Looking for a good science fiction "god" book
April 13, 2010 11:45 AM Subscribe
Show me abject corruption from a god-like character
Any suggestions? I'm specifically looking for a science fiction book that is heavy on character development that explores or chronicles the main character's journey starting with achieving god-like power (through nanotechnology, time travel, evolution, alien encounter or whatever) through his use of that power and his subsequent corruption (since absolute power corrupts absolutely) and either ultimate redemption or damnation (take your pic).
I'm not looking for "Lord of the Rings" (Frodo is too innocent. Too nice. He bears the weight of the ring too well for my purposes. And I don't consider it science fiction), or some typical good hero vs. evil powerful overlord. The main character has got to be incredibly powerful (think mind reading/control, prescience, physical attraction/pleasure giving, strength, speed, etc) he has got to use his power for perhaps selfish needs (or preferably a mix of selfish and selfless), descend into corruption, and experience the abject alienation from humanity that results.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions? I'm specifically looking for a science fiction book that is heavy on character development that explores or chronicles the main character's journey starting with achieving god-like power (through nanotechnology, time travel, evolution, alien encounter or whatever) through his use of that power and his subsequent corruption (since absolute power corrupts absolutely) and either ultimate redemption or damnation (take your pic).
I'm not looking for "Lord of the Rings" (Frodo is too innocent. Too nice. He bears the weight of the ring too well for my purposes. And I don't consider it science fiction), or some typical good hero vs. evil powerful overlord. The main character has got to be incredibly powerful (think mind reading/control, prescience, physical attraction/pleasure giving, strength, speed, etc) he has got to use his power for perhaps selfish needs (or preferably a mix of selfish and selfless), descend into corruption, and experience the abject alienation from humanity that results.
Any suggestions?
Best answer: God Emperor of Dune probably fits the bill. You may want to read the stuff that proceeds it first though if you haven't.
posted by willnot at 11:59 AM on April 13, 2010
posted by willnot at 11:59 AM on April 13, 2010
I think you might enjoy The Cleanup, by the now defunct writing team of Skipp and Spector. They had moved a bit out of their splatterpunk writing style by then, but the novel is still quite visceral on a physical level, while continuing to philosophically explore what power (over oneself, over others, over reality) might entail.
posted by adipocere at 12:01 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by adipocere at 12:01 PM on April 13, 2010
I just finished Wild Seed which has a character that falls exactly under your description.
posted by pyro979 at 12:06 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by pyro979 at 12:06 PM on April 13, 2010
In a related comics vein, the 1985 Squadron Supreme miniseries by Gruenwald covers this topic too. Watchmen may also work for your purposes, not to get too detailed.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:51 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:51 PM on April 13, 2010
It's a Good Life (famous Twilight Zone episode with the creepy omnipotent kid who controls his town)
posted by mkultra at 12:57 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by mkultra at 12:57 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: I came in to recommend Octavia E. Butler's Wild Seed, which pyro979 beat me to. You can get the whole series in one volume in Seed to Harvest.
posted by librarina at 1:01 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by librarina at 1:01 PM on April 13, 2010
a fire upon the deep by vernor vinge is pretty amazing...lots of material about how different levels of intelligence live together in the galaxy...
posted by sexyrobot at 1:19 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by sexyrobot at 1:19 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination pretty much fits your description to a T.
posted by aspo at 2:11 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by aspo at 2:11 PM on April 13, 2010
R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series is about a man so attuned to patterns of causality [suck it, Hume], he wields godlike powers of manipulation. But this is dark fantasy, rather than sci fi.
posted by reverend cuttle at 2:23 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by reverend cuttle at 2:23 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle explore thisy. Oddly, though, the murdering and corrupt main character ends up being the good guy. You have to get through both books to get there, though.
posted by _cave at 2:26 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by _cave at 2:26 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Timegods' World by LE Modesitt fits the bill. Also, The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (Shadow and Claw and Sword and Citadel) deals more directly with the acquisition of godlike power than the corruption it causes, although the narrator is pretty unreliable and his first-person account of the story is shaped in unexpected ways by things that have happened by the end of the last book...
posted by Alterscape at 3:21 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by Alterscape at 3:21 PM on April 13, 2010
Response by poster: I probably shouldn't constrain it to science fiction only. So okay. Any genre.
