School Days

SC Marva Collins #1

by Nathan Lowell

A New Ship
A New Crew
A Different Kind of Mission

When Manchester Yards donates a new training vessel to the Merchant Officer Academy at Port Newmar, Alys Giggone recalls the Chernyakova.

She wants Ishmael Wang and his crew to take a crew of cadets into the Deep Dark. They have to sort out the crews of two ships, figure out what lessons they need to teach, and who will get those lessons.

Once they agree, the trouble starts

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Space, Slice Of Life

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2023

About the author

Nathan Lowell has been a writer for more than forty years, and first entered the literary world by podcasting his novels. His sci-fi series, The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper grew from his long time fascination with space opera and his own experiences shipboard in the United States Coast Guard. Unlike most works which focus on a larger-than-life hero (prophesized savior, charismatic captain, or exiled prince), Nathan centers on the people behind the scenes--ordinary men and women trying to make a living in the depths of space. In his novels, there are no bug-eyed monsters, or galactic space battles, instead he paints a richly vivid and realistic world where the "hero" uses hard work and his own innate talents to improve his station and the lives of those of his community.

Dr. Nathan Lowell holds a Ph.D. in Educational Technology with specializations in Distance Education and Instructional Design. He also holds an M.A. in Educational Technology and a BS in Business Administration. He grew up on the south coast of Maine and is strongly rooted in the maritime heritage of the sea-farer. He served in the USCG from 1970 to 1975, seeing duty aboard a cutter on hurricane patrol in the North Atlantic and at a communications station in Kodiak, Alaska. He currently lives in the plains east of the Rocky Mountains with his wife and two daughters.

Awards & Recognition
2008 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction for Full Share
2008 Podiobooks Founder's Choice Award for Double Share
2008 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction for South Coast
2009 Podiobooks Founder's Choice Award for Captain's Share
2009 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction for Double Share
4 out of 10 Books on Podiobooks.com Top Overall Rated by Votes (2. Double Share, 3. Quarter Share, 5. Full Share, 8. Half Share) -- as of Jan 4, 2009
6 out of 10 Books on Podiobooks.com Top Overall Rating (1. Ravenwood, 2. Quarter Share, 3. Double share, 4. Captain's Share, 5. Full Share, 7. South Coast) -- as of Jan 4, 2009

Reviews

[JasonA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing better than a new book in one of your favorite series coming out. Only bad part is finishing and having to wait for the next one.

[Lloyd E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

WAY too much talking!

Kept waiting for something to actually happen. All the characters do is talk about planning a project. They often go to restaurants and every mundane exchange with the waiter is listed. This could just as well have been about regular sea going planning; nothing to expand perspective of space and wonder. Just a really long boring intro to the next book in the series.

[Shawn Wasilensky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love Nathan Lowell.

This book sucks. It should be called ‘Gatekeeping the Toe Holds” it’s a long boring conversation about how they know more, are richer than, and better at stuff and they want to drill it in. It takes 11 agonizing chapters to even decide who gets on what ship. They don’t even board a shop. The majority of the book takes place either in dock or at a restaurant and if Beth really existed she would be a total moron. That “hazing” incident could have been cut down by about 10 pages and her stating she didn’t believe it 12 times. I hate giving bad reviews but this one gave me a headache.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a slow setup-y book in the best way. Just time getting back into Ishmael’s headspace and (re)acquainting with characters old and new. Love this new direction for the series.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited about this book because I loved the original series so much. It really disappointed me. Endless repetition of the same conversation about the same problems with different variations of characters and all over dinner with unnecessary details of salad dressing orders. I kept thinking the story would start and the ship would get outfitted and underway. It never did. This could have been one chapter of the story instead of drawn out filler as an entire book. I was looking forward to interviews with the cadets relieving the monotony but then it was just skipped!

[Brian Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t read based on the Goodreads rating.

This book has such a high rating. If you are a SciFi fan you will buy it for the rating.

Don’t.

It isn’t SciFi, it’s a running narrative of management meetings at a very boring business. If you enjoy reading the minutes of meetings at a trucking company, then you will like this. If not, save the 15 bucks.

How does this have a 4+ rating? Something weird is happening here.

[I4o · Rating 2 out of 5]

As few people carefully mentioned before me, it's "uneventful". All "action" is happening at dinner meetings and whole book is cabin talk or dinner after dinner, where they discuss how they will setup new ship, or 2 ships, or do we create a company? When I've got to 75% and discussion was still ongoing I realized leaving port is postponed till next book.
I was looking forward to interviews with cadets, but that part was just skipped?
And please understand, I've red/bought every single book from this author and I'm his big fan. But this book is like cotton candy. You are reading and reading and still nothing. I don't think I have stomach for another in this series. Who could possibly give this book 4+ stars is beyond my imagination. Are these all bots?

