The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper grew from my long time fascination with space opera. From Lois McMaster Bujold to Iain Banks, from David Weber’s Honor-verse, to Piers Anthony’s “Bio of a Space Tyrant” series to Heinlein and Bradbury, and all the rest. I (mis)spent much of my youth lost in the galaxies both far, far away and closer to home.
One of the things that always bugged me about these stories was the larger-than-life hero. Every stinking one of them is some rich, powerful, or otherwise advantaged individual and, almost inevitably, it’s their money, position, or power that either saves them, or dooms them to follow whatever path the story takes. That’s all well and good. The powerful hero — even the “lost prince” Luke Skywalker type — is an enduring archetype. It’s great escapist fun to put yourself into the shoes of the great and powerful, but I’ve always wanted a hero that was more like me. Kinda slow, self-doubting, and, above all, fallible in ways that are closer to “toilet paper stuck to my shoe” than “unable to coordinate galactic take-overs with star-crossed romance.”
So, for once, the hero isn’t the Captain of the ship. He’s not even an officer. He’s a broke, uneducated, orphan from a backwater planet at the edge of no-where. He’s not a “hidden prince” and he wasn’t adopted. He’s just an average Joe trying to make it in the universe when his mother is killed in a mindless accident and he’s suddenly left to his own devices.
Please don’t get too hung up on the physics. I know there’s a lot of “then magic happens” in terms of the Solar Clipper’s technology. Humor me. The story isn’t about the string theory behind the gravity keel or the precise application of blue-green algae in the air scrubbers. It’s about the people who spend months at a time sailing between the stars, not on a warship doing heroic battle with enemies foreign and fearsome, but on a freighter just trying to make a living.
So, think of this as a kind of Billy Budd meets the Vorkosigans and gets a job on one of their ships. I hope you’ll find it an interesting voyage.
Nathan Lowell
February, 2007
Cape Grace should be out in December. I’m planning on writing it during NaNoWriMo.
It’s the sequel to South Coast and the prequel to Half Share.
Just finished a marathon, listening to Quarter, Half, Full, and Double share in something short of a week. Riveting is all I can say. I think Double Share drove me a little crazy having the long wait towards some real resolution, but I was happy once all was said and done.
I’ll be waiting patiently for more :)
Thanks!
Thanks, Rob! There should be a new title out around Christmas time — the sequel to South Coast.
I stumbled upon Quarter Share in Podiobooks.com a while back and immediately listened up to Full Share (what was available at the time). I absolutely fell in love with the way you tell the story. After an oh, so brief intro to the world Ishmail is leaving behind, I really got the feeling of being in the shoes of the character, steping onto the ship for the first time. It was great to see how what you know about people and things really comes directly from what the character is able to observe. I somehow missed both South Coast and Double Share coming out. That meant I had the chance to listen to the whole Double Share in less than a week. I realized how much I loved the book when the problem with me losing my iPod for a day was not whether I would find it again, but how I was going to finish the book. You have an awesome way of setting a story up, and I must say I have been sucked right into South Coast, and am about half way through. I definately think you are one of the best authors I have read, and would love to buy the series in print, if they come out. Now that I know the website I should be able to keep track of the books and listen to the new one in December!
Thanks for writing this book and reading it so well, so we can all enjoy it! Keep up the great writing and I will be watching for more.
You’re welcome and thanks for the kind words :)
Nate,
Your prose has captured me. I’ve finished the “Shares” and am heading over to podiobooks for South Coast.
For those whom are reading these comments in order to make up their mind if they should invest the time in listening to your stories, all I want to say is run, don’t walk to podiobooks or iTunes and your rewards will surpass your wildest dreams.
Thanks, RelayeR.
Much appreciated.
I, too, just finished my way through the “Shares” and am moving down the beach to the South Coast (with all intention of having something new from you waiting for me when I finish that – nudge, nudge).
I am in absolute awe of what you’ve done here. Ismail is such a developed character, that I often forgot that he
was, in fact, a character in a story. The best fiction always sucks you in to its own reality, and I felt that I was carrying Ismail with me for well after I heard an episode – running on the treadmill, making coffee, or even cooking. Oh,the marketing opportunities!
The Lois, and ultimately, the Billy, were not just places. For better or worse, they became real places that were just outside my grasp of touching. I’ve actually (accidentally) used some of your slang and told someone, “I’ll be with you in a few ticks”.
I have been an avid reader since I was a kid. I can’t remember the last time that I was this pulled into a reality. This is the best audio-science fiction out there, and I can’t wait for more.
