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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bāc, 1968.gads! Es teiktu, ka rakstīts vismaz 2008.gadā, tik aizraujoši uzrakstīts.
Awesome book!!! But the ending is kind of rush though.
I only found Lord of Light mildly engaging. Buddhism and the Hindu pantheon on a alien planet was interesting, but there isn't much in the way of characterization to keep my interest for a full novel. Sort of like Clash of the Titans (what a cinematic masterpiece) but with no smuck mortals only gods. And really, gods don't provide much human interest, at least not this human's.
slow-paced
In my opinion, Lord of Light (LOL) called as science fiction because the author set the setting as far future, and using technology as the magic system. But the story itself mainly influenced by Indian mythology. But it was not a retelling of Indian myths. The author had done the researched well, based on my very-limited knowledge of Indian myth. The author mixed the myths with his own story. OK, in much harsher words: the author was using Indian mythology for the story. So please don't use LOL as a reference for Indian mythology.
But the main story itself is just ok. The setting based on Indian myth was definitely boost the selling point (and it was first published at 1967, a good timing too: flower people was flourishing in USA).
But the main story itself is just ok. The setting based on Indian myth was definitely boost the selling point (and it was first published at 1967, a good timing too: flower people was flourishing in USA).
A turn of events in just the final 6 pages moved me to tears: that is the power of Roger Zelazny's talented writing style.
Characters are created with such passion that you will go from hating to loving to loathing to adoring them in a very short space of time. In my opinion, Zelazny perfectly captures the human condition, proving that our idols are really just people too behind their mask of power. Every character is prone to make the same flaws and human errors despite their apparent 'strength' and, although I realise that this concept has become somewhat cliché in movies and TV shows, this is testament to how Zelazny manages to reinvent old ideas by crafting scenarios that would only be possible in his richly constructed world.
I definitely agree with George.R.R.Martin's opinion that Lord of Light requires a lot more focus and attention when reading than your average book, but that is only because the reader is immersed in a whole new world from the get go and the chronology takes a while to wrap your head around.
The journey I have been taken on is one I look forward to travelling again some time very, very soon.
Characters are created with such passion that you will go from hating to loving to loathing to adoring them in a very short space of time. In my opinion, Zelazny perfectly captures the human condition, proving that our idols are really just people too behind their mask of power. Every character is prone to make the same flaws and human errors despite their apparent 'strength' and, although I realise that this concept has become somewhat cliché in movies and TV shows, this is testament to how Zelazny manages to reinvent old ideas by crafting scenarios that would only be possible in his richly constructed world.
I definitely agree with George.R.R.Martin's opinion that Lord of Light requires a lot more focus and attention when reading than your average book, but that is only because the reader is immersed in a whole new world from the get go and the chronology takes a while to wrap your head around.
The journey I have been taken on is one I look forward to travelling again some time very, very soon.
Clearly a classic and must have absolutely blown minds in 1967 when it came out. Ideas about colonisation, manipulation of religion, body modification all set in a story about a being that wants a world to rediscover science through the vehicle of Buddhism? Whoa!
I love the way the world felt large and complex and the characters were slowly explored, it made every chapter a reveal. The characters themselves suffered from the third person omniscient viewpoint, and I never really connected with them.
Tons of actions scenes, with some being almost jarringly fast, leaving the reader slightly struggling (as always) to keep up. The advantage was that you rarely felt bored, the disadvantage was that moments of significance could fly straight past you.
The years have not been too hard on it, and it is a heck of a read, once you get past the fairly tough initial scene, and the time jump that follows... As a reader I felt I got given enough to work it out without being spoon fed, and that is less often the case these days.
I love the way the world felt large and complex and the characters were slowly explored, it made every chapter a reveal. The characters themselves suffered from the third person omniscient viewpoint, and I never really connected with them.
Tons of actions scenes, with some being almost jarringly fast, leaving the reader slightly struggling (as always) to keep up. The advantage was that you rarely felt bored, the disadvantage was that moments of significance could fly straight past you.
The years have not been too hard on it, and it is a heck of a read, once you get past the fairly tough initial scene, and the time jump that follows... As a reader I felt I got given enough to work it out without being spoon fed, and that is less often the case these days.
Sam, the Buddha, allies with Demons to oppose the Gods in Heaven and to advance the religion of Buddhism against Hinduism.
Sam, the political revolutionary attempts to free the people from a corrupt government and a stratified society under brutal technological repression.
Kali once loved Sam, but then married Sam's enemy Yama, who she then betrayed. Yama and Sam join forces to defeat Kali, but may yet unite all three against a common enemy.
Do those all sound like different books? Different genres even? They're not.
The soap opera plays out between members of the ruling caste of a society that's been deliberately structured around Hinduism to elevate the elite ruling class of a colony world. The society works because of body transfer technology which allows people to be reborn in different bodies and different castes. The promise is that if you're a good citizen in your caste then your next body transfer will be into a higher caste until you are eventually a God. Only Gods get access to technology, which makes them ... well ... godlike :) This also is well done with futuristic battles and science fictional elements like the discorporeal natives who once fought with the Gods.
There's a political battle going on within the ranks of the Gods though because some favor giving technology to all, "accelerationism", but the conservative forces have control over the halls of Karma and all the accelerationists don't get reborn as Gods. Enter Sam, also the Buddha, also Siddartha, also Kalkin and lots of other names besides.
It's also cleverly structured with seven chapters that are more like individual stories that weave together the whole novel and are all over the place in terms of the timeline.
This book is masterfully layered, with philosophical discussions between Hindu gods and about Buddhism, but mostly it doesn't forget that it's a mask over the political and science fictional plot. It's at it's best though when the implication is that these are actually the Gods that they pretend to be. You're left wondering if Sam actually is the Buddha.
Sam, the political revolutionary attempts to free the people from a corrupt government and a stratified society under brutal technological repression.
Kali once loved Sam, but then married Sam's enemy Yama, who she then betrayed. Yama and Sam join forces to defeat Kali, but may yet unite all three against a common enemy.
Do those all sound like different books? Different genres even? They're not.
The soap opera plays out between members of the ruling caste of a society that's been deliberately structured around Hinduism to elevate the elite ruling class of a colony world. The society works because of body transfer technology which allows people to be reborn in different bodies and different castes. The promise is that if you're a good citizen in your caste then your next body transfer will be into a higher caste until you are eventually a God. Only Gods get access to technology, which makes them ... well ... godlike :) This also is well done with futuristic battles and science fictional elements like the discorporeal natives who once fought with the Gods.
There's a political battle going on within the ranks of the Gods though because some favor giving technology to all, "accelerationism", but the conservative forces have control over the halls of Karma and all the accelerationists don't get reborn as Gods. Enter Sam, also the Buddha, also Siddartha, also Kalkin and lots of other names besides.
It's also cleverly structured with seven chapters that are more like individual stories that weave together the whole novel and are all over the place in terms of the timeline.
This book is masterfully layered, with philosophical discussions between Hindu gods and about Buddhism, but mostly it doesn't forget that it's a mask over the political and science fictional plot. It's at it's best though when the implication is that these are actually the Gods that they pretend to be. You're left wondering if Sam actually is the Buddha.