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Cry Pilot #1
Cry Pilot
A devastated Earth. Rogue bio-weapons. And a recruit with secrets. In this explosive new military science fiction novel, a tight-knit infantry squad is thrown into battle against a mysterious enemy that appears without warning and strikes without mercy.
There's only one way for a man with Maseo Kaytu's secrets to join the military: by volunteering for a suicide mission as a 'cry pilot'. He cheats the system to survive, but you can't fake basic training. Assigned to a squad of misfits, Kaytu learns how to fight, how to obey, and how to trust. Yet the more he bonds with his fellow recruits, the more he risks exposure of his criminal past.
Keeping his secret is about to become the least of his problems. Kaytu discovers that his platoon is being deployed against a new kind of rogue bio-weapon. One that has torn apart every military force it's ever faced . . . .
There's only one way for a man with Maseo Kaytu's secrets to join the military: by volunteering for a suicide mission as a 'cry pilot'. He cheats the system to survive, but you can't fake basic training. Assigned to a squad of misfits, Kaytu learns how to fight, how to obey, and how to trust. Yet the more he bonds with his fellow recruits, the more he risks exposure of his criminal past.
Keeping his secret is about to become the least of his problems. Kaytu discovers that his platoon is being deployed against a new kind of rogue bio-weapon. One that has torn apart every military force it's ever faced . . . .
416 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2019
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April 22, 2019I started reading this while stuck in an auto shop waiting room that was not designed for the comfort of human beings, let me put it that way. Cars, maybe.
I mention that because I got sucked in so hard that when they called me two and a half hours later, I sat for an extra ten minutes because I had to find out how a certain scene ended. In spite of the blaring PA (which I didn't hear past about page three), the buzz and brrrr of pneumatic tools, and a plastic chair that had to have been designed by a torture chamber architect.
Training sequences are my jam, especially when the characterization is as terrific as exemplified here. Maseo Kaytu enlists in a corporation-run army in an all-or-nothing manner, and ends up with a bunch of other misfits, some of whom we get to know quite well, but all of them are distinctive--so distinctive it hurts when . . .
Put it this way. This is a high-octane military sf story, heavy on the weapons and action, which means an extremely high body count. Keeping it firmly this side of violence porn is how much Dane makes the reader care about the grunts around Maseo, and about the world, which is a weird but believable future in which the mess we've made of the planet is in the process of reverse--but the Terraforming, as it's called, has its own complex price.
Which includes rogue bioweapons.
How we humans are our own worst enemies doesn't escape exploration either on the personal level or the political. One of the most interesting questions asked in this book is "Are you a soldier or are you a patriot?" So much military SF assumes the two are one.
There's resolution at the end of this book, while major threads are set up for a longer arc. I can't WAIT for the next. A funny, tense, vivid, hard-hitting but smart and thoughtful story, with cussing military-style that is entertainingly gender-blind at times. Terrific female characters made it just that much more awesome.
I got this through NetGalley, but I'll be snagging a print copy as soon as it comes out, as this goes on the reread shelf.
I mention that because I got sucked in so hard that when they called me two and a half hours later, I sat for an extra ten minutes because I had to find out how a certain scene ended. In spite of the blaring PA (which I didn't hear past about page three), the buzz and brrrr of pneumatic tools, and a plastic chair that had to have been designed by a torture chamber architect.
Training sequences are my jam, especially when the characterization is as terrific as exemplified here. Maseo Kaytu enlists in a corporation-run army in an all-or-nothing manner, and ends up with a bunch of other misfits, some of whom we get to know quite well, but all of them are distinctive--so distinctive it hurts when . . .
Put it this way. This is a high-octane military sf story, heavy on the weapons and action, which means an extremely high body count. Keeping it firmly this side of violence porn is how much Dane makes the reader care about the grunts around Maseo, and about the world, which is a weird but believable future in which the mess we've made of the planet is in the process of reverse--but the Terraforming, as it's called, has its own complex price.
Which includes rogue bioweapons.
How we humans are our own worst enemies doesn't escape exploration either on the personal level or the political. One of the most interesting questions asked in this book is "Are you a soldier or are you a patriot?" So much military SF assumes the two are one.
There's resolution at the end of this book, while major threads are set up for a longer arc. I can't WAIT for the next. A funny, tense, vivid, hard-hitting but smart and thoughtful story, with cussing military-style that is entertainingly gender-blind at times. Terrific female characters made it just that much more awesome.
I got this through NetGalley, but I'll be snagging a print copy as soon as it comes out, as this goes on the reread shelf.
March 28, 2020
Not feeling too good today, so I'll keep it short. It was really quite good. I haven't read a lot of MilSF so my comparator group is a bit limited, but I liked this. I'm in for the sequel I think.
August 4, 2019
2 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/08/08/...
I wanted to like Cry Pilot, I really did. It’s been getting a ton of praise from other reviewers though, so I’m just going to be chalking this one up to another case of “it’s not the book, it’s me.” After all, military sci-fi can be such a tricky genre, and there were certain aspects of this one that that failed to make this one my cup of tea.
The novel transports readers to a bleak, future Earth devastated by large-scale war fought by dangerous, high-tech bioweapons. However, in order to terraform the planet in the wake of such appalling destruction, the clean-up process has also reawakened these biological horrors, now gone rogue. In response to this threat, the corporate military has turned to churning out legions of soldiers including a “cry pilots”, a specialized class of fighter trained to control AI-operated mecha-like machines designed to combat a new foe known as lampreys. It’s extremely dangerous, and casualty rates are high.
Our protagonist Maseo Kaytu is a cry pilot. Due to his past status as a refugee he is barred from joining the military, but being resourceful, he manages to find a way. Assigned to Group Aleph for basic training, he joins a squad of other outsiders and misfits as they prepare to be deployed for the battle to come. Living, training, and fighting together, Kaytu starts to grow close to his teammates in spite of himself, finding it more and more difficult to hide the truth of his past from them. But if they don’t survive the coming storm, none of it is going to matter anyway.
I’ll give the novel this—the story actually took a bunch of tired and overused futuristic dystopian tropes and turned it into something that had a fresh feel to it. I certainly loved the idea of ruined Earth littered with rogue bioweapons delaying the reconstructive efforts to save the planet. So, with such a cool and interesting premise, what went wrong? Well, I tend to be a “Characters First” kind of reader, so a lot comes down to the protagonist and whether or not I find them engaging. Maseo Kaytu was not, unfortunately. I was indifferent to his voice, which I found rather dry and depthless. Something also felt off about his relationships with his squad mates, but I can’t really put my finger on why. Although their interactions read fine on paper, often the relationships themselves felt lukewarm or forced and I was indifferent as to whether any of the characters will survive to the end of the book, which is always a bad sign.
Maybe the author’s style has something to do with it. He clearly has the writing chops and experience, Joel Dane being a pseudonym for a full-time author of more than twenty books according to the publisher profile. Personally though, I found his prose challenging and clunky, bogged down by military jargon and repetition. Dane never passes on a chance to describe in great detail (and at great length) any time a new piece of high-tech weaponry is brought up, which I’m sure hardcore military sci-fi fans would probably appreciate but it just makes my eyes glaze over. I also have nothing against military academy stories and tropes, but I thought the basic training section dragged on for a little too long in this case. A good chunk of the book was over by the time we got to see any real action, and that was just a bit too much to take.
