Tag: roger zelazny

Another classic by Roger Zelazny, and another one I had in my reading list for years.

The book follows Conrad Nomikos, the titular immortal, as he wanders a future Earth which has become a shadow of her former self, with a tiny population and overrun with mutated and alien lifeforms.

Well, I say wander, but actually Conrad is accompanying some aliens tourists on a visit to Earth’s historic sight.

The book is brilliant for coming up with a novel approach to the post-apocaliptic distopia: failed Earth as a tourist destination§, and I loved the protagonist, who is at least a hundred years, but often speaks as if he’s been around for millennia. Conrad is witty, clever, and nasty in the right amount, e.g. he’s having the pyramids of Egypt torn down to basically spite the tourists.

But the story itself is kinda episodic, and while it has a satisfying ending, I didn’t feel the sense of “progression” that I enjoy in books. Also, some things just didn’t make much sense to me, perhaps I didn’t pay enough attention.

Still, the book was a joint winner (with Frank Herbert’s Dune) of the 1966 Hugo Award for Best Novel, so I think you should give it more than a chance.

Vote: 7-/10, I wish there were more stories of Conrad Nomikos

This book kept being mentioned to me for a decade or so, and I thought I should give it a go, as it falls into a category I think I enjoy, a sci-fi retelling of mythology or religion or classic stories.

The book takes on hinduism and buddhism, and describes a world where the Hindu gods (which are actually people) rule (unjustly) over a world where Buddhism, in the form of the protagonist Sam, is a revolutionary force (or, “accelerationist” as they are called in the book, who want technology for everyone not just the Gods).

Many of the characters and tropes of indic religions appear such as the reincarnation, karma, plenty of deities, rakshasas.. and we even have conflict with Christianity.

The book is written in what I can only describe as “non-epic”. It’s hard to explain, but it seems to be telling big stories with the least possible gravity.

Yet, I didn’t love it, and I found it a bit hard to follow, but it is a classic, and I’m glad I read it.

Vote: 6.5/10, would reread in my next incarnation.