Lord of Light

By: Roger Zelazny

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons, Lord of Light.

©2022 Roger Zelazny (P)2022 Recorded Books

The story is so good…

The story is so good that I will give it five stars in spite of the poor choice of narrator. This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, it would have been better served by a narrator with an English accent… or no accent at all. Southern drawl just doesn’t suit a story based on Indian mythology.

A good story!

Read this many years ago, nice to see my memories of the book remained strong. An excellent twist on how populating new worlds can result unusual forms of governance…

A Uniquely Veiled Sci-Fi Story

Very good story, narrated by a great voice. It is fun to catch glimpses of the sci-fi and futuristic elements hidden within the fantasy setting. Wish it had a sequel!

One of the best...

So glad to get an audiobook version. This novel has always stayed with me

A True Classic

Loved this when I first read it as a kid and loved it just as much now that I’ve finally had a chance to hear it on Audible. A fantastic story read by an excellent narrator that should be made into either a movie or series straight away. If some great producer has not already purchased the rights to this story they ought to do it immediately!!! As Banyon said on Seinfeld - “It’s GOLD Jerry!!”

His followers called Him Mahasamatman

And said He was a god. He dropped the Maha- and the -atman and called himself Sam.

This is one of my favorite sci-fi books and my favorite Zelazny standalone novel. Zelazny’s story moves swiftly and confidently. There’s many memorable scenes, from Sam’s return from his magnetic field exile to the destruction of Hellwell to the battles with the gods. Zelazny’s prose is dramatic and poetic. I particularly like the battle of Keenset and, earlier (or later, the story doesn’t begin at the beginning) Rild’s combat with Lord Yama. It’s a great read.

My only misgiving is the narrator. He sounds sort of like an American cowboy. He would be perfect for American western gunslinger novels or civil war tales. But Lord of Light is a lyrical and imaginative work set in the distant future on a colony planet where the settlers are, or were, mainly Hindus. Sam is a philosophical world-weary man with an epic mission. He's not an unemotional American private detective solving a case.

Anyhow: great book, miscast narrator. I'll probably eventually listen to the book again - but I'm certain I"ll read the Kindle text version first. All those memorable scenes, like the aftermath of Agni's first encounter with Taraka, are better read than listening to cowboy Sam.

Bummer. Interesting ideas poor execution

Bummer. Interesting ideas poor execution, particularly the narrator. I only made it halfway through, and only with the help of Wikipedia.

Fantastic!

I loved the story when I read it back in the day when I was 14. I fell in love with it back then and it was great hearing it on audible. Once a Zelazny fan, always a Zelazny fan.

Incredible

The story began a bit slowly. but soon took on a flow that carried the listener forward. The story has an incredible complexity that somehow doesn’t detract. The character of Sam was charming throughout and made listeners easy. Awesome work!

Great Prose and Interesting Story

Worth the listen, but I do not think I will care to hear the story again. Unique take on Hindu and Buddhist deities.