Audio Book Review: Gravity Pulls Through

Big Pilot is James Hitchens(writer) and Alvine Spetz(musician)

Narrated by Keith Allen

Engineered by Paul Cheese

Synopsis:

GRAVITY PULLS THROUGH is the story of a very wealthy entrepreneur named Newmeyer is on a ship with his AI companion to be the first to stake claim on another planet and its resources. The story focuses mainly on Newmeyer’s internal dialogue about what he will accomplish, mixed in with ofter witty conversations with the AI on his ship. It’s a dark tale mixed with humor. It is apparent from the beginning that this is a tale that will not go well for the lead.

There are many things to enjoy with GRAVITY PULLS THROUGH. I thought that mixing music within a story was a fantastic idea-I wish more audio books would follow that lead. OK, there are probably serious licensing issues, but the Big Pilot team is clearly multi-talented. It is a hard SF story, which I like to see; and the narration is excellent. Overall, it is a good, solid, professional product.

The story was a little slow getting started. I worried that the computer would be a little too much like the infamous HAL (it wasn’t). Though I appreciated the attention to detail in discussing the realities of space travel, the extended commentary on the flight suit and gravity issues may be a bit much for some listeners.

I can’t give away too much, but suffice it to say it’s one of those stories in which things are not as they seem. When the main character, Neumeyer , reaches the planet he finds that his entire mission is not what he thought it was and he is in for some shocking secrets. This is a hard SF short story. Well written. Character driven. It is a provocative commentary on wealth, class, and space travel.

Audience: Intended for a mature audience. No sexual situations, but definitely profanity. (F-bombs!)

Availability:

Site Information: http://www.bigpilot.co.uk/

*This audiobook was provided by the publisher for an honest review.