Rating: 
Summary: Sam, the eternal rebel
Review: I've always considered "Lord of Light" (1967) one of the hardest of Zelazny's SF novels to follow. The story line weaves and doubles back upon itself. Gods and mortals are reborn into new bodies, and it's a bit hard to keep track of who's who, especially at novel's end. Zelazny's hero, Sam has many reincarnations and many names including Mahasamatman, Maitreya ("Lord of Light"), Binder of Demons, Buddha, and Siddhartha.Sam is part of the original crew from "The Star of India," many of whom borrowed the names, attributes, and aspects from the Hindu pantheon of gods as the new planet was wrested from its original inhabitants. Many of the crew, not unreasonably, discover that they enjoy godhood. They build themselves a heaven and set about ruling the peasants through their priest-mouthpieces. Any signs that the lower classes are re-acquiring their technological heritage, such as the reinvention of the printing press are thoroughly squelched. The gods are in charge of reincarnation, and if someone incurs the displeasure of Heaven in his current life, he may (as one of the gods puts it) find himself reincarnated as a gelded water buffalo. Sam believes that the lower classes should be given the benefit of technology, and along with a group of like-minded gods called 'accelerationists' sets out to challenge the more conservative deities. There are several wars (which are not told in sequence) and Sam repeatedly incurs the wrath of Heaven. He responds with Promethean defiance, even as he is about to die the true death: "I will hate Heaven with every breath that I draw. If Brahma has me burnt, I will spit into the flames..."
Finally he reinvents an old religion, borrowed from the distant memory of Earth. In order to lessen the influence of the Hindu pantheon, he becomes a monk who is understood by some to be the Buddha.
Sam loses this phase of the war, too, and becomes truly disembodied.
But did he really lose? The beliefs of Buddhism and accelerationism remain and thrive among men. Bifocals are reinvented. When Sam's atman (soul) is reincarnated into one final body by the death god, Yama, he renews his titanic struggle against a weakened Heaven. Zelazny's writing style tends to vary between the formal when he is deviating from the 'present,' and a livelier tone when he is narrating Sam's current adventures. When the tone is detached and archaic, such as "...This is the story of how the prince did bait the one-armed receiver of devotions before the Temple..." then the reader can assume that Zelazny is abandoning the straight-line narrative for a bit of history essential to the plot. "Lord of Light" is sometimes confusing, but this Hugo-award-winning novel is bursting with inventive detail and thought-provoking ideas on the necessity for reinventing religions. Above all it has Sam: Zelazny's eternal rebel against everything that smacks of conservatism and oppression.
Rating: 
Summary: Not to be contrary, but...
Review: This book didn't grab me as much as I had expected. The description I got was of a thought-provoking look at religion from the perspective of technology; gods being simply highly advanced members of the race they subjugated and kept in the dark. But it isn't so. Zelazny's gods are complex, and put a very human spin on mythology, but he doesn't confine them to technology and mortality. Magic abounds, much is left unexplained, and he invokes the mysticism of actual mythology. You may say there's nothing wrong with that approach. But the problem is, if I want mythology, I read real mythology. Any of the great traditions of myth - Greek, Norse, Hindu, Celt, Buddhist, etc. have a depth and subtle beauty that benefits from hundreds of years of retelling and refining, something one author can't match, particularly when trying to meld it with sci-fi. There are good elements. Siddartha, as the rebel of the old Hindu pantheon, is a perfect confidence man. Other gods (Kali, and particularly Nirriti the Black) have character, but Zelazny makes many disposable, and utterly omits noteworthy mortals, a sin for any book of myth. The best that I can say is that this book makes me want to review Hindu and Buddhist myth in the future. But what I expected from the reviews was a scathing interpretation of old religion as power plays and intrigue. If you are looking, as I was, for "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!", look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: poorly written and confusing
Review: This book has an interesting premise. People have become Hindu gods. They can re-incarnate themselves. They are ruling a planet inhabited by their descendants, whom they keep in the stone age. The problem is that it's almost incomprehensible. Most of the book is apparently a flashback, but the transition to the past is confusing, and there are references to an even further past, so you can never tell what time period you are in. It appears that only the first and last chapters are the present time. Most of the characters are confusing, too. They appear without introduction or development and it's hard to remember who is who or why they relate to each other. A lot of these characters have super powers, but the powers are not well explained, so when they have battles it's hard to figure out who is doing what or why. There are quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Some of them purport to be out of Hindu or possibly Buddhist scriptures. I wondered whether they really were scriptures. If so, why does the story parallel real scriptures? The description of the book on the cover says that these are people who came from a long-vanished Earth; BUT the book doesn't say that at all. You wonder whether instead the book is hypothesizing a science fiction explanation for the Hindu religion here on earth. The connections between chapters are also confusing, so that the story line is even harder to follow. It's also hard to follow the motivations of the main character, Sam. This is possibly because it's never clear which when he is in. You have to wonder what happened to the concept of editors.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Work of Science Fiction
Review: This book is the finest example of what Roger Zelazny did best: synthesize fantasy and reality into something truly breathtaking in scope. Any science fiction fan MUST read all of his works, including the popular Amber series, and especially his short stories. Zelazny even 'co-wrote' a book with Alfred Bester- 'Psychoshop.' But standing as his crowing achievement is 'Lord Of Light.' I have read it over and over across the years and take something new from it each time. My most recent read left me impressed with his intentionally sketchy description of how 'attributes' and 'aspects' were developed by the colonists. So is this a novel of science fiction or fantasy? Both? It depends on how you interpret the concepts presented. The religious imagery and references are also compelling. By presenting the sole 'christian' as a fanatic dressed all in black, and casting 'demons' as allies (sometimes) of the protagonist, one is left to ponder Zelazny's own views on religion. And, of course, the casting of the Hindu religion's gods and pantheon as supremely powerful high-tech immortal mutants is a stroke of genius. You will never forget Yama, Brahma, Kali, Tak the ape, and of course Mahasamatman. This book always causes me to think about life, death, 'life after death', and the possibilities of science, both good and bad. What will humans be like in the future? Will they continue to repeat the mistakes of the past? The truth is that Zelazny presents these future humans as just that: human. Throughout the chronicles of Sam we see the workings of the more emotional aspects of human consciousness-- such as love, lust, duty, jealousy, anger, and the power of a single human will. And by the end of the book it is clear that these are the things that truly matter; much more so than high-tech weaponry and amazing mutant psychic powers. Thanks Roger.
