The God Engines

the book was both light in writing and content, the characters in the book while acceptable had a very disappointing plot. The premise for this book would have been better if more nuances and less cliches were used. Having been a fan of Scalzi in the past this was not his best effort or most thought out work.

I apologize in advance if this review seems a bit glib. Thing is, it'd be pretty easy to give the entire plot away, the book's that short. Not complaining about the length of the story, mind you. Anyway.

If you've read Dune, and remember the Spacing Guild, some of this will seem quite familiar. A contributing influence seems to be "American Gods."

Beyond that, it's a quick read about a civilization that's given up on technology, and depends on, oh, magic, I suppose, to get things done. In this case, the magic goes under the title of "faith". The upside here is that people don't need to exercise their minds to get things done; well, other than have faith. The downside is that faith, in the physical world, is not always enough.

Which is how things turns out.

I enjoyed the book. I do prefer the more "technical" sci-fi, but since Scalzi's such a genius, I'll buy his books, no matter the genre.

This is the first Scalzi novel I've read. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable quick read. It doesn't waste time, telling the key part of a larger story. It reminded me of Warhammer 40k in a plenary manner.

Very disappointing considering the hype, long shipping wait, and enjoyability of his "Old Man's War" series. Enjoyable, but would have worked better as a longer book. At no point does anyone come close to being someone I care about...which makes it hard to empathize when folks start "feeling" and dying. Enjoyable, if only for the imagining of what could have been with such a great concept. Additionally, the book must have been edited "by badgers" as I've seen Scalzi write. At 136 pages of VERY large type, you would think that the spelling/grammar/continuity errors would be nonexistent. You would be very, very wrong.

Mr. Scalzi,

This was a great short read, but where have the novels gone? Where are my trilogies and sagas??? "agent of the stars" or "fuzzy nation," "android's dream," "red shirts" and of course " the old man war' saga!!! All instant classics. Absolutely hilarious to the point I was literally crying from laughing so hard!

I want a novel, not a novella. Maybe this message is to the publisher, whom ever.... But as a consumer and a huge fan I want a book the develops characters, that doesn't just entertain, but completely enthralls me. If I want a 90 min experience with shallow characters and huge gaps in a story line I'll go to Hollywood look at 95% of the garbage the put out in any given Thursday.

These little novellas are a tease that leaves me hungry for a creative piece of art that you have proven on multiple levels that you are talented enough to create but do not!! so I am left just angry, or in this case truly "hangry"

This was a great and creative story that could have gone so, so many places... The politics, more of the rookery, I could go on and on. I guess it bothers me so because very rarely do you see original new ideas in the sci-fi genre. You seem to come up with many, just don't waste this golden idea on a novella.

I have read many of Mr Scalzi's books and enjoyed them all... until now.

This is half a book, or perhaps less than that. We get some good character buildup and some back story, then when the crisis occurs.. the story ends. That's it. This is a good beginning of a story, but not a story all by itself.

Pass this one by.

I have to agree with Tom Sanders - just an entire waste of time. Scalzi generally has thin characterizations but is an entertaining read. However this reads like a 13 year old wrote it. The basic idea has been done by Terry Pratchett in a much better way, and I doubt was original with him. Cardboard characters, thin to nonexistent descriptions, wooden dialog, trite plot. It was a short novel/novella and I wished it was shorter. What give Mr. Scalzi? You are better than this. I wish I could give it zero stars.

Firstly it is only about 135 pages long written in very large print...it is by no means a novel. Next it seems a needlessly vicious and violent attack on all of it's characters in the name of religion. It seems more like a religious based work of soft core sadistic porn than it does a legitimate work of Science Fiction. If this is the direction Scalzi is going, I've read my last of his works. I see no redeeming qualities in it at all.

