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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Siddhartha returns to find the gods of the Hindu pantheon ruling humankind using advanced technology to circumvent the birth-rebirth cycle to their own benefit, or so it seems. Once I understood what was going on, I liked the twist Zelazny used to wrap this entire novel around, but until (and, honestly, after) that point, it is extremely tedious.
I understand this novel as part of of the New Wave sci-fi movement of the 60s, where authors were first starting to bring religion, philosophy, and critical theory into the genre, but I wonder how this would go over now? Not only is the prose difficult to adjust to, with a payoff coming very late in the book, but what do we think of a white American co-opting the figures of a living Eastern religion? Is it appropriative? Probably.
I understand this novel as part of of the New Wave sci-fi movement of the 60s, where authors were first starting to bring religion, philosophy, and critical theory into the genre, but I wonder how this would go over now? Not only is the prose difficult to adjust to, with a payoff coming very late in the book, but what do we think of a white American co-opting the figures of a living Eastern religion? Is it appropriative? Probably.
You know you have read a sizzling awesome book when:
1) You pick it at random, in some random place, and then finish it in just 2 days
2) Suddenly your world blurs, because you are so lost in the story, and your every other thought away from the book is, what happens next, what happens next
3) Stuck in a library without your book, you actually stalk the Fiction section looking for it so you can continue reading the same story, in a (physically) different book (i like how that gels very nicely with the themes in this story, like the idea of transmigration)
4) You actually feel a deep sense of loss when you hit the last words of the last paragraph of the last chapter, almost like the dying closing strains of a grand symphony at the close of a great performance
That's all. This isn't a review per se. This is all i experienced as i read this strange, breathtaking and audacious novel, so far ahead of its time, even today. Past and present in one unending circle, a beautiful rainbow coloured ourobouros.
1) You pick it at random, in some random place, and then finish it in just 2 days
2) Suddenly your world blurs, because you are so lost in the story, and your every other thought away from the book is, what happens next, what happens next
3) Stuck in a library without your book, you actually stalk the Fiction section looking for it so you can continue reading the same story, in a (physically) different book (i like how that gels very nicely with the themes in this story, like the idea of transmigration)
4) You actually feel a deep sense of loss when you hit the last words of the last paragraph of the last chapter, almost like the dying closing strains of a grand symphony at the close of a great performance
That's all. This isn't a review per se. This is all i experienced as i read this strange, breathtaking and audacious novel, so far ahead of its time, even today. Past and present in one unending circle, a beautiful rainbow coloured ourobouros.
The prose ages so well, gets better with every reading. The lines ring so poetically, they send chillz chillz chillz
This book, highly regarded as a science fiction classic, is not what I think of as science fiction. It's certainly imaginative fiction. It's set on another world, in an unknown time. The main characters are arguably humans, albeit with godlike Attributes that they have developed into essentially superpowers, over a very long period on living on this planet. I feel very ambivalent about the book, partly because I had a hard time getting into the story. Gradually Sam, the central character, grew on me, as I started to understand what he really wants to accomplish. I also started to like the writing and the structure of the plot, but there were too many battles for my taste.
There's a rather large cast of characters, and many of them are gods from the Vedic or Hindu pantheon (that is, they have the names of gods, and they act as gods -- for example, the one called Vishnu rides on the back of the great bird Garuda). Having read the Ramayana and some other Indian stories, I have a general idea of who some of these characters represent -- Agni, the good of fire, for example. Others, such as Ratri, goddess of the night, were altogether new to me. I had difficulty keeping the unfamiliar ones straight while I was reading, although by the end I was clear on most (not all) of them.
Part of my ambivalence is because I found many ideas in the story to be interesting (Sam is basically trying to free the inhabitants of the planet, and the other humans, from the tyranny of the gods), but in the manner of the ancient texts (such as the Ramayana), the action pretty much has to take place as epic battles, in which so-and-so smites someone else with his death vision or somesuch. Meanwhile, the reader is treated to some cool ideas about karmic results being decided by (human) priests, and people who have lived so many lifetimes in so many different bodies, they can no longer remember some of their greatest achievements from the past. Kali, the most frightening and powerful goddess, has a romantic history with both Sam and Yama, the death-god, and that produces some fine moments in the story.
