Lord of Light

Wow. Big plot and major intrigues, way more characters than I can keep straight. SF gone so far as to be indistinguishable from magic. Wry commentary on religion, and a very grounded main character. In short, quite a lot to wrap ones head about.

The main character (Sam) felt like a throwback to the science fiction of his day. He was the everyman, the one who thought of technology and described the weapons of other characters that way, where as they themselves spoke of divine power. He confronts a system of injustice and works to take it down. His comments about religion seem to be intended for both the story and our world, though I would want to compile them to be sure.

The world is revealed slowly through the stories. There are seven of them, making up large "chapters" in the book, and apparently two were published earlier. Each story seems to work within itself, and it would be an interesting experiment to take breaks between them. I did not, reading it as a whole (though not in one sitting). There were a few points left unanswered - Sam's comment that the demons were the original inhabitants, for example - but the main plot makes for a cohesive package.

To me, this book feels like a reread will be most beneficial. According to IO9, this will be made into a television series, so the only question is whether to read again before or after that. This won the Hugo and is listed on several "best of" lists, including the SF Masterworks.