This is a quick read by one of my favorite contemporary science fiction writers, but it's not science fiction. It's a space fantasy. At only 136 pages in hard cover, it can be easily read on a rainy afternoon, which is what I did. It is set in a universe in which gods have replaced science. Things people once did for themselves using technology have become the purview of gods. If you want to communicate across distances (like radio), you pray for it to happen. If you wish to travel to another planet, you compel a god imprisoned by your god to move your starship. Everything on the starships, communication, life support, engines... is god-powered. Nothing happens without the direct intervention of some god, and they are not doing it to be magnanimous. The gods do not serve man. Man serves them in their competition with other gods for believers and the faith that gives them power.
This book differs much from everything else I've read by John Scalzi. In addition to being fantasy rather than science fiction, it's darker. The characters lack the ineffable charm that I've come to expect from Scalzi's creations and there are few if any smiles invoked by the book. It includes a fairly detailed sex scene and graphic violence. I imagine it is intended as a social commentary but I can't say the message it is trying to convey was clear to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed many of Scalzi's other works including his `Old Man Goes to War' series and `Fuzzy Nation.' I've ordered `Redshirts' and eagerly await its arrival. I can't honestly say I enjoyed this particular story much, but the setting and characters were interesting, and the art between the chapters of the hard cover edition are a nice addition. It kept me reading, but I much prefer Scalzi's science fiction.

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

I really enjoyed this novel. Fair warning, it is not what you expect from John Scalzi.

The story takes place in either an alternate universe or in our universe far removed in time from the present day.

The protagonist, the captain of a god engine vessel, is heading out on a special mission for his Lord, the god of his people.

The ships are propelled through space by captured and indentured "gods," supernatural beings of immense power that are able to fold space, power ships, and project weapon fire through space.

* Spoilers Follow *

The god that the humans have been following is actually a hideously evil being that violates the gods' central tenets of morality.

The god of the gods comes at the end of the story to punish the human god.

Just when you think things will turn out well, John Scalzi puts on his George R.R. Martin mask and writes the ending that has many of the other reviewers unhappy.

If you enjoyed Red Shirts and Old Man's War then you might not like this one, but I say give it a try.

This is such an obvious writers vent on religion, portraying faith in the worst possible light. It is militantly anti-theistic. A shame, it started off with a fun, almost whimsical idea which is what captivated me at first. It quickly devolved into a poorly cloaked diatribe against faith.

Two main ideas, interwoven into one.
First idea: Barbarians in space! Although there ARE those who hold that only a race which has conquered it's desire to conquer can become star-travelers, there are differences of opinion and approach. That which comes to mind are the Kzinti, who MUST scream and leap, and yet have conquered vast regions of space. Well, they cheated; they stole their technology from a slave species, so while they are an exception, they really aren't.
Scalzi, however, has his barbarians in space because they have captured gods, and force them to move the spacecraft and keep everybody alive.
That brings up the second main idea: meaninglessness. For all that the society is founded on the reality of a god, there are, in fact, TIERS of gods, and they every bit as nasty as anything in Norse or Greek mythology. There is no purpose in serving a god; he's as liable to use you for food as anything else. And he's also just as likely to be killed by bigger, more powerful gods as well, so service accounts for zero; and nothing counts, except for one, small, thing.
There is a class of people on board the ships, referred to as Rooks. And Scalzi very carefully does not give their gender. They are ALWAYS referred to by name, and no personal pronouns are ever used for them. But, that's it. He never talks about the gender, although he does talk about the gender of their partners. So, the one, small, thing that has value placed on it by the writer, when every other aspect of life is demonstrably valueless, is sex.

It is hard to believe that John Scalzi wrote this hot mess! Bad premise, bad plot, bad characters, bad ending - the only GOOD thing about it was that it was mercifully short! I am not anti-fantasy, and if a writer wants to try a new genre, I am open to that. However, how can someone be so good in all his other books (which I have read and loved) and SO BAD in this one?! If you want to try John Scalzi, don't read this one - it does not represent the writer I know and love at all. Please bring the REAL John Scalzi back!

This seems to be Scalzi's first try with fantasy. Dark fantasy. But it still has plenty of space action. It reminded me of the Old Man's War trilogy with the contrast turned way down and added religion. But it's a hella awesome combination - space opera with "mythological religion" - two great tastes that taste great together.

But I gotta air one beef. And I didn't realize this until I was doing my fun thing where I look up trivia/info about the story. I saw this review that called attention to one component -- the established harem on the ship designed to give the crew "release". That's all fine and dandy -- not uncommon practice for this level of cultishness -- until Scalzi points out he never assigned any pronouns to the prostitutes. No physical gender characteristics or anything that could define as this, that, or the other.

