The Godmakers (novel)

This article is about the science fiction novel. For the anti-Mormon film/book, see The God Makers.

The God Makers (1972) is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. Some later editions used a variant title, The Godmakers.

The God Makers

Author	Frank Herbert
Cover artist	Vincent DiFate
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Putnam
Publication date	1972
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
ISBN	0-399-11006-2
OCLC	534343
Dewey Decimal	813/.5/4
LC Class	PZ4.H5356 Go PS3558.E63

"The Priests of Psi" was the cover story for the February 1960 issue of Fantastic

Publication history

The novel The Godmakers expands upon a storyline appearing in four short stories over a decade earlier:

• "You Take the High Road". Appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1958;
• "Missing link". Appeared in Astounding Science Fiction February 1959;
• "Operation Haystack". Appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1959; and
• "The Priests of Psi". Appeared in Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, February 1960.

Plot summary

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.

Reception

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."