Thank you so far for the suggestions:
"How Like a God" has an excellent premise. I may read it even though the reviews are pretty brutal.
"God Emperor of Dune" Yes! Of course! [smacking forehead]
I'm an Alan Moore fan especially of "Watchmen" (Dr. Manhattan is a good example of what I'm looking for but even he needs more depth--his redemption near the end (primarily with Silk Specter) is magnificent. In fact, his whole arc would be exactly what I'm looking for if he were more evil rather than maudlin and we were a bit more sympathetic towards him.) I'll check out "Miracleman."
"Wild Seed" sounds good and powerful. I haven't read any Butler so it's about time.
Jesse Custer of "Preacher" may foot the bill--very strange since with the sole exception of Alan Moore I'm not into comics yet there are lots of examples there.
I've read "Fire Upon the Deep." Good god-like capabilities but they're completely detached from humanity and the reader and therefore inaccessible via characterization.
Thank you for the suggestions and please give me more (not necessarily science fiction). Even something like "The Wasp Factory" would be good: Frank is a kid who exerts god-like power over animals. He kills wasps in his "wasp factory" and other small animals by various means. He's a pretty awful kid but you begin to sympathize with him and perhaps even like him as the story goes on despite his problems. At the end, you discover perhaps a giant reason for his crazy behavior and the reader's sympathy for him is complete. "Wasp Factory" is a great example.
Ultimately, I'm researching creating a character who is born in our time, lives to be over 600 years old, travels back in time and relives the first 200 years of his life. So imagine yourself as a 600 year old person inhabiting your body as a kid. You have knowledge of everything for the next 600 years (stock market behavior, economics, historical events) you have the wisdom and experience of a 600 year old person (which will make your high school years quite different) and your knowledge of technological advancements enables you to become an extremely successful and "brilliant" entrepreneur. Your physical and mental capabilities are enhanced through nanotechnology and AI but to all the world you appear to be a precocious 6 year old developing naturally into adulthood. The desire to use your knowledge and power would be irresistable. And yet every "brilliant" act will be a fraud since it will be the act not of a 7 or 8 or 21 year old person but of a 621 year old cynic who has seen more than his share of war, politics, oppression, depravity, and love. You would be a wolf among the sheep. It's good to relive the past again but you can never go home. And even though your intentions for traveling back in time were noble (and you have every intention of fulfilling those goals) there is no escaping your fraud and lack of innocence so instead you embrace them and your depravity alienates you. This is the character I'm trying to develop.
Keep 'em coming! And thank you.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 3:38 PM on April 13, 2010
Thank you so far for the suggestions:
"How Like a God" has an excellent premise. I may read it even though the reviews are pretty brutal.
"God Emperor of Dune" Yes! Of course! [smacking forehead]
I'm an Alan Moore fan especially of "Watchmen" (Dr. Manhattan is a good example of what I'm looking for but even he needs more depth--his redemption near the end (primarily with Silk Specter) is magnificent. In fact, his whole arc would be exactly what I'm looking for if he were more evil rather than maudlin and we were a bit more sympathetic towards him.) I'll check out "Miracleman."
"Wild Seed" sounds good and powerful. I haven't read any Butler so it's about time.
Jesse Custer of "Preacher" may foot the bill--very strange since with the sole exception of Alan Moore I'm not into comics yet there are lots of examples there.
I've read "Fire Upon the Deep." Good god-like capabilities but they're completely detached from humanity and the reader and therefore inaccessible via characterization.
