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
I want to thank you for all the hard work you put into these books. Please keep it coming! I am eagerly awaiting owners share and any other works. But I would like some more on the South Coast book. Kind of felt needing more!!!! thanks your loyal fan
There’s at least one more book there. Cape Grace is on the schedule for later in the year.
*fingers crossed*
Thanks for doing the “I should be Writing” interview with Mur Lafferty. I downlowded the first book the day I heard the interview and listened to the rest of the series back to back. I’m listening to them again with my wife. It has helped me to start studying for IT certifications (what are lunchs for anyway!) I look forward to hearing more from Ish!
Keep writing and Podcasting!
Thanks Again,
Jeff
Great Book’s! I found Double share on a idle run though podiabooks.com, and have been addicted to them ever since. Mind that was last week. My ears are red from the ear pluggs after listening to first double, captain then quarter, half and now closing on the end of full share. Can’t wait for owner’s share. Or a follow up on captain’s share.
Thanks!
Hi nathan!!!
Thanx for writing the books about Ishmael Wang, I enjoyed them immensley!!! I live and work on a small island in the Med called Cyprus. Since we work with tourists we have a lot to do during the season, but not too mych to do during the wintermonts, que houswork, which is very boooooooring! Anyway with an Ipod in my ears filled with goodies fr podiobooks.com it goes quit well. I listened to mur laffertys heavenseries, scott siglers gruesom infected series, which i liked, christiana elllis nina and space casey which i loved and PJ holyfields murder at avadon hill, which really needs a sequel before I stumbeled on the shares series. I mainly choose it because its looong, I hat eto have to muckh gardenwork to do and no story left, but now I listened to captains share I want MORE!!!!!!! It is really, really good!!!!! So pls,pls pls write some more !!! I feel almost sad when a podiobook is finnished and I have to leave them behind…….
By the way, I never heard anybody in cyprus listen to podiobooks so I will do my best to promote u all over here!!!! now its time to go in search of a new, hopefully loooooooooooong podiobook!!
wish u all the best and greetings from
Millamollan in Cyprus
Thanks! And I’m glad I’m able to make your day go a little faster!
Hi Nathan!
I’ve just had the pleasure of listening to your interview with my sister (Abbie) on the Cowry Catchers podcast. I’m currently in the middle of listening to Captain’s Share so I thought I would drop by and say hello. I’ve enjoyed listening to the Solar Clipper books, so thank you for all the hours of hard work you’ve done writing, reading, and producing them. I’m looking forward to reading Ravenwood.
I suspect you must be a Briggs Meyers Idealist (hopefully you know what that means) since Ishmael seems to me to be a real Idealist’s Idealist. He certainly isn’t a traditional archetype, but to me he is almost an archetype in that respect. Although he is a more real character than a typical archetype and he does develop over time, sometimes Ishmael is almost too good in a very Idealisty sense. He’s so great at relationships and seeing through people and figuring out what makes them tick and bringing out their good sides. These are of course all things that Idealists do well, but Ishmael truly excels.
Anyway, thanks for your great work!
Hughes
One other thing I was going to comment on. Most of time, book podcasts in iTunes appear with the first episode at the bottom (because it’s the oldest) and the last episode at the top (because it’s the newest). This looks a little funny in iTunes, but when you get it on your iPod/iPhone it plays in the correct order because the iPod sorts the podcasts in order from oldest to newest.
Your podcast books seems to always appear in iTunes in the opposite order as if you had posted the last episode first (and the dates in iTunes even indicate this to be the case although I’m sure it’s not). While this makes the podcast look better in iTunes, it makes it kind of infuriating to listen to on the iPod because after each episode I can’t simply let it go to the next track because it will be going to the previous episode. On the iPod (or at least on my iPhone I should say) the episodes are listed in reverse order from iTunes. So after each one I have to pull it out and switch tracks to the track above the one I just listened to.
While I realize it isn’t your fault that iTunes and the iPod/iPhone list podcast tracks in the opposite order, I do wish you would put them in the correct chronological order in your iTunes feed so that they play in the correct order on my iPhone.
Hughes
The iTunes feed comes from Podiobooks and is nothing I have any control over. It’s that way because most podcast players play in reverse chronological order with the newest podcasts first. Because of that, Podiobooks regenerates the entire feed every time there’s an update so that the first episode is always first.
The difficulty started at the end of 2007 when Apple changed its standard play order on many of its newer devices. By then, the Podiobooks process was already well established. I don’t have this problem when I listen to podiobooks because my Sansa mp3 player has an “audiobooks” setting that plays the files in alpha-by-name and not date sequence. FWIW, my Blackberry plays them in the correct order as well.
