The God Engines [Hardcover]

John Scalzi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2009

Captain Ean Tephe is a man of faith, whose allegiance to his lord and to his ship is uncontested. The Bishopry Militant knows this -- and so, when it needs a ship and crew to undertake a secret, sacred mission to a hidden land, Tephe is the captain to whom the task is given.

Tephe knows from that the start that his mission will be a test of his skill as a leader of men and as a devout follower of his god. It s what he doesn t know that matters: to what ends his faith and his ship will ultimately be put -- and that the tests he will face will come not only from his god and the Bishopry Militant, but from another, more malevolent source entirely...

Author John Scalzi has ascended to the top ranks of modern science fiction with the best-selling, Hugo-nominated novels Old Man's War and Zoe's Tale. Now he tries his hand at fantasy, with a dark and different novella that takes your expectations of what fantasy is and does, and sends them tumbling.

Say your prayers...and behold The God Engines.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author John Scalzi has ascended to the top ranks of modern science fiction with the best-selling, Hugo-nominated novels Old Man's War and Zoe's Tale. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Subterranean; Trade Hardcover edition (December 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596062991
• ISBN-13: 978-1596062993
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scalzi tries something new, January 7, 2010

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The God Engines (Hardcover)

Scalzi tries something new with this long novella. He calls it dark fantasy, but it's really more science-fantasy -- the action is largely aboard an FTL starship, and the setting is an interstellar religious empire. The title is literally true -- I'm treading lightly here to avoid spoilers. The Empire is ruled by the Bishopry Militant, a rather unsavory theocracy, and the religious supernatural is at the forefront of the tale.

The God Engines is a story along the lines of Harlan Ellison's "The Deathbird " (in Deathbird Stories),
although it's less directly tied to Christianity than Ellison's classic. Scalzi does some very effective society and religion-building here. His writing is as good as ever, the tale moves along briskly, sex, violence and spaceship-battles are featured. The story becomes darker with each revelatory twist, and ends up very dark and bloody indeed. Recommended, with a caveat for the easily-squicked. I'd be surprised if Scalzi doesn't revisit this intriguing new universe.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
Review first published at SF Site, 2009

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Traveling through space and life on faith alone..., February 26, 2010

By 

A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The God Engines (Hardcover)

Captain Tephe's ship, The Righteous, is part of a fleet traveling through space doing the will of their Lord God. Faith is everything, and the God with the most followers will be supreme. Other gods are The Defiled; they are servants only, chained and compelled to fold space so that the ships might travel from place to place. Captain Tephe's ship is sent on a hazardous mission crucial to the well-being of his god; the question is, will his faith be strong enough to succeed?

This long novella (136 pages), is a departure from Scalzi's other books, it's science fiction (space ships), but more science-fantasy (unknown powers of the gods driving the Faster-Than-Light engines). The society, built on faith, not science nor magic, is interesting, and the plot explores the strength as well as the pitfalls of relying on faith alone, through Tephe's experiences. There is certainly enough here to keep turning the pages. It's nothing too amazing or profound, but a quick and intriguing read.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart of Darkness, April 14, 2010

By 

Tom Brown (Berkshire, UK) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The God Engines (Hardcover)

John Scalzi is a fantastic author and as I read this I was also enjoying his work 'Your Hate Mail will be Graded'. In 'The God Engines' he has crafted characters with complex personalities and done it with a sparsity of language that would have made Steinbeck proud. The story is imaginative and, as like all the best science fiction, thought provoking on multiple levels. It is a novella and in one sense a quick easy read, but be aware that the story is significantly bitter-sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it.