Thank you for the suggestions and please give me more (not necessarily science fiction). Even something like "The Wasp Factory" would be good: Frank is a kid who exerts god-like power over animals. He kills wasps in his "wasp factory" and other small animals by various means. He's a pretty awful kid but you begin to sympathize with him and perhaps even like him as the story goes on despite his problems. At the end, you discover perhaps a giant reason for his crazy behavior and the reader's sympathy for him is complete. "Wasp Factory" is a great example.
Ultimately, I'm researching creating a character who is born in our time, lives to be over 600 years old, travels back in time and relives the first 200 years of his life. So imagine yourself as a 600 year old person inhabiting your body as a kid. You have knowledge of everything for the next 600 years (stock market behavior, economics, historical events) you have the wisdom and experience of a 600 year old person (which will make your high school years quite different) and your knowledge of technological advancements enables you to become an extremely successful and "brilliant" entrepreneur. Your physical and mental capabilities are enhanced through nanotechnology and AI but to all the world you appear to be a precocious 6 year old developing naturally into adulthood. The desire to use your knowledge and power would be irresistable. And yet every "brilliant" act will be a fraud since it will be the act not of a 7 or 8 or 21 year old person but of a 621 year old cynic who has seen more than his share of war, politics, oppression, depravity, and love. You would be a wolf among the sheep. It's good to relive the past again but you can never go home. And even though your intentions for traveling back in time were noble (and you have every intention of fulfilling those goals) there is no escaping your fraud and lack of innocence so instead you embrace them and your depravity alienates you. This is the character I'm trying to develop.
Keep 'em coming! And thank you.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 3:38 PM on April 13, 2010
You saying something about 600 years old makes me think of MeFi's own localroger's online novel, The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect. It's basically the story of what could happen when humans create a god machine, and how that all works out for us.
posted by BeerFilter at 3:52 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by BeerFilter at 3:52 PM on April 13, 2010
Response by poster: Jesse Custer of "Preacher" may FILL the bill
I've read "The Stars My Destination." That's a good example of what I'm looking for.
"Heroes Die" and "Blade" sounds very close to the arc I'm looking for "the murdering and corrupt main character ends up being the good guy." That's very good! I'll have to check it out.
I've read "Shadow of the Torturer" and think it's one of the best SF novels written. I'll have to continue the series.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 3:54 PM on April 13, 2010
I've read "The Stars My Destination." That's a good example of what I'm looking for.
"Heroes Die" and "Blade" sounds very close to the arc I'm looking for "the murdering and corrupt main character ends up being the good guy." That's very good! I'll have to check it out.
I've read "Shadow of the Torturer" and think it's one of the best SF novels written. I'll have to continue the series.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 3:54 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons.
posted by Billegible at 4:13 PM on April 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Billegible at 4:13 PM on April 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
If there are already manga on the table, I'll suggest Death Note -- the manga version has a special kind of fast-moving, campy brutality, and exactly the kind of plot you describe. It very quickly becomes a case study in the abuse of superpowers and the pitfalls of good intent, and it's all the more effective because I don't think it was meant to be a case study of anything.
(Chapter 0 is a "pilot" chapter which has nothing to do with the rest of the story, was written before anyone knew what they were doing, and was actually published last. You will miss nothing by starting with Chapter 1.)
posted by thesmallmachine at 4:56 PM on April 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
(Chapter 0 is a "pilot" chapter which has nothing to do with the rest of the story, was written before anyone knew what they were doing, and was actually published last. You will miss nothing by starting with Chapter 1.)
posted by thesmallmachine at 4:56 PM on April 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Hmmm...well, if it's open to any genre, I'd also recommend the Chaos Chronicles by John C. Wright:
Orphans of Chaos
Fugitives of Chaos
Titans of Chaos
The idea of a godlike, all powerful creature being turned back into a child reminds me very much of this series. The main characters are a little less depraved than you're looking for (with one possible exception) but the supporting cast of Greek gods and goddesses makes up for that somewhat.