This is creepy. It's clever, but it's creepy. And I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it's a neat writer trick, one that I didn't see coming. I guess it's a technique to let the reader fill in the blanks with what he/she wants to. Which is the sign of a good writer. On the other hand, now that I know that the prostitute could have been a girl or a guy, I feel icky. All I can do is imagine him as a guy. Maybe it's my instinctive homophobia. Maybe in my mind, if the character has no gender, it's potentially both -- a hermaphrodite or someone like Pat.

I also feel betrayed by the author, that he fooled me. Maybe it's that I know how the trick is done. Maybe it's that I feel, as a writer, omitting information for the sole purpose of messing with the reader is not cool.

Gods are always jealous. Always dangerous. And always powerful. Even when enslaved.

Captain Ean Tephe faces resistance from the god chained down in the engine of his ship. He has all the weapons necessary to get the god to obey--never-forged metal, to kill a god, and the gods true name--but the rebellion of the ship's slave continues. Perhaps only the power of the true God could compel the wretched Defiled god, but the motivations of that creature are far more sinister than the base motives of Tephe's servant.

Quite an interesting setting. Science fiction blended with religious fantasy. There is a perfect feeling of horror and violence through the entire story. There is also quite a well-developed society, including (very amusingly) church-sanctioned sex workers.

And, in spite of the interesting setting and characters, I didn't end the story wanting more. It ended just as it needed to end.

Short, but well-contained. Highly recommended.

Captain Ean Tephe commands the Bishopry Militant's ship Righteous. Its task is to patrol the space of the faithful...those who believe in the power and benevolence of the god that rules them. The "gods" in this story are aliens with tremendous powers to manipulate solid matter and even space-time to propel ships through the vast voids of the galaxy. The Righteous -- and each ship belonging to the Bishopry Militant -- have no engine or other technology as we are familiar with it. Instead they are propelled through space by an enslaved god, one whose powers are suppressed because it is bound in iron. Even the "technology" that controls the ship is accessed and manipulated only on the faith the ship's crew have in their god.

When the Righteous is called back to its home berth -- Bishop's Call -- and Captain Tephe is given direct instructions by the Bishopry Militant's command to proceed to a planet of great value to their god, Captain Tephe is eager to serve his god but privately concerned about the mission. The Captain suspects there is more going on than the Miltitant's command is divulging. But, being a faithful servant of his god, Captain Tephe undertakes the mission with due vigor. What he discovers on this mission about his god and the other, enslaved gods, may wind up changing everything he believes in.

About a third of the way through this novella, as Scalzi was beginning to peel back the curtain on the world he created where "gods" rule generally blind and subservient populations for their -- and not their people's -- benefit, I thought that surely one of Scalzi's inspirations for this tale must have been the Goa'uld in the Stargate series. But this is where the similarities between Stargate and The God Engines ends. The God Engines is primarily an exercise and exploration of one man's -- Captain Tephe's -- faith in his god. Tephe follows the familiar path from blind subserviency to -- as the story progresses -- having the blinders pulled away and seeing his world the way it truly is.

The biggest problem I had with The God Engines was that I wish Scalzi had told this tale in a full-length novel. There was a lot more to this story that he didn't flesh-out that I wish that he had. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Captain Tephe's journey of self-discovery. Scalzi did a good job of drawing this Captain in the world in which he lives...his thinking and actions made sense relative to his setting and the actions of others around him.

Having read the Old Man's War books and now The God Engines, Scalzi continues to impress. I look forward to picking up more of his works in the future.

I'm a huge fan of Scalzi's publications. This book was VERY different from his other work's I've read. This wasn't written in his usual voice. There was not light-hearted wit or sarcasm in this book (which is fine if the overall story doesn't call for it). However, this book seemed to be set upon a complex history and background that just was not addressed in great detail through the course of the book. It was a short read (around 100 pages), so that was probably the only saving grace that allowed me to finish this book. I felt like the story was a little thin and could have benefited from an explanation of the backdrop and history of the universe for this story. Not something I would read again or suggest to others to read.