Trust Lois?
No.
Trust Lowell.
Thanks, Jersey … I’m dragging behind on Cape Grace but I do have some progress.
I enjoyed this story more than any other podcast I have listened to and I have heard at least 100. I listen to them at work to help pass the time, but I have never found myself listening on my ride home or while at home. When I got to full share I had to force my self to stop listening, I was getting a bit obsessed. I love it and thank you for this work.
You’re welcome!
just another person who really enjoys your work, here.
You are a great storyteller and I am really looking forward to Cape Grace.
Hi Nate,
I caught your interview with Stephen in Tea&Chat and managed to get through the complete Shares series in a little less than 7 days. Your work (and reading) is amazing and I’m thoroughly saddened that we’ll probably have to wait a bit longer for further news about Mr. Wong. Double Share got me hooked like no other podcast before (and that’s counting in the 7th Son series, Metamor City and most of Sigler’s stuff, too).
Thank you very much for these stories and best luck for the final days of NaNoWriMo. Hope to hear more soon :)
Kind regards, christian
Yes, unfortunately it’ll be a bit longer yet. :{
1st, loved the books, great read, started in half share, realized something was wrong, looked back and listened to quarter share, half share, full share, then double share in about a week.
Do you have any idea when another Mr. Wong story is going to come out, as other people elsewhere on this site have said, I would love to hear about a captain with the last name of wong
The work in progress is Cape Grace .. the sequel to South Coast and prequel to Half Share. I’m hoping to have that done the early part of 2009. After that, Captains Share is on the drawing board.
That, Mr. Lowell, is wonderful news. I must say that finding your books three days ago far surpassed any other Christmas present I got. I finished the Trader’s Tale series not half a stan ago, and yes, I will be adding your slang to my vocabulary (you’ll be surprised at the people you meet with a well-placed “gorram”). You created such a compelling cast with such subtlety that I didn’t even realize I was hooked until well into “Quarter Share.” Your books make me truly believe that I was born 350 years too early; I identify with Ish to a rather startling degree, down to the talents, interests and the innate need to do something, though I lack his “classical training” and subsequent incredible level of charm. I will be recommending these to all of my friends, with the description “take Jim Hawkins, make him about ten million times more compelling, put him in a setting equal parts ‘Firefly’ and ‘Starship Troopers’, and throw in a big pot of wonderful story about people and their relationships with each other. Now go read ‘Quarter Share’.”
I absolutely loved the “Shares†and cannot wait until there’s more. Thank you, Nathan, for providing me with hours and hours of entertainment while I’m driving or working out. Keep it coming, please.
thank you, all for your wonderful comments! :)
Thank you for making your stories available through Podiobooks. I listen to books while at work. This is the third time I have listened to the Solar Clipper series. I really enjoy the characters and the worlds that you have created. Mr. Wong is always presented with problems or situations that most people would say “why bother” or “that’s to difficult” or they might just complain instead of doing something about whatever the issue is. I think the best thing about the books in my eyes is that he is always working out the problems and coming up with creative solutions. It has made me rethink about certain situations that I am faced with day to day. One of my favorite parts is in Double Share when he trys to explain using the “going to the beach” scenario.
I look forward to listening/readin more of your books in the future.
Thank you,
Jennifer
As many before me I have gone a marathon listening spree of listening to the Solar Clipper series. I’m hating that I have reached the end of the stories. I’m sitting hear wanting to continue to hear Ismail Wong raise through the ranks to his placement of captain of his own ship. Ismail is such a compelling character, and the proper use of so many naval terms was so wonderfully done that it sucked you into a world that if you closed your eyes and actually see. Well done Mr. Lowell and I can’t wait to hear more from you.
Ken McLaughlin
Hi Nathan,
I just wanted to say like everyone else what a wonderful series “The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper” is. Even better though, because this can really ruin a book for me, is what a wonderful reader you are. A person can lose themselves in then story because of the sense of rhythm you have while telling us your story, Thanks. I have tell you that lately between me and my husband we look at each other over certain things and ask what would Ish do. ;D
Leslie
Thanks. I was a podiobook listener for a year before I was a podiobook writer so I worked really hard at being a good reader. Once I got over the “I hate my own voice” it went much more smoothly
It is rare to find a story so enthralling and so wonderfully well thought out. You have characters to believe in and like and want to know better. Thank you for the greatest gift of all and that is entertainment.
Thank you so much for your loving labor in crafting these stories! I’ve just completed reading everything. Started Quartershare about 2 weeks ago and it has been an extremely enjoyable ride. I just finished South Coast yesterday. I kept thinking, “This guy sure can spin a yarn!”
