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magratajostiernos's review against another edition
2.0
Meehhh. Confuso y aburrido, tiene ideas interesantes pero se quedan en eso... ideas.
rossbm's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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? No
2.75
“The Godmakers” is a decent and short science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the author of the acclaimed “Dune” series. The story is set in a future universe where an interstellar human civilization is starting to expand and rediscover lost planets 500 years after catastrophic war. The protagonist, Lewis Orne, works for a government agency that makes contacts with lost planets, with the aim to identify planets where there's a risk of war.
The novel is pretty fast paced, which makes sense given that it was originally published as 4 short stories. However, the novel also veers too much into woohoo mysticism, especially in the last part, where Orne undergoes a series of trials and rituals that are vaguely explained and hard to follow. The novel also lacks the action and suspense that made “Dune” so captivating, and relies more on dialogue and exposition.
Another flaw of the novel is the portrayal of women, who are mostly relegated to a subservient role, either as wives, concubines, or servants. Dune had several strong women.
I used to say that Dune was my favorite book, but after rereading it recently I find that Dune's woohoo mysticism is annoying, with the book being carried on the strength of the intrigue and action. The Godmakers is not as strong, but it is a fast and decently fun read.
The novel is pretty fast paced, which makes sense given that it was originally published as 4 short stories. However, the novel also veers too much into woohoo mysticism, especially in the last part, where Orne undergoes a series of trials and rituals that are vaguely explained and hard to follow. The novel also lacks the action and suspense that made “Dune” so captivating, and relies more on dialogue and exposition.
Another flaw of the novel is the portrayal of women, who are mostly relegated to a subservient role, either as wives, concubines, or servants. Dune had several strong women.
I used to say that Dune was my favorite book, but after rereading it recently I find that Dune's woohoo mysticism is annoying, with the book being carried on the strength of the intrigue and action. The Godmakers is not as strong, but it is a fast and decently fun read.
skippan's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
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 !!
michaelwalsh'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
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.