How Like a God [Paperback]

Brenda W. Clough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

When a Washington, D.C. software developer wakes up one morning able to read--and influence--the hearts and minds of everyone around him, he expects to enjoy his godlike power. But soon his power shows its darker side, driving him away from his family and onto the streets of New York City, where he explores the depths of despair and degradation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rob Lewis, an ordinary computer programmer with a wife and two kids, becomes something extraordinary one day after he wakes up and discovers he can read--and control--other people's minds. It's an ability most people dream of having, but for Rob it quickly destroys his life. There is a death, injuries, the threat of warping the lives of his children. Rob flees to New York where, homeless and destitute, he contacts Edwin Barbaross of the National Institutes of Health. Together they travel to Uzbekistan, where Rob will face both the source of his powers and his own inner demons. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Clough's (An Impossible Summer, Walker, 1992) hardcover debut offers a suburban fantasy in which Rob Lewis wakes up one morning with the ability to read?and, ultimately, influence?the emotions of people around him. Frightened, he leaves home, drifting aimlessly through New York City until he meets microbiologist Edwin Barbarossa, to whom he turns for help. Clough explores power, control, and friendship in a well-crafted psychological study. Recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812571363
• ISBN-13: 978-0812571363
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,265,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda W. Clough spent much of her childhood overseas, courtesy of the U.S. government. She has lived in Laos, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Germany. She returned to Pittsburgh, PA to earn a degree in English/Creative Writing at Carnegie Mellon University in 1977.

Several years working as a meek mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newsletter enabled her to write a fantasy novel, THE CRYSTAL CROWN (1984). She has also written THE DRAGON OF MISHBIL (1985), THE REALM BENEATH (1986), and THE NAME OF THE SUN (1988) Her children's novel, AN IMPOSSUMBLE SUMMER (1992) is set in her own house in Virginia, where she lives in a cottage at the edge of a forest.

A number of short stories have appeared in anthologies, the most recent being HOME IS THE SAILOR in the anthology STARLIGHT 3 (Tor 2001), and HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD (Tor 1996, Charles Sheffield, ed.). She also had a novella MAY BE SOME TIME in the 2001 issue of ANALOG, which was on the final ballot for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. Her short story titled TIMES FIFTY, in the October 2001 issue of CHRISTIANITY TODAY, won a Higher Goals in Christian Journalism award from the Evangelical Press Association.

Her novels HOW LIKE A GOD and the sequel DOORS OF DEATH AND LIFE were published by Tor Books in 1997. In its review Locus Magazine says, "Clough brings myth and science and plain human existence (complex as all get-out) together for what proves to be a fine blend, and a very good read, offering physical, psychological, and metaphysical insights into the human condition, along with the sometimes delightfully outlandish action that drives the best of pulp fiction."

And the New York Times Book Review says, "Ms. Clough has an appealingly cheeky imagination."

Her newest novel, REVISE, was published on line at Book View Café (www.bookviewcafe.com) in 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Convincing look at the responsibility of having superpowers, August 11, 2000

By 

Richard R. Horton (Webster Groves, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Like a God (Hardcover)

Brenda Clough calls her "Gilgamesh" books, _How Like a God_ (1997), and _Doors of Death and Life_ (2000), "suburban fantasy", and indeed they depict suburban life pretty well: home improvement, day care, commuting, minivans, even believable contemporary American Christians (a rarity in SF!). For that alone these are refreshing books.

_How Like a God_ concerns Washington area software developer Rob Lewis, the father of 18 month old twins, and the loving husband of Julianne, who works in the fashion industry. One day he suddenly realizes that he has an unusual power: he can read minds, the minds of anybody on the planet, and he can control people. After a few mild experiments, he tells his wife, and her response appals him. She wants him to influence her employers to help her career, and then she wants him to look for great personal power: run for President, perhaps. Horrified, he makes Julianne forget everything, but soon her realizes that he can't control his power, and that he is altering his twins unconcsiously, making them act extra mature without even knowing it. In despair, he runs away to New York City and spends months as a homeless man, using his power occasionally to cadge meals and housing. His humanity begins to slip away from him, and suddenly he realizes that he is becoming a monster. When he finds himself about to rape a teenage girl (by making her want it), he starts to break out, and looks for help. His only help is from a chance encounter with an NIH microbiologist, Edwin Barbarossa, a fundamentally good man at a very deep level. The rest of the book follows Rob's gradual return to humanity with Edwin's guidance, and also Rob's eventual encounter with the mysterious and surprising source of his power.

This is a very fine book, quite original in conception, and dealing pretty unflinchingly with the issue of personal responsibility, and how important and difficult that is when you have immense power. The book's only real weakness is the character of Julianne, who is neither terribly likeable, nor particularly three-dimensional, but she's a fairly minor character and that doesn't really hurt the book too much.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I read this BOOK! HOLY MIKE!!!, January 29, 2003

By 

N. Anwer (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Like a God (Hardcover)

How Like a God, really does have an interesting premise, thats the reason I read this book.
I thought it would be interesting to see how the power of a God would effect a regular human. What would he do with it? How will it change him?

Although this book attempts to take on these issues, it just seems like the are all half hearted attempts. Ultimately this book leaves one feeling unsatisfied.

It is also worth commenting that the books dialouge is so silly and child like at times, it appears that the author simply is attempting her hand at some form of satire. The character repeatedly yells " Holy Mackerel ", and my personal Favorite " Holy Mike!"
Although there are some interesting themes in this book, I just dont think it is worth the time to read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite of mine, December 5, 2003

By 

Caitlin - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Like a God (Paperback)

I was talking about this book to a friend and flipped open amazon.com to look up the spelling of the author's last name -- and was shocked to see so many negative reviews of this book. It's been a favorite of mine since I found it, worth many rereads. Questions of pacing reflect each reader's own preferences, of course, but for myself I found nothing rushed or unexplained, and I found the ending deeply satisfying.

(For some context, I have been a voracious science fiction reader all of my life, with a slight leaning toward space opera and fantasy; I have only small experience with comics.)