pospysyl posted:

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny also strikes me as a book that successfully tells the story of a roguish and powerful male protagonist who despite his intelligence and skill suffers enormous setbacks that can only be overcome by creative thinking and complex schemes, rather than the application of the appropriate puzzle piece. Unlike Kingkiller, there's a genuine political struggle as Sam attempts to overthrow his peers, the Hindu-styled techno-gods of a new world, that oppress humanity into primitive submission. The supporting cast is broadly drawn, but they all have engaging arcs, including a creepy, self-styled god of death and an impressively ferocious female villain. Language-wise, it's genuinely witty, with some pointed philosophical commentary and some tense action and battle scenes.