To Fire Called

A Seeker’s Tale #2

by Nathan Lowell

A dead ship returns to the Deep Dark with a live crew.Captain Ishmael Wang finally gets the Chernyakova out of the yard and embarks on a voyage into the Toe-Holds where the Confederated Planets Joint Committee on Trade has no authority. Where the law is whatever you say it is as long as you can enforce it. Where he learns that some will do anything to hide their secrets and everybody has a secret.

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

328 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2017

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]

Another great installation in the story of Ishmael Wang. A good deal of this story is spent on world building and fleshing out the toe holds. Most of it is on the quiet side, but that's the rule, not exception for these series. Since I've read these several times, I know this is a case of the calm before the storm.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Book 2 of the Seeker's Tale Series and it was something of a disappointment. Throughout most of the book, I felt that I didn't quite understand what was happening, or that nothing seemed to be happening. To be fair, that may have been the intention of the author, because obviously Ishmael felt the same way. He felt that he was somehow being used, maybe scammed, but he didn't know how. There was a little bit of excitement at the end, but it didn't last long, then was too easily resolved, and the book finished with another conundrum.

Another thing that was frustrating, there were a number of references to people from previous series, not just the last book, that were not explained to any extent. Granted, some of that may be explained by my less than perfect memory, but I have read each of those previous books at least twice. Most authors are able to include some minimal explanation of back references, enough to trigger the reader's memory. At least enough to enable us to know whether the references are important to the plot. But not here. It pissed me off.

I will probably read the next book in the series, but I will be skittish about it.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoyable, but frankly not as enjoyable as the previous volumes. We're out in the boonies making creds and hunting down some vital information. That being said, our intrepid Ishmael is kinda out of his depths and I frankly don't like to see him that way.

He's always been one to take careful preparation, cover all his bases, dot all his I's. So this little jump off into ignorance kinda grated on me.

It all worked out pretty well, all told, but my confidence porn got pummeled a bit. Alas.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another good installment in the ongoing life of Ishmael Horatio Wang. These stories are gems, the day to day life of interstellar traders made realistic.

[Shane Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Cheracters and concept but....

Great characters and concept building in his earlier series but this is almost a kafkaesque satire....imagine a book called the battle of X, you spend 98% of the boom talking about getting ready for the battle, logistics, ground conditions etc ...then you get to the battle site , get ready and then next page discussed where you are having Tea now that the battle is over. Crazy and that made me want to give it 2 stars

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't seem to stop reading these books. I really love this world, characters, and stories. I wish there were more to read, but I guess I'll just have to be patient. And I'll probably hold myself over by reading some of Lowell's other works

[AR · Rating 1 out of 5]

What happened to the ending???

I was really enjoying this book and then all of a sudden: It's almost 2 months later, a couple questions get vaguely answered, and then the book ends. What?!?

When I read a book, I've come to expect a certain level of resolution / satisfaction at the end of it. The ending of To Fire Called completely failed to live up to this standard, leaving me unhappy and frustrated with it. Not recommended.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan lowell rules

I think I have read almost everything NL has written. Really terrific reads, all!
I'm about to the point to start again and reread them all!
If you haven't read NL you really need to

[Scott C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of change for the series, a mystery to be solved, people are not who they say they are and poor Ish is left to figure it out on his own. This book felt like a bit of a filler before the 3rd book but given how it ended, not so sure anymore....... Left a bit confused going into book 3, nothing wrong with that :)

[Juni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A positioning book. Placing all the pieces. I suspect Book 3 is gonna be a doozy.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I did enjoy it even with Ish depressed and out of it for half the book! Story held some surprises, including that ending!

12/20 reread! I enjoyed being out in the toe-holds! Good ending!
2025 reread - I upped it to four stars!

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this author. His characters are usually mature adults, and the situations are usually not very complicated. And yet there is drama and humor, setbacks and success.

If you haven't read the previous 7 or 8 books, this is not the place to start. Go back the beginning, you'll appreciate the journey.