I felt all throughout that there was a real integrity–both subtle and radical–to your writing. The story was sure of itself and was determined to be told on its own terms. The rhythm of the narrative. The attention to detail. The lack of gratuitous, exaggerated ‘drama for drama’s sake’. You must be a person who can find genuine enjoyment in real, everyday life. I just haven’t found any other works quite like these. I literally found myself smiling and feeling great contentment while listening.
As for the reading, by all of my gauges and meters, it was pretty near perfect. Your voice seemed to capture and express Ishmael’s special character. There’s a wry wisdom and an interiority to him that he uses to great effect in his life. And the voice communicated that.
Finally, I appreciated your sometimes pronunciation of his name with a lightly voiced ‘H’ before the ‘w’, so that it sounded like ‘Huang’. In Mandarin, Huang and Wang are two different surnames; but in Cantonese, they are both pronounced ‘Wong’. Somehow ‘Wong’ and ‘Wang’ have made it into more common usage in the West. Hearing his name pronounced Huang, whether intentional or not, added a pleasant sense of nuance. (Though if we’re talking about subtle nuance to the world-building, there’s much much more to mention than that.)
Well done, Nathan Lowell! A great writer is a priceless treasure. I only hope you’ll keep on seeing fit to share these wonderful tales.
Thanks, NIgel.
And you can bet I intend to continue!
When I get beyond this RL crisis mode, I’ll be back to ink slinging!
I’ve been sitting in front of my laptop putting long hours in trying to develop some software. I’ve been listening to podiobooks to help me pass the hours and first found Quarter Share. It’s been very pleasant to listen to and I’m working my way through the subsequent books and looking forward to any new ones.
Very well done.
I have just finished Double Share. I think it’s the best of the series by a long shot, mostly because of the increased drama. Thanks for writing them and I hope you will do more some day. I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed so if I see that you happen to be in Central Texas one day I’ll be sure to make a point of being in the audience.
I’ve been so busy working (long hours, seven days a week) on my current app for the last couple months that I’ve not had time to do a blog entry. But now I think I’m inspired to do one about podio books. (@eric_marsh.info). It’s a great new medium. I’ve been trying to convince my wife Janet to do a podiobook now for a while (she has a couple books she hopes to have published) but so far she’s not buying in. Seems to me that this is a much better way to gain exposure and from what I see most writers don’t exactly get rich, so you might as well just do it because you love it.
Mr. Lowell, I have just finished Full Share and can not wait to start the next installment. I have had all the Share books on my PC for some time and about 3 weeks ago gave quarter share a try. I devoured it and could not tear myself away. Home, work and driving in my car I could not put it down. I have as quickly gone through Half and Full Share. I am completely immersed in what happens to Ishmael next. You style and delivery are quite refreshing and very easy to listen to. To hear the story of a regular guy in a regular universe without all the swashbuckling and alien hordes. Ishmael is truly a “hail fellow well met” and I look forward to his continuing adventures. Thank You for a wonderful series.
Rich Verde
Thank you so much for the books you have written and read for us. I do a morning paper route, and I just finished listening to all the ‘shares’ for the 3rd time. My friend Loridee counts a certain type of fish via videa, it is long boring work. She asked me to load her new MP3 player with something good she could listen too and I loaded all the books from you. She has listened over 10 times to them, still loves them and won’t let me put anything else on her player. Unfortunately her husband is partially deaf and can’t listen, so he doesn’t get the comments we make around him that pertain to the books.
I found Quarter Share first because I was looking for Sci-Fi for my husband to listen to as he coated computer boards. He loved it and on his recommendation we listened to it together, and then all the rest also. They are all excellent. He drives in a carpool and has gotten everyone in the carpool hooked alsol, as they listen on the drive to and from work. Best wishes on weathering the current economic crisis, and know that your fan base is expanding and growing.
Good audio and good storytelling of a great story.
Tina
I can’t say enough. I fell into your world, i fell into the characters. I have listened to a number of podiobooks lately and your series may have been the greatest escape i had out of all of them. Every part of the prodcution blended into a medium that my mind could easily find a home in. I just read about the next two that will be coming out. So i fidget and wait. Thanks
There are surprisingly few authors out there who can create a characte or set of characters that capture your emotions and attention like Ishamael Wang and his shipmates on the Lois and the Billy. There are even fewer who can make the story of those characters lives captivate us without throwing in the drama of space battles, wizardly technology and high romance.
