If you are a fan of George R. R. Martin and listen to his interviews, you probably know his opinions of the best in sci-fi: Forbidden Planet as one of the best sci-fi movies and this book that I'm currently reviewing.
Oh, just one little piece of information: I have very strong feelings about A Song of Ice and Fire. I also delve into the theories and discussions online. I would probably not, unless by demand of you readers, review it. Why? Because it's very time consuming to read it, there are literally dozens of blogs, YouTube channels and forums dedicated to analyze every aspect of it. Thus, I don't feel the need to do it. Just a few of my thoughts: Daenerys is an AWFUL queen/leader, Jon Snow is even worse (he did so many bad decisions on the books that I cheered when he was stabbed), Tyrion is simply an amazing thinker and I really really despise Sansa. Oh, and Sam is cool.
Back on GRR Martin, I am a fan of his other books, with a warm spot for
Fevre Dream, a high consideration for
The Armageddon Rag and I'm a great fan of the
Wild Cards serie. There are a lot of his tales that I like, mostly the non-Tuf, and that gives a very interesting perspective over
A Song of Ice and Fire. If you know what I'm talking about, I'm on board the
sci-fi explanation gang. If you want more information, go to Mr. Preston Jacobs for the best in this area. He's even going thru the old tales from Mr. Martin to explain his opinions. And boy, he knows his shit.
So, as you can see, I put Mr. Martin is very high regard as a writer & editor. Now as a reader... Let's find out.
Let's start with something: I'm aware that maybe I'm loosing a lot of references from not knowing all that well the Hindu religion & deities. My knowledge of it is restricted to the portraits in Salman Rushdie fiction, which I really like, a few classes that I attended in a Hare Krishna centre that I used to go for free food (yeah, my growing up was a mess, specially in my teens years) and some basic studies. I know the big ones, like Ganesha, Krishna, Vishnu, Kali... but the whole of the pantheon? No, sorry. I have taken a brief view of the Bhagavad Gita, but never delve deeply in it. So, yes, I may lose a few references. But it also has ties with the birth of Buddhism from the Hindu tradition, which I'm more knowledgeable about. I also know: if you don't have knowledge of any of this things... it is still a damn good book. A difficult one, but nonetheless very good. Damn you Martin. Damn you.
I'm a great fan of sci-fi, as the cloud tags on the side shows, but I'm also a great fan of fantasy. I'm a old timer tabletop RPG player, long time JRPG fan, but not all that big on Tolkien. Don't get me wrong, I love the Lord of the Rings. I just think you can butcher it from A LOT and it would be better. Like what Jackson did. I'm aware that he cut some important & interesting things, but c'mon, the Two Towers is horrible. One third of the book is simply: run, run, run... where are they Legolas? Far. Sleep. Rinse & repeat. He goes way over the top with his knowledge of the land and so many pointless parts... but even tho, I'm a great fan of fantasy. And this one mixed both? In an intelligent way? Oh... I think I'm in love.
One of the first thing I liked about this book, is the way the protagonist is presented. The great Mahasamatman, or simply Sam. He never confirmed if he's a God or not. This opening leaves a smirk on my face. I liked it.
Then we go for a ride. A lot of strange terms, like: "High-frequency prayers", "pray machines", Lotus acting like radar's dishes... And Yama, a death god, Tak the archivist god turned into a monkey and Ratri, goddess of the night, turned old & human. Nice cast so far. And she drops a bomb: we are presented to Sam as a Buddha, was the greatest charlatan she ever knew. Hey... An unreliable narrator? Hmm... I like that. Then we are dumped a hard pill to swallow: he's a man, that came to this planet and settled it, but different from his peers, he did not want to became a God. And fought many times, always losing, to he was projected into a state of being of Nirvana, circling the planet as a though form. Wow. And that, my friends, was written in the 60's. It's no doubt that he won so many awards.
The casts is fantastic. Yama and his intellect, Ratri and her knowledge of the human ways and Tak as a grounded immortal. They decide to hide from the Powers That Be in a brothel from Ratri. Even I had to smirk of the idea of hiding Buddha in a brothel... The sense of humour is very keen in here. We are also presented to the Rakasha, beings of energy & consciousness, the original inhabitants of this world, that were bound since they offer problems to the new settlers. They were released by Sam, and both shares the vice of gambling. Sam is gambling his own life, in order to remind himself of the ways of men. And in the meantime, gather a few powers from this old demon.
