A Review of the Book "God Engines" by John Scalzi

Title: God Engines

Author: John Scalzi

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Year: 2009

136 pages

Summary from the Back: 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.

Personal Thoughts: This was a fun book to read. Scalzi has mastered the art of literary sarcasm and in this book, he takes on the intersection of religion and politics. We all know that the underlying cause of most wars is religion. Well this story takes it to the extreme. The government has figured out how to control the gods in order to achieve full control. And once the people of faith have realized things have gone too far, it's too late to doing anything about it.

Scalzi's writing is fun and witty and flows so easy that I read this book in just a couple of days. I'm not going to sugar coat it, this book pokes fun at fundamental religious types and so, if you can't take a joke at your own expense, you may not like it. But if you've got a good sense of humour, then God Engines is quite enjoyable. In my books, Scalzi is 3 for 3! (See previous Scalzi reviews.)