''The God Engines'' is a 2009 science fiction/ fantasy

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

by John Scalzi.

Synopsis

The story takes place in a universe where space travel is accomplished by chaining intelligent, human-like creatures called gods to a spacecraft and torturing them to drive the ship. The people are ruled by an organization called the Bishopry Militant, who worship a powerful being. Captain Ean Tephe is completely faithful to the Bishopry, but his faith comes under test when he is assigned a secret mission in which his ship's god seems to have a keen interest.

Reception

''The God Engines'' was a finalist for the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novella2009 Nebula Award nominees
at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved March 26, 2018 and the 2010 Hugo Award for Best Novella.2010 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved March 26, 2018 '' Publishers Weekly'' called it "ferociously inventive, painfully vivid, dispassionately bleak and dreadfully memorable", and compared it to a collaboration between J. G. Ballard and H.P. Lovecraft. The God Engines
reviewed at '' Publishers Weekly''; published September 14, 2009; retrieved March 26, 2018

References

External links

First chapter of ''The God Engines''
at Scalzi.com 2009 American novels 2009 science fiction novels Religion in science fiction American speculative fiction novellas Works by John Scalzi Subterranean Press books {{2000s-sf-novel-stub