Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Despite feeling a constant level of contusion throughout the entire book, it was also a creative and interesting story -- it almost felt more mythological than science fiction most of the time -- and I am glad I read/finished it. However, I really wish I had the knowledge from the end of the book when I first started so I wasn't so constantly confused, but I also don't think I liked it so much that I'll ever read it again.
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Okay, okay, 3.5 stars, actually. Zelazny did amazing things with this book when it came out...but I think the years have not been kind. I picked this up after seeing a panel at a Con where Max Gladstone and Steven Brust highly recommended this.
After reading it I can totally see where Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead (which I recommend) irreverent god-as-society-tool flavor came from. But where that book seems to speak to current society's prediliction for characters who are more than series of pithy comments or summarized histories, Sam from Lord Of Light didn't quite make it out of the starting gate for me.
It's serial-like narrative structure, the "look this is cool because it's Eastern Religions and Christianity is bad necromancers" and the jumping from time to time and pithy, snarky conversation to conversation while fun for a bit loses its luster after the first chapter or so.
The bromance between Sam and Yama had potential, but it was an unrealized potential. I'm not sure if it was the time period Zelazny was writing in or his own style. As I said above, I want more on my cracker than a thin veneer of character, I want a meaty spread i can hang my heart's hat on and root for.
But I can not deny the fascination with the way Zelazny portrayed the results of humans purposefully co opting the Hinduism/Buddhism religious structures and using it to wield power over others. Very cool to read.
So as another reviewer (Lois Bujold) has said, as a slice of SF history it is worth reading, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it all the time.
After reading it I can totally see where Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead (which I recommend) irreverent god-as-society-tool flavor came from. But where that book seems to speak to current society's prediliction for characters who are more than series of pithy comments or summarized histories, Sam from Lord Of Light didn't quite make it out of the starting gate for me.
It's serial-like narrative structure, the "look this is cool because it's Eastern Religions and Christianity is bad necromancers" and the jumping from time to time and pithy, snarky conversation to conversation while fun for a bit loses its luster after the first chapter or so.
The bromance between Sam and Yama had potential, but it was an unrealized potential. I'm not sure if it was the time period Zelazny was writing in or his own style. As I said above, I want more on my cracker than a thin veneer of character, I want a meaty spread i can hang my heart's hat on and root for.
But I can not deny the fascination with the way Zelazny portrayed the results of humans purposefully co opting the Hinduism/Buddhism religious structures and using it to wield power over others. Very cool to read.
So as another reviewer (Lois Bujold) has said, as a slice of SF history it is worth reading, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it all the time.
I read it after having it recommended by Spider Robinson in his Callahan series. Its conceptually very interesting but theres just so much going on that it felt bloated and hard to follow. I think I’ll give it another read at a later date, and I expect I’ll enjoy it much more.
3.5 stars rounded up. The world building is deep, layering Hinduism, Buddhism, and other belief systems together in a long term battle for dominance. That said, I’m not as familiar with Hinduism, so much of the storyline went over my head initially. This made it hard to stay interested initially.
Moreover, because of the rough start reading this, I listened to a fair bit and I totally missed some of the setting set up. Having read some other reviews, I’m clearly going to have to go back and reread, sigh.
Moreover, because of the rough start reading this, I listened to a fair bit and I totally missed some of the setting set up. Having read some other reviews, I’m clearly going to have to go back and reread, sigh.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia