Half Share

Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #2

by Nathan Lowell, Jeffrey Kafer (Narrator)

SIX MONTHS IN THE DEEP DARK. FOUR VERY 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 mess deck and Ishmael Wang moves to the environmental section. Just 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 Ish and Sarah must learn to live by the mantra, "Trust Lois." For Sarah, there is the hope of escaping a horrifying past. For Ish, he must discover what type of man he wants to become and learn the consequences of his choices. Return with the crew of the SC Lois McKendrick, as you set sail in the next installment of the Trader Tales of the Solar Clipper Series. 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. BOOKS IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE SOLAR CLIPPER Trader Tales Quarter Share Half Share Full Share Double Share Captain's Share Owner's Share* Shaman Tales South Coast Cape Grace* *Forthcoming

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Fiction, Space, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2007

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

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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.

[Hiu Gregg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I read and loved the first book of this series because it was a fun, slice-of-life tale about a genuinely nice and smart kid who hit a lucky streak. It had some slight male gaze issues, and the protagonist "won" a lot, but I was willing to overlook that sorta stuff in a feel-good novel.

But apparently this kind of story just doesn't scale. This second book, after about 30% of normalness (which is the only reason I'm not 1-starring this) becomes a self-masturbatory, poke-your-own-eyes-out, trash fire. It is an atrocity of bullshit proportions. It's like watching 20 minutes of an otherwise decent movie, and then the main actor whips off his trousers and starts furiously wanking for the next hour while whispering his own name.

The smart kid with a lucky streak from book 1 becomes a sex god who knows the inner workings of all women — who all swoon and sigh at the sight of his 18 year old ass in expensive jeans. And this wonderful little parcel of male-gazed casual sexism is wrapped up in a pretty little bow of slut-shaming. Because a woman wanting sex is bad, don't you know? Our protagonist — wise beyond his years and of unquestionable virtue — turns down this desperate hussy seconds before marching off to get his dick wet with someone he finds more worthy of his genitalia. (No, he's not slutty, how dare you suggest that! It's a completely different when it's the man who wants sex.)

I'm all for wish fulfilment stories, but this is a bridge, a chasm, and a couple of helicopter rides too far. At some point we learn that the main character lost his virginity at 14. He proudly boasts of this to the super-hot superior officer he's about to fuck. "Wow," said officer says in return. But inexplicably, she doesn't follow that up with, "you know that's a crime, don't you?"

"You're good," all the women in the story constantly say to our golden Casanova. Over and over again. You can almost hear the author trying to convince himself that he hasn't shat the bed with this series, all while he spunks his knickers at his own supposed cleverness.

Fucking hell. Isn't it possible to just have a NICE series with NICE characters doing everyday things, without bullshit like this coming into things? Why do we have to turn a found family into a soulless orgy of Nice Guy pseudo-philosopical wankery?

This is the biggest disappointment since the entire year of 2016.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

In book #2 of this series, no one stops being a supergenius, they just get smarter, except when they spend thousands of dollars on ONE OUTFIT and an extra shirt. But see the outfit makes every woman alive wants to screw the 18 year old Hero, who is revealed to be a Casanova with a deep, meaningful love for all women, especially older women, and he heals many a heart by the end of the book when he isn't sitting and crying with his shipmates about how they can't have sex because They Just Don't DO That on that particular Noble, Proud Ship. I mean seriously. This book is like a soap opera with a spaceship incidentally attached.

[JasonA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 starts off a couple of days after book 1 left off. If you liked the first book, then you're probably going to like this one. There's one part that gets a little absurd, but its still a fun read.

Okay, let's be honest...that part is a lot absurd and more than a little cringey. I imagine the author intended for this to be where Ishmael gains some self confidence and goes from being a lost boy to a capable man, but it's an odd way to do it.

The first book focused a lot on the day to day of shipboard life, and this does to a certain extent, as well. Ishmael gets a promotion to a different division, so we see a different side of what happens on the ship.

We also see more of Ishmael's relationships with the people outside of the mess crew. Where book 1 focused more on the job, this book goes a bit more into the lifestyle of those who working on a ship.

