In short, Pilot X felt strange because it wasn't like every other scifi novel currently crowding the shelves of bookstores. We don't dig through the trash of every organization to find whatever deep and dark secret they're hiding. No complex family dynamics amongst the characters. There's no underdog fighting a powerful empire. The world of Pilot X isn't what I'm used to seeing in current scifi either. He's not a weathered idealist who's lost his way in a cold and uncaring universe. Pilot X is a little sarcastic and a hint acerbic but he's not the worn out, wisecracking badass of every book. The story lacks a lot of the modern mainstays of science fiction. I kept wanting to give it three or four stars instead of five. However, something didn't sit well with me. My initial reaction to Pilot X was that I loved it. I'm glad that I picked it up, and figure that I'll be able to tell people I followed Tom Merritt before he became a successful writer. This book does a good job at borrowing an idea from Doctor Who while being it's own thing.

Or at least not any of the Doctor's I'm familiar with. However Pilot X doesn't feel like the Doctor. The book has a bit of a Doctor Who feel, which isn't surprising as Tom has discussed how his inspiration for this book stemmed from that show's own Time War. I would have liked to read more about the after math of Pilot X's decision than we got. There isn't a ton of character development with Pilot X, and apart from the ship Verity and maybe the Secretary, most of the characters feel thin/disposable. The one place I felt was a bit lacking was the characters. There is a lot of room for imagination, but you're provided enough detail for framing the story he's trying to tell. However I felt this book does a good job in packing in world building as the story progresses.

Oddly, I don't tend to enjoy much classic Science Fiction because I tend to prefer more detailed world building. This is the kind of big idea, little detail story I tend to associate with older Science Fiction stories. There are some big ideas about Time Travel, and he is consistent within his own rules for how it works, without spending too much time getting into the 'science'. Tom does a good job of showing and not telling, which is especially important to me in a book this short. I haven't read any of his previous works, but this book is well written. I know Tom has dabbled in writing on and off, especially during Nanowrimo, and that shows here. I picked this book up once I saw that I could get it in audio because I wanted to support Tom, but I seem to have very little time to read lately. Tom might be better known for his work as a tech blogger and podcaster, but to me he's always been someone whose opinions on Science Fiction I've come to value. Tom lucked out with a good narrator who added a little something extra to the book.įor what it's worth, I've been a member of Tom's online book club Sword & Laser for nearly 5 years, and helping to moderate the group for the last 2.5 years. He reads clearly at good volume and does a few voices as well. Collins prior to listening to this book, but I'll be keeping an eye out for him in the future.

Executive Summary: A fun, quick read that fans of Doctor Who or classic Science Fiction will probably enjoy.Īudiobook: I was unfamiliar with Kevin T.

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