Sign in with Facebook
Alazzar's Reviews > Lord of Light
Lord of Light
by
by
[Originally read July 30, 2010-August 8, 2010]
I've long been a fan of Zelazny's Amber series, and in the past, I've heard that he once penned a story that could be even better: Lord of Light. I just finished Lord of Light, and I have to say: I still give the title of "Best Zelazny Story" to the Amber series. But it was a damn close race.
I'm not normally a science-fiction type of guy (fantasy and horror are more to my liking), so I was a little worried going into this book. Even though Zelazny is my favorite author, I wasn't sure I'd like Lord of Light, since I'd read some of his sci-fi short stories before and wasn't overly interested in them (simply because of the subject matter -- not because of the writing, which is always fantastic). Lord of Light took me a little while to get into, but once I finished off that first chapter and delved into the second, I was hooked.
This book tells the story of Sam, who may be Buddha, or may not. He wages a war against men and women who have assumed the roles of Hindu gods, and finds himself fighting against impossible odds while spreading the teachings of Buddhism. I'll admit that I knew next to nothing about Buddhism and Hinduism before reading this book, and I still don't know how much I've learned, simply because I don't know exactly what parts Zelazny took from established religion and what parts he made up himself. But ultimately, it doesn't matter. Sam's crusade is one that I find myself getting behind, regardless of what my real-world beliefs are.
The book got off to a bit of a rocky start for me, simply because the prose was a little more poetic than I'm used to seeing from Zelazny. At first, it was a little off-putting, because it wasn't as easy to read as some of his other works. But then I settled into the style of the voice and came to enjoy the beautiful imagery that he was able to create with his words.
I also found it a little difficult to really immerse myself in the story early on because there were a lot of names being revealed and past events being discussed, about which I had no prior knowledge. So I found myself having to flip back a few pages in the first chapter in order to re-read certain excerpts. But once I got things figured out, it was smooth sailing.
All in all, this is a book I'd recommend to anyone who appreciates an aspect of religion or mythology in their fiction (like Neil Gaiman's American Gods). However, I'd make sure the person knew what they were getting into, and I certainly wouldn't make this the first Zelazny book I put in front of someone. It's a little difficult to get started, and I'd hate for someone to give up on this book and never give Zelazny another chance.
Five stars, well deserved.
[Re-read November 26, 2011-December 01, 2011]
Wow . . . I didn't think it possible, but the book was actually better on the second read.
I've had some problems with certain Zelazny stories in the past, in that I couldn't tell if I truly loved them, or if I was just reacting to the hype I'd read. "A Rose For Ecclesiastes" is a perfect example: I'd always read that it was one of his greatest stories, so when I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't figure out if I enjoyed it because I really liked it, or if I enjoyed it because my brain had been conditioned to believe I should.
I seem to recall having a similar problem with Lord of Light, on the first read-through: I couldn't tell if it was really THAT amazing of a book, or if it was just a fairly amazing book and I was just jumping on the bandwagon.
But, after this second read-through, I know the truth: Lord of Light is fucking fantastic. Seriously, this thing is a masterpiece. Everything is just . . . it's perfect. I don't know how else to say it. All I know is that I'm 100% positive that these are my own views--I'm no longer wondering if the book's reputation is preceding it. It's been a LONG time since I've read a book that I was as into as Lord of Light. And that's saying something, because I've been reading plenty of books that are entirely new experiences for me--and yet, Lord of Light, on a second read-through where I already knew what was happening, was far more captivating.
If you haven't read this book, your life is incomplete.
[Re-read August 03-09, 2014]
Holy crap--I can't believe it's been nearly three years since last I read this book. What is wrong with me?!
(It's still awesome, by the way.)
I've long been a fan of Zelazny's Amber series, and in the past, I've heard that he once penned a story that could be even better: Lord of Light. I just finished Lord of Light, and I have to say: I still give the title of "Best Zelazny Story" to the Amber series. But it was a damn close race.
I'm not normally a science-fiction type of guy (fantasy and horror are more to my liking), so I was a little worried going into this book. Even though Zelazny is my favorite author, I wasn't sure I'd like Lord of Light, since I'd read some of his sci-fi short stories before and wasn't overly interested in them (simply because of the subject matter -- not because of the writing, which is always fantastic). Lord of Light took me a little while to get into, but once I finished off that first chapter and delved into the second, I was hooked.
This book tells the story of Sam, who may be Buddha, or may not. He wages a war against men and women who have assumed the roles of Hindu gods, and finds himself fighting against impossible odds while spreading the teachings of Buddhism. I'll admit that I knew next to nothing about Buddhism and Hinduism before reading this book, and I still don't know how much I've learned, simply because I don't know exactly what parts Zelazny took from established religion and what parts he made up himself. But ultimately, it doesn't matter. Sam's crusade is one that I find myself getting behind, regardless of what my real-world beliefs are.
The book got off to a bit of a rocky start for me, simply because the prose was a little more poetic than I'm used to seeing from Zelazny. At first, it was a little off-putting, because it wasn't as easy to read as some of his other works. But then I settled into the style of the voice and came to enjoy the beautiful imagery that he was able to create with his words.
I also found it a little difficult to really immerse myself in the story early on because there were a lot of names being revealed and past events being discussed, about which I had no prior knowledge. So I found myself having to flip back a few pages in the first chapter in order to re-read certain excerpts. But once I got things figured out, it was smooth sailing.
All in all, this is a book I'd recommend to anyone who appreciates an aspect of religion or mythology in their fiction (like Neil Gaiman's American Gods). However, I'd make sure the person knew what they were getting into, and I certainly wouldn't make this the first Zelazny book I put in front of someone. It's a little difficult to get started, and I'd hate for someone to give up on this book and never give Zelazny another chance.
Five stars, well deserved.
[Re-read November 26, 2011-December 01, 2011]
Wow . . . I didn't think it possible, but the book was actually better on the second read.
I've had some problems with certain Zelazny stories in the past, in that I couldn't tell if I truly loved them, or if I was just reacting to the hype I'd read. "A Rose For Ecclesiastes" is a perfect example: I'd always read that it was one of his greatest stories, so when I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't figure out if I enjoyed it because I really liked it, or if I enjoyed it because my brain had been conditioned to believe I should.
I seem to recall having a similar problem with Lord of Light, on the first read-through: I couldn't tell if it was really THAT amazing of a book, or if it was just a fairly amazing book and I was just jumping on the bandwagon.
But, after this second read-through, I know the truth: Lord of Light is fucking fantastic. Seriously, this thing is a masterpiece. Everything is just . . . it's perfect. I don't know how else to say it. All I know is that I'm 100% positive that these are my own views--I'm no longer wondering if the book's reputation is preceding it. It's been a LONG time since I've read a book that I was as into as Lord of Light. And that's saying something, because I've been reading plenty of books that are entirely new experiences for me--and yet, Lord of Light, on a second read-through where I already knew what was happening, was far more captivating.
If you haven't read this book, your life is incomplete.
[Re-read August 03-09, 2014]
Holy crap--I can't believe it's been nearly three years since last I read this book. What is wrong with me?!
(It's still awesome, by the way.)
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Lord of Light.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-1 of 1 (1 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Thrift Store Book Miner
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Feb 10, 2024 11:08AM
This was a fascinating and complex book. It contains so many different elements and so many different ideas. It's definitely one that can be read multiple times and pick up something new each time through.
reply
|
flag
