be written today – and at least Zelazny considered the question of gender swaps and reasonable reactions at all. Way ahead of his time.
What I found really interesting is that this is a take on cultural appropriation – after all, both parties just grab a convenient culture and use it to their own ends. I kept wondering if this book would have been published today, and if public reaction would've managed to see it as a *commentary on* cultural appropriation instead of appropriation in its own right. I'd like to think so, but then, I'm an optimist.
I've made two separate attempts to read this book, and only made it to page 37. I really just can't stand purple prose.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In a world long after the death of Earth, humans with superhuman abilities rule in the guises of the Hindu pantheon, keeping the rest of the humans in line and repressing their access to technology. But one of their number, Sam, takes up the mantle of the Buddha and wars against the Heaven of the new gods in the name of allowing humans to control their own progress.
This is a challenging and surprisingly humorous book. Sci-fi in the 1950's and 1960's has this ambitious, socially aware quality that I really enjoy. I read my first novel by N.K. Jemisin recently, and she is definitely an heir of that great tradition. I was also impressed that, while I felt like I saw where the book was headed, I couldn't quite predict how it got there. In that sense, it felt very observant of how people actually think and act.
This is a challenging and surprisingly humorous book. Sci-fi in the 1950's and 1960's has this ambitious, socially aware quality that I really enjoy. I read my first novel by N.K. Jemisin recently, and she is definitely an heir of that great tradition. I was also impressed that, while I felt like I saw where the book was headed, I couldn't quite predict how it got there. In that sense, it felt very observant of how people actually think and act.
A science fiction masterpiece with a very original narrative that rattles the reader in the beginning. Persistent readers will be rewarded with some very interesting characters and an engrossing world where high-tech, god-like humans rule their subjects with an iron fist.