The world building is one of my favorite parts of the series. Each book adds a little more to the history and culture of this world.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book was really engaging, but this one read like a Horatio Hornblower letter to Penthouse and didn't grab me at all.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is second in a series that builds up over time. I recommend reading in order.

And you mostly know what you're getting with Ishmael and Pip and their trading co-op. I really like how the officers of the ship seem truly invested in their command, helping their people expand and grow in place as well as they can.

We also get some answers on the anti-fraternization rule and its effect on the relationships and emotions of the crew. No relationships allowed (nobody pushes it so I don't know the forfeit) and that makes for some people who are interested, but keep an odd platonic tone to their interactions. I liked this effect even if I suspect it was a little too simple in its consequences.

I'm still into this, still like Ishmael and his friends, and will definitely move on to the next book. Four stars and either the dialogue is getting better or I care more about the characters so don't notice it as much.

A note about Steam: Crewmembers help crewmembers, and that goes triple when everyone needs to get laid. Ishmael goes on the prowl and makes some impressive pulls. We only get the start, some vague bumps, and some endings but it's explicit enough to count, just at the lower end of my steam tolerance. Frankly, I think this was a mistake by the author because Ishmael connects with people, it's part of what makes him special, and that includes his one-night stand. He pines a bit so skimping on the intimacy doesn't do the story any actual favors.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ishmael Horatio Wang enters ship service at a young age. Ish had little choice when his mother (his only relative on planetside) died in an accident and there weren’t excess credits in the estate she left. The early months shipboard are recounted in Quarter Share, which is almost mandatory to read before this story (book 2).

This arc of a “spacer’s” career is unlike most SF and the predecessors like the Horatio Hornblower stories of the days of sail. It is the first series that I have read that I would call “Space Opera cozy.”

Half Share is a bit darker and deeper than Quarter Share. If Quarter Share were rated “G,” Half Share would rate a spicier “PG.” Sexual references are present but they are not graphic nor is there much that might be considered more than minor eroticism.

The emphasis is on the people not the technology. We slowly get to know the members of the ship’s crew and their ports of call contribute to the world-building. The focus Ishmael’s experiences.

I listened to the audio version and gave Jeffrey Kafer high marks for both diction and characterization.


PS: Like C.S. Forester’s series charting the maturation of Horatio Hornblower https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... this series tries to delve deeply into the pace of character development and what are the incidents among the spacers and along the ship’s journey that are formative.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

No doubt about it. I'm addicted to this series. The first book got me hooked with the whole rookie learning to be what it takes on the trader ship, getting certs and making friends, and above all, making lots of credits. The second book had just a taste of that but dove right in for the interpersonal stuff.

Granted, it wasn't so much competence porn as the first... or was it? No, the competence porn was of a different type. :) Self-confidence and airing out the sexual tension kind of thing.

Very enjoyable.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

After thoroughly enjoying Quarter Share I jumped right into Half Share. But I'm sorry to say it was a bit of a disappointment. It starts out well with Ish moving to a new department and once again being a fish out of water. There's also a couple of good scenes where a new crew member comes aboard, and he gets some insight by seeing someone else go through what he had in the first book. But Half Share doesn't really do much with all of that. Around half way through the story meanders off into a bizarre romance novel plot that takes up essentially the rest of the book. Ish suddenly gleans some kind of profound knowledge into the inner workings of women's minds, and the women around him become simpletons mesmerized by his denim coated butt. At this point I haven't decided whether or not to buy the third book.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first book quite a bit, but this one has some issues. It's OK right up to where the protagonist changes departments (which is fairly early in the book) at which point it becomes "the tale of how Marty Stu discovers he has a magic butt and acquires a platonic harem."

At one point in the story, he literally changes the lives of at least three women simply by stripping to his briefs in front of them.

It's a challenge to write fiction in which there isn't a clearly defined antagonist or crisis for the protagonist to overcome, and still make it interesting. The author pulled it off in the first volume, but largely fails in this one.

I might check out the next book in the series, but this one was disappointing enough that I might not.

[Choko · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.33 ***

Haha 😃! This was fun in the same laid back, slice of life, living on a space trader ship way as the first book. However, our brainiac 19 year old Ishmael, who is proving to be a genius at almost everything he takes on, is becoming a space age Don Juan too, and I am just not buying that part at this point... From completely unaware of his sexual pull to a young seductive and sweet talking playboy in an instant, just because he got to try on some fitted expensive clothes - not a chance!