posted by _cave at 5:18 PM on April 13, 2010
Orphans of Chaos
Fugitives of Chaos
Titans of Chaos
The idea of a godlike, all powerful creature being turned back into a child reminds me very much of this series. The main characters are a little less depraved than you're looking for (with one possible exception) but the supporting cast of Greek gods and goddesses makes up for that somewhat.
posted by _cave at 5:18 PM on April 13, 2010
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's St. Germain have some of that except that St. Germain is too nice and moral. What your question originally reminded my of is the (miserable) Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson. That series is about a selfish, self-centered, self-pitying guy who gets godlike powers and ends up causing the deaths of all the cool characters. His internal conflicts make it hard for him to notice or care about the effects of his actions on those around him. When he does notice it just feeds his self-pity.
posted by irisclara at 6:03 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by irisclara at 6:03 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Your description reminded me of Replay. I'm not sure I'd call it god like, but there are certainly elements of what you describe.
posted by willnot at 6:06 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by willnot at 6:06 PM on April 13, 2010
The revival of Doctor Who (sometimes referred to as the 2005 series) might fit. The Doctor goes through cycles called "Regenerations" where the character can die, but his body heals and changes into a new person, allowing the show to carry on with a new actor in the lead role. Towards the end of the most (penultimate) Doctor's incarnation, he was becoming progressively darker and unbalanced - a 900 year old Time Lord, the last of his people, who had committed double genocide, and finally decided to say "screw the rules" and tried to defy the Laws of Time he'd been upholding for all those years... needless to say, it didn't end well for him.
posted by GJSchaller at 6:54 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by GJSchaller at 6:54 PM on April 13, 2010
Some books that dance around the edge of the themes your talking about without going truely godlike are:
David Brin's Kiln People - every morning you lay down on your scanner for a few minutes and burn a duplicate self or three. Maybe they're high grade copies you can have do serious stuff that you want to upload later in the day. Maybe they're disposable copies that you'll have mow the lawn, wash the dishes and, when they start to run down, you'll dump them in the recycling bin. Maybe you've be using your custom copies that have chainsaws for arms and fighting to the death in a pit somewhere. If you think some people might abuse this technology in interesting ways...you'd be right.
Vernor Vinge's Marooned in Real Time. Take the acceleration of technological progress and mix with any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Add a dash of power corrupts - absolute power corrupts absolutely and serve.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:21 PM on April 13, 2010
David Brin's Kiln People - every morning you lay down on your scanner for a few minutes and burn a duplicate self or three. Maybe they're high grade copies you can have do serious stuff that you want to upload later in the day. Maybe they're disposable copies that you'll have mow the lawn, wash the dishes and, when they start to run down, you'll dump them in the recycling bin. Maybe you've be using your custom copies that have chainsaws for arms and fighting to the death in a pit somewhere. If you think some people might abuse this technology in interesting ways...you'd be right.
Vernor Vinge's Marooned in Real Time. Take the acceleration of technological progress and mix with any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Add a dash of power corrupts - absolute power corrupts absolutely and serve.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:21 PM on April 13, 2010
It's a short story, not a book, but 'I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream' fits your specs perfectly. Plus: god is a dick supercomputer!
posted by spamguy at 7:23 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by spamguy at 7:23 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Joe Abercrombie's 'The Blade Itself' trilogy touches on these issues quite well. Great books, though the ending is... grim.
posted by Sebmojo at 8:06 PM on April 13, 2010
posted by Sebmojo at 8:06 PM on April 13, 2010
Best answer: Michael Swanwick's Jack Faust is good. He's getting his powers second hand from entities that want to corrupt him, but it explores the "power corrupts" theme pretty thoroughly.
