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A Smuggler's Tale #3
Home Run
Two women. One mission. Do what ever is necessary.
In this final volume of the Smuggler's Tales, Natalya and Zoya wind up on a mission of mercy back into Toe-Hold space to find out why one of Usoko Mining company's smelters has gone dark. They find an expanding cloud of debris, a crippled ship, and a fleet of mining barges that can't leave the system.
In this final volume of the Smuggler's Tales, Natalya and Zoya wind up on a mission of mercy back into Toe-Hold space to find out why one of Usoko Mining company's smelters has gone dark. They find an expanding cloud of debris, a crippled ship, and a fleet of mining barges that can't leave the system.
882 pages, Audible Audio
First published July 26, 2018
393 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Lowell
46 books1,634 followersNathan 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
August 13, 2018
I really want to see the author's plotting white-board. There are lots of bits and pieces that intersect here, in what appears to be random fashion - except you know it's all planned.
This story is quite intricate, more than the previous stories. It also brings in a lot of family and the associated issues. And a random (not) appearance from a favored character from the Quarter Share series.
As expected, there is a lot of exploration of people and their motivations. Some deep issues are presented, and most (but not all) are resolved. This is the best part of this author's stories: he populates his books with normal people who do normal things, and challenges are overcome because of their synergies, and a bit of luck.
There was one thread that was brought up repeatedly that I wish had been resolved.
This claims to be the last in this series, but this universe is wide and varied. I'm sure there will be more stories emerging.
This story is quite intricate, more than the previous stories. It also brings in a lot of family and the associated issues. And a random (not) appearance from a favored character from the Quarter Share series.
As expected, there is a lot of exploration of people and their motivations. Some deep issues are presented, and most (but not all) are resolved. This is the best part of this author's stories: he populates his books with normal people who do normal things, and challenges are overcome because of their synergies, and a bit of luck.
There was one thread that was brought up repeatedly that I wish had been resolved.
This claims to be the last in this series, but this universe is wide and varied. I'm sure there will be more stories emerging.
March 7, 2020
I adore Nathan Lowell, and I swear his particular brand of Space Opera is like no others! Home Run might wrap-up the Smugglers Tales, but it won't be the last time that we'll see Natalya and Zoya... I actually squealed in delight at some of the reveals in Home Run when Nathan tied this trilogy into Seekers Tales, and no, I'm not gonna "spill the beans"... and yes, I stayed up most of the night, reading way into the wee hours!
Just go grab Nathan Lowell's books today!
Just go grab Nathan Lowell's books today!
July 12, 2020
A really enjoyable read.
July 2, 2019
omg I can't even that this series is finished. I think I just bought a little novella that might tide me for a bit longer, but it sounds like Lowell is taking a break from Ish, Pip, Nats, and Zee.
side note, barely a grumble, but the "are you sure you're not a couple" running gag isn't really that funny, and he just keeps wringing the last drops out of it.
side note, barely a grumble, but the "are you sure you're not a couple" running gag isn't really that funny, and he just keeps wringing the last drops out of it.
May 23, 2020
Wonderful ending to the trilogy!
December 12, 2024
Will miss Nat and Zee and their adventures.
October 15, 2019
Wish the series wasn’t ending. Loved all three books, and I won’t include any spoilers or giveaways. However, a reader new to the series might have difficulty because the author doesn’t clearly define “CJPCT” “Toe-Holds” “Confederation” “TIC” and other terms that appeared earlier in the series and appear regularly in Book 3. This is a stand-alone series (mostly) but reading prior books in the series (or other Solar Clipper books) would provide background information on the “neighborhoods” in which Natalya. Zola, etc. live and work.
There are numerous editing problems (misspelled words, incorrect word usage, etc.) and in Chapter 66, a woman’s Will was allegedly signed and notarized a week AFTER she died.
Mr. Lowell writes absolutely wonderful books (so far I’ve read 12 of them) but I keep stumbling over editing problems and the pleasure I derive from reading his books is diminished somewhat.