However, it is still a pleasant and relaxing read and I am still planning on continuing with the series 😊

[Spad53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second part of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series. I found it a little disappointing compared to the first one, where everything was new.Romance made it’s entry, rather too much I thought. I preferred the wheeling and dealing of the first book. It’s still a nice quick read, and I appreciate the good sprinkle of reminders, I didn’t have to read Quarter Share again, that alone allows it to keep the 4 that book 1 received from me.

[Ashley Caveda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book showed some promise, with an interesting premise of a young man whose mother recently died having to find work on a spaceship, but there was no plot, and no real growth in the main character, Ish. He is good at everything he tries to do and always succeeds. He and his friends start selling things at local flea markets, and a lot of the book just focuses on day-to-day tasks and how much money he and his friends are making. To its detriment, the setting of the book, a spaceship, doesn't actually play any important role in the series. The whole thing could have been set on a regular boat in the present or past and it would have felt essentially the same.

I decided to give the second book a shot to see if it got better. It got significantly worse.

There is a new character at the beginning, a woman who has suffered some abuse and is looking to start a new, safer life, and I thought she might provide a more interesting plot, but that story fizzled quickly. Ish switched roles on the ship and suddenly all of his female shipmates are looking at him with hunger in their eyes. Their whole lives are supposedly changed when these three women (Bev, Brill, and Diane) take Ish to get expensive clothes at a designer shop. That is not my ungenerous or sarcastic interpretation. It literally says they all shared something profound that day when Ish tried on different pants and shirts. One woman literally whimpers when she sees how Ish looks in his new jeans. I could not stop rolling my eyes. It reads like it was written by a teenage boy who has never had sex, but wants to imagine what it would be like if every woman wanted him.

Ish has sex with a random woman after a night at a club (because decorum and ship protocol won't allow him to have sex with Bev, Brill, or Diane after their profound shopping spree), and he's supposedly amazing. Every conversation he has with women for the rest of the book involves them brimming with desire. The writing is just so bad and boring and immature. I thought that this writer showed promise in the first book and I even wished I could be in a writing workshop with him to give him some feedback to make the first book stronger and more complete, but this is just a mess with completely unbelievable female characters, and it is so much less interesting than a book set on a spaceship has any right to be.

I listened to the second half of this book at 2.5x speed. I genuinely hated it and I will certainly not be continuing with the series.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:

Currently on Audible +

I enjoyed listening to books #1 & 2. I may pick up the rest on KU and read them. They were fun to listen to while I did other stuff, but a bit lacking in driving plot. I'm going to guess that it will take another book or two to establish the characters and settle on a direction for the story.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically more of the same though the number of beautiful women who don't realise they're beautiful until told by our young protagonist began to grate. 2.5 starts rounded down

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I loved the first of this series, this book wasn't as amazing in my opinion. Still great, and I enjoyed all the parts with our character finding his place among the crew ... however, in this book, we are introduced to much more (particularly near the end) "finding himself" elements. Now, I'm mostly fine with these, but I found that too many of these moments were entirely sexual. I don't have anything against that sort of thing in my books, quite the contrary, but I really felt that the book is gearing up towards having the romances be a much bigger element in the series as opposed to the trading/crew elements that I enjoyed so much in the first book. We'll see how the stories continue, but I will be continuing with greater caution into book 3. This story was still interesting and worth reading, I think, just be warned that towards the end, the feel of the book is much different from the first.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character, who was already good at everything he tried, has now suddenly also acquired boundless sexual magnetism. It's still an entertaining, relaxing read, but it's getting harder to take it seriously. I may pick up book 3 at some point, but for now I'm taking a break from Ishmael Horatio Wang.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018 re-read: Each book in this series is better that it's predecessor. All are excellent. 2020 re-read, the characters in this series are, for the most part, the kind of folks you'd want to hang out with often, hence the re-reads.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book and promoted it to friends as a good start to a series that I thought young teenagers would enjoy. A boy, recently orphaned, making his way in the world by joining a trading ship crew and using his brains along with his shipmates flare for trading helping themselves and their crewmates become more successful. It was a solid story with interesting lessons in economics and succeeding in the job. I was looking forward to the rest of the series. I then bought this book, the 2nd in the series. It was disappointing. The story concentrated on his hands off attraction to his female shipmates who help him obtain a makeover during which his shipmates and the shop ladies all have hot flashes and our main character is self-absorbed in showing off his abs and ass. They take him to a bar and have an acquaintance who is a guaranteed homerun show up although our main character is interested in a different ship's officer who takes him home instead. We also get to see what pretty much reads as a wet dream of Ish's desire for his 3 female shipmates. I seriously wondered if the story was plotted by a 16 year old.

