Double Share (Solar Clipper Trader Tales) [Kindle Edition]

Nathan Lowell (Author)

Book Description

AN INEXPERIENCED OFFICER. A DYSFUNCTIONAL SHIP. LIFE IN THE DEEP DARK JUST GOT A LOT HARDER.
In his first assignment as an officer, Ishmael Horatio Wang finds himself fresh out of school, wet behind the ears, and way out of his depth. Aboard the William Tinker the senior officers are derelict and abusive, the crew demoralized and undisciplined, and change unwelcomed and dangerous. Can Ishmael use what he learned aboard the Lois McKendrick to help the crew find the ship’s heart? Or will he discover that bucking the system may come at too high a price? Return to the Deep Dark with Ish in this fourth installment of the award winning Solar Clipper Series as he makes the transition from crew to officer.

“Fans of Nathan Lowell’s Solar Clipper series are legion, and for just cause. Each book provides another chapter in the life of one of the most endearing characters to come along in recent memory. Nathan demonstrates that suburb story telling doesn’t require massive space battles or warring aliens, just great characters and a knack for spinning a really compelling tale.” —Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations

2009 PARSEC AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST SPECULATIVE FICTION

BOOKS BY NATHAN LOWELL
Books in the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper
Quarter Share
Half Share
Full Share
Double Share
Captain’s Share*
Owner’s Share*

Shaman Tales
South Coast*
Cape Grace*

*Forthcoming

AWARDS FOR GOLDEN AGE OF THE SOLAR CLIPPER SERIES
Awards for Golden Age Series
2011 Parsec Award Winner for Best Speculative Fiction for Owner’s Share
2010 Parsec Award Winner for Best Speculative Fiction for Captain’s Share
2009 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction for Double Share
2009 Podiobooks Founder’s Choice Award for Captain’s Share
2008 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction for Full Share
2008 Podiobooks Founder’s Choice Award for Double Share

Product Details

• File Size: 565 KB
• Print Length: 338 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Ridan Publishing (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007ZRVQ2W
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,570 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully entertaining! May 3, 2012

By Gail Posey

Format:Kindle Edition

Fans of the audio versions of Nathan Lowell's books all want hard copy of this book. Get your Kindle version and find out what you've been missing.

This book stands alone, but if you want to know exactly how wet Mr. Wang's ears are, then go back to the beginning and work your way forward. (Ahem. No pun intended.)

In the deep dark, the Captain's word is Law. If your captain is corrupt, with a couple of loyal henchmen, you had better watch your step very carefully.

Even on this life-threatening voyage, 3rd Mate Ishmael Wang remains true to himself, encouraging crew to study for upgrades and bringing new meaning to the word "party" while figuring out who his friends are and how to watch his own back at all times.

Entertaining to the last page.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding May 7, 2012

By Craig D. Brummer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Outstanding. The lead character, Ishmael Wang is fresh out of the academy on this first assignment with a freighter company. As someone who was both a NCO and Officer in the US Army I found the way that Nathan Lowell handled the relationships/doubts/decision issues of a first assignment to be superb. Ish faces unique challenges in that a couple of his superiors are violating the things he knows to be right and he must decide to go with it or fight against it. This story is much more complex than the previous books, but as in the others it is a story of what life would probably really be like in a space freighter age. If you haven't read any of the books buy this one, you can start the series by seeing what Ish does as an Officer and then go back and see what his life was like as a crewman. This is an outstanding story with superb writing by Nathan Lowell.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book May 3, 2012

By P. Agee

Format:Kindle Edition

I have been waiting on this book a long time and was very happy to see it out. This is a scifi series that is based on the people and the choices they make. The author makes theese people real and you care what happens to them. I can not not tell you enough that if you have not read the series yet to try the 1st book and then you will be hooked on them just like I am. Now I just have to wait for the next book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Continuation of a Great Story May 4, 2012

By Van

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Nathan Lowell provides (as always) a good tale, well told. This is a very accessible story: his protagonist (Ishmael Wang) is one of the 99% and is armed with no superpower save for a good liberal arts education. There's suspense and drama, but of the type actual people are more likely to experience - that happens to occur on a deep space bulk transport. Thoroughly enjoyable reading. For those unfamiliar with the Solar Clipper series, this is the fourth in a series of 6 (BTW 5 & 6 are available in podcast, forthcoming in print). I do recommend reading the series from the beginning - this book could be read standalone, but the additional context provides more depth for your reading.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book May 3, 2012

By John

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first found Nathan Lowell books as a podcast and got hooked. You could just read this book but I could not recommend more forcefully that you start with Quarter Share then Half Share then Full Share then Double Share and get lost in the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper as all Nathan Lowell fans find themselves. However you decide to read these, the most important thing is to READ them they are GREAT.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One Bad Ship June 4, 2012

By B. Zingmark

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Horrible things happen, and sometimes we're powerless to do anything about them. What choices do we make then? How do we respond to the temptation to "go along to get along?"

This seems to be the real story here, when Ishmael Wang's first job as as officer turns out to be on the worst ship in the fleet. A negligent captain who can't be fired, a bully for a first mate, and too many things that "are just the way it is": at first I thought "how can this happen on a space ship?" But then it occured to me that right now, somewhere on the oceans this exact situation is probably happening on a container ship or a tanker, a fish processor or a cruse ship. In all the important ways, this is a story of our time.

All in all, this is another great story by Nathan Lowell, if somewhat darker, with well-written characters and a story that's hard to put down.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent chapter in Lowell's Solar Clipper Series May 8, 2012

By RJW52

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Once again, Nathan Lowell has proven that interesting and entertaining science fiction does not have to include marauding aliens, distopian futures, or constant danger. Lowell's fiction centers around the adventure of trying to live an extraordinary life among people who are...ordinary.

My major complaint is the editing. For some reason, all quoted dialog omits the period at the end of sentences. ["She tried, but the skip pulled rank" He nodded toward the bow.] There is consistent misuse of "I" versus "me" in compound nouns and objects: "so-and-so and I" is often used as the object phrase and "so-and-so and me" is often used as the subject phrase. These editorial missteps are distracting, but overall the book is very enjoyable. If the editing had been better, I would have given five stars.

This book introduces the first really unlikable characters in the series, and the plot revolves around Ishmael's means of coping with them. Along the way, Lowell points out the problems of abuse of power, especially as it relates to sexual harassment and worse. This is not a book for young children, but teenagers might learn some lessons here. (Unfortunately, one of the lessons is that the guilty often do not receive the punishment they deserve; but that's the reality of our society.)

Other reviewers have noted a change in Ishmael's character in this book. In the first three books of the series, Ishmael was a crewman - or labor. Now, he has shifted to officer - or management. The narrative and his approach to his shipmates reflects that shift. The contrast is both interesting and believable.

More 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, Trader's Tales from 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
2010 Parsec Award Winner for Speculative Fiction (Long Form) for Captain's Share
2011 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction (Short Form) Finalist for "The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas"
2011 Parsec Award Winner for Best Speculative Fiction (Long Form) Winner for Owner's Share

NOVELS
Quarter Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #1)
Half Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #2)
Full Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #3)
Double Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #4)*
Captain's Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #5)*
Owner's Share (Trader's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #6)*
South Coast - (Shaman's Tales from Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #1)*
Ravenwood - (A Tanyth Fairport Adventure - book 1)*

NOVELLAS
Light In The Dark (Tales from the Deep Dark #1) (2011)

SHORTS
The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas (from Tales from the Archive, 2011)

* Audio only