El Señor de la Luz (Spanish Edition)

Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment at the foot of the Bodhi tree and became the Buddha: his teachings swept across India, striking at the roots of decadent Brahmanism. The Hindu priests were understandably alarmed, but were helpless against the doctrine of the eightfold path as the stale air

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inside a room against the tempest raging outside. So they did the clever thing: after the Buddha's passing, they assimilated him and made him an avatar of Vishnu (in fact, they licked him by joining him). Perhaps this is the fate of all reformers!

This much is history. Roger Zelazny takes the bare bones of this story, adds the exotic ingredients of Indian myth and legend haphazardly, seasons it with the spirit of Prometheus who moved against heaven, and serves it up as a science fiction novel. For people who have not tasted exotic and spicy Indian dishes (at least not regularly), this is extraordinary fare indeed: alas, for my jaded palate, this is quite ordinary.

Zelazny writes superbly. The novel is structured imaginatively-as Adam Roberts says in the introduction, the author deliberately wrong foots us with the flashback. The language is rich and lush and a bit cloying, like India at its exotic best (or worst), seen from an “Orientalist” perspective. In an age when characterization was almost nonexistent in SF, Zelazny gives us rounded characters who behave consistently. The SF elements are also well developed and consistent with a technology so far advanced that it is “indistinguishable from magic” (to borrow from Arthur C. Clarke).

That the author is well acquainted with India is obvious. He knows the names of a lot of Indian gods (not only the Vedic pantheon – Murugan is a Tamil god). From the way the Kathakali performance is described in detail, I am almost sure that Zelazny has travelled in Kerala (my native place). The way each god’s “Attribute” defines him or her is more or less consistent with Hindu mythology – and it has been translated into scientific terms quite convincingly. And the way the “Rakasha” (the Rakshasa s and Asuras of Indian myth) have been described as elemental spirits of the planet, subdued and imprisoned by the human colonisers, closely parallels the real origin of these demons in folklore.

But once all the bells and whistles were removed, I found the story of a renegade god moving against the celestial dictators quite ordinary. If the whole Indian pantheon were not in the story, if it was just the tale of a plain “Sam”‘s rebellion, I do not think this book would have merited a second glance at the awards. It was sold under the label of exotic India, like many other orientalist offerings. One might argue that this was Zeazny’s intention, and that there is nothing wrong in it: I would tend to agree. His vision of using Indian myth to flavor a science fiction novel was (at the time of its publication) a bold, path-breaking move. Only thing is, I am not one of the intended audience!

I have one more caveat: Zelazny mixes and matches the gods and their attributes with a free hand (especially towards the end). Since these are not true gods but human beings who have taken on these attributes, this is technically OK, but it soon becomes a pot-pourri very difficult to follow. Also, in the process, he saw many of the gods only single dimensionally (this is most notable in the case of Krishna, who is seen only as a lecher).

I would recommend this book for people unfamiliar with Indian mythology. I am afraid those who are well-read in the same may feel disappointed.

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“Lord of Light” takes place maybe 100 or 200 years after the landing of humans on the planet where it takes place. A bottle of wine brought from Earth is still drinkable (though to be sure a precious relic); there is one survivor-in-the-flesh of the native entities who resisted human incursion.

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Also, the godhood of the "crew" arose informally - the "passengers" saw them wielding superhuman powers and doing battle with demonic adversaries, and so labeled them. The "Deicrat" faction formalized it, but this change occurred during one incarnated lifespan, i.e., between Sam's last rebirth and his next visit to a rebirth center.

Well, yes, that's why it won the Hugo. Pure quill, no-compromise genre SF is a species of mystery writing: not whodunnit? But WTF is going on? The special art of SF is to tell the story of the world apparently by accident as the narrative unfolds; after all, why would the viewpoint character pause to explain what he takes for granted for the benefit of readers thousands of years in his past? Of course this can be done so the reader hardly notices, but it can also becomes a game between writer and reader: can you piece together the clues that make this world come into focus? Even at the level of language: was that a metaphor or a literal description? From Zelazny's point of view, the game also distracts the reader from the intrinsic absurdity of his scenario.

