Imagine a distant world where gods walk as men, but wield vast and hidden powers. Here they have made the stage on which they build a subtle pattern of alliance, love, and deadly enmity. Are they truly immortal? Who are these gods who rule the destiny of a teeming world? Their names include Brahma, Kali, Krishna and also he who was called Buddha, the Lord of Light, but who now prefers to be known simply as Sam. The gradual unfolding of the story -- how the colonization of another planet became a re-enactment of Eastern mythology -- is one of the great imaginative feats of modern science fiction.

Author Biography

Roger Zelazny (1937 - 1995) was born in Ohio, but lived and worked primarily in New Mexico. He had an extraordinary impact on SF, as each of his first three nocels won a major SF award. During his career he was awarded a total of six Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.