The God Engines

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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.

©2010 John Scalzi (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

prelude and tease

the book felt more like a prelude to a book more than. a full story. I was left wanting a lot more store than I was provided.

Love Scalzi, this one not so much

Love John, usually always captivating and in this book he does keep attention but feels “weird” from the beginning which for John is saying something since most of the concepts are weird but this one had me going hmmm right from the beginning. Ultimately felt like I was always missing exactly what the point was, but still interesting enough to keep me going. Then the ending comes and you know sometimes there are endings that make you go WTF… this was one of those. Like bringing to a crescendo and then walking away with feeling empty.

Great twist on faith

Great story with a twist on faith. The way the Gods interact with the captains brings a lot of questions

I love Scalzi's writing but not this book

The reader is good but the book has a depressing and cynical ending. I have read most of Scalzi's other works and several have been excellent--wonderful characters, funny and sometime hilarious dialog, good story development and good endings for those of us that like morality tales. Not so this book. Some good ideas but a disappointing story. However, I realize that some readers/listeners might like the book. Just be prepared for a black black conclusion.

speechless

the first time I began this book I had trouble staying interested. the second time, having faith in John Scalzi, I gave it my full attention. I was not disappointed. in fact, at the end I had to sit in silence a while to absorb what just happened.

I highly recommend giving this story your full attention.

Disappointed

Not what I expected, seemed a let down, an attack on Faithfulness and Gods

Not sure what I just experienced.

It was rough getting on board at the start, but once acclimated, I enjoyed it. I feel left wanting though, and I dont feel like I understood the purpose behind the work. Also, it started getting confusing without the gods having names.

so dark so gloomy

far future people use magic to travel enslaved being of power. so are false and some are righteous feed on the fateful

Scalzi at his best...

Once again John Scalzi creates an imaginative reality with well developed characters and a story line with enough surprises to keep readers interested through the end of the book.

Well written and paced, this short story is worth the listen...

Outstanding and fun…but short

This was a great story and I love the method in which it was told. There are some unconventional mechanisms employed in the narrative by today’s standards. But it’s a breath of fresh air that reminds me of classic sci fi from the 60s and 70s.

The performance was perfect and i loved the ending. The only thing this book left me wanting was more. Normally that would merit 5 stars but this was pretty short.

Tl/dr. This book is akin to a fancy meal of small interesting plates that do not get you full enough.