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{{work}}
'''''Lord
The novel's basic premise (modern sci-fi characters in a Hindu/Buddhist world) is summed up in the opening lines:
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Also inspired a song by [[Hawkwind]].
{{tropelist}}
* [[Ancient Astronauts]]: And they're ''human'' astronauts, at that.
* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Yama believes that the gods have become truly divine by identifying themselves so thoroughly with a single concept, such as love, war, or death, that they become it. [[Shut UP, Hannibal|Sam thinks he's full of it.]]
* [[Apotheosis]]: Explored during the story, although whether the "gods" really ''are'' gods is a matter of some contention. Regardless, the ''process'' of becoming one is simple in concept, though quite difficult in execution:
{{quote|Godhood is more than a name. It is a condition of being.... Being a god is the quality of being able to be yourself to such an extent that your passions correspond with the forces of the universe, so that those who look upon you know this without hearing your name spoken.... One rules through one's ruling passion. Those who look upon gods then say, without even knowing their names, "He is Fire. She is Dance. He is Destruction. She is Love."}}
* [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]]: Sam's exile to Nirvana: his ''atman'' is transmitted along self-perpetuating radio-waves. He's quite upset when he's brought back.
* [[Back from the Dead]]:
* [[Bad Habits]]: Sam privately admits that he's merely posing as the Buddha, and doesn't believe the dogma he preaches.
* [[Baleful Polymorph]]: The gods' favorite means of punishing dissenters in their ranks is to transfer the minds of the offenders into the bodies of animals, instead of people.
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* [[Demonic Possession]]: Taraka, the first and most powerful Rakasha that Sam frees possesses him for a time.
* [[Dirty Old Man]]: Krishna, technically. Later, he becomes a straight example while stranded in an old body.
* [[Do Not Call Me "Paul"]]: Sam seals his fate with the gods when he dares refer to Brahma by his birth name: Madeleine.
* [[Don't Call Me "Sir"!]]: Sam has dozens of titles, but likes none of them.
* [[Don't Touch It, You Idiot!]]: The door to [[Sealed Evil in a Can|Hellwell]] is inscribed with the words:
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* [[Stop Worshipping Me!]]: Sam doesn't insist on it, but he certainly does nothing that would encourage it.
* [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]]: Actually, sufficiently advanced ''humans''.
* [[
* [[Trickster Archetype]]: Sam is a classic.
* [[The Unfettered]]
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* [[The World Is Not Ready]]: The antagonists use this as a justification for keeping their vast technology restricted to a tiny portion of the population. The protagonist calls them on it by asking why they've been actively quashing the spontaneous invention of technology.
* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]: The entire ''book'' was written for the single purpose of a single pun.
**
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Nebula Award]]
[[Category:Literature of the 1960s]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Literature]]
▲[[Category:Lord of Light]]
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