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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
A very unique book. And extremely deep. My biggest issue is that the writing seems to actively be trying to hide the depth of the story.
Adorei. Ao ressuscitar um dos "deuses" ou talvez não do universo indiano, o mesmo revolta-se contra todos os outros que fizeram do paraíso aquilo que querem sem querer saber das consequências para os pobres dos humanos. A revolta divina dum "Gandhi" que é considerado "Senhor da Luz" vale a pena ser lida pois a descoberta deste autor é um enriquecimento para quem é apaixonado pela FC.
Hindu & Buddhist mythology IN SPAAAACE is an okay plug. Not much else to recommend this.
Another Dimension discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/03/another-dimension-lord-of-light.html
Another Dimension discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/03/another-dimension-lord-of-light.html
I remember reading this as at the age of 12 or so and being blown away by the lushness of it and how exotic (for middle class WASP me) the setting was. I thought it was excellent.
As an adult, re-reading it for the first time in over 30 years, i was worried about how it would hold up.
I am pleased to say however that I still found it a very enjoyable read; though man oh man 12 year old me misread the book in some pretty fundamental ways.
As an adult, re-reading it for the first time in over 30 years, i was worried about how it would hold up.
I am pleased to say however that I still found it a very enjoyable read; though man oh man 12 year old me misread the book in some pretty fundamental ways.
What would happen if humans colonized another planet, enslaved its people, developed mutant powers and kept all the best reincarnation tech for selected few, who proclaimed themselves gods of Hindu pantheon? Why, there would be a revolution, of course!
We follow one man's war against Heaven through many incarnations of self. We also follow relationships of our mutant-gods, as well as some pretty epic battles between them. I remember reading this as a teen, it utterly captivated me. The scope, the ideas, the archaic language and witty dialogues are still on point. Alas, some of the things haven't aged well: the misogyny and the pacing, for example.
Still, this book is one of my gateposts to SF, so this reread felt really nostalgic and heartwarming.
We follow one man's war against Heaven through many incarnations of self. We also follow relationships of our mutant-gods, as well as some pretty epic battles between them. I remember reading this as a teen, it utterly captivated me. The scope, the ideas, the archaic language and witty dialogues are still on point. Alas, some of the things haven't aged well: the misogyny and the pacing, for example.
Still, this book is one of my gateposts to SF, so this reread felt really nostalgic and heartwarming.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Like all good science fiction, it is really about the present, asking what the consequences of privilege are for the educated elite. I've yet to see any other novel capture the complexities of meshing science with religion the way this novel does, and casting the hero as a trickster version of the Buddha was incredibly fascinating.
Hmmmm. I get why this book won a Hugo, especially in 1968. A book of Hindu mythology that slowly reveals itself to be a sci-fi novel about crashed settlers that decide (for some reason) to establish a caste system with the original colonists as gods and the god who decides to be Prometheus by way of Buddhism. It was slow to reveal that it was science fiction. It READS like a cold mythology text. I was having flashbacks to reading the Bhagavad Gita in college. I haven't read a lot lot classic (pre-1970) sci-fi, but so far they mostly feel the same in tone: light on character, heavy on plot, and narration that is far removed from the subject. I've yet to read one where I become emotionally engaged in the story. This one is no different. I know very little about the Hindu religion and I feel it was a detriment going into this book. I mean, I know the basics (reincarnation, many gods, wheel of karma, Nirvana), but I don't know the details. Those details probably would have helped maintain my interest. But characters with multiple names who reincarnate into other characters is not easy to keep track of especially when those characters are pretty shallow to begin with. The plot is a straight forward one of revolution, and how it's told is pretty clever. "Hightechnology indistinguishable from magic" is certainly at play. The simple plot is also broken up by making it all separate long stories (again, a form I don't care for) and those stories being told out of sequence. There were some high points for me. I enjoyed the entirety of the Hellwell story and the freeing of the Rahaska. I like that The Christian had an army of zombies. And I enjoyed when the characters got long winded about philosophy. And there were some cute puns along the way. But I'm a reader that likes to connect emotionally with what I'm reading and that seems to be rare in classic sci-fi. This book is no different. I really wanted to like it more than I did. However, if I were to re-read it, I would probably like it more the second time. It seems to be a book that rewards multiple passes. If I read a book about Hindu myths, then Siddhartha, then re-read this, I think I would gain much more from it. I appreciate the book for what it is and what it was when it released, but it's not my cup of soma.
The concept of this book drew me in, but it lost me about halfway through. I kept reading hoping that it would wrap back around and it might win me over, but I finished it disappointed. The world-building, and bits of flavor are super juicy. I can also tell that Zelazny did the proper research to make sure that the Hindu and Buddhist canons were well represented. The texture of the world is fascinating, but the shape of the narrative is rather lopsided. New characters are constantly added or modified to fit the needs of the story. I might give Zelazny's Amber books a shot in the future, but I'm afraid they might also fall into the trap of building big concepts but lacking in the meat-and-potatoes of the actual narrative.
adventurous
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No