Lord of Light Helpful Notes

This is to help you while reading the novel, especially with the names, plus some background on Hindu gods. For the most part, I have avoided making reference to the plot, though there may still be some spoilers here. For bold readers who want to tackle Zalazny head-on, don’t read the rest of this.

 

This is a science fiction novel, set on a different planet that was colonized from Earth many years ago. Thus there will be not only humans, plants, and animals that are descendants of their counterparts on Earth, there are also life forms indigenous to the new planet. Some of the characters refer to themselves with the names of Hindu gods, but you should always remember that they are not those gods. They may have surprising abilities through technology that came with them, though. You don’t need to know the Hindu pantheon to read the book, but since characters probably chose their names based on the characteristics of the gods, it might be helpful to have a brief summary.

 

• The Trimurti is the Hindu trinity, the three forms of god as the supreme divinity; it includes Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. They are sometimes depicted as three separate gods, and at other times as one god with three faces.

• Yama is the god of death and punishment, sometimes associated with dharma, a philosophical concept about duty, rights, and morally acceptable behavior. Punishment after death would come to those who did not follow their dharma.

• Kali is the goddess of time, destruction, and power, and is the consort of Shiva. When in battle against evil, she is prone to rage.

• Ratri, goddess of night and cyclic rhythms.

• Agni, god of fire.

• Kalkin, an incarnation of Vishnu, who will appear at the end of the current age, when virtue and dharma have disappeared and the world is ruled by the unjust, to destroy the wicked and usher in a new age.

• Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, is considered the perfect embodiment of humankind: mentally, spiritually, and physically. He is sometimes said to have been based on a real person.

• Hanuman, the monkey-faced god of perseverance and scholarly devotion. He helped Rama in his battle against evil.

• Buddha is not a Hindu god, but rather a human, Prince Siddhartha, who was a philosopher and spiritual teacher. After his death, he became know as the Enlightened One.

 

‘Aspects’ refers to the way gods choose to show themselves, and ‘Attributes’ to the powers they wield. Again, remember that in this novel the characters are not gods, and their aspects and attributes are based on chemical treatments, biofeedback, and electronics, including technological devices they carry.

Even reincarnation can be achieved by transfer of the mind or soul into a new body.

The main character of the book, Sam, goes by many names in the novel; don’t get confused.

And if you want to treat this as a fantasy novel, with real gods, that’s fine. Roger Zelazny deliberately wrote it so either interpretation works, in a way. The novel was nominated for a Nebula and won a Hugo (for best novel).