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A review by sarahdm
Cry Pilot by Joel Dane
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this isn't exactly what I was looking for, this is still a really good read!
I don't really read military fiction, but I was looking for a book with characters that pilot mechs. I finished Iron Widow awhile ago and was really craving that giant robot anime vibe that I got. Cry Pilot is what I found. And don't get me wrong, we eventually get to the actual anime of it all. But it takes till the very end of the book. Thank god there are two more books, which will probably have way more actual giant robot machine piloting in it.
So, for the majority of the book, this is less gundam pilot MC and more following the ground troops that aren't in giant gundams. This book is all about establishing the tight-knit group of the squad. This book is all about getting you to fall in love with the characters and introducing you to the world before any of the big stuff happens. And I absolutely love every single character in this squad. As the author has put in an interview "To me, this is fundamentally a story about a found family…that blows shit up." You can read the interview here: https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-cry-pilot-author-joel-dane/
And also surprisingly, this book is really queer. The whole squad is described as poly with each other in the book. It was a nice little surprise.
This is a great book. Great writing, great characters, great premise. I'm only pulling one star because it took SO LONG to get to the piloting mechs bit. Also, its a little too much glorifying of the military for my taste but I can over look it.
Looking forward to book 2!
I don't really read military fiction, but I was looking for a book with characters that pilot mechs. I finished Iron Widow awhile ago and was really craving that giant robot anime vibe that I got. Cry Pilot is what I found. And don't get me wrong, we eventually get to the actual anime of it all. But it takes till the very end of the book. Thank god there are two more books, which will probably have way more actual giant robot machine piloting in it.
So, for the majority of the book, this is less gundam pilot MC and more following the ground troops that aren't in giant gundams. This book is all about establishing the tight-knit group of the squad. This book is all about getting you to fall in love with the characters and introducing you to the world before any of the big stuff happens. And I absolutely love every single character in this squad. As the author has put in an interview "To me, this is fundamentally a story about a found family…that blows shit up." You can read the interview here: https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-cry-pilot-author-joel-dane/
And also surprisingly, this book is really queer. The whole squad is described as poly with each other in the book. It was a nice little surprise.
This is a great book. Great writing, great characters, great premise. I'm only pulling one star because it took SO LONG to get to the piloting mechs bit. Also, its a little too much glorifying of the military for my taste but I can over look it.
Looking forward to book 2!