Lord of Light

One of the best SF&F novels ever. Zelazny in top form.
Recursive and complex, close reading is required.
I am amazed at how much story Roger Zelazny was able to pack into 319 pages without making it seem rushed. I reckon some very popular writers (not naming names, but initials RJ and GRRM come to mind) would have required three big books to tell this story.

In a comment below, I added some snips of text that caught my attention as I was reading. (Doubtless were I to read LoL again, other bits would catch my attention.)