Then there's Aram, which is obviously an spy looking for Sam. Oh, sorry, as a matter of fact, it's Lord Mara, Lord of illusions... And he's dead. It's mostly to show that Yama, as an death god still keep part of his powers, as did Tak, Sam and Ratri. We then are showed that this Fallen gods still have some power: since the reveal of powers in the confrontation of Yama & Mara presents a danger of showing that Sam has returned, they overwrite their memories, to a extent that would pass even the tests of the Karma machine.
I have to make a point here: I may look like I understand it, but I do not at the moment of reading. Most stuff is dumped into you & you must think about what you read, what you know of religion. The karma machine is a process thru which the dead souls pass in the process of rebirth. That way, I assume, the gods that didn't fall have the powers to do this. Since it's also stated that Mara died the "true death", I also assume that something must be done before the passing for it to occur. So, this plan to overwrites their memories would probably be successful to pass thru this test, which probably consists of analyzing & judging the life of the people.
Yeah, Fiction that makes you think. Oh boy, how can someone not like this.
One of the greatest beauties in this book is the analysis of human condition & the bullshit of religion. Sam makes beautiful sermons, but as he states: he knows he lies. He tries to manipulate his followers into exchange their beliefs in good vs evil, to beauty vs ugliness. Why? Since reincarnation became a reality, all is good. Yes, this life may be harsh, but behave well and in the next one you will be rewarded. So... How do you make them think on rebellion? Maybe, the belief in beauty, instead of justice can shake things up to start something new. The better part? Sam himself has no idea if this will work. Even if they are superior to everyone else in the "earth" they are, with powers and all those shenanigans, they are still fallible, human and prone to errors, sins & vices. Which is why I love old religions instead of Christianity: I don't believe that a "perfect" God would create this shitty world. A imperfect, fallible God? Hmm... Looks more believable. More than one God? Yeah. More likely. A bunch of imperfect bastards trying to create something, arguing, fighting & acting like they are omnipotent? Yeah, I can believe it as a stronger possibility...
The circle of memories from his past lives is very intriguing, presenting us a new view on the life of Sam as Siddhartha. It's very humorous if you know the original tale. It also beings the questions. Why would he emulate the life of Siddhartha? How they decided on the Hindu pantheon & why? How come there are those that remember their past lives and those that don't? What are those machines everywhere? And the way he wrote. Oh boy. I hope to get to that point someday.
In the life of Siddhartha, we learn of the beginning. The change that the body merchants, probably a simple cast before, taking the "job" of the Wheel of Karma & affiliating with the First men, now gods. There's a mention of two sides: the Accelerationists & Deicrats. It were the Deicrats that associate with the body merchants, and what was a usual body transfer became an inquisition against the Accelerationists. They stabilize their power thru this caste system, posing as gods. It's also very interesting that Yama played such a strong role in the establishment of this Deicracy, with most of his studies & inventions being in the core of this new order. Then we go for the rebellion of Buddha.
He stole a body machine from the temple and started his cult, based on the teachings of the original Siddhartha, with a few twists. He did not said he's a God, nor denied, thus being greater then both. That's when we have a time skip and a man came down to kill him, as ordered by Kali, which is venerated in the cities aligned with Sam. Very interesting, since Buddhism has a high point on death, it's process and importance, as in the original Buddhism beginning. One important point, is the usage of other religions as base of the power of Sam. One of the best pictures of this is that he refuses to move, so all things must go to Sam, as it is said about another prophet... Sam win over this man & the man converts. Different from Sam, who teaches him the Eight-fold way, this man Rild, truly converts and attain illumination, a real Buddha, not a bullshitter like Sam. Soon, the gods came. Yama in particular. Rild & Yama fight, with Yama winning, but impressed with Rild. In particular the fight is very interesting, mixing philosophy & martial arts, very old martial arts movies like. We're given a few more details in how this world works, with a conversation between Yama & Sam. Both are trying to convert one another to their creed. Well, we already know that Yama will bend, but it's entertaining at least: Yama motivation on being against Sam is purely because of the goddess Kali, from which Sam advise to test, since she's incapable of loving.
