Godmakers explores concepts of war and peace, good government and religious belief. It can be seen as a bridging novel between the all-human Dune universe and the ConSentiency universe series. The novel expands four short stories: "You Take the High Road" in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1958; "Missing link" in Astounding Science Fiction, February 1959; "Operation Haystack" in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1959; & "The Priests of Psi" in Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, February 1960