[Persnickety · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pip's can full of profitable prime or load of manure.

I almost bought into the review negatives and skipped this one. Glad I didn't. Yeah, I tend to over analyze. But I think this is one of the most fascinating and complex editions in the series.

😖 SPOILERS 😖

I don't get the sociopathic liar outrage. The merchant family that also deals in spy craft is pretty much locked in to a perpetual state of marketing patter. Pip was raised that way. Ish "learned" the language over the years and learned he could trust that Pip was protective of both their interests and protected Ish with plausible deniability. Ish knew when to call BS.

I also found Ish finally getting his true sea legs by the end of the book. I think his instincts and intelligence, along with his land rat perspectives, left him dealing with a boat load of ongoing cognitive dissonance on top of the genuine traumas. Anyone that thinks there's a quick resolution before the dots can connect has been blessed with a fairly straightforward life? Ish had his upended several times. Nothing to do with maturity. Now that so much is truly making sense, he's starting to understand he has a reliable inner sense that leads him; whether attributed to whelkie guidance or trusting the ship. A part of him knew there was something out of kilter. An awareness that most of us miss more often than not when it would be helpful?

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story isn't perfect. The pacing felt off from other novels, the characters also seemed different from other books in the series.

I know that Ishmael has never sailed through the Deep Dark before, but he felt a bit more clueless than I expected.

Also, Pip seemed very different. He always was crafty with the truth, but in this book it seems he's taking a lot more liberty with the truth than in other novels. As if he totally didn't trust his best friend. If I had been in Ishmael's shoes, I'd have flushed him out the nearest airlock a lot sooner. You don't play with the lives of that many people while leaving them in the dark as to the stakes.

The buildup in the story is long and the 'chase scene' (if you can call it that) near the end takes its time while the pay-off feels rather anticlimactic.

To be honest, what really happened at that system is still somewhat of a mystery to me. That could've used a bit more exposition, but my guess is that Ishmael didn't have any role to play in that.

Another mystery is what happened at a certain gallery. Why was it important that Ishmael got gassed there?

The story left me with questions that I'm pretty sure the next book won't answer and that's slightly frustrating to me.

But in all, it is another fun ride with Ishmael. But one that's not without issues. It's a toss-up between 3 and 4 stars. Giving it 4 for old time's sake.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Fire Called is the second book in Nathan Lowell's A Seeker's Tale series. It follows the story of Ismael Wang, Captain of the Chernyakova, and his crew. We were first introduced to young Ishmael in this author's previous series, the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Series; Trader Tales.

I love that this epic tale unfolds through and around the Captain, without infringement of space wars and aliens. It's best to read these books in order of their release, as recurring characters rotate in and out. The overall journey captures the imagination and binds you to the story line, without relying on huge battle scenes or aliens. This is an epic tale set in outer space. The characters are very well defined, and they continue to mature before our eyes. This particular installment is full of mystery and intrigue, and caused me to wonder throughout on which side the many players belonged. Well, the pieces are coming together nicely, but I'll have to read the followup, Suicide Run. I can hardly wait.

Note to Dr. Lowell: You old salty dog! You hold your cards very close to your chest. And you only show us one or two at a time. The intrigue is addictive. Well done. And, please, keep it up. Thank you for sharing your imagination with us. I'm in for the long haul.

[Adriel Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I am a huge fan of Nathan's Tanyth Fairport Series, I am even more ridiculously a fan of the Solar Clipper series. I was introduced to them via John Ward, the great collector of interesting people, who suggested the Quarter Share podcast to me. A couple years later, and not only have I thoroughly enjoyed devouring the entire series on a regular basis, but I've also roped my family into the fandom as well. I'm pretty sure my mother has listened to the first six books at least a score of times. I'm not kidding. My children have listened in rapt attention to Quarter Share at least five or six times. We use them as road trip entertainment. They're published in series of three, each trilogy focusing on a different phase of Ishmael Horatio Wang's life.