"The God Engines" is dark, heavy, and richly textured beneath a gauze of foreboding. John Scalzi's novella is a severe departure from the tone and wit of his popular "Old Man's War" series. But it's equally as awesome.

The title is quite literal. Superhuman god-like beings are the engines that drive human interstellar travel. While they have the power to move humans and ships across enormous amounts of space, their powers are much more vast. The story moves at a rapid pace, and the characters are well drawn despite the books' length. The universe of "The God Engines" is creatively conceived.

Scalzi's story, which sits somewhere between scifi and fantasy, takes an compelling look at religion, faith and what they can really mean to individuals and societies. The foundation of characters are military, like much of Scalzi's "Old Man's War", but this military and this universe is much more frightening.

Everything is drawn with muted colors. Scalzi's writing is very clear, and always crisp, but one can't help but feel a little suffocated in reading this story. Scalzi is also a master at forwarding a plot through well-worded and well-timed dialogue.

This is not your father's John Scalzi. And this is very good.

Enslaving gods to power space ships. O Scalzi, how you delight me with your stories. This book did indeed delight. It was wonderfully different in flavor from his other books, which tend to be much more light-hearted even though they talk about war. This book was dark, and at points, I felt like an evil cheshire cat was grinning at me. I crave more of this story but unfortunately it was a novella.

I liked the characters and felt like I got to know them even thought it was a short book! There is so much more to explore in this universe that you've now created for me, Scalzi. Alas, there is no more, and Scalzi has stated that the story doesn't lend itself to anything following. Really, the lack of a sequel or hope of a sequel is the only reason why I wouldn't rate it at 5 stars. The story is a truly wonderful read.

I have read most of John Scalzi's books. With the exception of the tedious Zoe's Tale, they are entertaining. Scalzi's book Old Man's War is reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's writing, without the misogyny and spanking references. Scalzi's other books have had the same stylistic feel of Old Man's War, or they did until The God Engines. Reading this book I felt that Scalzi had finally grown up as a writer, finding his own unique voice.

The God Engines is not really a novel, but more a novella. The book is beautifully illustrated from Subterranean press, a press that publishes elegant, but expensive books. I got my copy from the library, since I watch my book budget carefully these days.

In the God Engines, Scalzi tells a dark tale. Humanity is ruled by a being with the power of a God, that thrives on worship. Starships are powered by captured Gods, defeated in a war with the God that rules humanity. The entire genesis of this universe is only sketchily explained. Reading the book, I felt like there was more background information about this universe in Scalzi's imagination, than made it into the book. Perhaps Scalzi will write about this universe again. In this book, the characters fell real, struggling with the dark world they live in.

I hope that The God Engines signals a new era in Scalzi's writing. After reading his previous books, I was getting bored with his Heinlein tribute writing and the constraints of the universe that Old Man's War is set in.

It's not often I close a book and think "what the hell?" but today is that day.
Well written and is an interesting take on faith and science. It takes Gaiman's "Small Gods" symbiotic relationship between a god and the faithful but then a giant screw all of that at the end.

The God Engine is either a short story that went long, or a novel that ended up cut very short. And I can't figure out which it is.
As a result, it's a rare miss for Scalzi. If it was a short story, the atmosphere was too developed without having a direct bearing on the story, while the story itself presented more information than what was required to carry a short story. If it were a novel, it was way too short with not enough of the characters and their motivations developed or explored.

And they were worth developing. The conflict that the story sets up, is one that would have been worth additional time and effort, both on the part of the reader and on the part of the author. It's a conflict of faith and ethics, set in a world where humanity has reached the stars by harnessing the power of belief and enslavement of "gods". The story almost asks the right questions, questions that could have been answered with a more satisfying answer rather than the cop out ending that was written.

Granted, the ending wasn't as bad as "Little Timmy fell out of bed and woke up", but it was close. Scalzi is capable of better. Much much better. And I hope we get it. I hope he returns to this world, either by fleshing out this story, or picking up a few years after the end of this one and taking a long careful look at what happens to a fractured humanity.

Religious people seem to hate this book. However there is no need to. This story was very loosely inspired in my point a view by another well known fiction that is out there, but I do not want to name it as this would give away too much about the storyline here.

