Review of Light
Jul. 23rd, 2010 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluegargantuaHey,
So I finished up Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It was pretty good (although I'm reminded again of just how short novels used to be...and how not-part-of-a-trilogy-or-series they were).
The story is pretty straight-forward. Humans fleeing earth land on another planet and the crew of the ship which brought them there maintain a monopoly on technology and soon impose the Hindu faith on the populace with themselves set up as the gods. Thanks to a mind-transference device and vat-grown bodies, reincarnation is a very literal thing and thanks to mind-probes a person's karma can be appraised and the type of new body received (if any) can be modified.
A former crew member, Sam, gets a bit fed up with the status quo and begins to stir up revolution against the gods -- chiefly by re-introducing the Buddhist religion (with himself as Buddha, though he takes pains to let others draw that conclusion). He's also aided by his special power of binding demons. Demons are the energy beings native to the planet who can be controlled thanks to Sam's mutant control over electromagnetism.
Like I say, the story was pretty good, but I feel like the concept of humans using tech to be gods been re-used often enough (I'm thinking here of Ilium and Olympos) that the idea isn't quite as fresh as it was in the late sixties. The focus on Eastern religions is a nice touch that could really stand for some additional airings in sci-fi.
So it was a good read, but nothing I'm thrusting into anyone's hands demanding they read.
later
Tom
So I finished up Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It was pretty good (although I'm reminded again of just how short novels used to be...and how not-part-of-a-trilogy-or-series they were).
The story is pretty straight-forward. Humans fleeing earth land on another planet and the crew of the ship which brought them there maintain a monopoly on technology and soon impose the Hindu faith on the populace with themselves set up as the gods. Thanks to a mind-transference device and vat-grown bodies, reincarnation is a very literal thing and thanks to mind-probes a person's karma can be appraised and the type of new body received (if any) can be modified.
A former crew member, Sam, gets a bit fed up with the status quo and begins to stir up revolution against the gods -- chiefly by re-introducing the Buddhist religion (with himself as Buddha, though he takes pains to let others draw that conclusion). He's also aided by his special power of binding demons. Demons are the energy beings native to the planet who can be controlled thanks to Sam's mutant control over electromagnetism.
Like I say, the story was pretty good, but I feel like the concept of humans using tech to be gods been re-used often enough (I'm thinking here of Ilium and Olympos) that the idea isn't quite as fresh as it was in the late sixties. The focus on Eastern religions is a nice touch that could really stand for some additional airings in sci-fi.
So it was a good read, but nothing I'm thrusting into anyone's hands demanding they read.
later
Tom
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 06:59 pm (UTC)YOU ARE DEAD TO ME.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 07:16 pm (UTC)I'm going to reread Roadmarks soon. I really remember enjoying that one.
later
Tom
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 07:08 pm (UTC)I know right? I was hoping for a follow-on book called "DEMON DOGS!"
later
Tom
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 07:13 pm (UTC). . . I think our standards for "pretty straightforward" are different from other people's.
but nothing I'm thrusting into anyone's hands demanding they read.
What are you thrusting into people's hands?
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 11:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 11:56 pm (UTC)http://www.nesfa.org/press/Books/Zelazny-Project.html