Incidentally, it wasn't just Zelazny playing with mythologies. There was quite a fashion for this kind of think in the late sixties, e.g. Delany's “The Einstein Intersection” (Orpheus) & “Nova” (Holy Grail), Moorcock's "Behold the Man" (Jesus), Anderson's "Goat Song" (Orpheus again) & "The Queen of Air and Darkness" (fairies), Lafferty's “Space Chantey” (Ulysses), not to mention rationalised dragons in Jack Vance and Anne McCaffery.

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Lord of Light is set on a colony world on which a cabal of elites have used advanced technology (including literal reincarnation) to set themselves up as the pantheon of Hindu gods over the unsophisticated colonist population, using their powers to quash both technological advancement (the printing

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press is a primary target) as well as dissent within the ranks of the elites. The main conflict of the story involves the latter--one of these elites, Sam, sets himself up as the Buddha and begins preaching against the gods. Despite the premise of preaching to mobilize the population, most of the book really concerns itself with the intrigue and politicking between the fickle gods, and later the direct conflict between the gods and Sam and his godly allies. The language Zelazny uses is very ornate, which really reinforces the Hindu setting--at times, I though I was reading fiction about the actual Hindu gods. The story's flow was a little strange, though--it seems like the author wanted the readers to come away an impression of just how fickle the gods are rather than be invested in any particular outcome.

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Zelazny's masterpiece.

I'm tempted to say a few words about the plot, but it's probably best left figured out by the reader. And I do mean "figured out," not "discovered"; by the end of the first time through the book, one has gotten enough of an idea of what's going on so that the second time

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through makes more sense. I've reread the thing about a hundred times now, and every time I notice details that had escaped me previously.

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A surprisingly good book, given its inherently problematic nature: a group of white people pretend to be Hindu gods on another planet. Yet Zelazny appears to have done his research, creating a rich world and using the character of Siddhartha to skillfully question the ways of the "gods". The world

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rang true, to my admittedly limited experience of Asia, but that's more than some books about Asia manage. /Lord of Light/ is a book that wears its problematic nature on its sleeve, and opens itself for the attendant discussion. Also, it tells a good story.

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This is a story of colonists on a distant world, betrayed by the starship crew that brought them there, consigned to a medieval style life on a planet whose original inhabitants have not all been vanquished.

This is a story of gods who set in judgement of mortals, rewarding the loyal and moral with

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reincarnation.

This the story of men who have used science to hone their personal peculiarities into tools of great power.

This is the story of beings called gods because their very appetites and essences are like natural forces.

This is the story revolution on Earth.

This is the story of war on Heaven.

This is the story of a hero who never claimed he was a god.

This is the story of a hero who never claimed he wasn't a god.

And all those stories are the same story as Zelazny mixes epic battles and individual duels; the godtalk of high fantasy with talk of cigarettes and whores and flush toilets; idealism and cynicism; poetic language, the language of the Hindu Vedas, and Chandleresque dialogue; the story of the Deathgod's loves and hates and his friend the Binder of Demons, the Lord of Light, the Buddha.

Zelazny provides enough science to rationalize the story, to remind us of the technology behind his Hinduesque gods, but not enough to become hard science or violate the tone of a wry, religious text where "doubt ... is the chastity of the mind." It is this constant flux of the epic and ordinary, the personal and godlike, the wry and portentous that makes this book so unique and enjoyable.

Those previously acquainted with other Zelazny works may find this the quintessential Zelazny novel in its combining so many of his themes: the mythological element done better here than in his This Immortal, eye of Cat, and Creatures of Light and Darkness; the political machinations of the Amber books; the tough guy, behind the scenes manipulator familiar from My Name Is Legion; the martial arts of Roadmarks; the interest in psychology as in The Dream Master.