So to break things down, the positives of Cry Pilot included the heart-pounding action sequences and the battle scenes, impressive world-building, and a truly fascinating conflict involving some of the most unique and terrifying foes I’ve ever seen. But the negatives included the mediocre character development and a repetitive, drawn-out plotline that often struggled to hold my full attention. Bottom line, the bad outweighed the good, so unfortunately this will have to be relegated to the “not for me” pile. That said, I have a strong feeling this one will work a whole lot better for voracious fans of military science fiction, so if the premise sounds appealing, I would definitely recommend taking a closer look.
I wanted to like Cry Pilot, I really did. It’s been getting a ton of praise from other reviewers though, so I’m just going to be chalking this one up to another case of “it’s not the book, it’s me.” After all, military sci-fi can be such a tricky genre, and there were certain aspects of this one that that failed to make this one my cup of tea.
The novel transports readers to a bleak, future Earth devastated by large-scale war fought by dangerous, high-tech bioweapons. However, in order to terraform the planet in the wake of such appalling destruction, the clean-up process has also reawakened these biological horrors, now gone rogue. In response to this threat, the corporate military has turned to churning out legions of soldiers including a “cry pilots”, a specialized class of fighter trained to control AI-operated mecha-like machines designed to combat a new foe known as lampreys. It’s extremely dangerous, and casualty rates are high.
Our protagonist Maseo Kaytu is a cry pilot. Due to his past status as a refugee he is barred from joining the military, but being resourceful, he manages to find a way. Assigned to Group Aleph for basic training, he joins a squad of other outsiders and misfits as they prepare to be deployed for the battle to come. Living, training, and fighting together, Kaytu starts to grow close to his teammates in spite of himself, finding it more and more difficult to hide the truth of his past from them. But if they don’t survive the coming storm, none of it is going to matter anyway.
I’ll give the novel this—the story actually took a bunch of tired and overused futuristic dystopian tropes and turned it into something that had a fresh feel to it. I certainly loved the idea of ruined Earth littered with rogue bioweapons delaying the reconstructive efforts to save the planet. So, with such a cool and interesting premise, what went wrong? Well, I tend to be a “Characters First” kind of reader, so a lot comes down to the protagonist and whether or not I find them engaging. Maseo Kaytu was not, unfortunately. I was indifferent to his voice, which I found rather dry and depthless. Something also felt off about his relationships with his squad mates, but I can’t really put my finger on why. Although their interactions read fine on paper, often the relationships themselves felt lukewarm or forced and I was indifferent as to whether any of the characters will survive to the end of the book, which is always a bad sign.
Maybe the author’s style has something to do with it. He clearly has the writing chops and experience, Joel Dane being a pseudonym for a full-time author of more than twenty books according to the publisher profile. Personally though, I found his prose challenging and clunky, bogged down by military jargon and repetition. Dane never passes on a chance to describe in great detail (and at great length) any time a new piece of high-tech weaponry is brought up, which I’m sure hardcore military sci-fi fans would probably appreciate but it just makes my eyes glaze over. I also have nothing against military academy stories and tropes, but I thought the basic training section dragged on for a little too long in this case. A good chunk of the book was over by the time we got to see any real action, and that was just a bit too much to take.
So to break things down, the positives of Cry Pilot included the heart-pounding action sequences and the battle scenes, impressive world-building, and a truly fascinating conflict involving some of the most unique and terrifying foes I’ve ever seen. But the negatives included the mediocre character development and a repetitive, drawn-out plotline that often struggled to hold my full attention. Bottom line, the bad outweighed the good, so unfortunately this will have to be relegated to the “not for me” pile. That said, I have a strong feeling this one will work a whole lot better for voracious fans of military science fiction, so if the premise sounds appealing, I would definitely recommend taking a closer look.
July 23, 2019
In a high-tech, dystopian future, young soldiers will become fodder for certain death against the most dangerous foe the earth has ever faced. Where has it come from? How can it be stopped?
Told through the eyes of Maseo Jaytu, a young recruit on the run from the secrets of his past, he finds a sense of belonging to the group of misfit soldiers, each longing to leave a mark on a world who doesn’t see them with any value.
Tense, creative and raw, Joel Dane’s CRY PILOT the action is pure science fiction with a huge helping of humanity from the young soldiers facing certain death as they draw closer together and become their own special family. Heroes will die, corporate greed and the techno world will go on and still, only one man will discover the secret to defeating the enemy, but it could cost both him and his best friend their lives.
Gritty, intriguing and mesmerizing, is this the world we are rushing forward to? A great read, a great escape, thanks to the talent of Joel Dane.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Ace! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Cry Pilot - Book 1
Publisher: Ace (August 6, 2019)
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Print Length: 415 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Told through the eyes of Maseo Jaytu, a young recruit on the run from the secrets of his past, he finds a sense of belonging to the group of misfit soldiers, each longing to leave a mark on a world who doesn’t see them with any value.
Tense, creative and raw, Joel Dane’s CRY PILOT the action is pure science fiction with a huge helping of humanity from the young soldiers facing certain death as they draw closer together and become their own special family. Heroes will die, corporate greed and the techno world will go on and still, only one man will discover the secret to defeating the enemy, but it could cost both him and his best friend their lives.
Gritty, intriguing and mesmerizing, is this the world we are rushing forward to? A great read, a great escape, thanks to the talent of Joel Dane.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Ace! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Cry Pilot - Book 1
Publisher: Ace (August 6, 2019)
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Print Length: 415 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
June 3, 2019
Cry Pilot is the first volume in a brand new new military science fiction series. Whether you are taking about training grunts for action in Southeast Asia, the deserts of Iraq, or in a future world, you always get the same sense of struggle to get through basic training, the camaraderie, and the triumphant battles. With a futuristic landscape like this, comparisons to Heinlein’s Starship Troopers and Card’s Ender’s Game certainly are not amiss. Nevertheless, the Cry Pilot universe is fresh, new, and invigorating.
The battle here is not in space, but on an earth destroyed by endless war. The human race is ensconced in small corporate enclaves and all around the earth and oceans are undergoing vast terraforming with the hope of bringing earth back to life. But, here’s where it gets crazy because the terraforming agents have awakened all manner of artificial intelligence war machines that were buried deep in the earth and the oceans over the centuries of war. And, these remotes have grown more sophisticated and more treacherous. And, now there’s rumour of even more bizarre things that appear genetic rather than mechanical awakening.
Meet lampreys and you’ve never met anything like these.
Katyu must put his past behind him as he volunteers the only way he can- by being a cry pilot for a CAV, a tentacled mechanical beast that craves human pilots to interface with and cannot do battle without that interface. But, there’s a minuscule chance of surviving in a CAV and graduating to basic training. Most CAV pilots are crushed within the structures when they do battle with remorts and are little more than sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter.
This is a hard paced action-Packed battle novel that succceeds because it creates a believable world and interesting characters.
Many thanks to the publishing house for providing an advanced copy for review.
The battle here is not in space, but on an earth destroyed by endless war. The human race is ensconced in small corporate enclaves and all around the earth and oceans are undergoing vast terraforming with the hope of bringing earth back to life. But, here’s where it gets crazy because the terraforming agents have awakened all manner of artificial intelligence war machines that were buried deep in the earth and the oceans over the centuries of war. And, these remotes have grown more sophisticated and more treacherous. And, now there’s rumour of even more bizarre things that appear genetic rather than mechanical awakening.
Meet lampreys and you’ve never met anything like these.
