Caffeinated Reviewer | Cash and Gravity by Perrin Pring
28th May
Narrated by Elizabeth Ashby, Cash and Gravity by Perrin Pring delivered an action-packed sci-fi western with a motley crew who find themselves on a mission that could change the future. For geeks and cowboys, you won’t want to miss this first in the Chevy Cole series.
Cash and Gravity
by Perrin Pring
Series: Chevy Cole Series #1
Narrator: Elisabeth Ashby
Length: 7 hours and 31 minutes
Genres: Science Fiction, Western
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.35x
A high-stakes chase across the American West. A device that could change the world. Three unlikely allies thrown together by fate.
In the not so distant future, six mega corporations and their privatized armies have supplanted the American government. They compete for resources, market position, and the ultimate long game prize of colonizing the stars.
Chevy Cole left her conservative family behind for life as a Launch Tech marine and never looked back, proud of her role as a first-into-the-fire grunt, even if she were well below the revered female super soldiers known as Aces. When rumors spread that one of the Big Six has created a fusion device that would put the stars within reach, all-out war looms.
After the catastrophic failed siege of a Nevada mine leaves most of her comrades dead, Chevy encounters a dying Ace in possession of a mysterious package and a surprise: this Ace is a man. Joined by Dolon, an aging mercenary “phantom” sent by Launch Tech to transport the package to an Idaho safehouse, the three form an uneasy alliance.
As they try to outrun a rival corporation’s ruthless agents across the desert in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Chevy realizes that their survival may also determine who controls the future. But when greed is the only rule of law, who can she trust?
If you enjoy action-packed stories and westerns and are intrigued by the science fiction genre, Cash and Gravity is the perfect place to start. The world-building is engaging without the info dumps, as we are thrust into the story as it unfolds.
We first meet Chevy, a space marine who, along with her team, is sent to a mining area in Nevada. Thing go wrong quickly and she finds herself injured and her teammates dead. She discovers a lifeboat that crashed with Ace, a special agent and coveted device on board.
Dolon, a phantom who lives off the grid, has been tasked with bringing the device to a safe house. He did not expect travel companions, but the three work together as they are chased by bad guys who want the device. I liked Dolan, who has basically shut himself off from the world after his wife’s death.
The story is primarily told from Chevy’s perspective, but we get chapters with others, including the men pursuing them. Ruthless mercenaries who get a thrill out of kills. Chevy has been hurt, and Ace is suffering from some sort of space illness. As they travel across country, the three form a bond and explore the consequences of the device and the outcome if it were to fall into the wrong hands.
Pring’s storytelling pulls the listener/reader in. His characters are complex and have depth as he touches on themes of consequences, greed and power. The story has twists, humor, climatic scenes and plenty of action that kept me listening well past my bedtime. I cannot wait for the next one.
The world-building was interesting, and the world has a dystopian vibe. It’s a corporate-run world where each is vying for power and minerals, both on planet and off world. Each wants to rule and sabotage, espionage and battles are not uncommon.
Elisabeth Ashby is a narrator I am familiar with and she does a stellar job of capturing the tone of the story and bringing our characters to life. Chevy is a powerful character and Ashby did her justice.
About Perrin Pring
A former white water kayaker who competed on the World Cup circuit, Perrin Pring is now a park ranger. She has worked and lived across the U.S., riding horses in the Rocky Mountains, driving Jeeps in the wilds of the desert, greeting the sunrise in Hawaii, and running chainsaws in the Sierra Mountains. She holds an MFA in creative writing and screenwriting from UC Riverside Palm Desert and a BA from Tufts University. Her writing has appeared in Backcountry Journal, the Coachella Review, and Kelp Literary. She lives in the Rocky Mountain West.
About Elisabeth Ashby
Elisabeth Ashby is a seasoned character actor and singer with over two decades of stage experience. Having loved audiobooks since she was a little girl checking cassettes out from the local library, she is thrilled to have found a way to combine her love of performing with her lifelong passion for the written word as a narrator. Originally from Upstate New York, she now lives in Central Virginia with her husband and two cats.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
