The God Engines
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Narrated by:
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Christopher Lane
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By:
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John Scalzi
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
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After seven long years of conflict, the Horus Heresy nears its end. But now, as the Warmaster Horus marches on Terra to rip his father from the Throne, the seat of the arch-traitor’s power lies empty. Cthonia, a world once dominated by brutal murder-gangs, is occupied by the Emperor’s praetorians—the indomitable Imperial Fists. For the Sons of Horus, this outrage demands a reckoning.
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Created to sell toys.
- By Lowlight on 06-30-22
By: John French, and others
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Thornbear
- Champions of the Dawning Dragons, Book 1
- By: Michael G. Manning
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Gram lives in the long shadow cast by his father, the late hero Dorian Thornbear. Struggling to find his place in a world where politics and wizardry appear to have replaced the need for men of might and main, he must make his own mark. Trapped within the seemingly safe confines of Castle Cameron, Gram faces both love and tragedy. His choices will not only define himself but serve to remind others of his family's legacy and the reason only a fool threatens those a Thornbear protects.
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An excellent story by an exceptional author
- By JW on 02-28-15
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The War with the Mein
- Book One of the Acacia Trilogy
- By: David Anthony Durham
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 29 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, while the Mein also unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to his separate destiny. And so his children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire, this time on the basis of universal freedom.
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Much Fun
- By Chris on 07-24-07
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The Safanarion Order Omnibus, Books 1-3
- By: Ken Lozito
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 30 hrs and 25 mins
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Aaron Jace had a normal life until they came for him. Now he's being hunted. Assassins will stop at nothing to find him. Aaron is from Earth; his family is not. He is the last scion of an ancient and powerful family. Thrust into another world, Aaron must find his way to the one man who can help him survive. The Safanarion Order includes the first three stories in the captivating epic fantasy series listeners describe as compelling and full of suspense.
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I spent my last credit on this steamy pile of dung
- By father_husband_ron on 01-10-18
By: Ken Lozito
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Time's Children
- By: D.B. Jackson
- Narrated by: Helen Keeley
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
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Fifteen-year-old Tobias Doljan, a Walker trained to travel through time, is called to serve at the court of Daerjen. The sovereign, Mearlan IV, wants him to Walk back 14 years to prevent a devastating war that will destroy all of Islevale. Even though the journey will double Tobias' age, he agrees. But when he arrives, he discovers that Mearlan has already been assassinated, and his court, destroyed. The only survivor is the infant princess. Still a boy inside his newly adult body, Tobias must find a way to protect the princess from assassins and build himself a future...in the past.
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Love this!
- By Julie K. on 09-03-20
By: D.B. Jackson
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Vampire Empire - The Greyfriar
- By: Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith
- Narrated by: James Marsters
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
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1870. A time known as The Great Killing. The vampire clans arose and slaughtered humanity with unprecedented carnage in the northern parts of the world. Millions perished; millions were turned into herd animals. The great industrialized civilizations of the world were left in ruin. A remnant fled south to the safety of the ever present heat which was intolerable to vampires. There, blending with the local peoples, they rebuilt their societies founded on human ingenuity, steam and iron.
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The Greyfriar Rocks!
- By Diana on 04-12-12
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Conquest
- The Chronicles of the Invaders: Book 1
- By: John Connolly, Jennifer Ridyard
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
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The Earth has been invaded by the Illyri, a beautiful, civilized, yet ruthless alien race. Humanity has been conquered, but still it fights the invaders. The Resistance grows stronger, for it is the young people of Earth who battle the Illyri.
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Spoiled Teenager or Sci-fi?
- By Bob H. on 04-24-16
By: John Connolly, and others
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The Inventor's Secret
- By: Andrea Cremer
- Narrated by: Leslie Bellair
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
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In this world, sixteen-year-old Charlotte and her fellow refugees have scraped out an existence on the edge of Britain’s industrial empire. Though they live by the skin of their teeth, they have their health (at least when they can find enough food and avoid the Imperial Labor Gatherers) and each other. When a new exile with no memory of his escape or even his own name seeks shelter in their camp he brings new dangers with him and secrets about the terrible future that awaits all those who have struggled has to live free of the bonds of the empire’s Machineworks.
