MINI REVIEW: THE GOD ENGINES

My faith is strong...

After years of not having stepped foot in a library, I finally decided I would go to get a library card and peruse their shelves. In doing so, I stumbled across this little book by an author I recognized and decided to give it a read.  

HOW I RATED IT 

4/5 This fascinating science fantasy novella by the author of THE DISPATCHER series, which I've enjoyed, gets darker and weirder until it's horrifying finale. 

CONTENT

The story stars Ean Tephe who is the captain of a ship which is powered by a defeated god who's been enslaved by the god which Tephe and his people worship. Things start off with the prisoner-god causing a stir by attacking an acolyte and Tephe getting into a little bit of a power spat with the ship's assigned priest, Andso. Things get a bit more concerning as Tephe learns from the priest that theirs is not the only god who's been acting rebellious as of late and a trip to their home world to see the heads of their religion sets them on a mission to address this rising threat. Along the way, we see Tephe's antagonistic relationship with both the unnamed god of his vessel and Priest Andso. We also see him have much more congenial relationships with his first mate, Neal Forn, and his lover, Shalle, who acts as sort of like a therapist, prostitute, and spiritual confessor all wrapped up into one. I always enjoy the authentic simplicity of the way Scalzi handles character relationships and appreciate the way that he layers in some complexity through how we as humans always seem to have things we do not share with others (for different reasons), no matter how close to us they may be. 

What starts off as a fascinating piece of science fantasy quickly develops into something far darker and more Lovecraftian. This is a universe filled with powerful eldritch beings of malevolent intent and wrought with mortifying secrets which Tephe slowly learns the truth of during his mission. Things get increasingly gruesome as the plot goes on as well, so it is worth noting that this is not for the faint of heart as this is something that truly dips into the horror genre rather than just being something that sticks to suspense. There is also a brief, but explicit sexual encounter that takes place earlier in the story. For the most part, I think the story is well paced and engaging throughout. With that said, things do occasionally feel a little rushed and certain scenes feel like they just sort of fly in from left field with no warning or preamble which gave specific points in the book a somewhat choppy feeling. I almost think that this should have been expanded to a two hundred page novel or at least a slightly longer novella (maybe 20-30 extra pages, at least) just to smooth things out a bit. All in all though, I really appreciate when a book can pack this much punch in such a short page count. I was also fascinated to see the role that faith played in the story. I'm ultimately not really sure what statement Scalzi meant to make on the topic by the story's end (assuming he intended to say anything at all), but the execution of the concept was at least interesting throughout. The writing itself has some oddities to how certain sentences are structured, but it quickly became apparent that this was very much intentional as it complimented the slightly otherworldly way in which these characters speak. 

HARDCOVER

This one definitely has a very interesting cover. There's a strong color scheme and some brilliant use of contrast which immediately grabbed my attention when I saw this title at the library. The back cover is a little lacking, but the blurbs included on it also piqued my interest. The interior is also exceptionally well designed with a rather fancy header and some nice adornments on the chapter titles. There's an interesting effect where the first sentence or even paragraph of a chapter is printed in a much larger font then the rest of the chapter which I've never seen before, but I found it pretty interesting. What surprised me most is that there are also some stunningly detailed interior illustrations included. Most of them pop up within the first half of the story, though there is one closer to the end as well. Because this is a library book, I don't really know the background of this book even though I recognized the author's name, so I don't know if this is some kind of special edition or just a really fancy standard hardcover. Either way, it's quite a beautiful book filled with some very nice touches. 

CONCLUSION

One of the things I appreciate most about Scalzi is the unique premises that he seems to prefer working with. This novella offers a unique blend of things that are familiar with ideas which are far more novel. The end result is something that felt quite satisfying and special even if it left me feeling rather unsettled by the story's end. 

(+) A fascinating setup which is fleshed out over a very short amount of time

(+) The plot is gripping and fast paced

(+) Tephe served as a compelling and relatable protagonist 

(+) Scalzi's character interactions are always a joy to read

(+) People who enjoy both eldritch horror and science fantasy books are going to eat this up

( ) Some extremely gruesome content that is not going to be for everyone

(-) Certain aspects felt a little rushed and could have benefited from some additional pages to smooth things out or better define