Rating:
Summary: 60's fantasy for the 21st century
Review: I first read this book in the late 60's when it came out, and was intrigued by Zelazny's blending of myth, fantasy and science fiction. I've just re-read it and it remains as fresh and incisive as it seemed then.
Loosely incorporating Hindu myths and legends, Zelazny weaves the tale of a would be Buddha's revolt against an authoritarian pantheon of gods on a Terran colonized planet. Prayer wheels have evolved into pray-o-mats that take coin or plastic cards, reincarnation is achieved by bioengineering but controlled by gods, the world contains nonhuman sentient energy wraiths that are called Rakashas, or demons. While taking liberties with the originals, and providing scientific explanations for their aspects, attributes and avatars, Zelazny still manages to capture the flavor of the historical Siddhartha and early Buddhism's challenge to an aging and sclerotic religo-political hierarchy This won the Hugo when it was first published in 1967 and remains a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Always entertaining
Review: ...
To avoid repetition, I won't repeat the details of the story. While it's not as easy a read as his Amber series - the story seems more dense somehow, maybe because it's all in one book - Zelazny's dialogue still sparkles and his humor is still as sharp. While it's not exactly hard-core SF, it's an entertaining read, full of surprises, epic moments, and memorable characters. I was recommended this book by a friend who said I remind him of Yama (the God of Death character in this book). I'm not sure what he meant, but I assume he meant it as a compliment somehow. That's what sticks with me about this book. Hope that helps.
Rating:
Summary: Where is the SCIENCE in this science fiction?
Review: This book isn't really science fiction. It is actually a fantasy book (a rather good one) but it's being marketed as science fiction. The technology they employ is totally unbelievable and besides it isn't the focus of the story.
The focus of the story is some superficial character interaction, some VERY basic theology (the kind used by those who don't actually study it), and some cool powers. It has no science or even a neat hypothesis, then why is it science fiction?
It's fun, but let's not pretend it's deep. It's a quick read, but let's not pretend it's new; the whole idea of the Gods being humans with high tech was done over and over, but usually with Greek mythology. The whole incredible twist here is the use of Hinduism and Buddhism instead. Let's not say it takes a genius for that. Even the idea of the alien life being the demons in the world is hardly used and glossed over (and was probably the most interesting idea in the whole book).
If you like fantasy and finds ultra-powered battles fun by all means read this book, but if you are expecting an original idea based on science or at least a rational insight you are not going to find it in here. The occasional use of a pseudo-technical term doesn't make it SCIENCE fiction, it takes a storyline that is based on a rational exploration of an idea. Julio Verne was wrong in much of his science, but he had the originality to propose something new and build a somewhat rational story around it. Asimov wrote in Foundation about sociology and even added some cool twists to the story. Zelazny only has the cool nomenclature of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite sci-fi experiences
Review: Words do no describe the ride that is this book.
Jungles. Gods. Buddhas. Demons bound below. This takes 2nd Foundation to a whole new level.
Roger Zelazny demonstrates his mastery with this incredible little book. It provides a spiritual journey, among other things, and a picture of a whole world, a political battle. But there's more to it than flower petals on giant stone idols. There's action. It starts small, and builds up to momentous, incredible, panoramic.. He really takes your imagination and stretches it HARD. His characters display a certain amount of wit and brilliance. Their speech is laden with wisdom. The book is quite believeable, which is rare for a sci fi book laden with so much mysticism. Basically, it's a must read.
Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic
Review: _Lord of Light_ by Roger Zelazny is one of those great sci-fi books where the author compresses his vision into one stand-alone work rather than spread his tale out over a number of serialized books in order to make more money. The result is a super-potent, literary sci-fi novel with all the makings of a great American classic. This book is clearly influenced by the 1960's eastern philosophical/psychedelic movement and it has a legitimate, scholarly view of Hindu religious philosophy. It is complex, thought-provoking, and profound, and unlike most sci-fi, it truly challenges the reader intellectually. Any fan of sci-fi absolutely MUST read this book, and I also highly recommend it to people who are not even fans of the genre. _Lord of Light_ is one of those rare books that will cross the boundries of genre and eventually be considered among the timeless classics of American literature.
Rating:
Summary: Deep and Magical
Review: This is one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. If you are going to read one of
Zelazny's books make it this one. It is at times funny, serious, outragous and compassionate. All the
characters in it are all too human and each, at times, sucumb to their weaknesses. But all the major
characters are given a chance to rise above the best they believe themselves capable of. Don't take
offense to the liberties Zelazny takes in the portrayals of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity and
you will learn much about yourself whatever your beliefs are.
| 