Katyu must put his past behind him as he volunteers the only way he can- by being a cry pilot for a CAV, a tentacled mechanical beast that craves human pilots to interface with and cannot do battle without that interface. But, there’s a minuscule chance of surviving in a CAV and graduating to basic training. Most CAV pilots are crushed within the structures when they do battle with remorts and are little more than sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter.
This is a hard paced action-Packed battle novel that succceeds because it creates a believable world and interesting characters.
Many thanks to the publishing house for providing an advanced copy for review.
July 16, 2019
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
The Buzz
Most people who know me probably have no idea that I am a rabid Military Sci-Fi fan. I found them when I was a young reader and was immediately fascinated by the idea of men on incredible battlefields. I moved on to dystopian stories and find there is way more fantasy out there to fill my time. But I always have a soft place in my heart for the soldier story.
One thing that concerned me was the cover... Cry Pilot is not dressed well. A more nondescript cover I have not seen. Props to the vague skyscrapers because yeah even the poor live in them... but what is that wimpy robot thing?! I don't see how it relates to the story at all. But I love the title and was hooked in the first chapter when I learned what a Cry Pilot is and what they does...
The Premise
From page one of Cry Pilot we know Maseo Kaytu has done something he regrets. And it isn't something that you can easily sweep under a rug and call a stupid mistake and move on. He's tried and it just doesn't work. This isn't a new concept. Kaytu is seeking redemption on the battlefield. So why is this one of the best books I've read in 2019?! Because of the incredible futuristic world!!!
This is a very unique devastated earth. It's waaaaayyyyy in the future. We've had another massive world war. The earth did not fair well. But corporations came in and took over. It was for the best. They started a technologically fueled clean up to reclaim the earth from our mistakes... There's only one problem, the war tech used to fight that war? Yeah it's been abandoned all over the place and the cleanup tech is fixing it along with the earth. So we need soldiers. Soldiers to fight these rogue bio-weapons. And now they have a new recruit... Kaytu! Only they won't accept him. So he forces them to...
I really, really enjoy the way Joel Dane writes. It's tight. It feels military. It feels like the future. I was captured from the first page... but that's because every page that followed built up my anticipation for the next page and the next page. It really helped that I liked Kaytu. His situation is unique but totally understandable. You feel for him even as you know he got himself into this tight spot on his own and because of family. And you applaud his desire to push through anyway and seize his redemption. And along the way... he finds family again... and its a beautiful messy battle every day!!
My Experience
I sat down with this paper copy of Cry Pilot and I couldn't stop reading... I only intended to get it started. Read the first chapter or two... I quickly found myself sweeping past page 100!! WHAT?! Yeah I was captured. It starts with Kaytu and his whole CAV experience so he can enter military training.
But then we meet Ting! A nonstop chatty hacker who mysteriously seems to be able to hold it together while also beating the odds along with Kaytu... How is this possible?! There was something about Ting that I just loved and a mystery surrounding her that I was dying to uncover. As we start training and meet those on his team we come to understand why its so important they come together as a crew.
But Dani, you are probably wondering... you aren't saying you loved every page of this book?! Okay I will admit there is a small span of about 7-10 pages a little past halfway that got a touch repetitive. These are where the team is trying to gather information and not getting anywhere fast. I wish they actually DID something concrete as a group and failed rather than individually... but yeah that's it. I literally was captured for every other page all the way to the end... And the end... is EXPLOSIVE!!
So was there anything else I didn't enjoy in this shining jewel of futuristic military sci-fi?! Well in the future sexuality is very fluid and soldiers with their battle lust have many poly relationships. This is touched on briefly in a couple places but isn't explicit (thank goodness!) It made me skeptical as I doubt EVERY soldier would have sex with multiple partners of both sexes but its such a minor part of the book I'm fine with it. This is literally how detailed Joel Dane thought about the future.
Why did I find Cry Pilot an Out of This World Read?
-Ting!
Okay, I just loved this girl... I loved her relationship with Kaytu (its not as a love interest!) and I just want to peer inside her mind for a bit. I need more of her!
-Military Battles!
Okay I admit this is a favorite part of any military sci-fi... I love the tactics and strategy involved and seeing how they beat the odds and survive.
-The Future!
This is one of the most well imagined futures that I've ever read. And it was shown to us in tiny chunks so that we could form a picture of it in our minds.
-The Camaraderie!
Each member of the team was good at different things. And Kaytu wasn't some super leader or anything. They bonded and learned to work together as a well oiled machine.
-The Stakes!
I was sucked in meeting Kaytu... but every time I felt like the story would plateau it got better and the stakes higher! It wasn't about twists at all, but about making me care.
Cry Pilot is like a rocket ship and you are left breathless at the end!! I'm totally eager to dive right into the sequel (and I hope that I can totally get a copy). While we don't get all the answers about lampreys we do learn a lot about them and I'm eager to see Kaytu and his crew go up against more... This is futuristic military sci-fi at its absolute best!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
C+ Cover & Title grade
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Ace for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. Read my special perspective under the typewriter on my reviews...
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April 1, 2020
On a future Earth the challenge is to terraform the planet back to ecologically sustainable levels using advanced AI-created biotech. But the terraforming process occasionally awakens lethal biotech creatures called remorts that need to be fought by a combination of military force and AI-created constructs called Combatant Activated Vehicles (CAVs) which require a human to be stuffed inside to work. Being a CAV pilot is almost always fatal on the first mission, and the volunteers that do this work are called "cry pilots" for this reason.
Maseo Kaytu's background means that he can't join the military, and it's something he desperately needs to do for reasons of his own. He only has one path: survive a CAV mission as a cry pilot. But that's only the first step, because there's a devastating new type of remort that are becoming increasingly more common and defy explanation and that a specialist remort-fighting military group have been assembled to fight.
This was a good military SF story that has a few serious flaws. The characterization of Kaytu and his immediate friends is done well, but most of the rest of the characters are only cardboard cutouts.
More seriously, this book is seriously lacking in descriptive text. Enough so that without any clear idea what some of the fantastic elements look like I was drawing from SF movies in my head to picture them (for reference, for the CAVs I was thinking something like a super-sophisticated Scrapper from Pacific Rim 2 and for the lamprey remorts I was thinking the mimics from the Edge of Tomorrow).
Finally, the last act of the book is far too telegraphed by the title and the stuff leading up to it. Clearly the CAVs are going to eventually be very important, but the book really only touches on them at the beginning, and we never really get much more about them until very late on.
Overall though, I was entertained and I'm eager to continue with the next one.
Maseo Kaytu's background means that he can't join the military, and it's something he desperately needs to do for reasons of his own. He only has one path: survive a CAV mission as a cry pilot. But that's only the first step, because there's a devastating new type of remort that are becoming increasingly more common and defy explanation and that a specialist remort-fighting military group have been assembled to fight.
This was a good military SF story that has a few serious flaws. The characterization of Kaytu and his immediate friends is done well, but most of the rest of the characters are only cardboard cutouts.
More seriously, this book is seriously lacking in descriptive text. Enough so that without any clear idea what some of the fantastic elements look like I was drawing from SF movies in my head to picture them (for reference, for the CAVs I was thinking something like a super-sophisticated Scrapper from Pacific Rim 2 and for the lamprey remorts I was thinking the mimics from the Edge of Tomorrow).
Finally, the last act of the book is far too telegraphed by the title and the stuff leading up to it. Clearly the CAVs are going to eventually be very important, but the book really only touches on them at the beginning, and we never really get much more about them until very late on.
Overall though, I was entertained and I'm eager to continue with the next one.