Two slight warnings. First, don't expect any profound commentary on any of the religions that show up in this book. Second, the first chapter of this book may be tough going for some readers - particularly when the Buddha delivers a sermon. The book's momentum and comprehensibility picks up after that as there is a long set of chapters showing the back story with the final chapter resuming the action with a new understanding by the reader.

This is one of those books that fully deserves its place in the canon of great science fiction.

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I remember enjoying it when it first came out but the years have not worn well. I got tired of the Hindu and Bhuddist mysticism tropes, and really, really bored with the continual battles. It was a good idea in its time but didn't bear a re-read for me.

This is the book. I can't recommend this one highly enough. This book fundamentally changed my views of religion and meaning in life. I know it's pretty lame to say all these things for a science fiction book, but I am forever indebted to Roger Zelazny for this book alone, without even touching on

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his other works, all of which have been astounding.

Also, this book has a theological technocracy.

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Inspired tale of the future (past?) where technology has reached a level allowing the select few seamless reincarnation in new bodies, weapons of incredibly destructive potential and vast potential for knowledge (and at times wisdom). Very interesting in that it makes a clear case for the mythical

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gods we know from the Vedas simply being humans who have lived long enough to slowly start aligning with archetypal patterns within nature. It also ties in very strongly with the sentiment from Erik Von Däniken's "Chariots of the Gods" which was published and written concurrently the "Lord of Light" in that there are several passages in the book directly drawing upon the Vedas.

Finally I believe that the books death god, Yama, is modelled directly on Oppenheimer (who in turn perhaps modelled himself on Arjuna, the hero of the Bhagavad-Gita who had access to the Brahmastra weapon which has the capability of destroying the world).

Must definitely worth a read though some of the transitions within the story line are rather opaque; the first half is by far the clearest.

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I'm delving deeply into this book in one of my groups which is doing nothing to clarify my own thinking -- or maybe it is. Hard to tell on a stormy morning with chores ahead and a headache hovering behind a wall of caffeine.

So, let's see. First, this is my second Zelazny book, and -- shock of

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shocks -- the first I've liked. I enjoyed this one once I caught on to what was happening. So now I feel compelled to go back and read those damned Amber books with a different eye.

As to the book itself -- I think this is an example of Clark's Third Law turned sideways and maybe backwards. Any advanced technology that is forgotten is indistinguishable from magic and cloaked in mysticism.

So what happens when a group of technologically advanced humans seek to colonize a newly discovered world? How do they view themselves as they fight strange new life forms, carve out cities, create what they need to survive and thrive? And how to their descendants see and remember them?

What if those first colonists could be "reborn" into a new body as they wished? What if they could cultivate new abilities beyond their current technological levels? How would they see them selves?

Those are the questions this book poses and then sets about answering. In this world, those space colonists become Gods, adapting the Hindu pantheon as a model, and then set about keeping the world they've inhabited and conquered as their own version of paradise -- for themselves, not for their descendants.

And then, what happens when one of those first colonists, one of those would-be gods, decides the whole thing is a bad idea and he needs to fight it so that humankind can develop on their own, inheriting what they should have inherited in knowledge and ability? What happens when a man decides to kill the gods?

I wasn't initially interested in the book. It took some 50 pages or so before I got a handle on the structure (which is a looping frame -- the book starts at a point that chronologically connects to just before the ending, then jumps back to a new beginning to explain how things got to the point at the beginning of the book and then moves forward again. Also, it is helpful to have some background in Hindu mythology ( a few minutes with Wikipedia should be enough), The language has the somewhat stilted yet lyrical qualities we often associate with old myths and ancient tales, which juxtaposed nicely with the talk of technology-as-magic. The protagonist, Sam, is a full and complex character, faulty and flawed yet determined and capable of bouncing back from everything thrown at him. He learns and changes some, too, as the story progresses, although his original ideas and his determination to carry them out does not waver. He's adaptable, his goals being more important than his methods (ends justify the means, in his world).

