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tmarso's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Really fun read. Time travel done well.
chaosmavin's review against another edition
2.0
I really like time-travel books...this is not one I enjoyed. It is written pretty simply yet the timeline get very twisted and confusing. I read a few reviews that warned this wasn't a fantastic book...I chose to listen to the one that praised it. Maybe listen to all the reviews that say to avoid it.
liamhughes's review against another edition
4.0
'Pilot X' will feel familiar, yet not merely derivative, to 'Doctor Who' fans.
Like most good science fiction, there are a number of interesting ideas going on.
Not only time travel itself is explored, but what impact that would have on a civilisation and how it relates to other civilisations.
Like most good science fiction, there are a number of interesting ideas going on.
Not only time travel itself is explored, but what impact that would have on a civilisation and how it relates to other civilisations.
jfkaess's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars - This is a short book, and i listened to the Audible version. The narrator did a very good job. The story centers around the career of a pilot who flies a space ship/time machine. He can make journeys to different places and times. He begins as an apprentice/trainee, becomes a pilot, then an ambassador, then an instructor, and finally a pilot again. The best thing about the book is the way it handles time travel. Merritt addresses the conundrum of Pilot X not altering things in the past which can change the present or future, while still accomplishing his missions. It's enjoyable and the story is well told. You find yourself interested, wondering how he can solve each problem without destroying all of civilization in the process.
arachnichemist's review against another edition
4.0
I pre-ordered this yesterday as I am a sucker for time travel and a blizzard was incoming the next day (Go go snow days as an adult!). That said I sat down and read this in front of a nice cozy fire curled up with my wife and cats.
Disclaimer*** This book starts off with its ending. If you don't want spoilers read the first section titled "after" at the end of the book. This kind miffs me as I hate spoilers.
That being said, the journey was very good. It starts off innocently and straightforward enough, but near the end you get slammed with a lot of misdirection and plot twists that keep you guessing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this different take on time travel and was glad I picked up for this snow day.
Disclaimer*** This book starts off with its ending. If you don't want spoilers read the first section titled "after" at the end of the book. This kind miffs me as I hate spoilers.
That being said, the journey was very good. It starts off innocently and straightforward enough, but near the end you get slammed with a lot of misdirection and plot twists that keep you guessing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this different take on time travel and was glad I picked up for this snow day.
ninjalawyer's review against another edition
2.0
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Sarcastic main character tools around the cosmos in his time machine (that's bigger on the inside) and is, thanks to a universe-spanning war, the last of an alien race of time travelers. A charitable view would be that Tom Merritt takes inspiration from Doctor Who. A less charitable view would be that Tom Merritt should probably be expecting a cease and desist letter from the BBC any day now.
Ultimately, this is a okay book that's short enough not to overstay its welcome, but is clearly the effort of a new author.
The plot starts with Pilot X already the last of his kind and popping into another race's space station to tell the story of his people. This structure does the book a real disservice as it robs the entire thing of any stakes - it immediately gives away the ending and throws cold water on any confrontations.
What follows is the rise of Pilot X, an omnicompetent protagonist that has a series of timey-whimey adventures to try and help bring peace between his species, a hive-mind of not-Borg, and a race of machine people. The aliens he encounters are interesting in a transitory way, but there are no characters that are even given a two-dimensional treatment. Pilot X is no exception to this as he has no personal life, no relationships and no real motivations beyond wanting to tool around the cosmos in his talking time machine. Uninteresting characters, combined with the drama-robbing plot structure, lead to very little emotional impact.
The stakes ratchet down even further once a certain device is mentioned. At this point, the entirety of the plot is laid bare and the whole book just becomes a mechanical exercise of trudging to the inevitable finale. On the one hand, I don't want to spoil the book by saying more. But on the other, the book does a pretty effective job of spoiling itself at every opportunity.
Some of the time travel bits are interesting, but they're just not enough to support an entire plot. In looking back, the plot just doesn't seem to hang together, and could've used another editing pass and maybe some additional connecting tissue between events.
Ultimately, this is a okay book that's short enough not to overstay its welcome, but is clearly the effort of a new author.
The plot starts with Pilot X already the last of his kind and popping into another race's space station to tell the story of his people. This structure does the book a real disservice as it robs the entire thing of any stakes - it immediately gives away the ending and throws cold water on any confrontations.
What follows is the rise of Pilot X, an omnicompetent protagonist that has a series of timey-whimey adventures to try and help bring peace between his species, a hive-mind of not-Borg, and a race of machine people. The aliens he encounters are interesting in a transitory way, but there are no characters that are even given a two-dimensional treatment. Pilot X is no exception to this as he has no personal life, no relationships and no real motivations beyond wanting to tool around the cosmos in his talking time machine. Uninteresting characters, combined with the drama-robbing plot structure, lead to very little emotional impact.
The stakes ratchet down even further once a certain device is mentioned. At this point, the entirety of the plot is laid bare and the whole book just becomes a mechanical exercise of trudging to the inevitable finale. On the one hand, I don't want to spoil the book by saying more. But on the other, the book does a pretty effective job of spoiling itself at every opportunity.
Some of the time travel bits are interesting, but they're just not enough to support an entire plot. In looking back, the plot just doesn't seem to hang together, and could've used another editing pass and maybe some additional connecting tissue between events.
mrninjaviking's review against another edition
2.0
I have a growing pile of "did not finish" books this year. I think I hindered it's success with me by choosing the audiobook. The time traveling gets rather confusing, and would have still put me off, but trying to decipher it while battling traffic just didn't work. The narrator and production is not to blame. Maybe I'll retry this someday in real book form.
cdbaker's review against another edition
3.0
This book was...weird. Good weird, mostly. Although I'm not sure how much it would hold up on a second listening -- it might hold up AMAZING or it might completely fall apart. Merritt played with time a lot in the book (makes sense for a time-travel story) but I felt like I needed just a bit more signposting when different characters recurred in different times. When I finished, I went back and listened to the first 2-3 chapters again and that helped me, but I thought it could have used a slightly more comprehensive wrap up at the end (or perhaps he envisioned readers going back to the beginning).
Anyhow: good characters, fun plot, just a bit confusing now and again. Would be 3.5 stars if Goodreads did that.
Anyhow: good characters, fun plot, just a bit confusing now and again. Would be 3.5 stars if Goodreads did that.
justiceofkalr's review
2.0
This is a weird sketchy bootleg Doctor Who knockoff. Complete with an obvious plot, no character depth, and a boring main character.