March 13, 2020
In a grim, future earth, where terraforming activities have reanimated AI-made biotech (known as a remort) from multiple wars in the past. And people aspire to enter a corporate military.
Maseo Kaytu wants to escape his past, and wants into the military, But, his background eliminates him from contention. So he takes a super risky path where the chances of survival are near nil, which is to volunteer as a Cry Pilot. A Cry Pilot describes the individual who rides passively within a combat activated vehicle (CAV) and is sent against remorts.
After coming out alive, he gets to join the military and begins training within a squad and go on incredibly dangerous missions to stop a super-scary new, mysterious remort.
This was a fun story, with graphic, tense action. I liked Maseo's and the members of his squad's (e.g., Ting, Cali) characterizations, though my one major criticism for this book was that I did have real difficulties visualizing the remorts.
This was an enjoyable start to a series, and I plan to read book two.
Maseo Kaytu wants to escape his past, and wants into the military, But, his background eliminates him from contention. So he takes a super risky path where the chances of survival are near nil, which is to volunteer as a Cry Pilot. A Cry Pilot describes the individual who rides passively within a combat activated vehicle (CAV) and is sent against remorts.
After coming out alive, he gets to join the military and begins training within a squad and go on incredibly dangerous missions to stop a super-scary new, mysterious remort.
This was a fun story, with graphic, tense action. I liked Maseo's and the members of his squad's (e.g., Ting, Cali) characterizations, though my one major criticism for this book was that I did have real difficulties visualizing the remorts.
This was an enjoyable start to a series, and I plan to read book two.
July 18, 2019
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
By the description, I expected far-future sci-fi. Cry Pilot is that, and a whole lot more--like a cyberpunk and military scifi combination, all in an original take on post-climate apocalypse Earth.
Kaytu is a complicated young man trying to do right. He's a gutter rat, a former refugee, and he has set his eye on military service with one of the major corporations that holds dominion over Earth. With his background--which only emerges in perfectly-paced detail across the book--he's forced to take a more criminal route, which gets him assigned to be a cry pilot--essentially, a piece of meat dropped into an AI-driven mecha that does battle with other bio-machines that threaten to undo the resettlement and terraforming of the planet. Most cry pilots die. He does not--nor does the flighty drug addict with him. Together, they soon find themselves placed in different roles as they train to face a horrific threat unlike ever seen before.
With some scifi books with a far-future setting, it feels like the emphasis is on the world and tech and the characters are outright tropes. Not so here. Everyone feels vivid and alive. Kaytu's peers are an eclectic bunch, and as he became attached to them, so did I (a dangerous thing when they are facing some pretty nasty threats). The world is incredibly immersive and detailed, and it builds in just the right way; I never felt overwhelmed. Not only is the tech advanced, but social constructs are radically different, too, but this is handled in a casual, natural way. Poly relationships are common (and make perfect sense, given the need for humanity to repopulate) and sexual preference is fluid.
I found the book to be absolutely enthralling. Not only is the story fantastic, but as a writer, I can only admire the elegant pacing of the world's construction. This is a book to point to as an example of how to do scifi right.
By the description, I expected far-future sci-fi. Cry Pilot is that, and a whole lot more--like a cyberpunk and military scifi combination, all in an original take on post-climate apocalypse Earth.
Kaytu is a complicated young man trying to do right. He's a gutter rat, a former refugee, and he has set his eye on military service with one of the major corporations that holds dominion over Earth. With his background--which only emerges in perfectly-paced detail across the book--he's forced to take a more criminal route, which gets him assigned to be a cry pilot--essentially, a piece of meat dropped into an AI-driven mecha that does battle with other bio-machines that threaten to undo the resettlement and terraforming of the planet. Most cry pilots die. He does not--nor does the flighty drug addict with him. Together, they soon find themselves placed in different roles as they train to face a horrific threat unlike ever seen before.
With some scifi books with a far-future setting, it feels like the emphasis is on the world and tech and the characters are outright tropes. Not so here. Everyone feels vivid and alive. Kaytu's peers are an eclectic bunch, and as he became attached to them, so did I (a dangerous thing when they are facing some pretty nasty threats). The world is incredibly immersive and detailed, and it builds in just the right way; I never felt overwhelmed. Not only is the tech advanced, but social constructs are radically different, too, but this is handled in a casual, natural way. Poly relationships are common (and make perfect sense, given the need for humanity to repopulate) and sexual preference is fluid.
I found the book to be absolutely enthralling. Not only is the story fantastic, but as a writer, I can only admire the elegant pacing of the world's construction. This is a book to point to as an example of how to do scifi right.
March 7, 2021
This book is just pure military SF fun. There's nothing too complicated about it -- it's soldiers vs Kaiju with high tech weapons and a corporate military state. Even some of the plot is familiar -- the first act starts with basic training.
So yeah. It's familiar. Nothing fancy, but the same way there's nothing fancy with a really good burger. And sometimes you just want a really good burger.
Don't mistake similar for dull -- It's definitely not that. The training scenes are packed with cool tech and high-tension, and all the characters from the main character through every secondary character are well developed. That's probably my favorite part of it -- the soldiers that feel so real. They interact like real soldiers, and they grow together through their hardships and trials.
The pace throughout the book is fast, bordering sometimes on frenetic. There were several times where I was like...'just one more chapter.' Then I'd finally set it down, five chapters later. This is especially true in the third act. Make sure you've got time to read it straight through once you get there.
The only thing I can't figure out about this book is why more people aren't talking about it. It really deserves some attention.
So yeah. It's familiar. Nothing fancy, but the same way there's nothing fancy with a really good burger. And sometimes you just want a really good burger.
Don't mistake similar for dull -- It's definitely not that. The training scenes are packed with cool tech and high-tension, and all the characters from the main character through every secondary character are well developed. That's probably my favorite part of it -- the soldiers that feel so real. They interact like real soldiers, and they grow together through their hardships and trials.
The pace throughout the book is fast, bordering sometimes on frenetic. There were several times where I was like...'just one more chapter.' Then I'd finally set it down, five chapters later. This is especially true in the third act. Make sure you've got time to read it straight through once you get there.
The only thing I can't figure out about this book is why more people aren't talking about it. It really deserves some attention.
March 24, 2020
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I've always enjoyed science fiction and space opera. Both scifi and fantasy sometimes are hard for me to start. The first book in the series has me trying to understand all the new people and places and they often have made up names. Cry Pilot is the start of the Cry Pilot series and I had a little of the first book syndrome I sometimes have.
My efforts were compounded because we are not only looking at Katyu's current situation but there are a few chapters flashing back to his past. His past is the emotional base for the present. He starts from a place of nearly certain death, hoping to survive and get into the military. I suppose it's a spoiler he survives but it wouldn't be much of a book, much less a series if he died at the start of the first book.
There were a lot of characters, a lot of new worlds and new tech and all the terminology. It was richly detailed but not really overwhelming. The characters made it all real. They all may have their flaws but also and tremendous strengths to build a team. I came to love the team.
Their military group is barely trained and set up as fodder for the trained groups. There's non-stop action with plenty of death, destruction and injuries. I won't spoil what happens but this is the little team that could. It's a wild race to victory.
You definitely want to read the series in order or you'll be completely lost. I like the bromance feel between the characters on the team. That provides a bit of subtle humor I enjoy. I'm moving on to see what happens next to the rest of the team in Burn Cycle.