To me, though, Ishamael Wang and his friends and crew are heroes, the quiet heroes who work every day to make life better for themselves and the people around them. The ones who have the integrity to stand up even when its not easy or convenient, and who will do the right thing because it’s right and not bow to the alter of “”go along to get along”.
Not one of them may ever make it into the history books of their universe for saving a planet from disaster or alien invasion or piloting a ship through a fleet of enemy, they are just good people who, through their example, make the rest of us want to be better people too.
Well done, Mister Lowell, carry on.
I continue to be surprised on the true quality of the fiction novels I find on podiobooks. I just finished reading my first of your books, Double Share, and must say that I found myself grinning with joy when I found out three others awaited my ears, eager for more stories about Ishamael Wang. I do completely agree with Danielle, it’s both refreshing and a rare skill to be able to write a compelling story that keeps you captivated and intrested for the entire duration when the subject is in many ways non-grandeur like in your great story “Double Share”. That, to me, is a sign of true writing skill, to make something entrhalling while leaving the stereotypical battles and explotions alone. I salute your writing skill and hope to see more stories about our oh-so-normal but truly fascinating Ishamael Wang. Your stories are what I’ve been searching for for a long time, since the battles and explotions have long ago stopped being of enjoyment to me, searching for something more real and “down to earth” – as ironic as that may be to look for in a Sci-Fi novel :)
Great job. Please continue writing and I’ll continue listening.
Helgi S. Karlsson
Iceland
Nathan,
Just discovered this message board. It is great to find so many people that love these stories as much as I do.
I just finished the four “Share” books, and found them truly stellar! The story continues to evolve, leaving me anxious for Captain’s Share, and I have started searching for any of your work in print. Do you release these stories only as audiobooks (not that I am complaining – your oice is perfect for the content)?
I am just starting my 9 year old grandson on the Heinlein juveniles – and these books will the next stories I introduce to him. Thanks for the wonderful world you have created.
I am also following you (and your wife) on twitter, and am glad your health is recovering. You deserve to live a long and happy life – as long as you keep producing these audiobooks!
I just paid you [thanks!] through PodioBooks.
Thanks
Fred
I just wanted to throw you a huge Thank You. I was turned on to your books thru a friend at work. I had a family Vacation and it required 10 hrs of driving there and back, so I figured your books would fill the time. I ended up getting home and sitting in a corner, listening intently untill I was able to finish all 4. I then found myself searching for more of your work!! Your storys are addicting and the universe you have created is supurb!! I LOVED every minute of them. Sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. Please, as a side note. Even if you must end this story line, do not abandon this wonderful universe you have created.
Thanks again,
Robert
Your series was fantastic and I was more than happy to donate at podiobooks.com. I can’t wait to leave for work in the mornings simply to enjoy the walk and get lost in the world that you have created, it’s like SiFi archeology; what the little guys did with themselves But more than that the quality of your writing and Kudos on the reading, the audio quality is excellent and the inflection of tone is like listening to a personal experience. I can barely wait for Captains Share.
Have listened to Quarter, Half and Full Shares. Just starting Double Share. Your work is exceptional, and I’ve converted half my office to listening to the books. I really appreciate the human element in these stories, and the depth of the relationships between the characters. I ration myself to one podcast on the way to work, and one from work. Between podcasts I found myself thinking about the characters, and discussing them with my friends. It all seems very real.
I also enjoy the way the books use adversity. The stories weren’t about pirates hunting people down, but rather about characters dealing with their uncertain futures and changes in their relationships. It a well-written feel-good story about the personal growth of the main character, and the characters that surround him. Thank you.
Thank you, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books so far. Please keep them coming. I really enjoyed watching Ishmael Wang grow was truly enjoyable. I have recently taken to running and I had an upcoming race where I used Quarter share and Half share to train. I kept running just so I could listen to Full Share and Double Share. I am now starting Captains share, I hope to see some of the old characters from the earlier books. Once again thank you.
I really am enjoying your books. Being a little backwards, I started out with Captain’s Share and then had to scamper on back to Podiobook.com and get the rest. I have now finished Quarter Share and Half Share and can’t wait to start the next one on my drive home tonight. Among the universes I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy, like Honor-verse and Known Space, I add the Universe of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. Good work. Cheers!