BTW, free refill is strong indicator author is from the US. Seems like this concept will prevail in space in the future. Surprisingly, this is happening in any restaurant, even the most expensive ones. Also chuckles and snorts are apparently needed, when nice people talk :). Everybody is empathic, kind and interested in his job. Our heroes are smart and of course, rich, but humble. That's not exactly matching my perception of the world surrounding us and resulting cognitive dissonance is causing me certain level of discomfort, while reading this book.

[Stephen Van Court · Rating 1 out of 5]

Expected Sci-Fi, got HR meetings

There was no action. They had two space ships and a plan to train Academy students by taking them deep into seemingly unknown space. Halfway through and they had not even started interviewing candidates. Neither of the ships so much as started its engines. There were, however, numerous dinner meetings to discuss budgets and strategy.

[Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

As another reviewer below said, this is a set-uppy type book.

It’s a bunch of conversations where the characters are working out if they want to proceed with this project, and so, how to.

It might be better to wait to read this until the next book is out.

[Dave Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystified! How can so little be so good?
Nathan Lowell books are like a magic trick. He holds up each part and then Abracadabra, It's more than those parts. Your mind keeps trying to figure out how he does it.
This guys can make a business lunch more exciting than other people can a car chase or a gun fight. How is that even possible? I know this doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement but this guy is frigging amazing.
This is the (16th?) book in the Solar Clipper universe and I wish I'd read it slower so it wouldn't be over and I'd still have it to read right now.

[Jim Beucler · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very good Author, but this book was wasn't

I've read and enjoyed a number of this authors books, but this one was seemingly aimed at accountants. I'm sure they'd be gushing over the multitude numbers thrown around. Literally hundreds of pages trying to figure how to get a planet hopping freighter ready to leave the dock. The amazing thing is I can't believe I finished it.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Nathan Lowell and Ishmael is definitely my favourite of his characters. With that said, I was really frustrated with this newest part of Ish’s journey.

At the end of In Darkness Forged, the last book in the series, Ish seems like he is on the path to recovery. He’s made lots of progress getting over his previous trauma and it even looks like there might be a budding romance between him and Nats. I felt peaceful at the end of that book and was really hopeful when I heard this new trilogy was coming out.

Unfortunately, I feel like the entirety of School Days can be summed up in the first couple of pages of the book. Pip and Ish are talking and Pip questions Ish’s passivity on their current freight run. Ish gives some nothing answer and Pip presses him. Ish says something about his recovery being a “work in progress” and Pip replies that is fine except he seems to be missing the two key words…

If anything Ish seems to have backslid into depression. This entire book feels like we are wading through fog with him. The book repeats the same problems and praise over and over again while making almost no progress towards getting our crew back out into the deep dark. And Ish never goes back to see his therapist. He doesn’t connect with any of the old characters that made the first book of the Seekers trilogy a joy—he could have gone to see Mr Maxwell on the orbital or gone down to see Cookie. He just seems to flail around. No progress, no real work.

I will be back to see what happens next, but I won’t be approaching the next book with nearly as much hopeful joy.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

plotless

In which a group of rich and unmemorable space traders discuss how to crew a student training ship. The entire talky and mundane plot takes place on a space station. No space travel happens and the most tense part of the plot revolves around a way too easily resolved funding crisis. So many banal details that don’t create any kind of color or texture and lots of slow, slow, slow dialogue that goes basically nowhere.

[Frank Dreano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little action. Mostly politics.

After reading 35% no ship had yet left port. Got rather silly. Maybe works for some - not me. A lot of corporate intrigue with so!e implausible portions. A treatise on staffing a mission on a good day. And everyone in at least the beginning is rich and connected. Hard to develop plot antagonists.with so many happy people.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spaceship never leaves the dock during this episode! I suppose it is actually a story of decision making, mostly in business, but related to academia. Some small but interesting political issues arise, but only subtle and long term political action is envisioned. In some ways, the decision process is like an aristocracy, yet in others it resembles a social consensus. Although not exactly like equal individual votes, the process for a modern representative democracy would be similar and the decision would be made by a representative, not by votes of all individuals. Yet in this decision, the decider is appointed due to economic privilege rather than some ambiguous social charisma decided in an election. There could be advantages in some kinds of aristocracy over many kinds of democracy, but perhaps both forms could be used, each in a limited area of governance. That might solve some fiscal problems that popular representatives struggle with. Maybe I will increase my rating from 3 to 4 stars, even though the story is a little dry, there are two more stories in the series.

[Greg Sykes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I love the solar clipper book. They are not exactly fast-paced or exciting but something about their portrayal of relatable characters doing real-life like jobs is appealing. However this instalment is just plain boring. I get (hope) it is a set up for better things to come but this book is basically a 300 page conversation interspersed with the characters sharing meals and having more conversation. Literally nothing happens. I also found myself getting a bit tired of hearing how great the four main characters are. The entire crew is rich - I get it. No need to hit me over the head with that again and again! It’s getting to the point where I’m starting to hope they get knocked down a peg or two.

Overall disappointed but I will try book 2 regardless. Here’s hoping something actually happens at some point!!

