69 of 72 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scalzi tries something new, Jan 7 2010
By Peter D. Tillman - Published on Amazon.com
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..., Feb 26 2010
By A. Lee - Published on Amazon.com
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 - Published on Amazon.com
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.