The answer to this Apple specific question is an Apple specific answer. Make a “play list” where you load them in the order you want and then use the list, not a default order. The problem with changing the order at the source is that all the people who don’t have a problem now will suddenly get one. Either way we’ll aggravate a significant proportion of the population.
Hope this answers the question, even if it’s not the answer you wanted.
I listened to Captain’s Share on a recent road trip, along with a few other books from podiobooks.com, and didn’t realized until the trip was over that I’d just listened to the last book of the series. Captain’s Share was by far my favorite listen from the trip, and I’m working my way through your others, in the right order this time.
Thank you for this wonderful series. I look forward to picking up print versions!
I bought Quarter Share for my Kindle and loved it. I hope that another in the series is on its way–it’s great to have a good space opera that isn’t filled with techno-geek physics or intergalactic warfare for a change. In fact, it reminds me a great deal of some of my old favorites, such as the Solar Queen series by Andre Norton. Thank you!
I bought Quarter Share at Balticon (thanx for the autograph!), came home and got it for the Kindle so I can keep my greasy hands off the pages, and started reading as soon as I finished the one I had loaded up.
WOW!
As an Air Force vet from 70-74, I think I recognize Ish, Pip, and a LOT of the crew of the good ship Lois – or else I’ve run into them in so many great stories. But they were never all in one place, where I can keep an eye on them.
Thanks, Doc; they’ll never get away from me again (as long as you keep telling their stories). So, keep telling!
Oh, and BTW; so far, the physics and science is pretty close, if not right-on. Except for the hyperjump, which EVERYONE accepts as a ‘writer’s device’ for now.
Thanks, Jim. The folded space-time conceit works well with a good dose of handwavium powered by plotonium in almost any universe.
I hope I don’t need to explain it any more deeply than that :)
Nate, I just listened to Double Share. In a way your novels are much like the TV show Seinfeld – a show about nothing. Like Seinfeld I had trouble letting go of it. At first the intense focus on the mundane is off putting. But after a few casts it feels like real life in a very different and interesting place. I would suggest you put a disclaimer in front of the 1st casts of each novel asking the listener to stay with it because it will pull you in. I kept waiting for the huge event, alien invasion or mutating virus. When it didn’t happen I had to rethink my view of Sci Fi and what it can mean.
Here’s to a very good book about “nothing”. Let’s celebrate the mundane amongst the extraordinary. I think this Monty Python skit captures this spirit. Continued Success!
http://www.wepsite.de/The%20Day%20Nothing%20Happened.htm
I just wanted to stop by and tell you how much I enjoyed your books. I have listened to all of them up to Captain’s Share (although I started with Half Share) and was so eager to listen to the others. That is when I found out it was the second book. Anyways, I just wanted to encourage you. I may have never known of your works if it had not been for iTunes. I kinda stumbled onto them and now I am hooked and glad for it. I am eagerly awaiting Owner’s Share. I wish you success in all you do and thank you very much for all your hard work.
Ishmael Wong reminds me of Friday, from Friday by Heinlein. as far as the whole capable individual thing goes. If you put either one of them in a difficult situation they will come out on top.
Have just finished listening to the Ishmael series back to back and enjoyed them very much. Your style of writing and reading of these stories is captivating and leaves a feeling of wanting to know what will happen to this endearing character. I am looking forward to the next book ‘Owners Share’. Any thoughts on a release date for the podcast?
Again many thanks for a most enjoyable experience.
I was hoping for this month but realistically, I think it’s more likely to be December.
So I originally downloaded Quarter Share a few months ago, but let it fall by the wayside without listening because I didn’t have much time to do so. These past few weekends I’ve been driving a lot and so I tucked into Quarter Share and instantly fell in love with everything about the book.
Now, I’ll be the first to say that I have been a typical space nerd, grew up on Star Trek and Star Wars, love space battles and fighters and such, so originally I was thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy the series much, but that I’d give a try. I started the series Friday the 5th on a trip that there and back took about 11 hours and have since gotten all the way through Full Share, barely letting my headphones out of my ears for School and Work.
Suffice it to say, after all this blathering, that this has become my favorite space sci-fi series and I plan to collect a full suite of the books in both Audio and Visual formats as they come out. Kudos on turning another space war obsessed reader on to less violent and more interesting space sci-fi.
