Lord of Light

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best, but not for the inexperienced reader
Review: This is clearly one of the greatest SF novels of all time, but the novice reader of Science Fiction should put off reading it till they are more familiar with the genre. Zelazny was a master of one of the special joys of SF: the joy of figuring out what is going on. (note that in the first Amber novel, the narrator has amnesia and you are right there with him figuring out what is going on....) At first glance Lord of Light might seem a religious mish mash, but in fact is a techno/politico masterpiece (a really wild technolgy but not so unfamiliar politics...) Combined with the out of order chapters, it is easy to see how someone who had not read much science ficture could find this book incomprehensible. But it will give great enjoyment to the more experienced reader, (and re-reader.)

Rating:
Summary: An absolute riot
Review: This is Zelazny's finest novel by far. And it contains probably the finest pun in science fiction: when the ruler, the Shan,
throws an epileptic fit, it's written, "the fit hit the Shan." That gives you an idea of what the novel is like. Then there's the part where where some inhabitants finally get a flush toilet. In order to store good karma before the toilet gets there, they store, um, certain "substances," which causes the neighbors to complain mightily. And there's much more: non-corporeal "demons" (the original inhabitants of the planet) with
whom the hero, "Sam," gambles, and humans disguised as powerful
Hindu gods, through the use of advanced technology. If you never read anything else by Zelazny, you should at least read this book. You will enjoy it immensely, I promise.

Rating:
Summary: An awesome book
Review: I've read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy over the years, and Zelazny remains one of my favourite authors. His style may not suit everyone: the pace can be quick and he often gives you brief allusions to things you never hear much more about. It's a part of the way he creates a world, by giving his characters a story and a history beyond that which is set down in the actual novel.

Zelazny didn't always get it right - for example, I found "Eye of Cat" very hard to follow - but I think he's done it perfectly in "Lord of Light". It gives a powerful beauty and poignancy to both the beginning and the end of the novel, while the imagination and presentation of the magic/technology remains as consistent and fresh today as when he wrote the novel in the 1960s. This novel has a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: Roger Zelanzny's Lord Of Light- amazing and a must read
Review: this book is absolutely amazing. and trust me, i have read many, many books, and i do not lightly say this. lord of light is one of the best books ever written. now, in the some of the other reviews, people said it was tedious and a bad book. that is because they are rather stupid- one can tell from their writing style. this book is amazing in the way that at first it is rather confusing and boring. it doesn't occupy you in the first two chapters at all, but as you continue reading a picture is painted for you, a picture that doesn't make very much sense until you finish reading, and even then it may not make complete sense. you are left with a sense of wonder, of excitement, and a feeling of understanding, although you do not quite know what it is you understand. i find it impossible to tell exactly what this book is about, for i myself really do not know. i just understand it on a deeper level. but to tell you a bit about it...it is the battle over time between the gods and the common men, whom are led by a great leader, sam. sam, who could be a god, but is not one (at least not officially). sam, who is more a god than the "real" gods. this book has so many vivid and incredibly real characters that it is impossible to describe. this is a MUST READ, but don't expect to finish reading it and move on. you must continue to think about it, to make connections, in order to get this book. and that is what is the greatest triumph of it: it grinds itself into your mind, haunting you, for it presents you with concepts and ideas that fascinate you. i promise you, you will reread it again and again and continue to find more connections, more insights. now i'm going to end this- i'm rereading lord of light again.

Rating:
Summary: Huxley it ain't...
Review: I'm afraid that I must agree with the comments of 'Tedious' below. Apart from a wonderful idea for the theme of this novel (eastern religion meets western technology) their was not enough character or plot development to sustain my interest past the half-way mark. This book has been praised as an influence by some very great authors, but I must assume it was the theme and not the narrative itself that caught their fancy. The prose reads like a translation of a Buddhist religious text which, if you've ever read the translation of a Buddhist religious text, is chock full of stultifyingly bad prose and the promise of enlightenment to anyone who can simply persevere through to the last page. A very dissapointing book for me, considering it's high falutin' recommendations. There are a few funny moments, but overall, I'll stick with Huxley's 'Perrenial Philosophy', a non-fiction overview of comparitaive religion, which treats of the same theme in a much more enlightening and far less condescending manner.

Rating:
Summary: What you get is what you see...
Review: People seem to either love or hate this book, which is usually a good sign that a book has something to say beyond mere entertainment. I'm not knocking entertainment, but when it is combined with insight and intelligence, then you've really got something. I'm the first to admit that Zelazny often paints scenes with a pointilistic detail that sometimes reads more like a director talking to a cinematographer after a long night in the pub, but I'll grant him that small fault for the brilliant commentary on relgion, decadence, and the ambivalence of heros. It's one thing to give your life for a cause, but would you also give your self respect?

I think this book makes its points without hitting you over the head with them. If you can find the meaning without having it spelled out for you, then you will enjoy it. If you're looking for messages in neon, don't bother.

I loved this book for its contradictions. My experience of life is that it often doesn't make sense, people are not simply good or bad, and there are very few situations free from ambiguity. If you want a George Lucas style neatly tailored space yarn, this book is not for you. But if you've read Sartre, then this book belongs in your mind and your library.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious
Review: I found this book tedious. I was very shocked to see it has 5 stars with 85 reviews, very overhyped.

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother with this one.
Review: Now maybe I'm just dumb, but I found this book incredibly tedious to read. I could live with the vague religion, the convoluted story line, the cheesezy references to "old earth", even the dense and overly decriptive paragraphs that yield little in the way of plot or character devlopment. I slogged though all that and at the end of it we find out very little about "sam" or what he was doing this whole time except that he is fighting a civil war againist the gods. I could go on and on, but basically don't waste your money on Lord of Light.

Rating:
Summary: One of the true classics
Review: I first purchased this book in college in the late 60's. I knew nothing of the author, but the cover looked interesting and proclaimed it had won the Hugo Award. Little did I know what
an adventure awaited. If I were to make a list of my ten favorite books of all time, this would be on the list. Read and reread.

Rating:
Summary: Zelazny succeeded where many others fail
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.