There are some memorable scenes that stick with me, and it's possible I might re-read this one day. But I have to say the first third of the book was kind of a chore for me, and it wasn't until then that I started to enjoy it.
P.S. Others have criticized this book for misogyny. Recently I re-read Heinlein's [b:Stranger in a Strange Land|350|Stranger in a Strange Land|Robert A. Heinlein|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1156897088s/350.jpg|908211], and -- whew! -- compared with THAT one, Lord of Light is a feminist tract! So, no -- I did not find this book to be especially misogynistic.
There's a rather large cast of characters, and many of them are gods from the Vedic or Hindu pantheon (that is, they have the names of gods, and they act as gods -- for example, the one called Vishnu rides on the back of the great bird Garuda). Having read the Ramayana and some other Indian stories, I have a general idea of who some of these characters represent -- Agni, the good of fire, for example. Others, such as Ratri, goddess of the night, were altogether new to me. I had difficulty keeping the unfamiliar ones straight while I was reading, although by the end I was clear on most (not all) of them.
Part of my ambivalence is because I found many ideas in the story to be interesting (Sam is basically trying to free the inhabitants of the planet, and the other humans, from the tyranny of the gods), but in the manner of the ancient texts (such as the Ramayana), the action pretty much has to take place as epic battles, in which so-and-so smites someone else with his death vision or somesuch. Meanwhile, the reader is treated to some cool ideas about karmic results being decided by (human) priests, and people who have lived so many lifetimes in so many different bodies, they can no longer remember some of their greatest achievements from the past. Kali, the most frightening and powerful goddess, has a romantic history with both Sam and Yama, the death-god, and that produces some fine moments in the story.
There are some memorable scenes that stick with me, and it's possible I might re-read this one day. But I have to say the first third of the book was kind of a chore for me, and it wasn't until then that I started to enjoy it.
P.S. Others have criticized this book for misogyny. Recently I re-read Heinlein's [b:Stranger in a Strange Land|350|Stranger in a Strange Land|Robert A. Heinlein|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1156897088s/350.jpg|908211], and -- whew! -- compared with THAT one, Lord of Light is a feminist tract! So, no -- I did not find this book to be especially misogynistic.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the things I've noticed in the past decade or so is that modern science fiction stories seem to steer clear of religion. This is understandable considering the rationalism that our society has unfortunately embraced. That being said, I love reading these older sci-fi novels that explore the ways religion will be used in the future. A very fun and engaging read all around.
This book was engaging… but I honestly could not figure out what was going on for the first half of the book. I’m still not too sure what happened in the end. I think a well written book should be less confusing.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Clásico, con trazas de polvoriento. En teoría lo leí hace algo más de una década, pero ha resultado que no me acordaba de nada. Entre la prosa bastante poética (digo “bastante” porque a ratos hablan “normal”) y los nombres tan… exóticos, sospecho que en realidad lo abandoné al poco de empezar por hacérseme cuesta arriba. Ciertamente, en inglés es un reto, pero vale la pena porque te acostumbras rápido.
Poco puedo aportar a la crítica que aquí le dedicó [a:Lois McMaster Bujold|16094|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1377313786p2/16094.jpg], pero diré que a) 50 años después el tufo machista apesta bastante (incluso con frases literales que no tienen excusa ni en la tradición de la que bebe) y b) la narrativa temporal escogida y la creación sutil del mundo (show, don't tell) son todo un logro. Y diré más: la caracterización y la dinámica entre personajes está muy conseguida en unos cuantos casos.
Poco puedo aportar a la crítica que aquí le dedicó [a:Lois McMaster Bujold|16094|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1377313786p2/16094.jpg], pero diré que a) 50 años después el tufo machista apesta bastante (incluso con frases literales que no tienen excusa ni en la tradición de la que bebe) y b) la narrativa temporal escogida y la creación sutil del mundo (show, don't tell) son todo un logro. Y diré más: la caracterización y la dinámica entre personajes está muy conseguida en unos cuantos casos.
I mostly rated this book 4 stars because Zelazny has such a wonderful command of language making this book a pleasure to read. Sci-fi is still not my favorite genre and, therefore, I didn't find this story overly impressive. I preferred the first 5 books in the Amber series to this one.