There are numerous editing problems (misspelled words, incorrect word usage, etc.) and in Chapter 66, a woman’s Will was allegedly signed and notarized a week AFTER she died.
Mr. Lowell writes absolutely wonderful books (so far I’ve read 12 of them) but I keep stumbling over editing problems and the pleasure I derive from reading his books is diminished somewhat.
July 30, 2018
“Home Run” is a Home Run
In the third and final (?) Smuggler’s Tale, Zoya’s coming home after five long years of tooling around in Toe Hold space... and all bets are off in short order. Our master troubleshooter are faced with a disaster - a smelting facility has gone silent and Nats and Zee go to see why and discover there is no smelting facility - just a cloud of expanding debris and disabled ships.
Not only do they have to figure out what happened, Zoya is tasked to rebuild the facility, which proves to be difficult because this story wouldn’t be exciting if there wasn’t someone trying kill Natalya and Zoya, oh, like the surviving pirates that nuked the facility Ina failed plot to seize it.
Add in the mysterious Port Lumimeux and a familiar name to readers of Dr. Lowell’s books - no other than Chief Engineer Dr. Margaret Stevens who seems to be in charge of a facility that, as it turns outs, is run by another familiar name: Carstairs and, yes, Pip makes a “cameo” appearance as does Natalya’s father, Demetri, who hasn’t been seen in a coon’s age (but now we know why).
What follows is a mess that only our intrepid heroines can unravel, made even more difficult by the untimely and unexpected death of Zoya’s beloved grandmother and the driving force behind Usoko Mining... which now belongs to Zoya, who is reluctant to take her inheritance and run the company as her grandparents wanted.
It’s the perfect end to this trilogy and I’m thinking it’s a safe bet we have not heard the last of Natalya and Zoya as they begin a new endeavor - running the custom built Barbell gifted to Natalya, not only to haul metals where needed for Usoko Mining... but to get their engineering and second mate tickets respectively as well.
Read the book... then read the series again; you won’t regret it.
In the third and final (?) Smuggler’s Tale, Zoya’s coming home after five long years of tooling around in Toe Hold space... and all bets are off in short order. Our master troubleshooter are faced with a disaster - a smelting facility has gone silent and Nats and Zee go to see why and discover there is no smelting facility - just a cloud of expanding debris and disabled ships.
Not only do they have to figure out what happened, Zoya is tasked to rebuild the facility, which proves to be difficult because this story wouldn’t be exciting if there wasn’t someone trying kill Natalya and Zoya, oh, like the surviving pirates that nuked the facility Ina failed plot to seize it.
Add in the mysterious Port Lumimeux and a familiar name to readers of Dr. Lowell’s books - no other than Chief Engineer Dr. Margaret Stevens who seems to be in charge of a facility that, as it turns outs, is run by another familiar name: Carstairs and, yes, Pip makes a “cameo” appearance as does Natalya’s father, Demetri, who hasn’t been seen in a coon’s age (but now we know why).
What follows is a mess that only our intrepid heroines can unravel, made even more difficult by the untimely and unexpected death of Zoya’s beloved grandmother and the driving force behind Usoko Mining... which now belongs to Zoya, who is reluctant to take her inheritance and run the company as her grandparents wanted.
It’s the perfect end to this trilogy and I’m thinking it’s a safe bet we have not heard the last of Natalya and Zoya as they begin a new endeavor - running the custom built Barbell gifted to Natalya, not only to haul metals where needed for Usoko Mining... but to get their engineering and second mate tickets respectively as well.
Read the book... then read the series again; you won’t regret it.
February 19, 2020
The one in which Lowell's cast of Mary Sues decide to manufacture a state of the art modular metal smelting and refining facility from scratch in order to rescue a bunch of stranded miners who are likely victims of foul play, who have only two weeks food supply left, and who have no way to escape.
Also the one in which the Mary Sues decide that despite having a silver spoon stuck right up their proverbial and every second corporate board member and government official as their own personal automatic teller machine and fairy godmother, they'd really just prefer to be glorified truck drivers.