It's a complex novel, but not a big one. Zelazny is sparing with description, hints rather than tells, indicates more than shows, and leaves much in the mind of the reader to be done. It's a book that yields to a lot of discussion.

A final note -- while the book is ostensibly science fiction and a good argument can be made to classify it as such, in my opinion it is a fantasy. We are TOLD that the various miraculous things we see are technologically based, that they are machines made by men (or entities who once were men), but their action, appearance, and how they are regarded tallies closely with how devices of mystical and unknown or unexplained properties are regarded in works of fantasy. We are told there is science, but we are not shown it, and even those who use this technology, who build it and understand it discuss it in terms nearly identical to those used by others who regard them as purely magical. So, per Clark's third law and the general understanding of the word "Fantasy" as a literary genre, I classify this book as a fantasy.

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It was...a bit confusing and rather odd, but I liked it.

If you could only read one piece by Zelazny, this is it. Gods and Goddesses, science fiction that might actually be fantasy but you're never quite sure, the sixties-era drive to look at everything in a new way. Pretty much the only example of the space colonist clones impersonating Hindu deities

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genre of fiction. Utterly perfect.

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So, notwithstanding certain caveats about old-school gender politics (detailed on my blog, for the curious), I thought this was a really excellent book. I liked it because it seemed to play around with the fantasy genre in a way completely different from the modern batch of New Weird writers, but

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with an equal amount of self-awareness and intelligence. I suppose you might chalk up some of my admiration to my general ignorance of the New Wave SF from the sixties, and I’m certainly going to find some more of it. In some ways, I think this is one of the most subtly subversive SF novels I’ve read, because of the way it plays around with the structure of its narrative. I’ve read critiques online that argue even though Zelazny took his mythos and pantheon from the East (Hinduism and Buddhism), his characters and story are essentially Western. I take the point. It’s disconcerting for characters who have decided to reincarnate themselves as Hindu gods make references to “It’s a long way to Tipperary.”. It was never really explained why these obviously white Westerners picked the Hindu pantheon for their planetary subjugation–just because they happened to be on a ship called “The Star of India” and it seemd like a good idea at the time? And incidentally, this lack of explanation makes the Christian-Hindu battle of the frame story seem like an utter non-sequitur.

BUT, all of this attention to the characters misses the fact that the structure of the story itself is extremely Eastern and subverts all sorts of subtle conventions of heroic fiction. For one, the frame story is strangely incidental to the plot, and yet reveals its resolution in the first thirty pages. The whole business with the reluctant, trickster hero is very Western, but he’s not much of a hero. His callousness in the face of mass death belies his protestations of ordinary humanity. He tramples on humans like a god, even when he professes that his entire object is to “accelerate” (read: uplift) them to his own status. And if I take a further step back, the Eastern influences are more obvious: there are hints of stories within stories never told (his mother weeping over his death is mentioned in a parenthetical). His first dramatic demise is told not as a heroic battle, but as an afterthought to a wedding party never explicitly described. The battle the reader is led to believe from the beginning will be the final, major confrontation is a deliberate anti-climax that barely matters in the juggernaut of history. Sam’s ultimate fate is cloudy– there are other, perhaps self-contradictory, epics waiting to be told, but don’t we already know them? Haven’t we heard the story of Mahatsamatman, Tagaratha, Siddartha, Kalkin, Sam a thousand times by our fires? And that of the cat that hunted him, and his mother who wept and the witches with whom she or he might or might not have shared another adventure? Lord of Light is vaguely science fictional in its technology, but its literary aims are mythological.

Which is to say: really great. Worth reading, without equivocation.

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The hope of a prosperous future of human colonists on an alien world who for generations have believed they were looked out for and ruled over by the gods, is one named—among other things—Sam. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny follows the struggle of one individual to throw off the tyrannical

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rulers of a colonized world posing as Hindu deities that he’s known for years and the strange allies he makes along the way.