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I've always enjoyed science fiction and space opera. Both scifi and fantasy sometimes are hard for me to start. The first book in the series has me trying to understand all the new people and places and they often have made up names. Cry Pilot is the start of the Cry Pilot series and I had a little of the first book syndrome I sometimes have.
My efforts were compounded because we are not only looking at Katyu's current situation but there are a few chapters flashing back to his past. His past is the emotional base for the present. He starts from a place of nearly certain death, hoping to survive and get into the military. I suppose it's a spoiler he survives but it wouldn't be much of a book, much less a series if he died at the start of the first book.
There were a lot of characters, a lot of new worlds and new tech and all the terminology. It was richly detailed but not really overwhelming. The characters made it all real. They all may have their flaws but also and tremendous strengths to build a team. I came to love the team.
Their military group is barely trained and set up as fodder for the trained groups. There's non-stop action with plenty of death, destruction and injuries. I won't spoil what happens but this is the little team that could. It's a wild race to victory.
You definitely want to read the series in order or you'll be completely lost. I like the bromance feel between the characters on the team. That provides a bit of subtle humor I enjoy. I'm moving on to see what happens next to the rest of the team in Burn Cycle.
"That's the biggest question in the world"
"That's the smallest answer."
December 15, 2019
This book is kind of a mess!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a unique, beautifully imaginative and wonderfully original book. But also a mess.
The technobabble and language quirks were overwhelming at times and I sometimes found myself taken out of the story because of it. I also found the imagery to be lacking in detail even though the broad strokes were beautifully executed in delightfully unexpected ways.
Overall, it was kind of a mixed bag but I really enjoyed it. Really cool and entertaining story that I wish was executed a bit better. Though I liked it, I’m not sure I know anyone in particular I’d recommend it to.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a unique, beautifully imaginative and wonderfully original book. But also a mess.
The technobabble and language quirks were overwhelming at times and I sometimes found myself taken out of the story because of it. I also found the imagery to be lacking in detail even though the broad strokes were beautifully executed in delightfully unexpected ways.
Overall, it was kind of a mixed bag but I really enjoyed it. Really cool and entertaining story that I wish was executed a bit better. Though I liked it, I’m not sure I know anyone in particular I’d recommend it to.
August 9, 2019
Cry Pilot features multifaceted worldbuilding in a future where corporations run things side-by-side with the military. The enemies are stronger and the stakes are higher as the world mends from human ineptitude. The book manages to combine military, high-tech, and dystopian science fiction in one compelling narrative, featuring well-drawn characters and central protagonist you want to root for.
To start, I’m fascinated by the central enemies in this strange future Earth, the remorts. Imagine a future where we actually get it together enough as a planet to do something about climate change. Imagine that thing is to put everyone into these enormous, tall building cities and terraform the cleared Earth. Imagine the planet becomes this beautiful paradise outside of these sprawling cities, giving way to any number of formerly extinct species. Pretty cool, right?
The real epicness lies in the malfunction of this terraforming tool. It wouldn’t be a fancy futuristic technology if there wasn’t something wrong with it. In this instance, mankind was obsessed with war and making terrifying advances in warfare. Imagine that. When things really started to go south, these machines were abandoned throughout the world, eventually decaying. Amazingly, this terraforming process found a way to create these monsters that are part machine, part animal by combining various DNA with the technical elements left in the Earth. It’s like something straight out of Godzilla, but more believable. The concept is staggering and makes for an exhilarating read. In fixing the world, humanity managed to create their greatest enemies. Poetic, isn’t it?
I was equally impressed by the extensive worldbuilding that continues throughout the novel. There’s a history of artificial intelligence alongside mankind, birthing all of this technology that gave us the ability to move beyond our planet. There’s the class struggle that would inevitably come from a super cramped mega-city. We also see this juxtaposition of a military society and a corporate society melded into an unhealthy concoction. Overall, the elements work together well to create a compelling story.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
To start, I’m fascinated by the central enemies in this strange future Earth, the remorts. Imagine a future where we actually get it together enough as a planet to do something about climate change. Imagine that thing is to put everyone into these enormous, tall building cities and terraform the cleared Earth. Imagine the planet becomes this beautiful paradise outside of these sprawling cities, giving way to any number of formerly extinct species. Pretty cool, right?
The real epicness lies in the malfunction of this terraforming tool. It wouldn’t be a fancy futuristic technology if there wasn’t something wrong with it. In this instance, mankind was obsessed with war and making terrifying advances in warfare. Imagine that. When things really started to go south, these machines were abandoned throughout the world, eventually decaying. Amazingly, this terraforming process found a way to create these monsters that are part machine, part animal by combining various DNA with the technical elements left in the Earth. It’s like something straight out of Godzilla, but more believable. The concept is staggering and makes for an exhilarating read. In fixing the world, humanity managed to create their greatest enemies. Poetic, isn’t it?
I was equally impressed by the extensive worldbuilding that continues throughout the novel. There’s a history of artificial intelligence alongside mankind, birthing all of this technology that gave us the ability to move beyond our planet. There’s the class struggle that would inevitably come from a super cramped mega-city. We also see this juxtaposition of a military society and a corporate society melded into an unhealthy concoction. Overall, the elements work together well to create a compelling story.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
June 13, 2019
June 12, 2019 - I have THOUGHTS, OPINIONS, and EXCITED RAMBLINGS in mind for how much I was pulled in by this book, but they'd make no sense whatsoever if I tried to put them down now.
So, for now, I'll just say that this is a fantastic science fiction story that any fan of the genre should read.
June 22, 2019 - Okay. So I've calmed down and thought it through enough to be able to write a coherent review.
CRY PILOT is set is a dystopian future where humanity lives in walled skyrise-like cities while they wait for a terraforming miasma to regenerate the Earth. The main problem in this world run by corporations is that the terraforming is also reviving the terrifying bio-weaponry of the war that almost destroyed humanity. To combat that, an elite army led by each of the corporations is in place. Our main character wants to join that army to make up for the sins of his past but the only way for him to achieve it is by becoming a sacrificial lamb battery for a weapon. An experience that almost no one survives.
We follow Kaytu through every step of his becoming a soldier and fighting the newest threat that humanity faces. Along the way, we meet incredibly interesting characters (that I'm still mad at Dane for making me like so much, because, War), learn more about the world, and how that shaped Kaytu's past and his present mission.
It's all presented in a voice that reads true to the time and place and really pulls you in. The training scenarios and the battles are written in such a way that you actually feel the adrenaline right along with Kaytu and the rest of his unit. Even the bizarre science and made up technology makes perfect sense once the story starts gaining traction, and it does so pretty early on.
So I'm going to repeat myself and say that this is a book that deserves to be read enthusiastically, heaped with praise, and will definitely be worth the hype.
So, for now, I'll just say that this is a fantastic science fiction story that any fan of the genre should read.
June 22, 2019 - Okay. So I've calmed down and thought it through enough to be able to write a coherent review.
CRY PILOT is set is a dystopian future where humanity lives in walled skyrise-like cities while they wait for a terraforming miasma to regenerate the Earth. The main problem in this world run by corporations is that the terraforming is also reviving the terrifying bio-weaponry of the war that almost destroyed humanity. To combat that, an elite army led by each of the corporations is in place. Our main character wants to join that army to make up for the sins of his past but the only way for him to achieve it is by becoming a sacrificial lamb battery for a weapon. An experience that almost no one survives.
We follow Kaytu through every step of his becoming a soldier and fighting the newest threat that humanity faces. Along the way, we meet incredibly interesting characters (that I'm still mad at Dane for making me like so much, because, War), learn more about the world, and how that shaped Kaytu's past and his present mission.