Also the one in which the Mary Sues decide that despite having a silver spoon stuck right up their proverbial and every second corporate board member and government official as their own personal automatic teller machine and fairy godmother, they'd really just prefer to be glorified truck drivers.
August 2, 2018
It was - okay? I don't know quite how to put it, but I loved the early Nathan Lowell books, and the later ones are more and more leaving me cold. I think he needs to sit down with a beta reader or an editor more and have them ask him to unpack things better. It just ... doesn't have the grab for me his earlier books did, it doesn't feel as personal or as deep into the characters' lives.
August 13, 2018
Another Great Tale
Every time I pick up a new Nathan Lowell tale in the Solar Clipper universe, it feels like coming home. The girls are off on quite an adventure in this story, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Every time I pick up a new Nathan Lowell tale in the Solar Clipper universe, it feels like coming home. The girls are off on quite an adventure in this story, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
August 17, 2018
They certainly drink a lot of coffee
Seriously, unless all that coffee is decaf, they should be dead from heart failure, kidney failure, stroke or twitch induced piloting error. It appears that space travel, in Mr. Lowell's universe, is...pretty boring. High doses of caffeine seems to be the remedy.
This book was a dissapointment for me. I have always enjoyed Mr. Lowell's writing, but the increasingly plodding day-by-day, stan-by-stan narrative seems to require more and more caffeine just to stay awake. Furthermore, this book is far too sappy, too maudlin, too convenient and too painfully frustrating. There were plot points towards the end of the book when I closed my tablet in disbelief and had to and walk away just to calm down.
The two main characters are clearly described as strong, brilliant and compassionate women. Which would be great if they didn't act like naive, bumbling, stubborn, impetuous idiots who happened to get very lucky, very often. One common chapter arc seems to be: 1) they do something naive, foolish or impetuous, 2) they almost fail, 3) without planning or forethought, they miraculously prevail. Or, another common plot arc 1) they get everything anyone could ever want, 3) they agonize about what to do, 3) they turn it down, 4) in a very clever way, 4) Everyone compliments them and gives them stuff anyway.
I've read all these books and, due to the quality of the writing, will probably read more. But man, the stories are becomming tedious.
Seriously, unless all that coffee is decaf, they should be dead from heart failure, kidney failure, stroke or twitch induced piloting error. It appears that space travel, in Mr. Lowell's universe, is...pretty boring. High doses of caffeine seems to be the remedy.
This book was a dissapointment for me. I have always enjoyed Mr. Lowell's writing, but the increasingly plodding day-by-day, stan-by-stan narrative seems to require more and more caffeine just to stay awake. Furthermore, this book is far too sappy, too maudlin, too convenient and too painfully frustrating. There were plot points towards the end of the book when I closed my tablet in disbelief and had to and walk away just to calm down.
The two main characters are clearly described as strong, brilliant and compassionate women. Which would be great if they didn't act like naive, bumbling, stubborn, impetuous idiots who happened to get very lucky, very often. One common chapter arc seems to be: 1) they do something naive, foolish or impetuous, 2) they almost fail, 3) without planning or forethought, they miraculously prevail. Or, another common plot arc 1) they get everything anyone could ever want, 3) they agonize about what to do, 3) they turn it down, 4) in a very clever way, 4) Everyone compliments them and gives them stuff anyway.
I've read all these books and, due to the quality of the writing, will probably read more. But man, the stories are becomming tedious.
July 29, 2018
Who would think that a book about the details of building a space station to crush rock would be engrossing and very suspenseful? This book was very satisfying. Lots of action. Lots of character development. Lots of surprises. And one teeny tease about a possible romance with a surprising character. Of course, it helps that I really like our heroines Zoya and Natalya. But when they are dumped into an out of the way system in Toehold Space and must figure out how to rebuild a mining station that has been destroyed by pirates, when they only have one small jump-capable ship, I didn't expect to be quite so enthralled by the story. It works well. I don't know if there will be another in this series, but I hope so.