The read is unusual. I mean come on, "god and engines" in the title and this is not so much metaphoric as literal. However if you read closely until the end, which comes a bit of a sudden, you will be able to fit the story right into your own image if the universe, be it a rather scientifically-centered one or a Christianity-centered one. If you come along for the divine ride, you can read something unusual, surprising and entertaining.

Many readers seem to get the impression there would be a cliffhanger at the end, but actually there is none. If you read carefully, especially what is printed in capitals (grin), you get your ending. One would have wished for it to be elaborated in the form of an epilogue, but the author chose not to. Nevertheless, there is still a somewhat satisfying ending. Though it somehow screams for a continuation at least of this universe (not so much the story itself), I have to agree with that.

Scazli completely surprised me with the settings, characters, and stark darkness he created. I've always found his work very entertaining with an often lighthearted bent not found in most other Sci-Fi. Who else would have the impetuous of a story center around a fart joke? Yet with The God Engines he clearly wanted to try not only a different genre, but an entirely new mindset. Scalzi still manages to sneak in some wonderful Sci-Fi elements into his Fantasy such as setting the story mainly in space, which I haven't seen before but it works beautifully. I've already seen The God Engines on some lists being nominated for the Nebula award and it would certainly get my vote if I were eligible. If Scalzi doesn't write more stories in this universe it would truly be a crime against Fantasy.

I've seen some reviews of this book on the Net which were positive about this book and expressed a sincere hope that Scalzi would starting writing novels in this setting. I hope Scalzi is taking note of that. He's got a very pleasant writing style and for me, this is his best setting yet. I too echo the call for more of this sort of dark science fiction/fantasy blend. Really enjoyed reading this.

It's not the greatest genre book ever, it is what it is at 136 pages, a novella ( not a short story of course, as indicated by the reviewer "Bruce"). And yes, for that length it is quite pricy, being a small press product that often happens. But it's a great read. There's a sense of awe, good characters and an intriguing setting. Judged as a novella, I give it 5 stars.

The God Engines (2009) is a standalone SF novelette. It is set in the far future, when mankind has encountered beings with god-like powers. One of these beings has seized control of most humans and enslaved its fellow gods.

In this novel, Ean Tephe is Captain of the dreadnaught Righteous. He comes from a family that has served His Lord for generations. He is a man of faith.

Croj Andso is the Priest on the Righteous. He is a surly sort.

Neal Forn is First Mate on the Righteous. He is also faithful, but does not trust the Priest.

Shalle Thew is the head Rook on the Righteous. She and the captain love each other.

In this story, the Righteous has emerged at its destination to find three dreadnoughts waiting. Ean destroys one of the ships and damages another, but has to withdraw for repairs. Now it is ready to voyage to Triskell to report failure.

Ean walks to the god chamber to whip the god. He finds blood on the deck and two acolytes on the floor. The healer Omil is working on the acolyte with a wound on his shoulder. The god is prostrate within its iron circle.

The Priest explains that the god was defying orders and then was disciplined by the acolyte. It had it blocked a pike and then bit the acolyte on the shoulder. The Priest had brought the god down with the chains.

Ean examines the pike and then stabs the god with it. The pike skitters off its skin without penetrating. He accuses the Priest of being naive and sends him to inventory his tools.

After sending the acolyte to another, more accomplished healer, Ean proceeds with the whipping. The god is still defiant, but the single made iron rips its flesh. The god yields to the Captain and Ean heals its wounds with his own blood.

In the captain's mess that evening, Andso mentions that the gods have become restless. Forn starts an argument with the Priest to divert the conversation. But the captain returns the conversation back to his first statement.

It seems that the Priest has used the talent of the Gavril to talk with several priests on other ships. He has learned that other gods are refusing orders recently.

Ean goes to the Rookery to talk to Shalle. He is surprised to see her open the door, but happy to go directly back to her nest. There he tells her about the recent happenings.

She has not perceived any severe change in crew morale, but questions led her to suspect that the crew is depressed by the defeat. Then she releases him from his worries.

They are interrupted by a message from the Bishopry Militant to return to Bishop's Call instead of Triskell. They are going home. The crew morale immediately improves.