To Fire Called is rightfully dedicated to John Ward. But if Ward can't get Nathan to write derring-do and such, I don't know who can. Despite that, this is a great book. I love following the clues and solving the mystery. I love some of the fun characters that pop up in this one. And I'm super happy that Ish found that coat again! 

To read my review on every book in the series, check out my full review at adrielwiggins.com/solar-clipper.

[John Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for the entire series to date. The character development is very good and you find yourself smiling from time to time at the resourcefulness of the main hero Captain Wang (Ishmael) and his friends like Pip and many others. This is not your usual sci-fi with lasers, energy weapons and strange aliens. Instead this series is about "sailing" about deep dark space going to various stations or orbitals above the planets. There is action, intrigue, mystery, love and more across the stories. The author keeps you turning pages and when one book ends you are wanting more. Make sure you start at the beginning of the series - there are 12 books in the Seeker's Tales From the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper - its starts with 6 books, then 3 more and 3 more. I recommend you read them in order :-)

[Mark Zodda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Nathan Lowell's writing and have enjoyed the Solar Clipper series and his other stories. While his writing is character rather than event driven, I found that this last book tended to drag and I got tired of the Ishmael Wang "dealing" with depression and loss. Pip's return was quite a let down as well as his character was not in the least bit sympathetic. I found the ending rushed and as I thought Lowell was setting the stage for the next book in the series only to find that the matter was resolved with a wink and a nod. Overall, disappointing.

[Angus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first one of Lowell's books that I didn't love. It was still okay, but it felt unfocused and rather random, as if the author didn't really know where it was going for most of the book.

Nathan Lowell is superb at writing stories in which not very much happens—but which are, nevertheless, utterly engrossing. But in this one, I feel he's taken a rare misstep.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb!

[Gwendolyn Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like Nathan's books. I've listened to all of them that have audiobooks. Don't tell the guys who did his Audible books, but I have copies of the podcasts squirrelled away. The Audible books are excellent -- I even spotted where some wordings got edited, and for the better -- but frankly, I thought Nathan's reading sounded more like Ishmael, and I will never forgive the Audible guys for changing how to pronounce "Roubaille". Sure, their pronunciation sounded believable for the spelling, but it's not how NATHAN pronounces it, and that matters. It probably needed an accent acute on the last e (é), and that would have forced the "-ay" ending. It's like listening to Grover Gardner reading his first Vorkosigan book ("Memory", for the trivia fans), and getting all the names wrong. He fixed it in "Komarr", but still...that recording should have been redone, they were so off. But I digress...

Like "In Ashes Born", this book isn't so much a solid story in and of itself, but a series of "...whatever happened to..." pastiches regarding all the old characters we knew and loved from the first series. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but when you spend your time stitching together a dozen character pastiches, there's a tendency to rush to the next pastiche, rather than pay attention to the plot development. You can't do a short story for each character development, but only a drabble for the plot. It's unbalanced, and makes for a thin story. It's still entertaining, because we like those characters a whole lot, but the thin story is like thin air. We might like what we're doing way up there, but if we pass out from anoxia, we're no longer READING. Characters and setting may be meat and milk, but plot is the air we breathe between meals, and this is pretty rarefied. We like the taste, and it slakes our thirst, but it gives us a headache at the end.

And so this did for me. I was reading, reading, reading, enjoying it so much, then "suddenly, he woke up". For Nathan, that had to be the most abrupt ending of any of his books I've ever read. It built up and up, and while we had a nice conflict, there was no climax. It just dove directly into the steepest denouement I've ever seen, and I'm a Heinlein fan (RAH couldn't write endings for the life of him). That's as close as I can get to a decent review without actually spoiling the plot.

I can tell there's some dovetailing with Milk Run, so I'm going to finish that next and see if there's any caulk for the gaps and maybe even a shot of oxygen for those rarefactions. And I will be waiting for the NEXT book in the Seeker's Tale to see if any of the stuff Nathan left OUT gets told there.

