Quarter Share

A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 1

By: Nathan Lowell

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

What if we sent freighters instead of frigates?

In a universe run by corporations, where profit matters more than life, how can an orphan with no skills, no money, and no prospects survive?

When Ishmael Wang's mother dies in a senseless accident, he's given a choice: leave the planet on his own, or the company will remove him. To avoid deportation Ishmael finds work as a mess deck attendant on an interstellar freighter.

Find out what Ishmael must do to earn his Quarter Share.

©2013 Nathan Lowell (P)2016 Podium Publishing

Excellent Narration / Fantastic Book!!!

Quarter Share is intelligent, well written, tells a familiar yet original story, and has a fully fleshed out main character whose story you'll care about. (It was also perfect for me over the last few chaotic months when all I wanted to do was stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head while the world went to hell in a hand basket. Hello Hell!)

However, if you are not anxiety prone, and want a action packed sci fi to read, move along -- this isn't it. This is the nuts and bolts of life on a merchant space ship with all the attendant excitement of visiting ports of call and making deals on cargo. Our guy is bright, works his way up the chain of command with alacrity, and he has nice friends. However, very little happens beyond that. No wars, aliens, romance, or even disagreements between the crew -- like watching spiffy paint dry on the prow of a really pretty ship. NIce, but really, there are more interesting things to read if you are so inclined.

So of course, I've already bought book 2! (It's looking to be the start of a crazy 4 years, and I need my sleep.)

Younger guys might really like it since it does have a Horatio Hornblower thing going, without the whips and the scurvy.

BUT -- And I'm embarrassed to admit this -- this is an edited version of this review. Originally I wrote the following: ". . . this book was NOT helped by Jeffrey Kafer's "Joe Friday, just the facts, mam" delivery. His monotone precision was a literal yawn, and his blank blandness added zero emotional nuance. It's a shame really. The MC is 18 when it starts, so a younger, more enthusiastic performance could have added much, including the sense of a real young man's life being lived."

WRONG. After reading the entire series (and it's a nice long one), and listening to Jeffrey Kafer's performance in every book, I am convinced that the series wouldn't be as great as it is without him. Consequently, I have placed a dunce cap on my head and spent some time in a corner contemplating the mistake of first impression reviews..

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: For everyone!

Fun Fact: I was on the Exxon Valdez in 1989 (not kidding). I traveled with my ex on the ship from New Orleans to Houston, where we disembarked before it continued on to infamy. I learned that living on a merchant ship was a weird half-life situation full of tedium, monotony, unrelenting engine noise, vibrating metal walls and floors, and ok food. In short: dreary. So, like the characters in this book, getting off ship to relax in port was the ONLY thing keeping the crew sane. Just saying.

But what most people don't know about that particular ship is that the big oil companies lobbied Congress to pass a law allowing companies like Exxon to ship their oil in the cheaper, lighter, single hulled tankers, like the Valdez, to save profits. So, instead of the safer double hulled tankers that they used to run -- that single hull tanker split in half and dumped it's cargo.

So of course they blamed the captain.

Thanks Congress!

Love the Novel, Great Narration

First off, I've loved the Trader's Tale books from the beginning and am so happy to see them on Audible. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the rest.

The series is a great coming of age story in space without the explosions and fighting so common in sci-fi. it's a story about life and dealing with this as they happen. The characters are great, personable and real. While it lacks the traditional story the world building is great and I can't wait for more tales from the deep dark.

Horatio Hornblower in Space

Quite different from the standard space opera I was expecting, but very good. No, repeat no, space battles in this book. This is more like a napoleonic era merchant marine style service in space. Reminds me a little of Horatio Hornblower, but the focus is on trading and personal relationships not fighting. I rather like it,but it is not standard fare.

This is as realistic as Futuristic sci fi gets!