The deathgod and technological mastermind Yama finds the soul of Sam from the ionosphere of the colonized planet that remnants from Earth settled centuries before. Sam has through numerous names and plans slowly undermined the rule of ‘Heaven’, those crewmembers who over the centuries have fought the indigenous lifeforms of the world to make a place for man and then ruling them as gods as they used genetic manipulation and technology to gain powers. Though not originally opposed to his fellow crewmembers, their sudden radical shift from benevolence to tyranny makes him rebel. Through the years, Sam becomes the Buddha and as a way to undermine the hope of rebirth, then he unleashes the Rakasha that he had bound through his powers, then when given the opportunity he spreads his message in the Celestial City of the gods before being “killed”, then after stealing a body from another god about to be reincarnated he kills two high leaders then leads an allied army to battle the gods in which he loses and his soul is sent to the ionosphere. After his return Sam leads another army, this time in league with the gods to face an insane crewmember with a zombie army that ultimately leads to Sam’s goal of the colonists allowed to determine their own fates.

Zelazny’s story explored some really big ideas of technology, politics, and religion throughout the book that intertwined with one another as the narrative progressed to build the world. Yet at many times the world wasn’t built enough and leads confusion at important parts of the story that hurt the overall quality of the book. While Sam and a few characters are developed, many others really aren’t which hurts the overall quality of the book as well. But the biggest personal frustration was that the two big battles of the book aren’t impressive as the language wanted to give the impression of, it was a letdown after the long buildup of Sam’s plan. These three issues are both good and bad for the book, which makes me feel that if this book had been longer to develop more of the characters, the description of the technology, and more battle details.

Lord of Light is based on the imaginative idea of human colony being ruled by fellow humans who pose as Hindu deities and a man who decides to let the colonist develop on their own. Roger Zelazny’s writing style isn’t perfect and while I have problems with the book, if I had choice to reread the book.

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Typically, the whole story emerges slowly & somewhat confusingly on the first read, but we soon realize that a starship from Earth colonizes an alien planet. Fantasy meets SF as Psi powers, often enhanced by technology, allow the crew to impersonate a mutated version of the Hindu gods, lording it

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over the passengers. Mind-swapping & cloning allow the old crew to become almost immortal, while the passengers are fruitful & multiply, spreading across the planet & forgetting their roots & technology. The story centers on Sam, one of the crew, retired god & hero. He doesn't like the new gods & fights heaven through fair & foul means. Even in defeat & death, he wins & returns, as a thorn in the heavenly side. He recreates Buddhism, with himself as the Buddha. He makes pacts with demons, the original inhabitants of the planet who found a different path to immortality than body swapping. He even allies himself with the blackest demon of all, a Christian!Zelazny's mix of science, religion, mysticism & politics is fantastic & unique, as always. His hero, Sam, is insightful, mocking & manipulating. He subtly guides people & events to his advantage, while starting from a huge disadvantage to topple the gods from their heaven. The story isn't told in a straightforward manner (big shock) but as flashbacks for over half of it. It's almost disappointing when the story flows linearly, but the action is too intense & the politics too murky to confuse it through further time jumping.I've read some criticisms of his take on the Eastern religions but, I don't think he made any mistakes. He wasn't trying to recreate the religions of today, but show them in a far-flung future where they were setup by a bunch power hungry people for their own base purposes. He was using them as a vehicle to make his point & felt justified changing them to fit.I've worn out two copies of this book. It's fantastic. He's one of my favorite authors & this is possibly my favorite book.

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One of the greatest imaginative feats in the realm of SF, and also great literature which sustains repeated reading. An entire world is depicted - sometime after its colonisation - where an elite class of immortals reigns indolently over the rest of the population, who exist in a technological

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vacuum. The story relates how one of these "Gods" tries to change the status quo, using revolutionary methods and with mixed results. The depiction is very non-linear, full of flashbacks, which I would normally dislike but the quality of the narrative carries this tale way above the level of the average "page turner". Beware: when you've finally read the last page you'll probably experience an undefinable feeling of loss on "leaving". And I was truly gutted when I heard Roger Zelazny had died, because then it was clear there would never be a sequel.