It's all presented in a voice that reads true to the time and place and really pulls you in. The training scenarios and the battles are written in such a way that you actually feel the adrenaline right along with Kaytu and the rest of his unit. Even the bizarre science and made up technology makes perfect sense once the story starts gaining traction, and it does so pretty early on.
So I'm going to repeat myself and say that this is a book that deserves to be read enthusiastically, heaped with praise, and will definitely be worth the hype.
November 17, 2021
I am a fan of blatant Starship Troopers clones, so I will not really be impartial with my rating here, but I will elaborate a bit in the review. This is a book set in a gorgeously imagined future post-eco-collapse but extremely high-tech world that feels very much like the coolest of cool mangas, but without the usual lack of common sense that usually accompanies that “genre”. On the other side, the enjoyment of the story itself is seriously hampered by the fact that: a) (by now) there are sequels, so it is quite clear that the POV character will survive every peril; b) and without spoiling too much, the character of Ting really acts as a deus-ex magical helper that also means many key problems will be resolved by handwavy “I hacked the schlompotronic difundibulator” plot resolutions. But yeah, we get a cool world, a cool boot camp sequence of chapters, and a cool action-packed bodies-and-bullets-galore second part after things kick off for real.
June 2, 2021
The worldbuilding is more interesting than the story, which is just a common “basic training then to war” MilSF story. The future has corporations running everything the way governments do now, in itself not a unique scenario in SF, but Dane does put some clever wrinkles to it. “Sergeant-Major” becomes “Sergeant-Manager,” flags are considered passé while logos are all the rage, things like that.
It doesn’t have the impact of Haldeman’s The Forever War or the bite of Jennifer Government by Max Barry, but blends those ideas with the groundbreaking The Cool War and the cynicism of most cyberpunk.
It gets a little fuzzy with the rogue AIs running amok in robot bodies, or sometimes cyborg mushrooms-type things, but it’s mostly just straight sci-fi action.
It doesn’t have the impact of Haldeman’s The Forever War or the bite of Jennifer Government by Max Barry, but blends those ideas with the groundbreaking The Cool War and the cynicism of most cyberpunk.
It gets a little fuzzy with the rogue AIs running amok in robot bodies, or sometimes cyborg mushrooms-type things, but it’s mostly just straight sci-fi action.
September 24, 2023
Absolutely riveting. I could not put it down voluntarily, only when life forced me into not-reading.
The final 30% of the book was blindingly intense, digging hooks into my mind that kept me up later than I should, because I just HAD to finish it today.
Come for the well crafted, modern military sci fi, stay for the fantastic characters and found family.
So glad this is a trilogy, because I am digging right into the next novel right now, sleep be damned!
The final 30% of the book was blindingly intense, digging hooks into my mind that kept me up later than I should, because I just HAD to finish it today.
Come for the well crafted, modern military sci fi, stay for the fantastic characters and found family.
So glad this is a trilogy, because I am digging right into the next novel right now, sleep be damned!
April 9, 2025
I had no particular expectations for Cry Pilot (Cry Pilot #1) by Joel Dane, since before I picked it up at a thrift store for a buck I'd never heard of it. Turns out it sucked me right in. I really got a kick out of the style and that it just drops into the world. I might have to try the rest of the series in the future.
June 24, 2019
Do you like unapologetically violent military fiction? Good. Do you like rogue-bioweapons and the speculative fiction about the inevitable collapse of society due to humanity's dependency on AIs? Groovy. Do you like action packed sci fi whose world building includes LGBTA+ characters, poly-am relationships, multi-parent families, gender-neutral honorifics, and more POCs than you can shake a nutrient-tube at? WELL, AUNCLE JOEL HAS A BOOK FOR YOU!
I'm subscribed to about eight different "YOU SHOULD READ THESE" email lists and Cry Pilot popped up on approximately ten of them. I love military fiction, science fiction, and sci-fi pilots in general (anyone that knows me has seen my shrines to Wedge Antilles and Jeff Moreau), so I've had this novel earmarked for a few months.
So imagine my face when I won a Goodreads ARC contest and the book arrived on my doorstep two months before the release date! I know it looks bad that it took me an entire month to read this but consider that I actually read it, cover to cover, in two sittings. I have dedicated two entire days to doing nothing but reading this novel. It's just that exciting.
Honestly, I loved this book. Maseo was a great character with lovable flaws. I was rooting for him through the entire book, even when he wasn't at his best. I loved Ting from the moment she started asking questions. (I read all of her lines in Erika Ishii's voice. Please tell me she's doing the audiobook.)
I also loved that everyone was queer and the book did not bat an eyelash about it -- I was absolutely charmed that Maseo was in love with Rana from the first time he saw her onyx features BUT ALSO never referred to Shakrabarti as anything other than sexy. When the book took a moment to describe the intricacies of the 'platoon being a sprawling plural marriage', I had to laugh -- I've read so many books and comics where queer relationships are subtext or, at best, secret, and this book's just throwing it out there in the open. Did it matter in the context of the story? Nope! Did it matter to me, an aspiring writer, with LGBTQ+ and poly-am friends? ABSOLUTELY.
I also loved that, as near as I can tell, the only two white people in this entire novel are Cali-Du and Tech Specialist Gaaldine. I mean, this novel was a delight.
My only regret was that I felt this book was kind of rushed. I wish it had more time to percolate. There were so many worldbuilding elements thrown at me within the first hundred pages that I kind of zoned out and prayed there would be another two books to remind me of all the terminology I zoomed past. About half way through the novel it occurred to me that I never read what MYRAGE was: was it explained? It was about this time that I realized Technopaths were being introduced wayyyy late in the game -- I wish they were introduced earlier.
TL;DR: Did you love the Southern Reach Trilogy, with those crazy alien mushroom pod people? Great! Did you love Hunger Games, with all of those poor dystopian capitalist society children fighting each other to the death for entertainment? Great! Did you enjoy Starship Troopers, with all those adorable cadets and nasty bugs? GREAT! This novel is all of that tossed in a blender, just churned until it looks like lichen-potatoes and tastes like cyberpunk -- complete with gene-splicing and body-mods!
Sweet biyo, check this one out!
I'm subscribed to about eight different "YOU SHOULD READ THESE" email lists and Cry Pilot popped up on approximately ten of them. I love military fiction, science fiction, and sci-fi pilots in general (anyone that knows me has seen my shrines to Wedge Antilles and Jeff Moreau), so I've had this novel earmarked for a few months.
So imagine my face when I won a Goodreads ARC contest and the book arrived on my doorstep two months before the release date! I know it looks bad that it took me an entire month to read this but consider that I actually read it, cover to cover, in two sittings. I have dedicated two entire days to doing nothing but reading this novel. It's just that exciting.
Honestly, I loved this book. Maseo was a great character with lovable flaws. I was rooting for him through the entire book, even when he wasn't at his best. I loved Ting from the moment she started asking questions. (I read all of her lines in Erika Ishii's voice. Please tell me she's doing the audiobook.)
I also loved that everyone was queer and the book did not bat an eyelash about it -- I was absolutely charmed that Maseo was in love with Rana from the first time he saw her onyx features BUT ALSO never referred to Shakrabarti as anything other than sexy. When the book took a moment to describe the intricacies of the 'platoon being a sprawling plural marriage', I had to laugh -- I've read so many books and comics where queer relationships are subtext or, at best, secret, and this book's just throwing it out there in the open. Did it matter in the context of the story? Nope! Did it matter to me, an aspiring writer, with LGBTQ+ and poly-am friends? ABSOLUTELY.