This tale has a group of women try to give an unfamiliar talent to the Righteous's god. The captain learns things well beyond his paygrade from three Bishops Major. And his ship is given a critical task.

This work is hard to classify. One calls it science fiction because the deep background seems to justify it, assuming that humanity met a much more advanced species among the stars. It is unlike other stories by the author and very much like some tales by H.P. Lovecraft.

This story takes the Righteous to an unnamed planet. The conclusion to the tale is very surprising, but well foreshadowed. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Scalzi fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of religious intrigue, faithful servants, and divine duplicity.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"It was time to whip the god". If that opening sentence interests you then you can read the first chapter at:
[...]
This story is a novella, not a novel. That said, it is a little short but a powerful story. And a dark story it is. I was going to rate the book 5 stars but then the ending happened. Not that I didn't like the ending but it felt a little rushed.
Also, the cover is superb. It captures the chained god engine perfectly.

The title is the best part of the book. Fortunately, it's a brilliant title and the novella with Victor Chong's fantastic illustrations are a delightful read. Scalzi's humor and intelligence shine through this religiously macabre space fantasy with engaging characters and twisted plot turns. Agnostics and athetists, rejoice! Your entreats have found a vessel.

Yes, this is a novella. That means it is fairly short. If you rate books on dollars per page, you'll be disappointed. But then you'll be missing out on lots of great literature and reading mostly longwinded doorstop novels anyway.

And yes, the price is high. Subterranean is a small press and need the high prices to stay afloat. Larger imprints make money on bestsellers and lose money elsewhere, hoping they'll publish enough bestsellers to make up for the loss on all the books that didn't get there. Small publishers don't generally get the exposure to make any bestsellers, so they rely on higher overall prices. Personally, I think the high quality of the physical book and the nice full-page internal artwork inserted into some of the key scenes more than make up for the price. A screw-the-big-guys attitude doesn't hurt either.

The various reviewers who feel "ripped off" by not having a longer pagecount should
a) have read the publisher information in the first place, if they really care about such things
b) realize that the quality of a book is not based on length.

Most modern books suffer from being longer than they need to be anyway and could benefit from a more axe-crazed editor. Quality is what should matter, not quantity.

As to the quality of the writing, I thought this was quite good, the best of Scalzi's work so far. This is actually my favorite for both the Hugo and Nebula award this year. (Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow a close second).

The first third or so of this novella is heavy on the exposition but is interesting enough that it didn't seem to drag. The second half and particularly the ending more than make up for the clunkiness of the beginning. The back cover blurb comparing this to Lovecraft isn't far off with the way things develop towards the end. Although Scalzi is a lot less purple. But the fantasy (IN SPACEEEEE) dovetails nicely into cosmic horror towards the end, with several big revelations that are quite well done.

As the best part of the story is the ending, and I really love the ending, there is no reason for this story to be any longer. An extended denouement would kill the mood, and this book is all about mood. And stretching out a tight ending just to kill pages would likewise ruin it. Like a TV show, sometimes a book is better off wrapping things up nicely while the story is good, instead of dragging things on until the story falls apart.

Finally, I doubt he reads these reviews, but I'd like to throw out my vote as against Scalzi writing any sequels to this book, or further work in this universe. The ending is too good, the setting doesn't need further elaboration, and not everything needs to be a series. I think this is a work that stands better alone. That said, I'd love to see more from Scalzi in this style. The horror/fantasy in space really works for me and the tone of the writing is very good.

Read this as part of Scalzi's Subterranean bundle (a collection of his Novellas and short stories for the Kindle), and I do have to say, this one knocked me off my feet (and it is one of the few truly scary and evocative stories I've read). I really cannot say much without spoiling it, but definitely worth the read. Best opening line, and best closing line.

I think it is firmly in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, but there are elements of horror in it, and there are a couple of scenes that are pretty graphic (and they serve the story well).

I usually like John Scalzi's work, but this one just was too unpleasant for me.

I did finish reading the whole thing but I would not recommend it, unless you like really bloody, violent, sadistic, unpleasant dark stories. to me, it was painful reading. Well written, but painful and unpleasant.

As I said, I do like everything else that I've read by Scalzi.

