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| Author | Frank Herbert |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Vincent DiFate |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Putnam |
Publication date | 1972 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-399-11006-2 |
| OCLC | 534343 |
| 813/.5/4 | |
| LC Class | PZ4.H5356 Go PS3558.E63 |
The Godmakers (1972) is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. The title of early editions was sometimes styled The God Makers.
It is a novel expanded from four short stories:
The story focuses on Lewis Orne, an agent for a government agency which develops 'lost planets.' After correctly identifying a warlike civilization on the planet Hamal, he is drafted into Investigative Adjustment (I-A), which manages dangerous planets. Under the auspices of I-A, he travels to various planets in order to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. At the same time, the priests of the planet Amel, who practice 'religious engineering', set about creating a god, something they have done numerous times before: "'We do not know from what creature or thing the god will be born', the Abbod said. 'It could be one of you.'" After resolving a number of dangerous situations, Lewis is injured and has a near-death experience. Following this, his psychic powers develop, and after passing a series of tests he becomes a god.
Colin Greenland reviewed The Godmakers for Imagine magazine, and stated that "For all his ever-expanding cosmic perspective, Herbert still writes characters who look and sound as if they'd been cut off the backs of cornflake packets."[1]