We cut to see Sam literally going to hell, to meet the Rakasha, the original inhabitants of this planet. He discuss with the leader of them, Taraka about waging war against the gods. He agrees, but in the meantime, Taraka finds a way of possessing Sam's body. This possession is a great insight into Sam & Taraka. They both share more than initially believe, Sam on the pleasures of the flesh & Taraka in terms of comprehension of the human nature. Their alliance is still up, even if Taraka possessed Sam. Unfortunately, the gods came & came in numbers. All the Rakasha attacks them, but to no avail. In the end, Sam is captured & taken to Heavens to be judged.
We jump into a interesting view of this heaven. We listen to some gossip, discover a few things on the origin of the gods and then, we discover that Kali & Sam were lovers. Kali is still in love with Sam, since he was a fierce fighter & usually generate conflict. You can see that she's in love with war & battle, and will gather around those that can cause it. Even her marriage to occur with Yama is simply that: a trick for more power & combat. She says she still loves Sam, and in a great conversation, he states why he doesn't love her anymore. They made sex, simply to provoke the gods. We cut for Tak, which assumes that he's the son of Sam, but in reality, what is to be a son of someone in a world that people constantly change bodies, and any trait you get from your parents is lost as you change bodies? This concept of what exactly are the human relations, when we are immortal & with changing bodies is another of the greatest beauties of this book. As is the mockery of religion.
Sam tries to flee, but it's Mara that captures him. Yes, the Mara killed by Yama in the beginning of the book. I just about that, at this point, I kinda see how Yama will turn coat, but I was still intrigued. Sam and his accomplice are to be executed by phantom tigers, and a bird/God came to see him. It's the first time we see Sam being called Lord of Light. In the end, Sam die. (To remember, his ally, Tanaka made his soul immortal, like his people.) We are show that several gods fallen, died & the rise again of the Accelerationists. All this was caused by the death of Sam.
The new chapter begins with death. Lots of it. Brahma dies, poisoned. Shiva, by blunt trauma. New gods arise to cover & Kali became the new Brahma, which set Yama into motions. Ratri, also appears, revealing she was the first to see Brahma's body. More death happens, as a resurgence of technology in the world bellow. We discover Sam as a minor God, the culprit of the killings. And he intend to kill more. If the masterminds die, the rest would not stand, he assumes. He is knocked out and together they flee. They will make a stand, and a great battle will occur. Various fallen gods come to help, as inhabitants of this planet. Yama also came, turning coat on the basis of Kali's betrayal. A weak reason, but on par with his personality.
The battle rages and in the end Sam is captured, at great cost for the gods. Yama & others run into hide, Ratri is given her punishment and Sam is sent to the sky, without a body. All seems good, but the losses & changes looks, once again, great & costly.
In the last chapter of the book, we discover much. Why is Hindu so strong in this planet? Because the ship was called Star of India. Yes, most of the people in that ship were of Indian descent. We discover this from Nirridi, the dark one, a Christian that felt repulsed by this Hindu crappie that God's emulate. The old captain of the ship, also a Christian, joins him. As does Taraka. All to go against the gods once more. Sam's plan were right, the destruction he caused make it in a way that the heavens can't stand on its own. The end is soon coming, and even if I can already see the ending, I must say: it has been a very pleasant journey.
The writing is magnificent, the humour is on top, the portrait of characters is very well done. All in all, this really deserves to be called a classic.
And it gives me a great respect for Martin, since, oh boy, this is great sci-fi. I must admit, I didn't expect such a great quality on this book. On the other hand, I question how Martin, a feminist (more extreme than I ever was, before the coming of the SJW & feminazism, which made me get away from this ideas) and a fucking peace lover hippie, loves this book so much. There's so much "patriarchal feelings" and so much war mongering in this book, that I felt that deep in his heart, Martin still have some pending questions about what he believes.
The final battle occurs, with a bang and soon it's all over. Sam departs, Yama has a daughter but also departs. In the end, nothing has changed, at the same time that everything has changed. Humanity will follow its pace again and lives will be lived. It's a very poetic ending, for a magnificent book.
Even if you know the whole of the story, by reading this review, I urge you: read the book.
It's one of those books that you rarely hear about, but always heard good things. And it's worthy of this praise.
Tomorrow: remember about the differences of Western culture and Eastern culture that I talked about before? What do you think of peeping? Or of masturbation? What about a combination of those two? How can this become a touching love story? Let's discuss Nozoki Ana!
See ya
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