I bought this book on the recommendation of the Narrator, Jeffrey Kafer, who said this was something special. He was understating the case. Nathan Lowell creates a galaxy that is far spread out, but keeps the story grounded and intimate with a group of characters you can really get behind. The book starts off with "Call me Ishmael", a funny play on Moby Dick. The main protagonist, Ishmael Horatio Wong, starts the book as the 18 year old son of a University Professor on a Company world, basically like the old company towns the US had in the 19th Century and early 20th century. When his mother is killed in a flitter crash, he is left destitute, with no job skills, and an eveiction and deportation notice in 90 days. To avoid getting deported, he applies to become a quarter share crewman on a merchant freighter.He ends up working as a mess steward, basically a cooks assistant. He impresses the Chief of his section, Cookie, with his hard work, and then goes about working and setting up a plan where we can have the highest employability in the future. He also plans with his messmate to trade privately on the various stations they visit. This eventually starts to net them some decent money, and they bring a lot of the other crew in on it to help them trade too. There is excellent character growth and bonding in this book, done in a natural manner, since there is no combat or other contrivances forcing them together other than being on the same ship together. This book should be required reading for any economics student, because it gives the best explanation of supply and demand and logistics I have ever seen, even in my college classes. If you are looking for something showing the future in a non military sci fi book, this is it. Jeffrey Kafer rocks the narration, and I can't wait for book 2.

I don't know why I like it but I do

if you're looking for a story with aliens, space battles, romance, convoluted entanglements of characters. this is not the book for you. that being said it is one of the most enjoyable books that I've ever listened to. I can't give you a reason why. it's fairly mundane, it encompasses a man's life through getting on a freighter and working his way up through the lower ranks. like I said there's no action romance convoluted flips of stories or hard sci-fi this is strictly a story of a man in a career working his way up through the ranks. I guess the only bad thing or issue with this book is that he is a little self-righteous he is friendly hard-working good friends no conflicts and has a smooth yet overly goody-goody career. that being said well written well narrated and even though nothing spectacular happens through this book it is intriguing and is a book that you will list to from the first to the last page.

An ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances

This freshman effort by Nathan Lowell was originally published as a serialized audiobook. The professional recording loses some of the fresh faced naivite of the original, replacing it with a noir overlay that suits the dark circumstances our unlikely hero is thrust into. Raised on a company world by his professor-mother, protagonist Ishmael Horation Wang has long understood that he will go to college and someday make his way in the world. That day comes far too soon when his mother is killed in a flitter crash and he is suddenly left without support, a job, or resources. Faced with deportation, Ish must find a way off planet in a hurry and takes a change on the equivalent of the merchant marine. We follow Ish's progress as he enters the foreign world of a spacer cruising between the stars to keep the goods of the Western Annex flowing. Follow along as this unlikely hero learns the ropes aboard a company ship and comes to terms with what life has thrust his way.

Outstanding storyline and narative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would most definitely recommend this book to a friend. It is a very refreshing genre and the character growth was some of the best I have ever heard.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was cookie, the way he acted reminded me of a lot of real life encounters I have had with cooks and I found myself laughing aloud quite often.

What does Jeffrey Kafer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator really knows how to throw inflection and his ability to change character voices adds incredible depth to the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The human race in space" Then again this book does tend to break all the normal boundaries in a good way yet manages to feel oh so familiar.

Any additional comments?

Overall I really enjoyed this book and wish it ran longer. I never thought I could be so entertained by slightly mundane tasks spun in such a fun way

Great series! One worth listening to over and over

Great book great narrator great series I listen to it when I'm waiting for other books to come out again and again

Capitalists in Space!

I had fun listening to the first two books, seeing as they were free, but am taking a pause to consider buying the rest. Not because they were bad, it's just that there isn't a lot of combat. I like a good space brawl and I kind of miss it in these books.

For anyone who thinks capitalism is the problem in this world don't bother with them. You will have wasted your hard earned profits of your freely traded labor. If you want space battle you won't find it. However if you enjoy human interaction and some interesting tales then by all means give them a shot.

Exceptionally pleasing story!

I loved this story so much I wanted to restart book 1 after I finished them. Great read and great values. The main character is relatable yet also someone to look up to. Love how the author created this book and series!