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[8 Jun 2023]
This book was very much like In Ashes Born, also by Lowell. It's the first of a new trilogy but nothing much happens in the book. Ish and Pip are invited to start a new project with the Academy, but they spend the entire book arguing about whether to do it and how it should work. Of course, I will read anything about Ishmael Wang, and enjoy it. But I did get a little annoyed at the endless "planning". On the plus side, the second book is expected to be published pretty soon.

[Catmoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ishmael Wang rides again

I've been reading Nathan Lowell's books charting the life and career of Ishmael Wang for a good few years now. From time to time he reaches a steady state and I wonder if that is the end. I'm so glad it isn't. This is not a fast moving story, and it helps if you've read the earlier ones, but essentially it's about people and systems wrangling - not an obviously gripping task, but a necessary one before any derring do can commence

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just like this series

I don't know what to tell you, I just like this series. This is the start of a new sub series and as such it has a lot of set up. I mean the whole thing is set up, but I still like it. Can't wait to read the next book in the serues.

[Liam Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable slice of life book in the Solar Clipper series. This one is the setup for a new series, so is a little slower than the others. Looking forward to the next in this new spinoff.

[Juni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting the stage for the next two. No drama, just people being decent to each other and eating breakfast and drinking coffee and trying to make to world a better place.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review for the trilogy.

I think the three books could have easily been edited down to a single book. All three books are full of redundant conversations. Nothing really happens throughout. “What do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do?”. On and on.

Very disappointing addition to the Solar Clipper series. I can only hope it doesn’t end on this sour note.

[Francheska · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Tell, no Show.

This felt episodic, and not one of the good ones, think Love Boat mid season. It’s gusty to use an entire book to set the stage, and not provide the reader with any other conclusion than a budget. Even a short fluffy bunny subplot would have helped. Overall, the characters this round were pretty dry, and it resulted in even supposed close relationships feeling stilted.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Enemymind · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, well, well, it seems like this author's attempt at a literary masterpiece has left you feeling like you've just stumbled into a parallel universe where the laws of common sense and human interaction have been tossed out the window. I mean, come on, who knew that a book could be so out of touch with reality that it makes you question the very fabric of the universe?

It's almost as if the author decided to take a crash course in pandering to the lowest common denominator and then decided to write a book about it. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not how you write a best-seller. And let's not even get started on the cringe-worthy notion that males can't explain reality to women just because they're males. I mean, has this guy ever heard of communication?

In conclusion, if you're looking for a book that will make you question your sanity and leave you wondering if the author has ever interacted with a human being before, then this is the book for you. But if you're looking for something that's actually enjoyable and makes sense, you might want to steer clear of this literary train wreck.

[R. Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from start to finish. It was 100% world-building with not a single action-scene moving the characters or story forward. BUT- The story moved wonderfully! This author is amazing at drawing out character details in a way that engages the reader. The characters spent a huge amount of time talking about the difference between the common perception of their universe as compared to the reality of that same universe - and the author did it in a way that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. This was done by offering character-driven conflict in every scene, by offering glimpses into the universe outside the space station the characters inhabit, by setting a plan in motion to take a bunch of noobs - including a ship's captain who had no clue to the reality out there! - into the wilderness of space beyond a corporate-driven paradigm.

As the problems are beginning to be overcome, I can't wait for Book Two so I can see how all this rounds out!

[Stuart Maher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth in reviewing - I read this book without realizing that it is part of an already established series. So that had some influence on my impression. This is a solid, will-written, and interesting novel. There is an interesting, but not overwhelming political/economic aspect that provides some intrigue and tension. (As the book- and series- deal with space-based trade, those are key components. That said, they are handled well).

The only minus for me is the feeling that this is a "setting things in motion" novel, which prepares the way, but then stops. Granted, it stops at a logical point, but some sort of "pay-off," even one that is not the climax of the entire arc, would have been more satisfying.

Ultimately, the characters, setting, writing, and story are all compelling enough that I have "gone back to the beginning" and picked up the first book in the first arc.

[ARR62 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politics and Money

I kept expecting the story to leap forward into space with action commencing. Instead, it was a good look at who benefits from the status quo and who benefits from change. How is that financed and how to raise competing funds. This could be a story about any government anywhere today. It's also about "known" facts versus reality. Education, perception, money.
This story has so many threads and it's just getting started. I love it and am ready for the next book in the series.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi Economics

Not what I expected from the preview, but still interesting and entertaining. If you’re not the least bit interested in economics, or multi-level trade considerations, perhaps this is not the best choice. Decent character development but thin when compared to the social economics. Lots of detail on trade routes and commercial ship ranks. This book stops, without resolving the primary story thread, and yet it’s not quite a hanging ending, just a bit abrupt.

[dave carpender]

a story like quarter share, introducing people and new situations , adding to the list of characters

A storey that makes me wonder, neither I'd want to an officer or rating in this universe. In the US Army I surprised people by wanting to be an NCO, the best NCO, not an Officer. This is a story that will help explain why to people paying attention.