Where It All Goes Down
Planet Unknown; Time Unknown
Mum is the word on the setting of Lord of Light. The subject is kept intentionally vague, and what we do know is only provided in brief snippets throughout the novel. With that said, the careful reader will be able to find the clues, connect them, and piece together a complete, if vague, history of Sam and his world. Here's what we came up with:
In the Future… of Space
We know the Firsts are called the Firsts because they were the first humans to settle on the planet (1.130). Pretty straight forward that. They came from a planet called Urath (read: Earth) on the spaceship the Star of India to settle on this alien world because they needed a new home (7.21). It's unclear why they left Urath, though—we only know that the planet "vanished" (2.23), which is maddeningly mysterious.
Their new home was filled with strange alien creatures such as: "the Rakasha and the Nagas, the Gandharvas and the People-of-the-Sea, the Kataputna demons, and the Mothers of the Terrible Glow, the Dakshinis and the Pretas, the Skandas and the Pisakas." Needing a place to call home, the Firsts began colonizing the planet by either domesticating the aliens or outright fighting them. In time, the aliens would be known as demons because it's easier to kill something you consider a demon and not the rightful owner of the planet.
To help with this colonial endeavor, the Firsts used their advanced technology to create weapons and machines. One machine allowed them to craft stronger bodies, and another transferred their minds into brand new bodies if their old one ever became decrepit or injured. Eventually, their descendants grew numerous enough to populate the entire planet. In turn, the Firsts fashioned themselves identities similar to the gods of Hindu mythology from back on their home world, ensuring they would remained at the top of society's caste system. Go team.
And that's all we can say for certain, but there are many other important events in the history of this planet. We can't say when any of these take place or what their relation is to one another, only that they seem worthy of note:
- Vishnu creates the Celestial City, or is its architect at least (5.13).
- Sam binds the Rakasha within Hellwell and seals it with a big of metal door (4.46).
- The Firsts kill all of the Mothers of the Terrible Glow, save for Dalissa (6.464).
- Nirriti the Black One leaves Heaven because he believes their proclamations of godhood to be blasphemous to the real god, Jesus Christ (5.457).
- Jan Olvegg leaves the company of the Firsts due to his Accelerationist leanings (2.174).
- Sam leaves Heaven to enjoy the pleasures of the world as Prince Siddhartha.
- The gods outlaw Accelerationism and many other relics of their Earthly past, including other religions, like Buddhism (1.75), and music, like "The Blue Danube Waltz" (2.53).
And… that more-or-less brings us to the start of the book.
The Celestial City and the Cities Not So Celestial
Although its history may be vague, there is one thing we can say with absolute clarity about the setting: The Celestial City is awesome. Everywhere else? Eh, not so much.
The Celestial City is where the gods hang their hats and call it a day. It's a hedonist paradise, and better still, it's a technological wonderland that's totally self-operating, meaning the gods don't have to lift a finger to make sure their heavenly home remains heavenly to the utmost. As Yama says:
"If everyone in it were to die at this moment, it would still be perfect ten thousand years from now. The flowers would still bloom and the music would play and the fountains would ripple the length of the spectrum. Warm meals would still be laid within the garden pavilions. The City itself is immortal." (4.542)
Like we said, heavenly.
As for the rest of the world, it's living in something akin to a dark age. War, famine, and disease are everywhere, and rajahs like Videgha keep the people impoverished to maintain their own lavish existences (4.8). The populace has to bend knee to the will of the Masters of Karma just to have a decent go in their next life, while in this life, they don't even have toilets (6.80).
The vast differences between the Celestial City and everywhere else helps drive home the theme of social inequality at the heart of the novel. The denizens of the Celestial City have everything and claim to horde it for the good of the people, but when the people don't even have toilets, well, the claim kind of rings hollow, now doesn't it?