Half Share

By: Nathan Lowell

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Six months in the Deep Dark. Four different women. One man discovers what it means to be a spacer.

It's a time of change on the Lois McKendrick. Sarah Krugg joins the crew, and Ishmael Wang moves to Environmental. After getting accustomed to life aboard a solar clipper, Ishmael must learn a whole new set of skills, face his own fears and doubts, and try to balance love and loss in the depths of space.

Both Ishmael and Sarah must learn to live by the mantra "trust Lois". For Sarah, there is the hope of escaping a horrifying past. For Ishmael, he must discover what type of man he wants to become and learn his choices have consequences.

Return with the crew of the SC Lois McKendrick, and set sail in the next installment of the Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. All your favorites return: Ish, Pip, Cookie, Brill, Diane, and Big Bad Bev. You might even discover some new friends as you travel among the stars.

©2012 Nathan Lowell (P)2016 Podium Publishing

It's not Quarter Share!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I loved the first book. While this book has some of the same great elements - it got too weird for me.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Unfortunately, not full share. I had plans to listen to the whole series but I was disappointed with this second book.

Which character – as performed by Jeffrey Kafer – was your favorite?

Of course the star is my favorite character but Pip is a close second.

Did Half Share inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

For me the change from a struggling but intelligent new comer to a worldly heart stopper was disappointing.

5 people found this helpful

Already heard it Paid for it anyway It's that good

I listened to the free podcast version narrated by the author. I liked it so much I paid for the audible version.
Nathan Lowell is really a great narrator. His podcast versions convey a sense of emotion that made me feel like I was really getting the intention of his stories. Jeffrey Kafer brings his own flavor that agrees with the authors reading.
Now I am waiting for the rest of the stories.

6 people found this helpful

A Review of this Amazing Series

This is this is one of those series you gush about and reread over and over. It will suck you in to the point where you find yourself saying *credits smedits, where's the buy button.*

Ishmael is 18 years old in book one, and an orphan. He has no choice but to grow up fast -- and because of that hardship -- he becomes the kind of steady, intelligent young man any parent would be proud of. By the time he reaches adulthood in the series, you're thrilled to have watched him mature. (I'm on *Captain's Share* right now, and I'm completely captivated by it.) I am in awe of what Nathan Lowell wrote, and how Jeffrey Kafer has brought it to life.

This is a true literary treasure for all ages to enjoy.

Each book in the series presents new challenges, new environments and new friends and enemies. The pace, nuance and plot is so well done I feel that Lowell must have written it all down before publishing any of it, but that would just be crazy, right?

The books are like one big blank canvas that's gradually filled in as you read them, so that in the end, you have the entire picture of the life of one (fictional) Officer on a Space Vessel. When things go wrong, and they do, it's as if you're there, sweating it out, praying they avoid disaster. It's so beautifully written it's impossible -- like a fascinating magic trick.

Ismael's kindness, ingenuity, sense of responsibility, and compassion for his fellow spacefarers, is at the center of the story, and I feel safe just knowing he's present and accounted for. Frankly, he's such an amazing role model that the books belong in schools for all children to read -- like Dickens or Twain. I want to go back in time and give them to my son to read.

***A Quick Note About Sex: Lowell doesn't embarrass himself, the characters or his readers, by trying his hand at explicit scenes. While he lets us know that Ish is a hotty, (and the girls all come to the yard), Mr. Lowell handles these moments with a fine sense of sweetness and respect. Romantic moments are read and said with the same quiet respect as everything else Ish does, and then we all move on. Which isn't to say that Lowell isn't effective or romantic at what he writes -- he is -- but he doesn't belabor the point, or make the books inappropriate for kid's.

Most of all, I'm grateful that he makes it possible for younger people to enjoy the series, too. I learned to love books at a young age and it's a love I've carried with me all my life. We need more series like this -- to grab the imaginations of younger people, and to remind us oldsters why we love to read.

And the narration is simply brilliant, which brings me to . . .

***A Note about my review of Book One: I think my reaction to *Quarter Share* was that I liked it but nothing happens -- and I thought Jeffrey Kafer made Ishmael sound too old. That impression quickly dissipated in the subsequent books. Jeffrey Kafer's take on this character is so mesmerizing, that i regret saying what I did. In fact, Kafer's tone makes the series come alive, t and I offer him a sincere apology -- and dinner in Cookie's mess hall -- if we ever happen to meet.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all ages (14 and up), and anyone who likes a good yarn. Ismael Wong is a fine role model of kindness, compassion and civility, for us all.


*** Just One More Thing About Sex: There is a very lovely scene of Ishmael with an insecure older woman that isn't at all physical, but is by far the sexiest thing I think I've ever read. It's so moving and genuine and full of respect that I wonder what else Mr. Lowell has up his sleeve.

I know I'll happily read whatever he decides to write next.

5 people found this helpful

Juvenile fantasies

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I can recommend this book to teenagers. It's light-hearted and plays to boyhood fantasies of adventure, girls and riches.

Has Half Share turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes. I may give it another shot, but the whole book is about how amazing the protagonists looks and how every single female is swooning over him. This was ok in the beginning, but got more and more irritating. Also, he is supposed to be young and generally inexperienced. I guess a few months on board and new clothes turned him into Hugh Hefner.

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

A plot. Everything always works out great. The tension between the Engineering team seems contrived and not believable.

Was Half Share worth the listening time?

I had higher expectations, but if you want young adult SciFi then it wasn't too bad.

Any additional comments?

