Lord of Light

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Lord of Light (Paperback, 1971, Panther)

Paperback, 256 pages

Published Nov. 10, 1971 by Panther.

ISBN:
978-0-586-03518-4
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4 stars (2 reviews)

A colony of humankind is subjugated by the First Colonists, the crew of the starship that brought them to their new home 1000 years before. They have taken control of ancient technologies and enhanced themselves with godlike psychic powers and virtual immortality. Adopting the panoply of the venerable Hindu religion, they live lives as its Gods, surrounded by advanced technology within the trappings of a primitive civilization.

Our hero Sam, unready to battle the tyrannical forces of the Celestial City allied with his former wife, now the rapturous Kali, Goddess of Destruction. A story of the classic drama of power, love, honor, pride, and fantasy erupting in an epic war of the Gods and ultimate transcendence.

7 editions

Review of 'Lord of Light' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Wow. Big plot and major intrigues, way more characters than I can keep straight. SF gone so far as to be indistinguishable from magic. Wry commentary on religion, and a very grounded main character. In short, quite a lot to wrap ones head about.

The main character (Sam) felt like a throwback to the science fiction of his day. He was the everyman, the one who thought of technology and described the weapons of other characters that way, where as they themselves spoke of divine power. He confronts a system of injustice and works to take it down. His comments about religion seem to be intended for both the story and our world, though I would want to compile them to be sure.

The world is revealed slowly through the stories. There are seven of them, making up large "chapters" in the book, and apparently two were published earlier. Each …

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3 stars