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Devolved into a 16 year old girls' love triangle
- By Amazon Customer on 06-17-21
By: Andrea Cremer
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Perdition
- Dred Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Ann Aguirre
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
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The prison ship Perdition, a floating city where the Conglomerate's most dangerous criminals are confined for life, orbits endlessly around a barren asteroid. Life inside is even more bleak. Hailed as the Dread Queen, inmate Dresdemona "Dred" Devos controls one of Perdition's six territories, bordered on both sides by would-be kings eager to challenge her claim. Keeping them at bay requires constant vigilance, as well as a steady influx of new recruits to replace the fallen.
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Liked it - But Was Kind of Bored With This One
- By Joki on 11-03-13
By: Ann Aguirre
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The Last Sacrifice
- By: Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer
- Narrated by: Doug Lamoreux
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs. It is a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero.
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interacting historical drama
- By Michael E. on 12-27-16
By: Hank Hanegraaff, and others
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Obumwe said, Eagan said, Wilson said, Rickney said
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excellent
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Very Scalzian indeed!
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For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.
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Ashley Perrin is fresh out of college and starting a job as a community liaison for the Third District–the city’s only sector with more alien residents than humans. Ashley’s barely found where the paper clips are kept when she’s beset with constituent complaints–from too much noise at the Annual Lupidian Celebration Parade to a trip-and-fall chicken to a very particular type of alien hornet that threatens the very city itself. And if that’s not terrifying enough, Ashley is next up at the office karaoke night.
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Short and fun!
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John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater.
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Fun and Witty Military Sci-Fi
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In Rip-Off!, 13 of today’s best and most honored writers of speculative fiction face a challenge even they would be hard-pressed to conceive: Pick your favorite opening line from a classic piece of fiction (or even non-fiction) - then use it as the first sentence of an entirely original short story.
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When is a rip-off not a rip-off?
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Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
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Not his Wheal-house
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IT'S HARD TO GET MYSTICAL ABOUT YOUR JOB
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METAtropolis
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Armed camps of eco-survivalists battle purveyors of technology in this exclusive, original production featuring five sci-fi masters and five all-star narrators.
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Not a wasted credit
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Our universe is ruled by physics, and faster-than-light travel is not possible - until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transports us to other worlds, around other stars. Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It's a hedge against interstellar war - and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.
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THE STUPIDITIES OF COURT
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 04-01-17
By: John Scalzi
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Lock In (Narrated by Amber Benson)
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Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever, and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.
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Love Amber's Narration
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By: John Scalzi
What listeners say about The God Engines
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michael
- 08-25-13
Good Story, Characters & Narration
I am generally dubious about authors, even good ones like Scalzi, crossing over genres. Most fail utterly. I was surprised to find I liked The God Engines a lot. The premise is wild but interesting, the characters are very good, the story has twists and turns and the narration was pleasant. There is a spectrum of fantasy from Alice in Wonderland that does not have to follow rules, to strict fantasy worlds having very firm rules (but some rules involve magic). This is firmly in the second camp and is thus is a lot like Sci Fi. I quickly got into the idea of levels of gods using magic to guide star-ships from planet to planet and navigators using prayer to interact with their equipment. Most of the characters were deep enough to be interesting and once the story gets going I was sorry it ended so soon. This one has a satisfying ending, but is also a cliff hanger that could be continued. I will read the next installment if there is one.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Lili
- 03-07-22
A mix of theology and fantasy
This is not a hard Sci-Fi but it worth listening to, because of the new universe ideas, short length of the story and its very low price.
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- Grits
- 01-26-16
Thought Provoking
This book will make even a born-again Christian at least question a great many things.
Great story.
Great read.
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- rafojas
- 06-17-24
Well .. . . That was different
This was a little different but really good - if not a bit dark .. . . Short and sweet
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- Michael
- 01-30-15
Original Concept, Somber Tone
If John Scalzi can be credited with anything, it is coming up with original concepts in modern science fiction writing. This book is almost as good as his thoroughly entertaining and hilarious Redshirts. Instead of the mild dark humor of Redshirts, The God Engines removes all of the humor and cranks the darkness all the way up to 11. The tone is really gloomy, which I found to be a nice change of pace in genre that tends to lean towards the optimistic end of the spectrum.
The book takes place on an interstellar ship that is literally powered by a "god". There is a physical humanoid god inside the ship which powers the engines. The catch is, this god is an unwilling participant and only powers the ship under the threat of torture and death. It's unclear if it's an actual god, or merely a being of extraordinary power. However, there are other gods, and the people on this ship worship a different god who is at war with all other gods.
The society on the ship is a fascinating draconian mix of military and religious hierarchy. The highest ranking official on the ship is the Captain, the second highest is the Priest ... they don't get along. (The reader narrates them perfectly, he reads their lines in a matter of fact, almost curt tone, just the way I think people like that would talk.)
