Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
There are sentences in this book that are delectable. There are also passages that I don't fully get. But even so I really enjoyed the overall arc and the premise that creates it, especially the persistence of the relationships and the foibles and obsessions of the key players. Those bursts where we see who these people are and/or the technologies behind all the culture and power are fantastic. I only wish there were just a few more of those.
2.5
I had a bit of a hard time following what was going on, at times, with this book. Not because of the so-called non-linear* nature of the story, but mostly just because there were a lot of characters, several of whom at multiple names, and some of which kept changing into other characters.
Also, the general writing style made it hard for me to visualize what was going on in the action sequences sometimes. And there were long bits of dialogue where after the first two lines it doesn't say who's saying what, and after a page or so of that, it gets hard to keep track.
Also, I never really connected emotionally with the characters. I liked Sam, and Yama, and a few of the others, but I wasn't overly invested in the goings on.
But I did find it interesting. At first it was the philosophy and things, as I say there reading and kept thinking "that bit's Buddhist.. that's Hindu... that's - a sort of conglomery... and that's back to Buddhist."
After a bit, the philosophy became less a focus, and it was more about the people and politics and intrigue, and I generally found this interesting, too, but, as I said, I had a hard time following bits.
Actually, I would say I had some of the same problems with this story as I did with the Amber books, so I think it's more just Zelazny's writing style than anything.
But I did like it well enough, and I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed the philsophy stuff, as I said, but I also really enjoyed the commentary/satire of how people use religion as a means of control of the masses. But while I liked it and found it interesting, I have no real need to run out and add it to my owned-shelf, either.
*About the non-linear thing. I don't really see that it is all that non-linear. Granted, it's one of those stories that starts close to the end, and then backtracks to the beginning, to see how you get to the point you started at, and then, once we get caught up, moves to the ending. But after the initial "here's how it begins" thing, the story moves forward linearly. Yes, it does skip days and weeks, but it's always moving forward in the timeline, one thing progressing after the other.
It doesn't jump back and forth and all around the place as suggested in some of the reviews I've read.
I had a bit of a hard time following what was going on, at times, with this book. Not because of the so-called non-linear* nature of the story, but mostly just because there were a lot of characters, several of whom at multiple names, and some of which kept changing into other characters.
Also, the general writing style made it hard for me to visualize what was going on in the action sequences sometimes. And there were long bits of dialogue where after the first two lines it doesn't say who's saying what, and after a page or so of that, it gets hard to keep track.
Also, I never really connected emotionally with the characters. I liked Sam, and Yama, and a few of the others, but I wasn't overly invested in the goings on.
But I did find it interesting. At first it was the philosophy and things, as I say there reading and kept thinking "that bit's Buddhist.. that's Hindu... that's - a sort of conglomery... and that's back to Buddhist."
After a bit, the philosophy became less a focus, and it was more about the people and politics and intrigue, and I generally found this interesting, too, but, as I said, I had a hard time following bits.
Actually, I would say I had some of the same problems with this story as I did with the Amber books, so I think it's more just Zelazny's writing style than anything.
But I did like it well enough, and I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed the philsophy stuff, as I said, but I also really enjoyed the commentary/satire of how people use religion as a means of control of the masses. But while I liked it and found it interesting, I have no real need to run out and add it to my owned-shelf, either.
*About the non-linear thing. I don't really see that it is all that non-linear. Granted, it's one of those stories that starts close to the end, and then backtracks to the beginning, to see how you get to the point you started at, and then, once we get caught up, moves to the ending. But after the initial "here's how it begins" thing, the story moves forward linearly. Yes, it does skip days and weeks, but it's always moving forward in the timeline, one thing progressing after the other.
It doesn't jump back and forth and all around the place as suggested in some of the reviews I've read.
A group of humans with super advanced tech take on the mantles and caste structures of Hinduism are fought across centuries by one of their own who has taken up the handle of the Buddha. Real good business.