-Joe
Hi and Thank you so much for the Solar Clipper series. Have enjoyed it much and am frothing to get the next episode of Owners Share! You stumped me on a comment made by Ishmael’s suggesting that the wall paper for the Galley be “chervil effect” (sp?) you got me I do not know that one and my web searches only came up with something for a Chevy Camaro air dam… Or an herb
Enjoying your books
Jeff
..chair rail effect…
sorry, i musta swallowed that one.
“Toilet paper stuck to my shoe” failiability – I love it, very apt to what makes Ishmael so endearing…
Curious – how much of Ish is you and how much is invention?
Nate:
Thanks for posting Owners Share on your web site when Podiocast went belly up. You take care of your readers lake like Ish takes care of his mates and crew. Thanks.
Merritt
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Hey Nate;
I was hooked on the Honor Series and have been looking for another to feed my need for this type of escape. ( I am a sailor and SF fan ). Read quarter and half share from Kindle, hooked, started streaming full share. I am very impressed, I have listened to many pro audio books and expected this to be kinda ….. hokey. Well thank you Nate, this has been very enjoyable in the audio book format, truely an excellent job!
Thanks, Glenn. They get better as my skill in audio production improves.
Nate, Found the rest of the series and just finished Owners Share. I read the same sets of space opera you enjoyed while growing up. I want you to know I got hooked on the quarter and could not set them down until I finished with owner. I see your vision and I think it rivals the Hverse. I am still a reader. Ready when you are for the next voyage. Safe Journey
Thanks, John.
It’s been a great ride so far and I’m really looking forward to more.
I just read quarter Share on my Kindle and loved it! The characters you develop are likeable and realistic. I just started Half Share and so far it seems just as fun. Ilooked for the other books on the Kindle, but no luck. I thought since there were six books out, there must be 3 or 4 published, but alas, no. I look forward to the other 4 coming out in Kindle form.
Fantastic novels. My wife and I have been enjoying listening to them all. There is some very good underlying commentaries and insights going on here on life and human interaction. These books are well done and enjoyable on many levels. Also enjoyed the music selections on audio. GBS is one of our favorites. Thanks Nathan for your hard work and sharing your tanlents with us all.
Sail on…..
Really enjoying these stories. So refreshing to read about people and not galactic mayhem.
Only trouble is my jaws are sore now, I find myself smiling constantly while reading and re reading on my Kindle the first two Solar Clipper tales.
Started listening to the podcast as well now. I hope you enjoyed reading and recording them as much as I enjoy listening to them now.
Don’t remember my parents ever reading bedtime stories to me – You are now doing it now though.
Thanks. Martin.
Nate, just finished Quarter and Half Share over the last 3 days on my iPad via Amazon… Enjoyed them immensely. Just wondering if you have any plans to make the rest of the series available via the same medium.
Please keep writing, in this world of upheaval and violence, your books are a welcome oasis of calm where one can relax and enjoy the moment.
Cheers and thanks again.
@martin – thanks! I do enjoy making the podcasts.
@chris – all the books will be published in text formats as we can get them edited and the covers designed. Full Share should be out in April and Double Share in August (I think)
I just finished listening to the last chapter of owner’s share and I was wondering what it is you’re planning on focusing on next? Whatever it might be I was wondering if you might give us some details regarding how the universe works?
The details will be coming in future books.
Lemme just quote David Lynch here. “The owls are not what they seem.”
Nathan,
I love your books and you have provoked me to to write once again. Like a lot of your fans, I read space opera growing up and am also a repressed writer. As a speed reader, I digested the Kindle fare in 2 days and was left hungry! Now I deliciously listen to a few chapters a day while “working” as a finance weenie for the Consolidated Intergalactic Systems Connection Organization. When napping like now Captain Wang, I too wonder as the other fans have about the academy years (Port Newmar) and the missing 10 years (?) while Ish rose to first mate. And of course, the enduring character of PIP. Where is he?
I can only surmise that you have made these gaps apparent to your readers to provoke us into writing fan fiction until you fill in the gaps with the holy writ. However, having been weaned on Thieves World, I know there will be always room for fan fiction in the very solid and credible universe you have created.
You write so well. You remind me of Stephen King in your conversational delivery, although a bit more folksy. Also, I suspect the spoken format of a podiobook forces you as a storyteller to write in a more manner more reminiscent of the oral tradition. Well done, son of Laertes.