August 20, 2024
Nathan Lowell's book's are so enjoyable. They're full of likable people and are like integrity porn-- people who act ethically are rewarded and people who are asshats get their comeuppance way more than happens in the real world. They're wholesome and feel-good without being preachy or boring, and reading them is like hanging out with good friends. I also like how he writes characters who think, talk, and behave like real people. They don't always remember everything at convenient times, sometimes can't remember people's names after a single meeting, and say and do the kind of things we all really do on an every day basis.
April 9, 2021
I thought the second book in this series was a bit slow and flat. My expectation that the third book (this one) would make up for it was correct. This has a snappy pace with everything I've come to enjoy in a Nathan Lowell book. Fun characters who are tossed into problems and always find a way to overcome them and come out better for it.
The characters are great and very proactive. They are constantly moving forward, and quite likeable. This makes for a great story. This story spans a lot of changes for Nat and Z, and they are all interesting and fun to read about. The book starts with them about where they have been in the first two books, but by the end their lives have been completely changed for the better.
This book doesn't line up with the latest Ishmael book which makes me hope there are more to come. There is a lot of thing still yet to be explained and paid off, and I can't wait to see what they are. I don't know if there will be another in this series to match when these characters's enter into the Ishmael series, but I hope there is.
Reading the Smuggler series has made me want the next Ishmael book all the more. Now that both these character groups have intersected into one series...who knows where it is going to end up. All I know is it is going to be fun to read and find out.
The characters are great and very proactive. They are constantly moving forward, and quite likeable. This makes for a great story. This story spans a lot of changes for Nat and Z, and they are all interesting and fun to read about. The book starts with them about where they have been in the first two books, but by the end their lives have been completely changed for the better.
This book doesn't line up with the latest Ishmael book which makes me hope there are more to come. There is a lot of thing still yet to be explained and paid off, and I can't wait to see what they are. I don't know if there will be another in this series to match when these characters's enter into the Ishmael series, but I hope there is.
Reading the Smuggler series has made me want the next Ishmael book all the more. Now that both these character groups have intersected into one series...who knows where it is going to end up. All I know is it is going to be fun to read and find out.
August 25, 2024
I liked this book…some parts were more exciting than others. I was really happy to finally meet Zoya’s and Natalya’s families, or at least the most important-to-each-of-them family members, and I liked the resolution. I read this entire trilogy perhaps a bit more quickly than I would have liked because I wanted to finish it so that I could finish the final 8% of the third Seekers trilogy book.
I still don’t really understand the point of how the series began. Maybe someday I’ll reread the first book and it will make more sense. I just feel it was a lot of underhanded work on someone’s part to make something happen that could have been accomplished in an easier way. And like the mystery of it was never fully or truly resolved.
I also don’t really know that Zoya and Natalya are distinct characters to me. They each have their chosen areas of expertise, so are given different tasks and interactions based on those. But otherwise they seem like the same person for the most part. I think I didn’t mind it too much because the plots and interactions they have with other characters are interesting, and because it is always refreshing to see women portrayed as intelligent and competent and respected for those qualities. Lowell is good about that.
I still don’t really understand the point of how the series began. Maybe someday I’ll reread the first book and it will make more sense. I just feel it was a lot of underhanded work on someone’s part to make something happen that could have been accomplished in an easier way. And like the mystery of it was never fully or truly resolved.
I also don’t really know that Zoya and Natalya are distinct characters to me. They each have their chosen areas of expertise, so are given different tasks and interactions based on those. But otherwise they seem like the same person for the most part. I think I didn’t mind it too much because the plots and interactions they have with other characters are interesting, and because it is always refreshing to see women portrayed as intelligent and competent and respected for those qualities. Lowell is good about that.
November 22, 2024
This is the concluding book in the Smuggler's Tale trilogy, spacefaring SF set centuries in the future. I enjoyed this book well enough, but found it easy to set down. And once I'd set it down, I didn't yearn to return to the story.
