The God Engines is a short novel (novella possibly) John Scalzi that is different in tone and style than his earlier books. Where all his previous novels have been firmly in the science fiction camp, this one treads the line between science fiction and fantasy. But it is still (at its heart) a science fiction novel. So, how does it compare to Scalzi’s previous novels?

The God Engines is named after the literal star of the book. Captain Ean Tephe is a commander of a starship which is powered by a God. Captain Tephe’s God has overpowered and defiled all other Gods and is now the one true God. The other Gods have had starships built around them, so that they power the engine, defense and weapons of the ship. The ship has two masters, the ship leader and the religious leader. The two are usually in sync, but there are disagreements now.

There is also an attack against the one true God. And it is a slippery type of attack. Rather than attack the one true God directly, which would be futile due to his power, the enemies are attacking the followers. This will weaken the one true God’s power since he will lose faithful followers. A plan is conceived to gather more power to defend the one true God and Captain Tephe’s is chosen to lead the mission.

The story itself is solid, the characters are done well, but the book just seemed mediocre. Scalzi’s always been a good, but not great writer and this is a step below his usual level. It’s not a bad book and is a quick read, but it wouldn’t be one I’d recommend to someone who hasn’t read Scalzi before. Not Recommended.