The only plot seemed to be apparent destruction of the empire it was set in, and it wasn't clear that decent stories could be made in the remaining universe. Liked much of the book, hated the ending.

The story itself is a fine story that all Scalzi fans will enjoy. However it's not a book or even a novella, it's a short story in hardback form that they are ripping you off for $13.60. It might be worth $3.00 at the most. Don't buy it.

Im surpised this book got any one star reviews so I thought I would even it up with four stars. To those of you who thought it was not like the rest of his work. Good! He should try new things. To those of you who thought it was too short: Great! Sometimes stories don't need to go one forever. I loved it. I thought it was great. And I want more like it. Not in the same world, but short interesting stories. Please give me something new and not warmed over sci-fi. Thanks.

The God Engines a novella from small press publishers Subterranean Press is different from Scalzi's previous work. Much darker and closer to fantasy. That said I enjoyed this immensely. It's nice to see writers doing different things. Too many SF and Fantasy writers get stuck doing the same thing over and over again. I would like to see him do more along these lines in the future.

When I first started this novella, I told my wife I was disappointed in John Scalzi's work, after being a big fan of his previous work. I quickly took that back after the first quarter of the book, where it soon turned into a roller coaster ride of sharp turns. Reminded me of one the darker Twilight Zone episodes with the ending.

It's a page-turner from the start, where you meet the captain and the trapped god, to the end, when . . . well, you'll have to read it! I read it in one sitting. Scalzi's created a highly creative universe, where mankind relies on "godpower" to power their spacecraft. There's some interesting commentary on religion, including some great stuff from a sort of "avenging god" near the end, on page 133 - but I won't spoil it for you.
-Larry Hodges

One of the darkest sci if books I've ever read. Much more respect for Scalzi as a writer as it's so unbelievably different (no really, unbelievably) from his other works.
I'm kind of glad it was so short I don't think I could have handled a full length version of this story, but I mean that in a good way.

I'm a fan of John Scalzi's work. Read Old Man's War series and enjoyed it. Then read The Android's Dream, and was disappointed to see that his books all play out about the same: wise cracking their way to an elaborate set piece conclusion.

Here he tries something different. It was brutal, and effective. A lot of the negative reviews seem to misunderstand the concept of a novella (it's a snapshot of a few moments; you can't expect elaborate background and world building), or were hoping for more of Scalzi Being Scalzi. It reminds me of Andy Kaufman doing Gatsby instead of Latka. Love it.

The God Engines is an atmospheric, intelligent novella, transporting the reader into another world. Unfortunately, it's short and Scalzi's prose leaves something to be desired.

It's an engaging and interesting piece, but probably not worth $5 at its length.

The only negative thing I can say abotu this book is that it ends so quickly. John Scalzi once asgain creates an amazing new universe and fills it with realistic characters who are confronted with tough moral choices. HE brands this as fantasy, but I would consider it more science fiction. IT isn't his normal super tech, but it is about spaceships and religious universal control.

Seriously, that was my thought after reading this "book." As others have mentioned, its very short. I know, in this age of ginormous doorstopper books, anything less than that will seem short, but this really is a short story, not a book. Instead of a summer blockbuster, this would be like a good episode of the twilight zone.

Its got some cool ideas and the writing is good, but ultimately, there's not enough there to be anything more than an episode of twilight zone. At the end, you could almost attach the standard Rod Serling narration.

I'm a John Scalzi fan. I've read every other book he's published to date, but this one left me...underwhelmed.

The premise is fantastic. Reminiscent of Gaiman's <em>American Gods</em> in premise, but definitely in its own universe. Scalzi has the makings here of one heck of a space opera series, let a lone a darn good novel.

But what we got was basically a novella. Far too short, and very underdeveloped.

I think this one could have used a little more time in the oven.

After all the great literature that John Scalzi has written this short story was a major let down. It's nice to see the branching out from Sci-fi but this one almost makes you wonder if the author isn't fully comfortable with anything else. Characters were wooden and the overall plot not fully developed and I think with more details this would have been a great novel. Overall I would have expected more for the ridiculous price that is being charged. I know for sure I will no longer pre-order books by this author now and wait to see what was written.

