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lexlingua 's review for:
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
Cross-posted from my more detailed review at Lexlingua.co
The "Gods" jealously guard their treasures of the advanced technological variety from the humans. Prominent among these treasures is the technique for re-incarnation, which is a lot like tissue bio-engineering of new bodies.
But Sam, leader of the Accelerationist movement, wants to open up those treasure vaults to the all of the humans so that they can improve their lives. The Gods, you see, are corrupt and nespotic, they are never going to play fair when it comes to deciding who deserves immortality and rebirth.
This "religious" reformation movement is the theme of Zelazny's book. Kudos to Zelazny for adding a touch of wry-dry humor to this story, and for handling techno-mythology in a very entertaining manner. Add to this some mystical double-meaning metaphysics from Sam, a Buddha-like figure and the titular Lord of Light. (Note that Sam is such a smooth operator that he even comes across as a charlatan several times.)
However, fair warning: there are parts that could be construed as "cultural (mis)appropriation" today. The book uses Hindu-Buddhist mythologies for its world-building and its characters. Even the names are exact rip-offs, as are the costumes, the gear, and the appearance. I really think that taking too much artistic liberty with motifs of living religions is problematic. There is a fine line of balance here, and YMMV, but I think Zelazny does skirt it a few times. In that sense, this book, while enjoyable, is not culturally sensitive and is rather dated.
The "Gods" jealously guard their treasures of the advanced technological variety from the humans. Prominent among these treasures is the technique for re-incarnation, which is a lot like tissue bio-engineering of new bodies.
But Sam, leader of the Accelerationist movement, wants to open up those treasure vaults to the all of the humans so that they can improve their lives. The Gods, you see, are corrupt and nespotic, they are never going to play fair when it comes to deciding who deserves immortality and rebirth.
This "religious" reformation movement is the theme of Zelazny's book. Kudos to Zelazny for adding a touch of wry-dry humor to this story, and for handling techno-mythology in a very entertaining manner. Add to this some mystical double-meaning metaphysics from Sam, a Buddha-like figure and the titular Lord of Light. (Note that Sam is such a smooth operator that he even comes across as a charlatan several times.)
However, fair warning: there are parts that could be construed as "cultural (mis)appropriation" today. The book uses Hindu-Buddhist mythologies for its world-building and its characters. Even the names are exact rip-offs, as are the costumes, the gear, and the appearance. I really think that taking too much artistic liberty with motifs of living religions is problematic. There is a fine line of balance here, and YMMV, but I think Zelazny does skirt it a few times. In that sense, this book, while enjoyable, is not culturally sensitive and is rather dated.