I hope it gets better. The premise is interesting.

2 people found this helpful

Wake me when it's over

Whew. A lot of nothing happens
Repetitious, slowly paced and did I miss something on this "slow boat to China" book?

4 people found this helpful

Not what I was expecting...

What disappointed you about Half Share?

Quarter share was not a bad book and I had hopes for this series but Half Share turned from OK into nothing more than the main character preening over his looks (and discovering who he wants to be as a man through purchasing the right clothes - ugh, give me a break) and girls fawning all over him. I did not purchase this book to get a banal romance novel. Really disappointed in this one in the series. Maybe they get better again after this book but I wont be finding out.

1 person found this helpful

Ishmael Wang continues on the Lois McKendrick

In this second installment in the wonderful Solar Clipper series, Ishmael Horatio Wang is forced to leave the mess deck for Environmental. All the main characters from Quarter Share are still here, and we add a couple of new ones as well. Without giving anything away, this is a somewhat darker story, with significantly more actual peril than in Quarter Share. But it's still about the characters and about telling a _good story_, something that Nathan Lowell excels at.

Jeffrey Kafer's narration is good, with no over-dramatization and good pacing -- much in the style of the author's own reading of the book earlier as a podcast. Highly recommended, and I can't wait for the rest of the series

2 people found this helpful

A Delightful Character Book

Everyone loves a compelling plot, but without character development there isn't much point in reading something, IMHO. Nathan does an amazing job of writing characters that are real, honest, and engaging. So much so, I don't even care about the underlying plot. I mean, there is one, and it's a nice one, but for me, this series is all about the characters. I can't wait to read Full Share.

turn for the worse

the first book was a fun departure from normal space stories. this book however turned into a shitty matriarchal fantasy romance novel. This one will be the end of the series for me

Just not the same

Quarter share was a great story about a somewhat fanciful sci-fi universe, and a character that rather refreshingly was more interested in hard work and mercantile success than kicking ass and taking names.

That was great, it had a comfy feel to it. It was nice experiencing the development of the characters and hearing about different worlds.

Half share is not about the same things at all, and I would argue, not even the same genre. It appears to be a out and out romance novel, without any real long term romance. Are casual fling romance novels a thing?

Anyway, I don't mind a little romance in my stories, or even the occasional sex scene, and I enjoy reading outright romance novels from time to time.

What I don't really enjoy is a series completely pivoting genres. Our main character instantly 180s from studious kid lost in the world to flirtatious stud, and the trading, ship work, and interesting worlds he visits are merely afterthoughts given the most minimal attention in favor of parties, flirting, and sexual/romantic exploration.

The first 20% of this book or so follows a similar style of writing to quarter share, and then the latter 80% is all about that booty.

So if you enjoyed Quarter Share, there is little guarantee you'll like this book at all let alone love it.

I still rated it 3/5 stars instead of 1, because while it's nothing you'd expect from the first book, it's fairly good for what it is (although not stellar).

I can only hope that this was just a somewhat too ham-handed attempt at including an important chapter in our main character's life, and the romantic interludes will be well, interludes, instead of the entire book in Full Share.

1 person found this helpful

Great book 2!

It was nice to be back with Ismail and the crew of the Lowis and I really did enjoy everything that happened here.

Jeffrey Kafer, does an outstanding job with the character voices and emotion he puts in. He's a joy to listen to, (so much so I have the complete Exodus trilogy on at the moment now too haha)


I must admit though, I wanted this book/listen to be a bit longer, or in this one something to go wrong, even if it were an environmental problem, but it didn't and I honestly think that was the only thing letting it down here. Just not quite enough conflict. Of course, that being said, this series really isn't like anything I've ever read/listened to before. It's not the gun toting action packed Sci Fi SO where aliens invade and everything goes wrong, so it was kind of nice for there to be all internal character developments here.

Contains Spoilers ------


One of the many great things about listening to Ismail is the facts that we're watching and learning more about him with every episode, shocked to hear he wasn't a virgin, as I thought he would have been for sure, but I was okay with it.

This book focussed on his new job, the people around him which we really get to know a lot better here and in his own developments. There's a new crew member on board, and Ismail's caring nature brings the very hurt Sarah into her own. I'm glad of this, but again I think there was just a little bit to much of a 'good thing' here, most people who are battered, used and abused carry a fair few more demons than the author lets rip here, and either she's going to blow up in the next book or she really should have had an episode to counteract all the good that goes on.

The trip to the tailor was very interesting, they went in as friends but came out as more. I can see that. 3 young eligible women cooing over an 18 years old in his underwear... lol must have been a sight to see either way, but there's lots of growth here, and it fits for their relationship.

I do wonder though if Ish, is actually really sorry that he and Big B can't get together, or one of the others, or is he just not sure at all what he wants... there's still so much room for him to grow and do things, I wonder.

The fact he's questioning his own life here, is also very good and I'm glad he's also the people around him who care about him to make him question himself. I think he is destined for more, and having not read the books, I'm only guessing. But the mention of the academy and becoming an officer... ooooo squee. I can totally see Ismail Wong a Captain of a great ship! go Ishmail!

Anyway, just those two little cravats. But can't wait for more :)

1 person found this helpful

Just gets Better and Better

If I had to describe this book, I would say it was along the lines of a space age Walton’s, the only difference being, no-one is related.

The storyline draws you into each of the crew members’ lives, both young and old. It is unusual not to find character you dislike somewhere; but, so far, everyone is so ‘nice’!

A very pleasant, easy going listen.