While Ish was presented in the first book at being around 18 years old, he seemed younger and more naive in the first book. In this 2nd book, instead of concentrating on trade and the worlds to which the ship travels, we have the story of Ish strutting his stuff successfully. While at least he appreciates strong, intelligent women, and a bit of romance or sex in science fiction is ok with me, this was 2/3rds of the book plot.The writing mechanics were similar to the first, but the story and Ish's character development was such an abrupt turn from the first book I was shocked. This book is so contrary to my expectations I am unsure of how to rate it.

With the direction this 2nd book has gone, I won't be buying the rest of the series. The first book had put this on my priority list; this 2nd book took the series off my to read list.

[Andreas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second book in the series picks up exactly where Quarter Share left off. Ishmael transfers from the galley to environmental. He also starts to come to terms with women and relationships with such.

As in the first book, there is no imminent danger and there are no action scenes. Mr. Lowell has a knack for making ordinary pursuits interesting, but his dialogue flirts with cheesiness rather too often. The second half of the book is a departure. In no time flat, Ishmael goes from normal uncertain eighteen-year old to hunk with perfect pick-up lines. The transformation is too fast and well over the top. To compound the problem, our teenage hero is seemingly the perfect man. He has no flaws and everyone likes him, especially women. Having said that, the characters, cheesy and somewhat unrealistic as they often are, certainly come alive on the page. I did feel a strong bond with the denizens of the SC Lois McKendrick, and I do want to find out what happens to them next.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1727

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 of the story of Ishmael Wang features him getting a promotion, transferring to a new department, and becoming a bit of a mentor to one of his coworkers. As in the first book, not exactly the kind of stuff you would usually associate with either "space opera" or "science fiction", but rather just a damn good story in a space operaesque setting.
At the same time, one of the things that Lowell does here is balance the scales of Wang's meteoric rise by having him make some mistakes, especially in his personal life, which was nice - he was starting to feel like he was too perfect of a character at times, so it's good to see he's just as flawed as the rest of us.

[Daniel Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope this is not going to turn into one of those harem or whatever books. The guy is suddenly eye candy for all of these women and it really took the story off the rails. There is some hope though based on some things said but I am worried this is heading in the wrong direction. The other parts of the book were still as interesting as the first book though so I will read the next one and see which direction its going.

[Dorman Groat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved the first book (Quarter Share). Hated the second book. In Half Share, the young plucky protagonist and entrepreneur brings his work ethic and logical thinking to romance and sensuality. Most of the book is spent buying clothes and trying them on in front of his adoring and enthralled female crewmates and, oh boy, some of the writing is just bad. Sure, the first book was a little cheesy too, but this one was just irritating.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it but not quite as much as the first

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty enjoyable. Ishmael actually grows a personality in this book, instead of just being a calculator as in book 1.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half Share takes up where Quarter Share left off, with Ishmael Wang transferring over to the environmental engineering section and a new woman coming on board to take his place in the galley. No, the new woman is not the romantic interest, thankfully. The emotional development that started in the first book blossoms in this book under the tag-team sisterly love of three very different women. These ladies bolster his confidence as a crew hand, take him out as a group for real clothes, then turn him loose at a port-side party with all his new found confidence and good looks. It comes as no surprise that he makes his mark among the other ships' hands, but really, his technique was very, very good.

While Ish is learning to believe in himself, he is also sharing the good will and good work with some of his more emotionally fragile ship-mates. The new galley cook is one person who needs to find her own space, and Ish's boss in the environmental sector is another. And Ish and his buddy Pip continue to work on making money through their small side-trades at various ports of call.

