Lord of Light

Rating:
Summary: Binder of Demons
Review: On a far planet in the future, mankind has fallen into its old ways. Long ago, the officers of the spacecraft STAR OF INDIA stranded their colonists with no technology, then returned in a century to rule their descendants as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Not only can they switch to new bodies by a technological trick, but after the first century they begin to develop godlike mental powers. Once they were all saved by the power of Sam, who could bind the demonic energy creatures native to the planet; today they spurn Lord Siddartha, as he is known, and plot to harm him, and so begins Sam's war against Heaven; just as the fit hits the Shan. Sam is angry with the way the world is run, and prepares his most potent weapon: philosophy. You thought philosophy was the stuff of dry tomes? Watch Sam's new buddhism attack the roots of this pseudo-Hinduism like weed killer. Even though the goddess of destruction Kali was once his wife, Sam fights a war to the death...and beyond, and then even further than that, against beings who hurl lightning and fire, who breathe dreams and dance emotions, who are nearly the gods they imagine themselves to be. But not even the Buddha was above Death, and Sam must play a deadly game with Dharma himself until the world is convulsed with war. The world's last Christian is no help either; he's become a satanic figure leading an army of mindless zombies. Gods, goddesses, men, apes, and demons contend in a book so well-considered it's nearly poetry. As original in its way as Lord of the Rings, it will always be considered one of Roger Zelazny's finest works.

Rating:
Summary: Zelazny's seminal work
Review: This is one of the best sci-fi/fantasy novels written in the 60th. The book is somewhat complicated, so here are the few plot clues for the readers who don't want to read it twice to understand the novel. First chapter of the book is really one of the last ones. Then, starting from chapter 2 is where the story really begins. The hero of the book, Sam is one of the few immortals ( the action takes place on some planet, where few people has access to long forgotten technology, which makes them rulers "gods" of the normal people living on the planet) who fights against other rulers of the world to allow regular people lives to be better. So, he must face the wrath of "gods" and survive against all odds to help people. This is somewhat the retelling of Prometheus Myth ( the one where he brings people light, which uplifts them from dark ages). Great book.

Rating:
Summary: Superlative SF/Fantasy
Review: Roger Zelazny was the greatest science fiction writer of the century. This remains his most important work. It is nothing short of brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: 7 Stars for Sam
Review: My only regret is that it ends. Once I entered the rich world created by Zelazny, I never wanted to leave. I have read and re-read this masterpiece of science fiction, and my time has always been well rewarded. But I can't help envying any person who had the chance to read it for the first time. Just as the Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Asimov's I, Robot, Gibson's Neuromancer, Card's Ender's Game and other works were ground-breaking works in the genre, Lord of Light is a timeless classic that must be on the shelf of any SF lover.

Rating:
Summary: IT'S BACK IN PRINT!
Review: IT'S BACK IN PRINT! IT'S BACK IN PRINT! Thank all the gods, it's finally back in print!

The book is everything promised and so much more. A mature counter-point to the (also excellent) "Creature of Light and Darkness", the book is not diminished by re-reading.

Even though I have the story comitted to memory, along with numerous key quotes, it remains fresh and insightful -- indeed, timeless. The book was written in 1967 and could have just as easily been read today.

The characters are distinct and original and, yet, at the same time the story has an epic and poetic feel that is perfectly appropriate to its subject matter.

Zelazny was the Lord of Writers and we shan't see his like again. Let us only hope that this book is the first of many re-prints to come.

Rating:
Summary: I just want to add my 5 stars
Review: This is a great book. No review can possibly do it justice.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, its about time
Review: This has long been one of my favorites. It is Zelazny at his best, and represents a fusion of sci-fi and fantasy. I love this book, and my old copy was so worn out that I have been looking for another for about two years. This re-release represents a chance for those lucky individuals who have not yet had the pleasure of reading this amazing book to do so, and for those of us who want another copy to get one. If I had to reccomend one book this season it would be a this one - do yourself a favor and spend the money.

Rating:
Summary: Lord of Light
Review: This book is my bible. Having lost my 10+ year old copy, I am THRILLED to see this re-released. (I have ordered 5 copies) This supercedes Vampire Lestat and scores of other excellent books and holds as my personal "Best Book Ever!" I have read it over 100 times (And I do have a life besides) and I keep getting something new from it. You must read this at least 3 times to actually understand this book. It doesn't follow chronologically (skips around in time) and people change bodies and names, so there is too much to keep track of in one reading... Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: One of the five best SF novels ever?
Review: Great news for Roger Zelazny freaks everywhere - "Lord of Light" is now BACK IN PRINT.

Now you can read this 1970's masterwork saga, blurbed as one on the five best SF fantasy novels ever written, of immortal humans masquerading as gods in a high-tech Hindu pantheon, in the setting of a theme-park colonised planet.

In between conspiracies, revenge, treachery and heroic battles we read of occasional touching humanitarian incidents, as we follow the adventures of the hero, Sam, the only one of the gods with a conscience. Sam uses his wits to counter the brutal destructiveness of his former colleagues and so allow civilisation and technology to take root in the benighted and medieval lives of the mortal population on the planet.

I read the novel in August 1999 in the SF Masterworks series, an imprint of Orion Publishing.

Rating:
Summary: Back in print (in New Zealand, at least)
Review: The good news: this classic is back in print. I made the mistake of lending my dog-eared copy a year or two, and haven't seen it since. The publisher is: Millenium (an imprint of Orion Books Ltd), Orion House, 5 Upper St Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9EA, Email: [e-mail]

The bad news: this edition has to be the poorest piece of proof-reading I've seen. I picked up about 10 glaring typing errors in the first hundred pages, some of which make complete nonsense of the affected sentence. Example: on page 6, paragraph beginning "Despite his fall from favor...". The fifth sentence reads "He was known to be wider even than the Lord Kubera...". For "wider", read "wiser".

I don't know if this edition is available in the US.