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This is Science Fiction that masquerades as Fantasy - that is "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." (Arthur C. Clark)

So in this book, we have an advanced Earth (Urth) Civilization that long ago in the past, that settled on a rough and dangerous planet. To make the

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population safe, the crew and staff (The First Ones) changed themselves using various techniques into powerful Gods, taking names of Hindu Gods.

This is a story of one of those Gods - Sam. He is against the monopoly of science that his Fellow Gods keep from (and use against) the general population. Its a story told in various vignettes - From the start of the God war, to the end. Its not consistent, and can be confusing if a reader isn't following closely.

This book was written in 1967. And it doesn't feel dated. There is a bit of a transcendental feel to it - but the technology is so far advanced, that it feels correct. I like the discussion of what makes a God - is just a person with unknowable technology? and What does absolute power do to a person? Highly Recommended.

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This may have been my first exposure to the Hindu mythos in print, and it has stuck with me ever since. A fascinating book, well written and thoughtful.

This was an amazing read from start to finish. The opening line which many have quoted sums up the book perfectly.

its amazing what Silverberg does here. This is a book that feels like fantasy and mythology on the surface but as you progress it changes tone and shape and becomes science fiction as

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well.

The book concerns itself with Mahasamatman or Sam as he prefers to call himself and how he overthrows the current established regime of Gods who hate progress.

All in all an absolute must read.

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Zelazny had a style all his own. I wish he were still around giving us more of his unique take on things. Lord of Light is a somewhat challenging yet rewarding read. The fractured timeline adds to early confusion as we start near the end with the back-story subsequently told in flashback form over

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the next 2/3 of the book. Populated by memorable characters and humorous situations, this is a seminal work of sci-fi/fantasy.

Highly recommended.

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I guess I'd have to say that I was a little disappointed in this book, which many consider to be one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. It certainly starts with a superb concept: a group of technologically advanced refugees from a long dead Earth have colonized a plant, vanquished

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its native species, and developed a form of immortality through controlled reincarnation. These original colonists rule over their descendents as gods, each having taken the aspect of one of the traditional deities of Indian mythology, until one of their own decides that their rule is corrupt and fights to end it.

I guess that I had several problems with the book. Most importantly, I never developed much empathy for the protagonist Sam or any of the other leading characters. For most of the book his history and motivations remained hidden, and by the time it all came out I just found that I didn't really care much about what happened to him. The character I liked the most was probably Tak, who has been reincarneted as an ape as punishment for an early transgression against the gods. But, after playing an important role in a couple of early chapters, he then disappears for most of the book. Also, one of the characters who plays a key role in the final resolution seemed like an afterthought.

I found that this is one of those science fiction books where the science is really just technologically justified "magic." And finally the narrative style was overly choppy, at times it was hard to know what was a flashback and what was the current storyline. Still the plot was reasonably engaging and I am glad to have read it, but it doesn't join my list of all time science fiction greats.

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This is essential science fiction reading.

Zelazny at his best. This book is a masterpiece.

A stunning and wonderful book; one I'll not soon forget. Zelazny weaves an amazing amount of history into this short novel, but does so in such a way that it drives the plot forward. There are scores of detailed characters, each with his own motive, in a conflict that seems centuries old.

The

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premise may be difficult to explain. In this futuristic world, the technology has been created to transfer a person's being into another body, rendering them practically immortal, as long as they can find bodies before they actually die. Some of the original settlers have set themselves up as gods, forbidding most technology. Sam, another of the first, opposes them on the grounds that the people should be allowed to have that technology.

This fight between them is not often all out war, but rather subtle plots that take lifetimes to see fulfilled. But they have lifetimes to fight, and so they do.

A must for science fiction fans.

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