Along with all of the emotional maturation in this book are some hysterical practical jokes as well as some exclamations that are worthy of the comic "Two Lumps." Personally, my favorite one is "Sweet Mother of Mohair!" - an inaccurate but hilarious statement made by a crew member upon seeing another crew's locker stuffed completely full of yarn.

This time, I don't recommend this book for children or even young adults. Children won't understand it and young adults might possibly be bored, too. A lot of Half Share is devoted to dealing with emotional confusion, hurt feelings, and relationships that have sexual coloring but are not full of the actual deeds themselves. A guy with female friends is, literally, a novel idea.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Half Share" is the second of Nathan Lowell's "Solar Clipper" stories, all of which are based on the beloved character of Ishmael Horatio Wang. Ishmael is one of those rare literary characters that connects with the reader on a level that transcends the boundaries of real and unreal. The more you read of "Ish", the more you know about him as a person, until you almost feel you know him as you do a cherished friend.

In "Quarter Share" you met Ishmael, the lost young man, learning to cope with the loss of his mother, and the life with which he had grown up. In "Half Share", Ishmael begins to come into his own, adjusting to, and even thriving in his new life aboard the Lois McKendrick. His growth in character is extremely well written, drawing the reader into the setting so smoothly that you will find yourself "seeing" the various ports of call through his young and innocent eyes, that nevertheless see things as they are, and not necessarily as you want them to be.

Lowell is a masterful storyteller, and the ONLY things I found wrong with this novel were a couple of minor editing errors that momentarily pulled me out of the story. I think the only reason I even noticed them is that the story is otherwise so very well done and compelling that these missteps seemed to contrast like a couple of small black stains on an otherwise pristine white background.

I cannot recommend Lowell's books enough.

[Heather Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the whole series because I liked following the life journey of Ishmael Wong, who goes aboard a spaceship as crew, after the sudden death of his mother forces him to leave his home due to finances and the constraints of a company planet.

While this is technically science fiction, it has the feel of books like: Goodbye, Mr. Chips or Trustee from the Toolroom. This is a story about growing up, entering the working world and solving problems. There is little plot and while the main character's straightforwardness and simplicity was convincing, the author sometimes faltered when portraying complexity of character in others. I read the first books in the series and listened to the podcasts of the later ones.

They are relaxing, pleasant books and I'd like to read more adventures like it. I enjoy reading books about hardworking goodhearted people, and while this series has flaws, for the most part it was very enjoyable and I'm going to continue to look for books by this author.

The plots were simple, however, that did not bother me.

If you enjoy coming of age tales, try this one.

[BigJohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the series following young Ishmael Wang on his non-adventures through life as a cargoship spacer was a steamy, thrilling read. The tone of this second book is decidedly more adult, and my one criticism of the first book, Quarter Share, was resolved. Namely, I disliked the "perfection" of this future ship crew, which seemed to have no issues with each other, and everyone got along just like peaches and cream.

Well, book two takes us deeper into the lives of all the crew we know, and introduces us to some additional crew, including crews from other ships, which finally lifts the veil and shines a light into the dark, dysfunctional corners aboard ships and orbital stations.

This book definitely has a more adult tone; there were times I needed a cold shower after listening to a chapter or two. The more adult scenes are tastefully done, but get their point across without question.

I admit it, I'm hooked. I've already downloaded book 3 and can't wait to see where our intrepid Mr. Wang ends up next.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Half Share by Nathan Lowell went from perfectly-pleasant, medium-quality, slice-of-life, amateur sci-fi, to vomit-inducing, male-gaze, pseudo "sex-positive", boomer-cringe in the blink of an eye. For the first half of the book I had mentally prepared to continue through the series, and its offshoots, with a steady workmanlike attitude, much like the main character with his job of cooking space-meals and cleaning space-toilets. Partway through, the subject matter changed dramatically. Suddenly, we are in the midst of an erotic thriller with no thrills. A hilarious sex-romp with no hilarity, and no romp! The novel became a painful slog, with me wondering if I would even finish this 250 pg. anti-behemoth. I find the author to be a nice fellow from his voice and social media presence, but I don't want him to talk about sex!! Ever!!! I don't find him capable of conversing in the current world of sex and relationships with any nuance or wit.