The Race for God [Paperback]

Brian Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

God, it turns out, lives on the planet Tananius-Ofo in the distant galaxy 722C12009. And now, after countless millennia, He's invited us to come visit Him. Not everybody, mind you. Just an odd assortment of heathens, heriticts, pantheists, perverts and true believers of every sect and creed - all crammed into a single white spaceship piloted by a slightly crazed bio-computer. Each pilgrim is determined to be the first to reach God and learn His secrets... if they don't all kill each other on the way there.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a promising start, Herbert's heavy-handed work rapidly disintegrates into uninspired philosophizing and potshots at organized religion. God uses an unlikely spokesman, Evander McMurtrey--who as a lark had founded the Interplanetary Church of Cosmic Chickenhood--to issue an unusual invitation to the people of the planet D'Urth: although he doesn't explain why, God would like them to race each other to visit him on his remote world of Tananius-Ofo, and provides a fleet of computer-piloted spaceships for transport. On McMurtrey's own ship are the embattled followers of various religions, such as Krassianism (read Christianity), Hoddism (Buddhism) and Middism (Judaism), who squabble their way toward God (even the computer is accused of blasphemy). McMurtrey is an engagingly eccentric character, but Herbert ( Prisoners of Arionn ) laces his meandering text with banal observations ("every experience in life is a lesson") and tiresome irreverences, such as this attack on Catholic absolution: "Confess to murder and rape, say you accept Krassos Christ and you get a ticket to Heaven. What a sick, sic e-vile religion!"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A self-made prophet and head of the Interplanetary Church of Cosmic Chickenhood receives a bona fide invitation from God to visit Him on His planet at the edge of the universe. In response, a flood of religious devotees flocks to the spaceships destined to deliver them, provided they can survive "holy war" in outer space. Herbert's (Prisoners of Arionn) flair for comedy is taken to extremes in this blatant and unsubtle spoof of an earth-like world fragmented by theology. For large libraries only.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809556405
• ISBN-13: 978-0809556403
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,515,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible work, October 22, 2009

By 

Red Stowic "Euphamism" (Spangdahlem, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Race for God (Mass Market Paperback)

The first handful of pages in this book interested me enough to decide I'd follow through with the rest of it. What a mistake that was.

This book is nothing but the author's method of treating us to his personal opinions of religion. It shows mainly through the dialog. The characters only have personalities until they start talking about religion, at which point they all become exactly the same character (with the exception of the religious zealots, whose arguments are quickly and soundly trumped, for no reason other than that the author doesn't like them). Once the author starts one of his religous rants, all the other characters fall in line and do as their told.

Long before you reach the "surprise" at the end (O NOES! God isn't really what most people think of him! Whatever shall we do?!) you'll know exactly what's going to happen to every character and event, because it all hinges on the authors overly-apparent religous opinions. Once you've figured out what it is he wants to happen to make his point, you'll know exactly what DOES happen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Late for the Starting Line, January 4, 2008

By 

Andy (Shelby Twp, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Race for God (Mass Market Paperback)

This book starts with a comedic situation (Interplanetary Church of Cosmic Chickenhood) but quickly drifts to cynicsm about all religions. It's basic idea is that one religion is as good as another, and none of them are worth much except as a means for individuals to accumulate power. Herbet's portrayal of God is a disappointment, but the reader is well-prepared for the let-down by the time that point in the book is reached. The author creates a few interesting situations, e.g. an almost indestructable android, but can't deal with problems the android creates, so he simply shuts him off or leaves him walking up a cliff at the end of the book. In summary, anyone expecting that the title is an indication of philosophical insight is sure to be disappointed.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sucked, November 27, 2007

By 

Todd Sauder (Abbotsford, BC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Race for God (Mass Market Paperback)

Have you ever read a story that didn't seem like a story but instead felt like an author telling you his views on life, the universe and everything (apologies to Douglas Adams who is a fantastic author)? Talk about being beaten over the head with an opinion! This should have been a essay instead of a novel - and a bad essay at that. I'm sorry but this was a great idea that was simply not executed well at ALL.