I enjoyed this book. It had some really fun moments. But next time, Nathan, fix your plot holes BEFORE you move on. You almost left one large enough to throw a dog through. Let me point it out. Space is not cold. Space is NOTHING. You did manage to squeak out of that one, barely, but it was pretty whiffy there for a moment. Don't do that again, please. But that ending...sir, it gave me the distinct impression that you had run out of time before deadline and needed to slap a stamp on it and hope it arrived at the address. You only get ONE of those. I suggest you ask your publisher to give you an extension clause, so if you are running tight on deadline but still have story in your teeth, you can ask for the time to floss properly. Who was it who clipped their nails for luck and trimmed his nose hair? Attention to detail is important. Take the time to get the WHOLE story out...or find a way to shove a piece to the next book WITHOUT giving us such an express elevator to the egress quite so quickly.

Again, don't think I didn't like the book. I gave it four stars, so I liked it a lot. But I should have been able to give you FIVE stars, like the rest of your books I've read. This one...I simply couldn't give that ending the fifth star, and I really wish I could have.

If you missed the climax that badly in bed, you'd be lucky if your partner let you try again. But she might if she really liked you a lot, so you might get away with it. But it'd take a real good sport to let you get away with it TWICE.

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the second arc of stories centering on Ishmael Wang in the SF series, "The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper." Short version: five out of five stars.

Longer version: I very very rarely give books a straight five stars. Sometimes I give them four and a half stars rounded up to five stars. Or I might give a book 4.7 stars in my own notes and call it five stars in a book review. My rare five-star reviews are usually for books whose excellence is clear, such as Le Guin's "The Dispossessed."

"To Fire Called" is a very good book, a book that I might normally have given four and a half enthusiastic stars. But there's a scene in it that particularly hit me. I doubt it will hit other readers as hard. I doubt it would have hit me as hard in another season. But this time it did. So five stars it is.

Setting that one scene aside, this is a very good book with a very likable and good protagonist. In the times we live in, I especially value a good protagonist. Better yet, Ishmael is accompanied by other good people, friends and colleagues, and colleagues who are friends, all of them compassionate and ethical (even if Pip is prone to lying). There are no aliens. There's no time travel. There's very little one could call flashy, even in the more adventurous chapters near the end. I didn't miss those things.

Five out of five shearwater 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).

[Smoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book might be one of the slower in the series, but it is to be expected with it working as the middle piece of the Seekers Tale trilogy. They jump around looking for something, they might find it, and some stuff is found out to set up book three.

Even though it is expected, it is not the most exciting read. If it wasn't for the characters being set up so well in previous books it wouldn't have worked at all. Since they were however, it is a decent enough read. There is a lot set up for book three, I just hope it all pays off.

Overall this book is just so so for me. There is a lot of introspection and mental health upkeep from characters, and that's not something I personally enjoy in books. Real life has enough of it, and reading about it is always a slog for me. Book one of the Seekers Tale had some of it, this continues, and I expect there will be more in book three. The plot progresses, but in a pretty round about way, and they don't actually learn all that much to advance it from start to finish.

So far everyone is still together, and there is even a cameo from another old character. What is to come in the last book in the trilogy...who knows, but I'm definitely going to read it and find out. I've invested too much time into these characters not to.

[Jim Kratzok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good story!

Having been a fan since I first read "Quarter Share" well over a decade ago, I feel like Ishmael Wang, the captain of the ship in this story, is an old friend. I've watched him grow from an eighteen year old kid who'd just lost his mother in a tragic accident to a man who's continued to see his share of tragedy. All along the way he has used his wits and collection of incredible friends and shipmates to take difficult situations and turn them around. The tone of the stories has gotten a bit darker over the years but I suppose that's a natural progression in life.

In "A Fire Called," Ishmael ends up taking his refurbished ghost ship into the Toe-Holds region of space; the relatively untamed frontier away from the commercial lanes he has been sailing. This is new territory for him with a different set of rules. Not a lot actually happens in this book. There is very little drama or excitement. A lot of the story is really just hinted at rather than said outright which can be a little off-putting at times. I guess we'll see where things end up in the next book.

