Cry Pilot by Joel Dane introduces readers to a far future Earth that had nearly succumbed to global environmental destruction. Thanks first to AIs, then to corporatised military, the Earth is now slowly healing. Terrafixing is repairing the planet, but it also repairs biomechanical creations from the last great world war, resurrecting them as Remorts. For the strongest Remorts, CAVs are employed. These nimble machines seem made to be symbiotically paired with a human pilot, though no-one knows how. Instead, cry pilots are used, and when the pilot dies, the CAV returns home. These kamikaze pilots are taken from the criminal pool. A pardon, and chance to join the military, await the scant few lucky enough to survive. 

Maseo Kaytu is a man with secrets, and the need to make reparations. Unable to enlist in the military by normal means, Maseo commits a crime, and volunteers as a cry pilot. Managing to survive by wiles, Maseo gets to enlist, but before he and his group are ready, they are sent after a deadly new Remort, one capable of chewing up CAVs. Can the fledgling Javelin squad survive long enough to learn about these new creatures and how to destroy them, or is humanity’s time about to be up?

I wasn’t feeling this book to begin with. There were several things that felt like they didn’t have enough explanation to start with, and it left me feeling confused. After about the first third, the story became quite engaging, and things were fleshed out. The training and initial conflicts with the lampreys were exciting, and once they left training, the action got pretty intense. Just don’t get too attached to characters! Several die some pretty grim deaths. Fighting the lampreys is no joke. I’m glad my favourite character- Ting Ting- makes it to the end. I’m looking forward to seeing how things progress with her in the next book.

I loved the concept of the technopaths! I hope we get to meet more in the next book. It seems like they could be very valuable assets against the lampreys. Most die young or are killed given how unpredictable and dangerous being an untrained technopath can be. But we see a potential maintenance medicine here, with stem, and it seems like such an obvious solution that maybe the government is using it on their captured technopaths, and not owning up to it. Just the ability to control tech with your mind sounds so cool! I found Kaytu’s unique meditation fascinating and I want to learn more about the culture that created it. Recommended, especially if you enjoy the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Berkley/ Ace for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.