I also loved that, as near as I can tell, the only two white people in this entire novel are Cali-Du and Tech Specialist Gaaldine. I mean, this novel was a delight.
My only regret was that I felt this book was kind of rushed. I wish it had more time to percolate. There were so many worldbuilding elements thrown at me within the first hundred pages that I kind of zoned out and prayed there would be another two books to remind me of all the terminology I zoomed past. About half way through the novel it occurred to me that I never read what MYRAGE was: was it explained? It was about this time that I realized Technopaths were being introduced wayyyy late in the game -- I wish they were introduced earlier.
TL;DR: Did you love the Southern Reach Trilogy, with those crazy alien mushroom pod people? Great! Did you love Hunger Games, with all of those poor dystopian capitalist society children fighting each other to the death for entertainment? Great! Did you enjoy Starship Troopers, with all those adorable cadets and nasty bugs? GREAT! This novel is all of that tossed in a blender, just churned until it looks like lichen-potatoes and tastes like cyberpunk -- complete with gene-splicing and body-mods!
Sweet biyo, check this one out!
September 5, 2019
I had an awesome time with Cry Pilot. Highly recommend for military sci-fi fans and anyone who likes a fast-paced adventure full of platoon camaraderie, fresh world-building, and gross-but-compelling monsters.
I've been on a bit of a military sci-fi bender of late, so Cry Pilot jumped out at me. The opening scene hooked me right away, and I tore through it from there.
The story is told in first person from the perspective of Maseo Kaytu - a gutterborn/ex-refugee with a criminal past who is on a path of personal redemption. We follow him as he cheats/sneaks his way into basic training of a private military group (the way he does this is quite dangerous and exciting), bonds with his squad, and faces off against a new kind of bio-weapon monster that seems to kill everything in its path.
My two favorite parts of Cry Pilot were the chemistry between Maseo and his squad mates, and the world building. I'm always a bit of a sucker for watching a band of misfits bond during training/combat, but Dane does an exceptional job. My favorite relationship was between Maseo and Ting, which is a bit of an older brother/younger sister dynamic, but evolves as the story goes forward in some really interesting ways.
As for the world-building, I loved the complicated relationship between machines of the past, which were created by three rather inscrutable AIs, and the ways they are used (or not used) by modern society. I don't want to get into too many details because I'll wander into spoiler territory, but I will say that it feels as though we've only scratched at the surface of things Cry Pilot, so I was relieved and excited to see that the sequel will be out in Feb 2020. Can't wait!
I've been on a bit of a military sci-fi bender of late, so Cry Pilot jumped out at me. The opening scene hooked me right away, and I tore through it from there.
The story is told in first person from the perspective of Maseo Kaytu - a gutterborn/ex-refugee with a criminal past who is on a path of personal redemption. We follow him as he cheats/sneaks his way into basic training of a private military group (the way he does this is quite dangerous and exciting), bonds with his squad, and faces off against a new kind of bio-weapon monster that seems to kill everything in its path.
My two favorite parts of Cry Pilot were the chemistry between Maseo and his squad mates, and the world building. I'm always a bit of a sucker for watching a band of misfits bond during training/combat, but Dane does an exceptional job. My favorite relationship was between Maseo and Ting, which is a bit of an older brother/younger sister dynamic, but evolves as the story goes forward in some really interesting ways.
As for the world-building, I loved the complicated relationship between machines of the past, which were created by three rather inscrutable AIs, and the ways they are used (or not used) by modern society. I don't want to get into too many details because I'll wander into spoiler territory, but I will say that it feels as though we've only scratched at the surface of things Cry Pilot, so I was relieved and excited to see that the sequel will be out in Feb 2020. Can't wait!
July 13, 2021
I almost gave up on this at about the 40% mark and I'm glad I didn't because the second half is as fun and exciting as the first half is boring and derivative. The whole rag-tag-group-of-cadets-going-through-basic just doesn't do it for me anymore. It has been done SOOO many times and there is really not too much more you can do with it so while I didn't skim anything I did sort of groan internally and couldn't shake that been there done that feeling. Then our group gets thrown into a real mission and you get a little more background and things really took off. Even as things were getting more entertaining I kept telling myself I didn't know if it was enough to continue with the series but it ended on such a high note and introduced a little of what would be in the next book so I took the plunge and bought book two.
I know it helps to connect and care for the characters to have them go through a shared experience but I thought there was enough individuality between them and their interactions were interesting enough that the entire basic training part could have been done in one chapter or through flashbacks. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
The action is intense and easy to follow, the characters were real and easy to tell apart, and the dialogue seemed genuine and realistic, not forced or corny. Nothing new under the sun here but if you like this sort of stuff it's worth checking out.
I know it helps to connect and care for the characters to have them go through a shared experience but I thought there was enough individuality between them and their interactions were interesting enough that the entire basic training part could have been done in one chapter or through flashbacks. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
The action is intense and easy to follow, the characters were real and easy to tell apart, and the dialogue seemed genuine and realistic, not forced or corny. Nothing new under the sun here but if you like this sort of stuff it's worth checking out.
August 6, 2019
A dystopian future where a ruined Earth is "terrafixed" and creates AI monsters? SIGN ME UP.
Maseo Kaytu is a young man with a past he wants to make up for, and sets his sights on the military to do it. But traditional military channels aren't open to a kid from a refugee camp, so Kaytu finds an alternate route: as a "cry pilot", the name given to pilots who take on suicide missions against some of the most horrifying monsters. He beats the odds, survives, and thrives in the infantry, where he forms close bonds with his fellow soldiers. But his platoon is sent up against a new, even worse monster - and the "patriots" that guard their homes against the military are just as much of a threat. Kaytu will have to re-evaluate everything he's gone into the military intending to carry out in order to stay alive.
Cry Pilot is near-unputdownable. It's solid sci-fi with monsters and mechs, phenomenal world-building, and a diverse group of characters I immediately bonded to. It's a Starship Troopers kind camaraderie (minus the overt propaganda/anti-war message), and fans of corporate military sci fi - think Peter Tieryas' United States of Japan and Mecha Samurai Empire, with a liberal splash of Pacific Rim - will eat this up.
The book is out today, and I've already been telling everyone I know about it for the last two weeks.
Maseo Kaytu is a young man with a past he wants to make up for, and sets his sights on the military to do it. But traditional military channels aren't open to a kid from a refugee camp, so Kaytu finds an alternate route: as a "cry pilot", the name given to pilots who take on suicide missions against some of the most horrifying monsters. He beats the odds, survives, and thrives in the infantry, where he forms close bonds with his fellow soldiers. But his platoon is sent up against a new, even worse monster - and the "patriots" that guard their homes against the military are just as much of a threat. Kaytu will have to re-evaluate everything he's gone into the military intending to carry out in order to stay alive.
Cry Pilot is near-unputdownable. It's solid sci-fi with monsters and mechs, phenomenal world-building, and a diverse group of characters I immediately bonded to. It's a Starship Troopers kind camaraderie (minus the overt propaganda/anti-war message), and fans of corporate military sci fi - think Peter Tieryas' United States of Japan and Mecha Samurai Empire, with a liberal splash of Pacific Rim - will eat this up.
The book is out today, and I've already been telling everyone I know about it for the last two weeks.