Thanks for these stories. You have greated chatracters so real hat they feel like friends I can’t wait to “see” each day. The most compelling part of the stories is the feeling of normalcy. As a fan of Sci-Fi it is annoying that most writers what to dazzle us with the fantastic innovations of the future world. Your stories put the listener i a future world that is as normal as our world where the characters have the same issues and problems that we have, albiet slightly upgraded. I have listened to all of the books in the Share series and just finished South Coast. I am addicted and can not stop! I NEED A FIX! I keep seeing references to Cape Grace and it’s release in early 2009 but I can not find it. Was it released and if not what is the status? Again, Thanks for the stories!
Sorry about that. Cape Grace was *supposed* to be out in early 2009, but I tabled it in favor of Double Share.
There *should* be a new book in a few weeks. If NaNoWriMo goes as planned there’ll be a new book before Christmas.
Then I’ll do Owner’s Share, but it won’t be out before spring. I’m planning to release that sometime in May.
After that, I’ll go back to Cape Grace.
I too started with Captain’s Share and had to go back to Quarter Share and catch up. Outstanding work. I had a lots of long driving lately and your audiobooks were just the thing. I totally fell into the characters and stories.
I very much hope you’ll go back and revisit the time period skipped between Double Share and Captain’s Share. (“First Mate’s Share?”) There’s got to be more good tales to spin there.
Thank you very much for your fantastic work.
Nathan, I started reading C.S.Forester, R.A.Heinlein W.Scott and R.L.Stevenson at about age 12 and I guess I really started to understand those works about ten years after I read them. I returned to them all, oft in times of adversity, and will return to yours too. There is strength to be found in your writing. Thanks.
I eagerly await your next podcast book every time I finish listening to one. I think they are head and shoulders above most other poscast books. I worry that you will tire of writing about the Golden Age – I will never tire of listening to it. I spend a fair number of hours driving to and from evening musical rehearsals and your podcast books make that time pass most enjoyably!
Thanks for these wonderful stories. I am devouring them one after another on my extreme commute each day. I especially appreciate the fact that you’ve managed to create such compelling stories without resorting to tales of violence and bloodshed (at least not as of the middle of Full Share). I love the way the stories focus on the personal development and relationships between the characters. Wonderful job. I hope you receive the recognition you deserve as the spectacular writer you are.
Mr. Lowell, I have been a sci-fi/fantasy fan since I was in high school in Chicago back in the 60’s and spending many hours in the library soaking up Heinlein, Asimov, Clark, Tolkien, etc. Not since I first started reading LOTR in my sophmore year of high school have I become as totally enthralled by a story as when I listened to your narration of Quarter Share back in 2008. I was ride-sharing a long commute drive when my friend told me he had down loaded your book off of a podcast. This was (and still is I’m afraid) just gibberish to me (hey, I’m in my 60’s cut an old guy some slack) and frustrated Chris no end. He found a way to link his MP3 player into my car radio and we started listening. In the first hour I was totally HOOKED! I loved your story line and the narration is absolutely top shelf – and you are a dab hand at selecting segue music – Lucky is my favorite!! We listened to Quarter Share, Half Share, and Full Share. We had way too much fun making jokes about your penchant for using red ink (as in “Written in red by Nathan Lowell” – okay it was funny to me anyway) and desribing Lucky the black cat (worst case of mange you ever saw, one eyed, one fanged, deaf, three legged – goes by the name of Lucky). Then my listening world collapsed. Chris was lost due to down sizing and then I busted my radio…
I SO want to read/listen to Captains Share and South Coast, et al – but I lack the technical capability, :=(
(see, even my emoticons are primitive and pitiful!)
I would love to see your books in print.
Your books are THE best stories I have ever listened to – and I have shelves full of audio books.
I used to think Jim Dale doing Harry Potter was the tops – not any more. You are at the head of the list young feller!
Thank you for giving an old guy something to look forward to.
I might just have to go and buy one of them new-fangled MP3 players thingies and get one of my kids – or grandkids – to download the stories.
I have a kind of self-serving and selfish wish for you… May your future be bright and long – and full of dozens of new stories for you to publish/podcast.
Thank You.
The books will be in print in 2010.
One way or another.
I love these stories. The fact that Ishmel is just a regular guy. I feel like I have been on his journey. I WISH I was along side him.
I am finishing the series for the second time (Quarter, half, full, double, and Captains share). I cannot wait for Owner’s Share. I love all of your books. It keeps me in all of Ishmael’s journey’s.
You are a great writer, and audio’r.
Ravenwood
Just downloaded this very good book from I tunes after listening went to download the rest of your books
where did you get your knowledge abut herbs are you from the woods also. Or just good research.
Linda
Thanks, Linda. I grew up in the woods, but mostly it’s just good research. :)
Hope you enjoy the rest of them.