This trilogy feels far closer to standard SF than did the first three books of the Trader's Tales series, which takes place in the same universe. I loved those early Trader's Tales books. They were low-action, low-key, slice-of-life books, but the character interactions and the shipboard setting were a pleasure. And instead of problems compounding and escalating, there was a sense of progress, of things improving, of friends being made.
For this book, three and a half out of five toe-hold stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
This trilogy feels far closer to standard SF than did the first three books of the Trader's Tales series, which takes place in the same universe. I loved those early Trader's Tales books. They were low-action, low-key, slice-of-life books, but the character interactions and the shipboard setting were a pleasure. And instead of problems compounding and escalating, there was a sense of progress, of things improving, of friends being made.
For this book, three and a half out of five toe-hold stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
March 7, 2020
I adore Nathan Lowell, and I swear his particular brand of Space Opera is like no others! Home Run might wrap-up the Smugglers Tales, but it won't be the last time that we'll see Natalya and Zoya... I actually squealed in delight at some of the reveals in Home Run when Nathan tied this trilogy into Seekers Tales, and no, I'm not gonna "spill the beans"... and yes, I stayed up most of the night, reading way into the wee hours!
Just go grab Nathan Lowell's books today!
What should have been the best book... My favorite book of 2018, narrated by the best Emily Woo Zeller. Only it wasn't. EWZ kept mispronouncing Natalya's name, in one sentence she'd say it correctly and then in the very next she'd say it wrong and that would oft pull me out of the book... I finally accepted that it was the way it was. And that made the last half of the book more enjoyable!
Just go grab Nathan Lowell's books today!
What should have been the best book... My favorite book of 2018, narrated by the best Emily Woo Zeller. Only it wasn't. EWZ kept mispronouncing Natalya's name, in one sentence she'd say it correctly and then in the very next she'd say it wrong and that would oft pull me out of the book... I finally accepted that it was the way it was. And that made the last half of the book more enjoyable!
January 29, 2023
Home Run is the final book in this series. Zoya and Natalya, flush from their success in Suicide Run, go home to Zoya's grandparents to visit. Her grandparents run the powerful Usako Mining empire and want her to come back and take over running the company. Zoya is not ready to give up her dreams of being in space and not behind a desk. During the visit, one of the Usako smelting stations in the Toe Hold goes dark. Zoya is tasked with finding out what happened and correcting things. She and Natalya go to the site and find the station destroyed by a nuclear weapon, only one survivor on the separate marshalling yard, a severely damaged dumbbell with a treacherous crew, and innumerable miners and ore carriers needing food, water, air, fuel.
Very good conclusion to the series and it ties it back in with the story of Captain Ismael Wang and his cohort Pip.
Very good conclusion to the series and it ties it back in with the story of Captain Ismael Wang and his cohort Pip.
December 6, 2018
Fantastic read, one of his best yet
I have read every book that Nathan Lowell has written (that is currently on Amazon, podiobooks, audible, etc) and I really enjoyed this one. I think the editing needed a little more time, as there were a few more spelling mistakes than in the past (hence the 4 stars) but everything else was spot on. The understanding of life and death, the push to do what's right, or needed, no matter what, I found myself up late several times knowing I had to be somewhere that next day. Nathan's stories are something you just can't put down. Thank you Captain, for another great book. Check out his works for free on your podcast app of choice, and start buying now!
I have read every book that Nathan Lowell has written (that is currently on Amazon, podiobooks, audible, etc) and I really enjoyed this one. I think the editing needed a little more time, as there were a few more spelling mistakes than in the past (hence the 4 stars) but everything else was spot on. The understanding of life and death, the push to do what's right, or needed, no matter what, I found myself up late several times knowing I had to be somewhere that next day. Nathan's stories are something you just can't put down. Thank you Captain, for another great book. Check out his works for free on your podcast app of choice, and start buying now!
June 16, 2020
7/10: Good solid read, something to get your teeth into.
“Sail your course. Mind your helm. The universe will do the rest.”
