The bestselling author of ‘Mammoth’ was inspired to write about a little known chapter in the history of space flight that was informed by his own experiences in the air.
On a hot June day in 1948, history was made 63 kilometres over the surface of the Earth when an intrepid pilot known only as Albert hitched a ride on a repurposed Nazi V-2 rocket to the edge of space. His achievement was never truly celebrated, least of all by Albert himself, who suffocated during the voyage.
The technicians working on the nascent American space program were so certain of Albert VI’s imminent demise that they nicknamed him Yorick, after the dead jester in. Little did they know that Albert VI and his eleven crewmates envisioned a different outcome. I wanted to get into Yorick’s head for a story I was considering as a late addition to my new collection, which features tales told from the points of view of a grizzly bear who eats a teenager’s brain during a fun run ; an airline seat on its last day of usefulness; a platypus colony putting on a contemporary art show for German backpackers; a sabre-toothed tiger cloned back to life for a futuristic theme park; and a hotel room helping a couple conceive, amongst others.
After, I asked the instructor if it was normal to give a newbie such complete control of an aircraft. He laughed and said, “Definitely not, but you were so calm and unemotional. I knew you’d be fine.” Riding home on my motorbike, I almost barfed in my helmet once my guts realised what I’d just done. The experience of flying had provoked no reaction in me. No nerves, no excitement, nothing. I was almost bored. And there, at my computer that night, was Yorick. Dispassionate, focused, ice-cold.
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