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1286404.html[return][return]It's often a bit worrying to return to the scene of one's youthful enthusiasm to see if the magic is still there - particularly in the case of this novel, bearing in mind the recent discussions of cultural appropriation.[return][return]It still worked for me. Zelazny's writing in the first place is vigorous and powerful, and funny also on occasion; it is rather easy to get swept along by the characters with superhuman, semi-divine abilities trying to outwit each other without concentrating too much on the plot. His trademark was always the juxtaposition of the mythic and the demotic, and Lord of Light probably is the peak of his powers at novel length. [return][return]The plot also stands the test of time. The rulers of the world of Lord of Light have chosen to construct a religion in order to stay in power, and rather than make up their own (as later Zelazny books do) have taken Hinduism off the shelf, as it were, suited as it is to their reincarnation technology. 'Accelerationism' (ie modernisation) among the general populace is ruthlessly repressed. Our hero, Sam, is one of the privileged who rebels, and uses methods of terrorism, war and assassination to undermine the power structures, is captured, executed twice, and eventually returned to life (at the start of the book, most of the story being told in flashback) and victory.[return][return]It's not terribly clear that Sam is doing this out of an egalitarian or libertarian commitment to oppose tyranny; it seems more that he (along with Zelazny) favours two different types of enlightenment - personal enlightenment in the (explicitly) Buddhist sense, and cultural enlightenment in the sense of eighteenth-century Europe, in both cases implying freedom from religious dogma and control, and so is committed to bringing them about.[return][return]To achieve this, he has to do a deal with the indigenous entities of the planet as well, now known as the Rakashas; he exploits them but also possibly liberates them, and their support is crucial to his ultimate success - a subplot with interesting undertones both historically and psychologically. Note also that the explicitly Christian characters are dubious outsiders who are minor but somewhat unreliable allies (leading an army of soulless zombies). Plenty of cultural irony, directed mainly westwards.
Wonderful book, probably the first of its kind. On this matter, I am kind of sorry that it has now ruined my idea that Dan Simmons concepts on Hyperion and Ilium were novel, but this does not reduce my high opinion on these masterpieces.
Leva 4 estrelas porque preciso de o ler outra vez
Cross-posted from my more detailed review at Lexlingua.co
The "Gods" jealously guard their treasures of the advanced technological variety from the humans. Prominent among these treasures is the technique for re-incarnation, which is a lot like tissue bio-engineering of new bodies.
But Sam, leader of the Accelerationist movement, wants to open up those treasure vaults to the all of the humans so that they can improve their lives. The Gods, you see, are corrupt and nespotic, they are never going to play fair when it comes to deciding who deserves immortality and rebirth.
This "religious" reformation movement is the theme of Zelazny's book. Kudos to Zelazny for adding a touch of wry-dry humor to this story, and for handling techno-mythology in a very entertaining manner. Add to this some mystical double-meaning metaphysics from Sam, a Buddha-like figure and the titular Lord of Light. (Note that Sam is such a smooth operator that he even comes across as a charlatan several times.)
However, fair warning: there are parts that could be construed as "cultural (mis)appropriation" today. The book uses Hindu-Buddhist mythologies for its world-building and its characters. Even the names are exact rip-offs, as are the costumes, the gear, and the appearance. I really think that taking too much artistic liberty with motifs of living religions is problematic. There is a fine line of balance here, and YMMV, but I think Zelazny does skirt it a few times. In that sense, this book, while enjoyable, is not culturally sensitive and is rather dated.
The "Gods" jealously guard their treasures of the advanced technological variety from the humans. Prominent among these treasures is the technique for re-incarnation, which is a lot like tissue bio-engineering of new bodies.
But Sam, leader of the Accelerationist movement, wants to open up those treasure vaults to the all of the humans so that they can improve their lives. The Gods, you see, are corrupt and nespotic, they are never going to play fair when it comes to deciding who deserves immortality and rebirth.
This "religious" reformation movement is the theme of Zelazny's book. Kudos to Zelazny for adding a touch of wry-dry humor to this story, and for handling techno-mythology in a very entertaining manner. Add to this some mystical double-meaning metaphysics from Sam, a Buddha-like figure and the titular Lord of Light. (Note that Sam is such a smooth operator that he even comes across as a charlatan several times.)
However, fair warning: there are parts that could be construed as "cultural (mis)appropriation" today. The book uses Hindu-Buddhist mythologies for its world-building and its characters. Even the names are exact rip-offs, as are the costumes, the gear, and the appearance. I really think that taking too much artistic liberty with motifs of living religions is problematic. There is a fine line of balance here, and YMMV, but I think Zelazny does skirt it a few times. In that sense, this book, while enjoyable, is not culturally sensitive and is rather dated.
A neat blending of western SF sensibilities with the Indian pantheon of gods; enjoyed this one more than I expected given that I didn’t much like Zelazny’s prior Hugo winner.