[T.H. Leatherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rules, who needs rules

Captain Ishmael Wong is on a mission. He's out to find the man who murdered the love of his life. To do that he'll have to go into the world of thieves and outlaws: Toe Hold Space. It isn't anything like he expected. The space station and people who operate outside the law are much like the people on the right side of the law.

There are some differences though. Might is right, and there are fiefdoms everywhere. Not everyone tells the truth, including some of his oldest and dearest friends. When he finds some of those friends in danger, he doesn't give it a second thought. Helping each other is what friends do, even if it could cost him his life.

Nathan Lowell brings another book to the golden age series. There are lots of old faces and many new ones. Like many of his books, it about the journey, not the destination. A fun read for sci fi fans everywhere.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this as much as some of the others in this series. Partly because Ishmael is depressed and a little bit lost, so isn’t interacting with other characters or coming up with ideas the same way he is in other books. Also at times I felt like there was more sci-fi-techno-babble than Lowell usually subjects his readers to and it made it more difficult to maintain interest through those sections. Also Brill gets floated as a sort of teaser almost but we never actually see her which just seemed odd. I’m honestly not completely sure what happened at the end of the book or why Brill was suddenly coming back to meet old friends after being gone for two decades, but if it was happening I certainly wanted some interaction to occur.

I do like the portrayal of therapy in the last book and in this one. It’s not stigmatized and it’s not romanticized. Most of the work happens in Ishmael’s thought between sessions.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've lost track of the number of Nathon Lowell books I've read. I enjoyed this book, but I have alot of comments (which I may or may not share here). Ultimately, the Ishmal Wang books are slow and repetitive, but I can't look away. I listen with regularity to Nathan's morning walks podcast and this the first time I've listen to him while he was writing his book. I don't know him personally, but listening to him adds a sense of familiarity and you can sense his changing moods in his writing. Like 'Ohh, I bet he wrote this chapter during this time'. Purely speculation. The book felt very "pantser" and in my opinion could have benefited from another re-write, but at some point you just have to say "it's done" and publish it. I'll keep buy and I'll keep reading and I'll keep listening.

I still have no clue why the series is called A Seeker's Tale???

[Thomas James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Was Simpler

Lowell has certainly gotten my attention. He writes introspective space opera with less emphasise on space than introspective. This time he went more traditional with missiles fired, well one really, and escaping by the skin of your teeth. Introspectively, we follow Ishmael through more life-changing developments including love lost, goals accomplished, and even questions on where to go from here with some interesting insights on life. He says, "You can always tell a captain." ( But you can't tell him much. 😂) I enjoyed this one maybe a bit less than previous adventures, probably because life was simpler then, without the lying, intrigue and double-entendres. I believe what I disliked was that his closest friend, Pip, starts looking more like a jerk than a good friend. It was simpler then.

[Velid · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Fire Called is a fantastic continuation of Ishmael Wang’s journey. Where the earlier books built his foundation, this one pushes him and his crew into uncharted territory—literally. We finally get a deeper look at the dark space orbitals that float between systems, mysterious and dangerous in their own right, and the story uses them to raise the stakes beautifully.

What really shines here is the balance between Ishmael’s personal growth and the crew’s development as a family, all while exploring the capabilities of their new ship. It’s not just about survival anymore—it’s about leadership, trust, and charting a future in a universe that keeps getting bigger.

I finished this one already reaching for the next book. If you’re on the fence about continuing the series—don’t be. This installment proves the journey is only getting better.

[Robert Spellmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Relaxing. Sci-Fi that is not horror in disguise

"Seekers Tale" one.  Fairly clean and below today's potty-mouthed, cruel standard, but there's more language than you'd want your homeschooled children to read.   I'd put it at pre-college reading level and definitely for those who just enjoy reading with a taste for true sci-fi. (Meaning its not a horror story as so many 'sci-fi' genre have become.)

No bug-eyed monsters, or galactic space battles,  "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."  A very relaxing read for those who don't insist in action and terror.