Well, that's it. The end of the Solar Clipper Universe books. I'm a little sad about that. OK, I'm a lot sad about that. I really wanted to see Nats and Ish sailing together. I wanted to see their relationship grow, and both of them being the amazing, capable, kick-butt officers they are adventuring around the Western Annex together.
But it's not to be. The author has said no more. I'd like to think when he's had a bit of a break, he'll come back to it. I live in hope.
Natalya and Ishmael were a joy to read about, I'm now going to have to start searching for new heroes to book-stalk.
“Sail your course. Mind your helm. The universe will do the rest.”
Well, that's it. The end of the Solar Clipper Universe books. I'm a little sad about that. OK, I'm a lot sad about that. I really wanted to see Nats and Ish sailing together. I wanted to see their relationship grow, and both of them being the amazing, capable, kick-butt officers they are adventuring around the Western Annex together.
But it's not to be. The author has said no more. I'd like to think when he's had a bit of a break, he'll come back to it. I live in hope.
Natalya and Ishmael were a joy to read about, I'm now going to have to start searching for new heroes to book-stalk.
July 2, 2020
Nice finish to the three book Smuggler's Run series. I liked the fact that while in the first two books Natalya seemed to be the lead character of the two main characters, in this book the action shifts more towards Zoya. The plotting is fairly complex here and Lowell manages to pull together many threads by the end and even joins our two main female leads to the main strand of stories centered around Ishmael Wong. The book as all of his in this larger series have been enjoyable. Somehow he takes regular people (although exemplars) doing regular things encountering difficult circumstances and makes that exciting.
I don't know if the series will be continued, but if so I will be happy to continue reading.
I don't know if the series will be continued, but if so I will be happy to continue reading.
August 13, 2018
Lowell, Nathan. Home Run. Smuggler’s Tale No. 3. Kindle, 2018.
The Smuggler’s Tale trilogy should be read in order, and I really recommend reading the earlier Solar Clipper novels to really get a feel for Lowell’s space-faring world. Lowell creates a less violent version of Cherryh’s merchanter books where most interstellar trade moves between big space stations (called orbitals), sometimes using planetary resources, sometimes not. He writes work-place buddy stories with engaging, likeable characters in which the good guys outnumber the villains. I always feel good after I read one. The series may have wrapped up here, but I hope not. There are a couple of hints that it might not be.
The Smuggler’s Tale trilogy should be read in order, and I really recommend reading the earlier Solar Clipper novels to really get a feel for Lowell’s space-faring world. Lowell creates a less violent version of Cherryh’s merchanter books where most interstellar trade moves between big space stations (called orbitals), sometimes using planetary resources, sometimes not. He writes work-place buddy stories with engaging, likeable characters in which the good guys outnumber the villains. I always feel good after I read one. The series may have wrapped up here, but I hope not. There are a couple of hints that it might not be.
August 28, 2018
Not worth the effort
I bailed just short of a quarter of the way through. This book carried through on flat characters, story points that don't make sense, a term called toe-hold which has no clear definition, spatial relationships that are non-existent, distances that are unclear, writing that sounds more like a mechanics manual for a ship than a story.
The two main characters lost the last of my interest and I realized that I didn't care if they made through the adventure or not, whether the intelligence service would make another appearance or if the bad guys were stopped in whatever scheme they had launched.
I bailed just short of a quarter of the way through. This book carried through on flat characters, story points that don't make sense, a term called toe-hold which has no clear definition, spatial relationships that are non-existent, distances that are unclear, writing that sounds more like a mechanics manual for a ship than a story.
The two main characters lost the last of my interest and I realized that I didn't care if they made through the adventure or not, whether the intelligence service would make another appearance or if the bad guys were stopped in whatever scheme they had launched.
