Half Share

What’s next for our merchant spaceship and its crew?

I still don’t know how these books work, but they do. Just like in the first book, we have slice-of-life, slow stuff, nothing really happens, and yet many important things happen – that’s life. And I just keep reading, one more chapter, one more chapter...

People are still competent and nice to each other. Some do get into trouble, but that’s ”off-screen”. People play pranks on each other. People learn to crochet really fast and sell their stuff at flea markets on space stations. It goes amazingly well (allow me to suspend disbelief, ok?).
There is a new crew member with a tragic back story. They settle in and heal.

Ishmael gets a new job on the ship and bonds with more show more people. He also goes shopping for clothes with his new colleagues, who also happen to be female and gorgeous. They made him do it, by the way, being in ”let’s make him pretty” mother hen mode. Anyway, they all enjoy themselves a lot. I raised my eyebrows a bit at them being so teasing, but a few pages later I realised that it was all part of Ish’s coming of age and a sort of sensual awakening. Very nicely done overall.
Some emotional entanglements and honest conversations follow.
”You made me want to be worthy of even being in your company.”
Do keep saying this to people, Ish. You are doing very well ;)

I wasn’t fond of the last few chapters, there was a bit too much going to bars and picking up fascinating people from other ships. (No, it doesn’t turn into *that* kind of book)
Fun spicy banter is great, but not when it goes on and on. This is why I ended up enjoying this installment a bit less than the previous one.
But Ish is the nicest guy, he is good with people, and I like reading about him and the rest of the crew.

”Ish, do you know you talk about this ship like she’s a person?”
”Yeah.”
”Okay, just as long as you are aware of it.” show less

More a bildungsroman in space than a space opera, Lowell's Solar Clipper novels brim with charm and wide-eyed innocence even when they deal, delicately, with saltier subjects in the Deep Dark. Brimming with sweet, small character moments, this is a book in which not much else happens, but the reader doesn't care, swept along in Ishmael Wang's career trajectory on an interstellar cargo freighter. Seeds are planted in Half Share for perhaps more drama on the way as true feelings -- and the forces keeping them in check -- are revealed. I look forward to the next installation in print, which the author informs me is coming in April. I do recommend the podcasts as well, narrated in a clear, pleasant, low-key style by the author, but I still show more loves me my print... show less

So continues the adventures of Ishmael on the Lois McKendrick, intergalactic freighter. Ishmael gets a transfer to Environmental, but first he welcomes his replacement, Sarah. Trading adventures continue with Pip. There's teasing with another crew-mate. However, one of the dominant themes throughout the book is how Ish relates to various women in the crew. I found I didn't care for the direction it went.

Until this point in the series, there's been very little emotional depth to Ishmael's reactions. He is, in a word, mild. He continues here, but develops a closer relationship with Brill, the chief of Environmental that is particularly heartwarming. I did enjoy how that played out, and his comfortability with her height/size compared to show more his own. Unfortunately, the women of Enviro seem to think Ish has to have sex and try to set him up with a ex-crew member known for easy availability. As preparation for going out, they embark on the classic Unnecessary Makeover™. He buys expensive blue jeans, struts his stuff and has the pleasurable experience of everyone oogling his butt (no wish-fulfillment here!). Ultimately, Ish discovers a sort of emotional polyandry where he can have feelings for more than one woman but doesn't need to act on them. Hurrah, adulthood! Boo, readers!

I'm not opposed to romance or emotional development in a series. However, so much of it feels incongruous with Quarter Share. His sexual experience seems retconned, a bit incongruent with the naïve youth who claimed he mostly hung out with university staff. And diving into an Ish who realizes he has feelings and then talks about them with others also seems odd from a character who had the emotional bandwidth of a Labrador retriever.

Still, I'll absolutely go on to the next book, particularly since I peeked ahead discovered that there might even be a plot. But I think I'll take a break first. show less

Well, the odd juxtaposition of YA writing and racier content is more striking in this second volume. Somehow (apparently through the purchase of nice clothes), our weedy orphan becomes a veritable hunk and has every woman in sight falling heavily in lust. Of course, since he doesn't—as he puts it—screw with crew, his nocturnal activities must be confined to the cream of the space bars.

I picked up the first five of the books as a package, and they can be read in an extremely short amount of time, so I'll see where this goes, but I'm not enthralled so far.

Back to Ish's adventures - there's a lot more sex here, and relationships of many sorts, but still no real conflict; it's much more realistic than that. Ish moves from the kitchen to engineering - life support. A few more fleshed-out characters. Still fun.

Reread - Well. Again, nothing much happens - Ish get a promotion and moves to environmental, buys some new clothes, and gets laid (ok, that's a lot cruder than in the book but accurate, for now at least). The author apparently read the reviews that said Ish's attitude towards sex was too bland and naive, and fixed that. There is a _lot_ of teasing and seduction going on here, though there's only one rather vague sex scene and a lot of closed-door action (we know it happened, don't see show more anything). There is also a lot of relationship-building, some simple and some leaving the participants confused (but happy about it). Nice to see Sarah, and to see her blossoming, though I don't think I'll divert to reread the Shaman series just now. Next! show less

This was another feel-good story from Nathan Lowell. Not much happens, but that was kind of nice for a change. There's some aspects of the story developing that I have to force myself to overlook, though. There's a growing number of scenes that demonstrate one of the biggest problems in [b:The Name of the Wind|186074|The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)|Patrick Rothfuss|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1270352123s/186074.jpg|2502879]; namely, an author who is in love with his own main character. I am suppressing inward cringes whenever he sweet talks another magnificent woman with his "quick wit". The response, "damn, you're good," in particular is getting old fast.

Still, the stories are engaging despite the lack of show more conflict, and I know I'll be pushing forward in the series. All-in-all, the good is far outweiging the bad. show less

While the writing continued good for the most part in this second of the Trader Tales series, I think I've had as much of this main character as I'm interested in having. In the first book he was a little too perfect, but in this book he surpasses the bounds of believability. He is good at everything, knows how to perfectly deal with everyone, and never makes a misstep. It's just...too much. Also, although there was a bit of mystery revolving around a secondary character in this book, there was too much concern with sex and too little concern with any kind of a plot. While it started out still being pleasant to listen to, I'm sorry to say that I grew increasingly annoyed as the story progressed, and finally just wanted it to be over. I show more think this author has a lot of potential, but having a good substantive editor to give plot and character advice would be a good idea. I don't think I'll bother with anything more about this character. I would, though, consider reading something else by this author after he's had the opportunity to hone the storytelling skills a bit. show less