A fantasy novella from 2009, subsequently appeared on the shortlist for both the Hugo and Novella. Fairly widely praised in genre commentary--even a lot of people who don't like Scalzi found this one his most effective work, while previous Scalzi fans were even more supportive. For my part, this was the first of his stories that I found both unambitious and unenjoyable, and am thoroughly puzzled by the good press.

The piece has a strong and distinctive atmosphere, with the story continually positing a dark mood of cosmic dysfunction, horror linked to mechanical efficiency and a general pattern of brooding. However the story doesn't do much with this atmosphere, seemingly content to establish a setup of tortured gods driving starships as an end in itself. The setting is ultimately incoherent and unbelievable, with a number of prominent elements that make sylistic sense but also lead to a thoroughly arbitrary and unbelievable invented universe. The plot feels unclearly sketched, more about moving characters across the board and providing exposition than doing anything engaging. The characters are two-dimensional. The larger story is dull, and even at a hundred and thirty pages feels padded and very slow.

It's not clear to me why Scalzi thought his premise--which has been done ad nauseum by productions like Games Workshop and Stargate--was so unique it could be presented with no real grace or appreciable adorning and people would eat it up. Highly disappointing.

I'd leave this classified as "science fiction," but it's really science fiction/dark fantasy/horror. In this novella, starships are powered by enslaved gods, there's a slightly Lovecraftian vibe to the story, and the ending is something out of a John Carpenter movie.

It's an entertaining, slightly weird page-turner, and I loved the dark fantasy/sci-fi setting right up until the ending, which I found both predictable and a bit rushed.

I have loved Scalzi's previous works thouroughly. This piece made little sense from the beginning and I was trying to accept the premise of these FTL beings but never could. It reminds me of middle age, or earlier, blind religous acceptance in a futuristic universe that really does not seem to work or fit at all. To lack any science at all really is not plausable. I truly disliked this story and want my money back. I will now read more reviews thanks to this story. And thank you to all the reviewers who take the time to WARN fellow fans!!

Blame the publisher not the author!

Love John's writing but this "book" was a short story at best. For my two cents, the publisher is pushing this as a full hardcover book (and charging for it as such) versus what it really is. Some would call it a Novella. Frankly, it shorter!

Not worth the price!

I like Scalzi's novels and short stories- the Old Man's War series is brilliant- but he went off the rails with this one. It was an interesting idea, but this was surely written in a fever-state, leaving the reader without context and with lots of questions.

I wish him better luck next time.

Scalzi must have a ton of relatives and friends to judge from the overly enthusiastic reviews. The plot makes little sense, and is derivative from Frank Herbert's Whipping Star and the writing is sophomoric. What really irritated me about this book though is what a ripoff it is. There are 120 small pages (excluding rather amateurish drawings and blank pages)for twenty dollars list price. I estimate the word count as 33000, in comparison a normal hardback (I calculated the word count for Bernard Cornwell's latest) runs around 135000 for 25 dollars.

A new book by John Scalzi - hooray.....not...
This book, though beautifully written, did not hold my interest,
and I didn't like even one character in it.
Darn.
Think I'll go re-read "The Ghost Brigades" or "Zoe's Tale".

Scalzi must have a ton of relatives and friends to judge from the overly enthusiastic reviews. The plot makes little sense, and is derivative from Frank Herbert's Whipping Star and the writing is sophomoric. What really irritated me about this book though is what a ripoff it is. There are 120 small pages (excluding rather amateurish drawings and blank pages)for twenty dollars list price. I estimate the word count as 33000, in comparison a normal hardback (I calculated the word count for Bernard Cornwell's latest) runs around 135000 for 25 dollars.

A new book by John Scalzi - hooray.....not...
This book, though beautifully written, did not hold my interest,
and I didn't like even one character in it.
Darn.
Think I'll go re-read "The Ghost Brigades" or "Zoe's Tale".

This is the last Scalzi book i plan to ever buy. This author puts out hundred page "novels" priced as a hardback book. John Scalzi seems to me to be a pretty good writer, i loved his first couple of real books like Old Man's war, and "Ghost Brigades", but then he tricked me into paying for "Questions for a Soldier", and now this comic book "God Engines" which turned out not to be real books at all! I give up