September 5, 2019
The first half is great and it felt like I was flying through it then it’s almost like that story ends and you get a long series of random plot points that spring up only to be sorted in the next chapter so it can plod it’s way to way the book is ending. Basically it felt forced and none of the ‘twists’ felt organic.
i almost dropped another star for the constant thing about asking if they are a couple i don’t know if it’s down to poor editing, a fan fiction that bugged the author Oran attempt at a running gag that never gets a punchline. In fact all it did was show a universe that from Ish’s POV has always felt beyond that is still very hung up on sexuality.
i almost dropped another star for the constant thing about asking if they are a couple i don’t know if it’s down to poor editing, a fan fiction that bugged the author Oran attempt at a running gag that never gets a punchline. In fact all it did was show a universe that from Ish’s POV has always felt beyond that is still very hung up on sexuality.
June 1, 2022
The ending of the book By Darkness Forged takes place after this finale - Pip, Natalya, and Zoya show up again in a cute cameo referring to the adventures in this book.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 Milk Run: ★★★★☆
#2 Suicide Run: ★★★★☆
#3 Home Run (this book): ★★★★★
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 Milk Run: ★★★★☆
#2 Suicide Run: ★★★★☆
#3 Home Run (this book): ★★★★★
February 2, 2025
I adored hanging out and growing with Nat and Zee. Such fiercely intelligent and strong women... man, to have a sister like that as my wingman.
This one made me cry.
I read the series slightly out of order... now I want to backtrack and read about how the women met Pip for the second time, and follow the thread of their careers as briefly exposed at the end of By Darkness Forged.
I never want to leave this universe. Another reviewer called these books integrity porn and she's so accurate. The good guys often come out on top, the bad guys often get punished. It's a vision of a better world, through and through. What a gift this series has been.
This one made me cry.
I read the series slightly out of order... now I want to backtrack and read about how the women met Pip for the second time, and follow the thread of their careers as briefly exposed at the end of By Darkness Forged.
I never want to leave this universe. Another reviewer called these books integrity porn and she's so accurate. The good guys often come out on top, the bad guys often get punished. It's a vision of a better world, through and through. What a gift this series has been.
September 8, 2018
Not my cup of tea
So yeah, good writing, thin plot, but the stupidity is amazing. I really can't get attached to the characters. The situations are forced and people don't act like the characters in this book. I read book one, skipped two, read first couple of chapters here and it's not even worth my time. But still, well edited, words are spelled properly, sexes don't change mid sentence, is just a stupid book. An up and coming engineer, in space, first threatens to blow his station up, then is useless in a real slow moving disaster that only our heroines can solve, yeah.
So yeah, good writing, thin plot, but the stupidity is amazing. I really can't get attached to the characters. The situations are forced and people don't act like the characters in this book. I read book one, skipped two, read first couple of chapters here and it's not even worth my time. But still, well edited, words are spelled properly, sexes don't change mid sentence, is just a stupid book. An up and coming engineer, in space, first threatens to blow his station up, then is useless in a real slow moving disaster that only our heroines can solve, yeah.
September 13, 2018
I enjoyed the previous two novels in this series, therefore when this one came out, I remembered enough good things to get it. But this one... It seems an endless engineering and construction project with all the painful details only an engineer would plod through (good thing I 'are' one). The two characters become flat and superhuman in their suddenly found powers, both physical and intellectual. Balls of exotic galactic metal and all that. I could not figure what was the point of the story. But I finished it, waiting for the 'big bang' to happen. It did not.
September 14, 2018
Oh! it is good...
I wait with baited breath for the writings of certain authors-Nathan Lowell is o need of those authors. Lowell takes character driven story in a great direction with well developed story lines and great realistic character development and plotlines especially. Lowell writes not just tales of the future but beautiful well thought out visions of reality. Buy this book and the others in his series, laugh, cry,giggle,ponder and dream about sailing the big deep dark...going to where only the likes of the great bird of the galaxy dreamed of before.
I wait with baited breath for the writings of certain authors-Nathan Lowell is o need of those authors. Lowell takes character driven story in a great direction with well developed story lines and great realistic character development and plotlines especially. Lowell writes not just tales of the future but beautiful well thought out visions of reality. Buy this book and the others in his series, laugh, cry,giggle,ponder and dream about sailing the big deep dark...going to where only the likes of the great bird of the galaxy dreamed of before.
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