I don’t care how the universe works as long as it works in the books. I am not an engineer, so I’ll let Mr. Kelly or Mel run the engines and the 2nd mate astrogate among other things and Ish keep going in his universe until he figures things out, whereupon, he will start over again because we are always trying to figure something out if we are above ground. I am not a detail person. I prefer the bigger picture and the story. So I have to say, Nate, keep writing and leave the details to the characters. They’ll let you know how it has to work in order to get the story you want. I’m happy with that! Can’t wait until the next whatever——-
I’ve just finished Quarter Share and I’m beginning Half Share. You’ve written a great set of characters (I include the ship and the universe) and I can’t wait to find out how you play with them further.
After recently finding Podiobooks I’ve been through Scott Sigler, J.C.Hutchins and Mur Lafferty. They are, without a doubt, good storytellers. But if I were to liken you to another it would have to be John Lenahan. You have a warmth to your storytelling that is both welcoming and a pleasure to listen to. Kudos, and thank you muchly for writing so well.
Nathan, I love your books. podiobooks.com was recommended to me, and in particular stories by this Nathan Lowell guy. Quarter Share was such a delight: there were no space battles or Darth Vaders lurking to take over the universe. Ishmael is much like Malcom Reynolds, just a guy trying stay flying, who has a quirky way of looking at things. Your ability to describe simple scenes and yet keep our interest is remarkable. I have just finished Owner’s Share and look forward to whatever you will write next.
Hi, I have listened to all your podiocasts twice now and enjoy them immensely. I usually listen to them while quilting and the time just flies. Keep it up and looking forward to more.
I too would like to hear more about Philip Carstairs, his family and other former crewmates to Ishmael.
When things are going well, we tend to overlook why and just accept it as normal, even when it isn’t. But when they get much better and the only thing we can see different is one man, we want to look a little closer at the man.
The viewpoint of the 1st Mate of the “Lois McKendrick” could be worth seeing, as well as his surprise at a quartershare trying for Able Spacer in all four divisions.
It might be interesting to know what it took to convince a man to remove enough emotion from his voice so as to have a robot sound warm and cuddly by comparison.
It’s a little disingenuous perhaps to call Ishmael an “ordinary” guy. It’s more like seeing the future living legend of the merchant service’s career when he was a pup. He’s young, but smart, fun, sexy, mature, wise, authentic, and effective crewman who performs way above his experience level. You might as well call him Honor Harrington.
I’m not criticizing, they’re great books, but he’s hardly ordinary.
Your books make the ordinary seem pretty extraordinary though, much like the Star Trek next generation episode about four junior officers in the background was so compelling. The folks in these stories are lucky they live in a pretty safe universe relative to Star Trek or Star Wars though. No rampaging Borg or Klingons or Imperial stormtroopers, etc. And relative few evil bastards (though we definitely see some in later books). Maybe you should do an iPad app where you take the role of the Cargo officer on a cargo ship lining up cargoes as you sail the universe. Might be fun.
Nathan,
Wow. What a series!!! Trader Tales was a non stop ride i was and am addicted to. I honestly had withdrawls after listening to this series non stop from 1/4 to owners share.
thank you and i have you on my short list of authors to keep a close eye.
ps: i cannot stop talking about it and have recommended this series to a number of my friends.
I am now hooked. I am just finishing “Full Share”, so I decided to download the rest of the series. OMG!!! They don’t yet exist!!! I need a pill or something. This means that I will have to go back to hard stuff and wait. I am truly saddened. Please hurry!
They’re coming.
Double Share in August. We’re working on the edits now. :D
I found the Solar Clipper series indirectly after reading Ric Locke’s “Temporary Duty” as suggested by Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds. Somewhere along the way your books were recommended. I’ve had my Kindle practically glued to my hand since I started Quarter Share just two days ago and I just finished Full Share ten minutes ago. I thought “this is great, I’ve got to keep going” and went off to Amazon to order Double Share and had the same reaction as Bill Brunswick, above. I haven’t gotten into a series this way in years. The story is great and I can’t wait until you release Double Share next month, I hope really early next month.
Thanks for a wonderful read.
Thanks, Jonathan.
I hope so too :)
blew through all 6 Trader books over the last month or so. couldn’t shut them off. hope to see Wang someplace else soon. nice job.
Fantastic series, Mike S USCG AUX 9TH District
I have just finished reading all of the above comments. There is not much left to say, except a very big thank you. I also zoomed through the series as fast as I was able. I was thoroughly entranced by the characters and I might add, your style of delivery. I am looking forward to anything else you write about Ishmael. Being a typical female, I want a happy ending for my hero, (romance-wise). Is this likely to happen?