Pyro Canyon

Cosmic Sparks #4

by Robert Appleton

It's a galaxy-wide red alert...again.

And it's Corporal Gus Trillion's job at the Propaganda Office to drum up recruits. But the colonists have heard one too many calls to arm to care. Disabled in battle and on the verge of burnout, Gus feels pretty apathetic himself—until his reporter friend Lyssa Baltacha stumbles upon top secret satellite footage indicating that the treacherous Sheikers are planning to invade human-occupied space. Now Gus and Lyssa must find a way to galvanize humanity to rise up against the enemy—before it's too late...

37,000 words

Genres: Science Fiction

104 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Robert Appleton is a British science fiction and adventure author partial to tales of survival in far-flung locations. Many of his sci-fi books share the same universe as his popular Alien Safari series, though tend to feature standalone storylines. His rebellious characters range from an orphaned grifter on Mars to a lone woman gate-crashing the war in her biotech suit. His sci-fi readers regularly earn enough frequent flyer miles to qualify for a cross-galaxy voyage of their choosing. His publishers include Harlequin Carina Press, and he also ghost-writes novels in other genres. In his free time he hikes, plays soccer, and kayaks whenever he can. The night sky is his inspiration.

His work has been nominated for several awards, and in 2011 he won the EPIC Award for Best Historical Fiction.

Be sure to follow Robert on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://bit.ly/3qLWVHu

Reviews

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great book, but a decent read. The cover is atrocious, and the plot familiar, though some fair twists...I mean who would cast a military propagandist as the hero? Still, it's a fun romp that doesn't ask a lot of the reader except to sit back and roll along.

Gus was assigned to protect a diplomat before his charge was killed, but he did save a lot of lives and wound up with half a prosthetic body and his father's face...because they had it on file from when he was a legendary pilot.

Now all he`s got is a bad attitude and a job creating recruiting campaigns for the war against the aliens massing on the border. He's given one Las chance to straighten up or get tossed out, but before he can take the job he's sidetracked by Lyssam a journalist (raker) he knows who has information that the enemy is about to roll over the colony worlds sooner rather than later and maybe tey should do something about getting the worlds in line.

Gus has the brainstorm that if he could get the hero pilots that his father flew with back into the fight that it would stir hearts and minds.

Only, they don't want any part of it because of the thing that happened back then. The one they won't talk about.

But Gus and Lyssa struggle on to try and get things going, following he trail back to the last place the pilots fought...Pyro Canyon.

Do I damn it with faint praise? Possibly, but it's not a bad read, and the main characters are fairly likable.

[Korinne Tande · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this science fiction book from beginning to end. The characters were entertaining. The idea of the surgery that can repair such a seriously wounded soldier (repairing the entire right side of his body) was intriguing. The story is futuristic, and yet, those called upon to save humanity were heroes who had fought their battles long ago. The name of the book is related to a long held secret protected by the main characters. I think the revelation of the secret toward the end of the book was somewhat anti-climactic. Yet, the revelation could lead to many more stories. This book was the first science fiction book I have read in quite some time, and it has inspired me to look for similar books in the future. I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I do recommend a revision to the book cover.

[Ilona Fenton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes of this book even though it was book four in a series I hadn't read. The main reason was that it was listed as a stand alone and the blurb was highly intriguing. Unfortunately I only kept reading because I wanted to know about the mystery of Pyro Canyon.
Without giving away spoilers, I can't say why even that was a bit disappointing to me, but I will say the whole thing felt rather flat. Yes, the writing was good, and the characters were okay, and the society seemed reasonably different to our own to make it feel like it was years in the future, but somehow all that didn't give me a story I could rave about.
I guess what I'm really saying is, that if you enjoy this author and have enjoyed the previous books, then you will probably like the book, but if you're like me and jumping in to the stand alone you might not.

[Allyssa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pyro Canyon by Robert Appleton
I got this as an ARC. I’m not paid to give 5 Star reviews. Thanks #NetGalley. I haven’t read the rest of the series.
A galactic invasion by the Sheikers... Fifth Wing Conder Squadron’s last 2 living pilots, retired from duty many years ago... But where did they go?
What will happen? Who will die? And, what happened at Perihelion- and Pyro Canyon? The only survivors were Jane “Cardie” and Gus, and they haven’t said anything.
A story kinda like the Star Wars X-Wing books. If you liked those, you might like this book.
I give this book 4 Stars for a tale of interstellar war and redemption. The ending is good and doesn’t feel rushed, unlike some books I have read lately.

