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warragh 's review for:
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke
Lord of Light is a wonderfully dense book about a group of humans with seemingly godlike powers. Not all is what it seems however and as the book advances the mystery slowly unravels to reveal the truth hidden behind the myths.
The story follows Sam, one of the foremost members of this group as he turns against his former comrades and tries to create a better world for everyone. He is the driving force of the entire story, however Zelazny manages to create a character which is supremely powerful but at the same time vulnerable and fallible.
The big theme of the book however is religion, the nature of divinity and the right of so called "higher beings" to decide the fate of others. The book is very critical, presenting religions as simply methods of mass manipulation which could annoy more religious readers but for me it was a very honest exploration of the way religion can be exploited by those in power.
It has to be said that the book starts rather slow and heavy and it takes a couple of chapters for story to really gather momentum but once it gets going it never really slows until the very end. There are some quieter moments, but overall the pacing is very good. Also worth mentioning is the quality of the writing which is head and shoulders above the prose typically found in SF books.
In conclusion, a wonderful read slightly held back by a demanding beginning.
Lord of Light is a wonderfully dense book about a group of humans with seemingly godlike powers. Not all is what it seems however and as the book advances the mystery slowly unravels to reveal the truth hidden behind the myths.
The story follows Sam, one of the foremost members of this group as he turns against his former comrades and tries to create a better world for everyone. He is the driving force of the entire story, however Zelazny manages to create a character which is supremely powerful but at the same time vulnerable and fallible.
The big theme of the book however is religion, the nature of divinity and the right of so called "higher beings" to decide the fate of others. The book is very critical, presenting religions as simply methods of mass manipulation which could annoy more religious readers but for me it was a very honest exploration of the way religion can be exploited by those in power.
It has to be said that the book starts rather slow and heavy and it takes a couple of chapters for story to really gather momentum but once it gets going it never really slows until the very end. There are some quieter moments, but overall the pacing is very good. Also worth mentioning is the quality of the writing which is head and shoulders above the prose typically found in SF books.
In conclusion, a wonderful read slightly held back by a demanding beginning.