Gravity Pulls Through

by James Hitchins, Keith Allen (Narrator)

BIG PILOT’s first release is Gravity Pulls Through, a nihilistic sci-fi short story penned by Hitchins and narrated by the legendary actor Keith Allen. The piece was commissioned by Spetz with the unreasonable demand that the story should contain references (in no particular order) to a tub of Pluko (hair grease), the stock exchange, Stafford Beer (cybernetics expert), Henry Kissinger, Roy Hattersley and an old carpet, these being the lyrical content of the songs already in the bag for a half-finished album. The results are exemplary and Allen’s monotone delivery complements them perfectly.

©2013 Big Pilot

1 pages, Audiobook

First published August 27, 2013

Reviews

[Steven Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in the third grade, I ordered a copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth from our Scholastic Reader service. It was my very first taste of science fiction and I loved it. What really turned me into a die-hard fan of the genre, however, was a few years later when I began reading anthologies of classic science fiction short stories. I loved the short story format and those old stories that were written in the 1940’s and 50’s just grabbed me. They possessed a certain quality that much of the modern sci-fi seems to lack, although I’m not completely sure what that quality is. Maybe it’s because science wasn’t as advanced in those days so the writers had to make more of it up. Now-a-days the authors are writing about science that really exists and I think that makes it less fun. Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that Gravity Pulls Through reminded me a lot of those old stories that I enjoyed reading so much.

The main character, Newmeyer, was a wealthy businessman on Earth. When he learned of the possibility of being the first man to touch down on a distant planet, and thereby claim its raw materials for himself and his company, he was captivated by the idea. So he hired a team of experts to build him a spacecraft and off he went into the black. But as he is on his final approach to the target planet, he learns, through a precisely timed recording built into his ship, that all is not as it seems. He has become the victim of a cabal on Earth, who have engineered a very devious plot to redistribute some of the planet’s wealth. What will Newmeyer do with this new knowledge now that he is light years from home?

I found the production quality of Gravity Pulls Through to be quite good. When you listen to audiobooks from independent publishers you never really know what you’re going to get but Big Pilot did a nice job. The musical interludes were an interesting touch and something I’ve never encountered before. When I first read the press release that mentioned the song breaks I thought that might be a distraction from the story, but really the music pieces are short, only 10 to 15 seconds each. The music itself didn’t appeal to my own personal tastes but I can’t say that I hated it either. All in all, it wasn’t a bad fit for the story.

I also very much enjoyed Keith Allen’s narration of Gravity Pulls Through . Allen’s voice is mellow and easy to listen to and his pacing was very natural sounding, not too fast, not too slow. Keith is an acclaimed British actor who has appeared in many television and film roles in the UK.

Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven

[Brid-Aine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravity Pulls Through is the first offering from Big Pilot, a collaboration between writer James Hitchens and musician Alvine Spetz, who hope to revive the sci-fi short story in audiobook form. The project is certainly putting its best foot forward, getting veteran British actor Keith Allen (of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting fame) to more than ably narrate the tale of mega-rich tycoon Newmeyer’s trip to space.

Newmeyer, along with his artificially intelligent computer companion CCA, has set off into the cosmos in the not-too-distant future after a UN treaty that allows people to claim planets – along with all their resources – if they can get there and circle it. Smelling a hefty profit, Newmeyer hires a team of experts to get him on one of the first manned missions outside the Solar System so he can stick his company’s flag on a new world. However, naturally, things don’t really go according to plan. Without giving too much away, the story twists in a rather enjoyable manner, turning events thus far on their head and delivering a clever moral lesson while it’s at it.

Interspersed with Newmeyer’s interior monologue and his witty exchanges with CCA, which seems to be a cross between HAL and Marvin the Android, are comical musical interludes from Spetz dealing with topics as diverse as Pluko hair pomade and the stock exchange. The songs provided a nice counterpoint to the story, keeping the same irreverent tone, but there might be just a touch too many of them. Particularly at the end of the story, the last song felt more like an interruption than an interlude, although previous songs had slotted in nicely.

The story is far from the most original sci-fi tale that’s ever been spun, but Keith Allen’s smooth delivery makes it very entertaining to listen to. The audiobook format is a terrific idea for short stories, making them fit neatly into a day’s commuting or a short drive. It’s also kind of like a longer form podcast and with podcast dramas like fake small town radio broadcast Welcome to Night Vale gaining in popularity, short stories could find a whole new audience in audio form, especially if they come in this kind of quality.

[Audiobook Jungle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the story quite a bit – a rich and extravagant entrepreneur prepares to execute the final stages of a journey to a planet outside our Solar system. Read the full review of Gravity Pulls Through here.