[K Saju · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recieved a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well the book didn't live upto my expectation, seeing it was the fourth in a series but a standalone and not connected I felt it would be work a look. Frankly the story premise was good, a good war , old heroes returning to help in recruitment and possibly fighting again, a possible bionic enabled hero.. But it all feel flat. I couldn't get the excitement a sci-fi book should throw,

[Warpedinside · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the background story wasn’t terribly new, humans fighting off alien invasions, experiencing it through a character who is trying to use propaganda to get humans to enlist and join the fight was unique, at least for me. And the question of what really happened at Pyro Canyon was enough to keep me reading until the end. It was a decent little sci-fi read but ultimately left me underwhelmed.

I was able to read this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ben Hammott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sheikers are coming and its its up to a band of likeable misfits to save their planet and the solar system.
I have previously read and enjoyed Alien Safari so I was looking forward to reading Robert's Pyro Canyon.

Pyro Canyon Main characters:
Gus Trillion, a man who had awoken not only to a new world but a new face and body.
An enthusiastic and feisty news reporter Lyssa Baltacha, who discovers top secret satellite footage indicating that the treacherous Sheikers are planning to invade human-occupied space.
Reluctantly recruited heroes of the past.

Together they have to overcome their particular shoulder chips and band together to fight and end the threat before it destroys everything they hold dear. But it won't be easy as the relentless and powerful Sheikers will do everything in their power to stop them.

What we have in this science fiction novel is an exciting, humorous story filled with well written characters, well described and atmospheric locations and action scenes woven into a thrilling plot that should satisfy all fans of this genre.

Highly enjoyable and recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher with no obligation to write a review. My comments are my honest opinion of the book.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Appleton (https://www.robertappletonbooks.com) is the author of more than 15 novels. Pyro Canyon was published in 2021. It is the 86th book I completed reading in 2023.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

Corporal Second Rate Gus Trillion has been assigned to the Propaganda Office to help with recruitment. Years earlier, he had made a heroic effort to save his ship. That resulted in severe injuries and the assignment to the Propaganda Office.

Twenty-four-year-old Lyssa Baltacha is a reporter and a friend of Trillion. She had come across information indicating that the Sheikers are planning a major assault. Trillion and Baltacha must do what they can to prepare humanity. Part of their preparation plan calls for the recruitment of legendary fighter aces “Cardie” and “Brink”. An incident at Pyro Canyon is linked to their retirement. Trillion and Baltacha must discover the real story before they can prepare for the expected attack.

I enjoyed the 4 hours I spent reading this 167-page science fiction novel. The story started slow but got better as it progressed. I give this novel a rating of 3.8 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Lee-Ann Graff-Vinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Corporal Second Rate, Gus Trillion awoke, his world, as he knew it, had changed. So had his face. Gus was not only a wounded ISPA Veteran, but the entire right side of his body was no longer his own. Cybernetic reconstruction enabled him to function, but his life was no longer his own. He belonged to the memories of old. He had survived. He had adapted. He was his father’s son.

Raker, Lyssa Baltacha never backed off from a headline news story. But, when the story involves a devastating attack threatening to destroy the very planets in her solar system, she needs the help of her long-time friend, Gus Trillion, who now performs his duties as PR guy for ISPA. The cause was a worthy one, but L.B. had her work cut out for her if she wanted Gus to remotely care about his job or the supposed imminent threat the Sheikers imposed on their planet.

The threat was larger than either of Gus or Lyssa could imagine. Their only hope for recruiting fighting manpower was to enlist the help of long ago heroes who no longer wanted the limelight their stellar careers as flying aces offered them. Not after what happened at Pyro Canyon. Will Gus and Lyssa be able to recruit the heroes in time? Or will the Sheikers finally destroy what’s left of their world, and the man who has become his father’s son?

Author, Robert Appleton brings steam punk, sci-fi to life in this outer space thriller. Mysteries abound in the lives of the characters keep the pages turning as you get ever closer to finding out the answers. Characters, dialogue and plot line are effective and captivating. If you are a sci-fi fan, you will love Pyro Canyon.

Lee-Ann Graff-Vinson is the author of ‘Georgia’s Smile’, ‘Love’s Trust’, ‘Callie’s Fate’, ‘Love And Liberty’ (now also available in print), and her most recent release ‘Queen Emily’s Enchanted Kingdom – Sugarland’, a children’s picture book series available in kindle and print versions.