I won't give anything away about the ending. Many other reviewers have lots to say about the ending (too much in my opinion, I think many are inadvertently giving away what happens). All I have to say is that I think the ending is reasonably well written, but perhaps a bit abrupt.
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20 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-17-20
Absolutely original premise, excellent writing
this was not what I expected from Scalzi, but I was certainly not disappointed. Fantastic new world introduced, and many layers to unpack if you wanted to. if not, it's still an excellent read (listen). performance was excellent as well, thoroughly enjoyed it!
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6 people found this helpful
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- Chad
- 01-13-20
Surprisingly entertaining
These short works are usually quick throwaways, but I enjoyed this better than I expected. Definitely an unusual idea and approach to science fiction - spaceships powered by enslaved gods and faith of the crew in the enslaving god.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Shell
- 07-26-19
Very Weird (in a Good Way™)
Let's be real—this story is dark and a little macabre. Christopher Lane's haunted performance really brings to life this somewhat bizarre tale of enslaved Gods that power spaceships. If that sounds like your style, maybe you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.
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Story
- David D. Schneider
- 10-24-16
Odd Scalzi tale that doesn't quite work . . . . 😱
5 stars is great.
4 stars is good.
3 stars is OK.
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This is the first Scalzi book that I would say to all but the fan club, "Skip it. . . . " _______😱
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- AbnerDoon
- 06-22-15
Worship your god, pray you never meet them
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes! A well written short story. It has its own uniqueness in it's subject matter and the way it's composed that should be a welcomed addition to the library of anyone that enjoys this genre.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The God Engines?
The most memorable moment of the book for me was undoubtedly the ceremony toward the end when the elders son underwent the 'process' to call their new lord and that moment when the village elder was..absorbed..by Tephe's 'Lord'.. I imagine the looks between the men at that last moment and sense of terror and fundamental betrayal and instance of realization of truth that lasts but a moment. The final moments of the book also offer introspection to those of us that are persons of faith..after all, in the end, what was there left to do but 'pray'!
That exit music is a bit of well-timed icing on the cake too isnt it? With the numerous times that I've listened to this book, I wonder if it's for that ending with the music just as much as the whole story telling.
Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have listened to Christopher Lane's performances before. I continue to be impressed by the talent that he and other narrators have in the lending of their skill to the telling of the story. I have quickly discovered that what determines if an audiobook is successful in it's storytelling and captures the imagination and attention of the listener all hinges on the quality of the narration.
I own older "books on tape" that have subsequently been reissued as digitally downloaded audiobooks, and the newer narrators in my opinion have performed so poorly that my interest in the book was negatively affected.
'Wizards First Rule' anyone? 'Children of Hurin' anyone?
A quality narrator is critically important. In my years listening to audiobooks that fact is undeniable and Christopher Lane's performance in this was superb.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. I listen to a fair number of audiobooks. I especially enjoy a long story with details fleshed and flushed out, tho, every now and then, and in recent times, with greater frequency, I do like a short story that I can sit down and enjoy from start to finish in a relatively brief timeframe. For me the length of this book reading was perfect. Another worthy candidate is 'StoneFather' by Orson Scott Card.. That too is a story well fleshed, presented and performed in a satisfyingly tidy package.
Any additional comments?
I don't think I am predisposed to write reviews, but I saw criticisms of this book that I thought were not deserving. I agree that the story is admittedly dark with an ending that left one thinking of one's self almost supplanted in the person of the main character. I agree that this is unlike many of the other John Scalzi writings, it's quite different that it wouldn't surprise me if it were the creation of someone else.
I even believe some of the criticisms might come from those of us that might see the veiled critiquing of religion, devout belief and religious faith.. I see it.. clearly. I don't think these elements took away from the quality of the product. The story, the quality of the narration, the total delivery.. I think it was in it's way supposed to leave many of it's readers "hollow", almost with the sense of near hopeless dispair in the face of the obliteration of our reality as we saw in the captain (did I give too much away? Hope not..). It's amazing and a testament to the quality of the writing that it's at the very end where one goes from being immersed in the story to confronted by it.. The very last word takes you aback..
As for me, I continue to have unshakable faith in my Lord, I read his commentaries daily, am devoted and trust in his mercies... and faithfully await his promised return amongst us.. heh-heh-heh..;) (roll in that music)... Yea.. I can see why many of us are upset.. lol..
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