posted by crocomancer at 3:10 AM on April 14, 2010
posted by crocomancer at 3:10 AM on April 14, 2010
Lord Fancy Pants, are you are of Lazarus Long, the Heinlein character? He, too, lives pretty much forever, appearing in a lot of novels and short stories, including a trip back in time where (I *think*) he fools around with his own mom. Or something. No godlike powers, granted, but effectively immortal.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:22 AM on April 14, 2010
posted by wenestvedt at 7:22 AM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: Wow! Quite a few excellent suggestions here:
I'm a fan of Lazarus Long although I haven't yet read "Time Enough for Love." Great time travel stuff but I have trouble imagining Lazarus having the slightest bit of remorse for anything he's done no matter how deviant. Heinlein is fantastic so I'll have to take a look.
I read Ilium and Olympos: Great god-like powers and Simmons is one of my favorities but the powers remain in the hands of the gods. Hockenberry, the human main character, gets some powers but is always looking over his shoulder since the gods are totally out to get him. The character I'm developing has no accountability to anyone. Having said that, the incredibly powerful nanotech and quantum effects are right on the money.
"REPLAY" Yes! I haven't read it yet but I've read about it (I think Simmons goes into some detail about it on his website). The prescience due to time travel is exactly what I'm looking for. Now I'll have to read it.
"Jack Foust" sounds like an excellent descent into depravity. One review reads, "But Faust is blind to the fact that this gift from Mephistopheles will lead not only to his destruction but that of humanity as well." That pretty much hits the nail on the head. I'd be very interested to see how Jack Foust deals with this "gift."
I read up on the "Chaos" series. Some of the reviews said they didn't like the characters but were still concerned about them. That's what I'm looking for. Also touches on some dangerous subjects. Nominated for a Nebula, Locus winner. Hmm. . .hafta check it out.
Thank you!
Any more?
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 12:13 PM on April 14, 2010
I'm a fan of Lazarus Long although I haven't yet read "Time Enough for Love." Great time travel stuff but I have trouble imagining Lazarus having the slightest bit of remorse for anything he's done no matter how deviant. Heinlein is fantastic so I'll have to take a look.
I read Ilium and Olympos: Great god-like powers and Simmons is one of my favorities but the powers remain in the hands of the gods. Hockenberry, the human main character, gets some powers but is always looking over his shoulder since the gods are totally out to get him. The character I'm developing has no accountability to anyone. Having said that, the incredibly powerful nanotech and quantum effects are right on the money.
"REPLAY" Yes! I haven't read it yet but I've read about it (I think Simmons goes into some detail about it on his website). The prescience due to time travel is exactly what I'm looking for. Now I'll have to read it.
"Jack Foust" sounds like an excellent descent into depravity. One review reads, "But Faust is blind to the fact that this gift from Mephistopheles will lead not only to his destruction but that of humanity as well." That pretty much hits the nail on the head. I'd be very interested to see how Jack Foust deals with this "gift."
I read up on the "Chaos" series. Some of the reviews said they didn't like the characters but were still concerned about them. That's what I'm looking for. Also touches on some dangerous subjects. Nominated for a Nebula, Locus winner. Hmm. . .hafta check it out.
Thank you!
Any more?
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 12:13 PM on April 14, 2010
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold. The protagonist gets a time-travel belt and finds out that the only limits to what he can do are really those within himself.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:51 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:51 PM on April 14, 2010
Best answer: Neverness, and the followup trilogy Requiem for Homo Sapiens, being The Broken God, The Wild and War in Heaven, by David Zindell is literally littered by people wanting to be gods, meeting gods, becoming gods, and crashing down from godhood. It's like a Science Fiction version of a Homeric epic.
posted by Sparx at 4:38 PM on April 15, 2010
posted by Sparx at 4:38 PM on April 15, 2010
The second half of The Neverending Story deals with the narrator's corruption as he exerts his power of Fantastica.
posted by bq at 12:41 PM on June 4, 2010
posted by bq at 12:41 PM on June 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by doteatop at 11:58 AM on April 13, 2010