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charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
I had a really good time reading this book. I have a feeling I won't remember much of it in a few months, as it was a bit disjointed, but I enjoyed the philosophical flow of the story.
sambora's review against another edition
4.0
With a fantastic, gripping and engrossing first half and a slower, more measured, philosophical and intellectually dense second half, this made for a satisfying - albeit somewhat "whiplashy" - novel.
The Godmakers boasts a couple of superb ideas, well thought out theological arguments (on both sides) and many of what I am coming to see as "Herbertisms" - elements of this man's writing that I adore and haven't found anywhere else.
The Godmakers boasts a couple of superb ideas, well thought out theological arguments (on both sides) and many of what I am coming to see as "Herbertisms" - elements of this man's writing that I adore and haven't found anywhere else.
agrajag's review against another edition
4.0
First 75% are better than the last 25%; feels a bit as if it wanders of into lala-land and lacks a proper end.
I suppose it's pretty hard though to reasonably describe what it's like for the protagonist to be God, so forgivable.
I suppose it's pretty hard though to reasonably describe what it's like for the protagonist to be God, so forgivable.
georgiaswad's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 - tons of wicked ideas but the plot feels cobbled together - probably because it’s a combination of 4 shorter stories ? interesting but underdeveloped - i’m excited to see a later evolution when i read dune !!
sillyboysbooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
c_tide's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
gggggggg_g's review against another edition
3.0
A regular at work convinced me to give Herbert another try. I'm glad I did, but Jesus Christ (pun intended) the main character was an insufferable twat.
nightshade_novels's review against another edition
3.0
Well this one was no Dune, it was still interesting though. You can see many of the ideas forming that would eventually be expanded upon and become part of the Dune universe. For this reason alone I enjoyed it more than I probably would have otherwise.
This book was expanded from four short stories and unfortunately it shows. The sections of the story, while connected are very different and in some cases feel like they could be about separate characters rather than all following Orne. The jumping around means the story isn't as cohesive as you'd like. I'm still unsure exactly what the full story of what I read was.
Each chapter began with a short paragraph that is relevant to but separate from the main story. This was very reminiscent of the way the Dune books are written. In fact the whole book had that writing style that is just so typically Frank Herbert, and which I really enjoy.
My favourite part of this book was the first section where Orne is a newly trained member of R&R on his first posting in Hamal and has his first run in with the I-A. I really enjoyed the world building here and there was some interesting commentary on societies.
Overall it was really interesting to read more of Herbert's work outside of the Dune universe. And I would like to read more of his works in the future.
This book was expanded from four short stories and unfortunately it shows. The sections of the story, while connected are very different and in some cases feel like they could be about separate characters rather than all following Orne. The jumping around means the story isn't as cohesive as you'd like. I'm still unsure exactly what the full story of what I read was.
Each chapter began with a short paragraph that is relevant to but separate from the main story. This was very reminiscent of the way the Dune books are written. In fact the whole book had that writing style that is just so typically Frank Herbert, and which I really enjoy.
My favourite part of this book was the first section where Orne is a newly trained member of R&R on his first posting in Hamal and has his first run in with the I-A. I really enjoyed the world building here and there was some interesting commentary on societies.
Overall it was really interesting to read more of Herbert's work outside of the Dune universe. And I would like to read more of his works in the future.
someoneelse's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
larsinio's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, presently surprised!
This book can be best be explained as a condensed version of the six books of dune, sort of. A lot of the same ideas as Dune - female matriarchical societies, genetic memories, forgotten worlds, government stability, good government vs perfect government - appear in this novel as well. In particular this book draws upon ideas from God Emperor onward, and i love that, since i particularly loved the second half of the dune hexalogy.
You can definitely tell that this book traces its lineage as a collection of short stories, but it works. The ideas are good, the universe feels real and fleshed out. Ultimately my only complaint is that its too short - but in its short space theres a lot of story, characters and interesting discussion.
I like Lewis Oren as a main character, even if the person he is at the end is a bit different from the start.
A true Herbert Hidden Gem! If i had not read the dune books, i would probably only have given this 4 stars. But as an accompanying book, its great!
This book can be best be explained as a condensed version of the six books of dune, sort of. A lot of the same ideas as Dune - female matriarchical societies, genetic memories, forgotten worlds, government stability, good government vs perfect government - appear in this novel as well. In particular this book draws upon ideas from God Emperor onward, and i love that, since i particularly loved the second half of the dune hexalogy.
You can definitely tell that this book traces its lineage as a collection of short stories, but it works. The ideas are good, the universe feels real and fleshed out. Ultimately my only complaint is that its too short - but in its short space theres a lot of story, characters and interesting discussion.
I like Lewis Oren as a main character, even if the person he is at the end is a bit different from the start.
A true Herbert Hidden Gem! If i had not read the dune books, i would probably only have given this 4 stars. But as an accompanying book, its great!