March 5, 2022
The beginning was super interesting! And then we spend the whole book slogging through info dumping and lots of detailed training that glazed my eyes over. While instead I was waiting for the hint that was dropped right at the beginning of the book with the CAVs to be realized. Unfortunately it took until the end and then everything was really interesting again. Already jumped on with book 2 since that contains what I want to read about. Personally, I would have trimmed the whole middle bit of this book and just combined it with book 2. Would have made for a stronger narrative.
I was teased by the premise of the character based mil scifi with found family and, disappointingly, it just didn't hit the spot for me.
Also the random bits of stolen cultures kept irritating me? Like our MC speaks Bahasa, but his home has nothing to do with SE Asia?? And they use "san" a Japanese honorific instead of sir, but it's not used as a suffix like in Japanese. Same with media-chan, news-chan, cuddle-chan. Why use Japanese suffixes this way? Made no sense to me.
I was teased by the premise of the character based mil scifi with found family and, disappointingly, it just didn't hit the spot for me.
Also the random bits of stolen cultures kept irritating me? Like our MC speaks Bahasa, but his home has nothing to do with SE Asia?? And they use "san" a Japanese honorific instead of sir, but it's not used as a suffix like in Japanese. Same with media-chan, news-chan, cuddle-chan. Why use Japanese suffixes this way? Made no sense to me.
August 11, 2019
WHY IS THE COVER SO GENERIC?
This is immense fun and stands out from a lot of military scifi by heavily borrowing from manga and anime plots instead of the usual boring inspirations of starship troopers and "my time in the army".
Great action, fantastic worldbuilding that really makes it stand out from the usual "earth is a mess now" settings we've seen of late and yet both the cover and the promotional material made it seem so generic to me until I started reading.
This is immense fun and stands out from a lot of military scifi by heavily borrowing from manga and anime plots instead of the usual boring inspirations of starship troopers and "my time in the army".
Great action, fantastic worldbuilding that really makes it stand out from the usual "earth is a mess now" settings we've seen of late and yet both the cover and the promotional material made it seem so generic to me until I started reading.
August 24, 2019
This is a book about the consequences of human beings destroying the Earth and the repercussions of trying to fix it. The writing was economical and to the point. It took a while for the characters to be fleshed out since there is a large cast of characters, however I think it was done remarkably well considering the length of the book. Especially the relationship between Ting and Kaytu, which we follow from the very beginning and see it evolve. Can’t wait for Burn Cycle.
February 20, 2020
I haven’t read a book this good in YEARS. Dragged me right in and all around and beat me over the head with its awesomeness.
Very ender’s game but with more sophistication and immersive detail. Could not recommend more.
Very ender’s game but with more sophistication and immersive detail. Could not recommend more.
March 10, 2020
Just what I was hoping for after reading the blurbs - solid military sci-fi featuring plenty of action and a good description of the ups and downs of a specialized basic training. It's a post-apocalypse world, when governments were overthrown by corporations just as the climate crisis goes into crisis mode and a mass extinction begins to ruin earth. Several mega-corporations survived to rule humanity with a bottom-line mentality mixed up with essentially feudalism on a solar-system scale. The over-arching purpose is to save humanity and rebuild Earth, so there's an ongoing autonomous technology reviving the whole biome, but there's glitches as supposedly extinct bio-weapons are revived by mistake. Much of the police, military & scientific efforts are expended trying to reign in the resultant horrors, but restricted in how advanced their tech can go because of how awry it's gone before. At one point, there were sentient AIs, but they disappeared and left un-fathomable tech behind. Oh, and there's an infantry squad being trained to go after the next generation of horrors and most of the story is how they cope with military life, the hazards of training & compensating for their pasts and personalities. It's very engaging for this sort of sci-fi and I'll look forward to more sequels as they arrive.
February 2, 2020
Five stars. Yep. This book deserves five stars. One of the best sci-fi books I have read in a long time. The thing about this story that sets it apart is how innovative it is. I don't do spoilers, so I rather not talk about these elements with any depth, but the various concepts that this author weaves into this story are really interesting. Interesting enough to just keep the pages flipping as relentlessly as the story flows. There is no filler at all in this book. Four hundred plus pages of complete immersion. The battle scenes are so well written, that it becomes impossible to put this thing down, no matter how tired you might be! There are many characters outside of our principal (first person) subject, and some of them could have been fleshed out just a bit more, but if that means keeping the story tight and flowing, I'm all for it. The next book will be released soon, and I am 100% going to be picking that up.
June 30, 2019
When the odds of survival are slim to none, you can either give in or keep fighting like the squad does in Cry Pilot by Joel Dane.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Earth is in a devastated state with bio-weapons going rogue and attacking citizens of all Classes. Maseo Katyu is a man filled with secrets and a haunted by his past, which leaves him with one avenue for joining the military: volunteering to be a cry pilot, which is essentially a suicide mission. Cheating the system with some ingenious lock-picking bonespur tech, Katyu manages to survive the unlikely odds and is able to join the military, with all the joys of basic training. Assigned to a group of misfits, Katyu learns how to obey orders, train with precision, and gradually gets closer to his squadmates, which leaves his past vulnerable to being discovered. With an unidentifiable and seemingly undefeatable bio-weapon wreaking havoc on all forces it faces, Katyu's moderately tested and prepared squad goes up against this rogue entity, and most odds, in the hopes of being able to accomplish what other groups have not.
Action-packed, this novel moves rapidly from event to event, carrying the reader through the developing story at a dizzying speed that mimics the squads' whirlwind and secret-infused experience. The technology used and world's state are depicted and built well to be a believable progression into a potential future state of society; the societal and familial structure is incredibly fascinating with multi-parent families and diversity in all possible attributes of the characters. Katyu is an intriguing character with some complexities that mark him as a flawed yet redeemable and likable human as he strives to clear his personal ledger of a past action that led to horrific loss; the other characters are also interesting in how they are presented and how they develop into more complex versions of their former selves through their trials.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Earth is in a devastated state with bio-weapons going rogue and attacking citizens of all Classes. Maseo Katyu is a man filled with secrets and a haunted by his past, which leaves him with one avenue for joining the military: volunteering to be a cry pilot, which is essentially a suicide mission. Cheating the system with some ingenious lock-picking bonespur tech, Katyu manages to survive the unlikely odds and is able to join the military, with all the joys of basic training. Assigned to a group of misfits, Katyu learns how to obey orders, train with precision, and gradually gets closer to his squadmates, which leaves his past vulnerable to being discovered. With an unidentifiable and seemingly undefeatable bio-weapon wreaking havoc on all forces it faces, Katyu's moderately tested and prepared squad goes up against this rogue entity, and most odds, in the hopes of being able to accomplish what other groups have not.
Action-packed, this novel moves rapidly from event to event, carrying the reader through the developing story at a dizzying speed that mimics the squads' whirlwind and secret-infused experience. The technology used and world's state are depicted and built well to be a believable progression into a potential future state of society; the societal and familial structure is incredibly fascinating with multi-parent families and diversity in all possible attributes of the characters. Katyu is an intriguing character with some complexities that mark him as a flawed yet redeemable and likable human as he strives to clear his personal ledger of a past action that led to horrific loss; the other characters are also interesting in how they are presented and how they develop into more complex versions of their former selves through their trials.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2026
Totally acceptable dystopian military sci fi. Like this was completely fine and I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it. It was confusing to get through the info dumping at the beginning and pretty dry until the squad gets together. I did get attached to the characters but not enough to get emotional and perhaps not enough to continue the series. I’ll let Wendy and Joy decide.
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