It's been four long years since Ishmael Wang left the Lois McKendrick for the Academy to train to become an officer. Now graduated, he's landed his first posting, aboard the William Tinker. It's a very different ship, a whole different sector of the galaxy, and the crew... well, they're nothing like his old crewmates.
Things are completely rotten on the William Tinker. And it looks like those in charge want to keep it that way. The only thing between them and the lifestyle they've come to enjoy is their new Third Officer: Ishmael. Change doesn't come easy, and Ish's life will be on the line to make it happen.
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.
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.
Context
Half Share picks up about four years after the previous novel, Full Share.
My Thoughts
This was both unlike and exactly like the other books in the Trader Tales. We still have Ishmael, though there has been a few years' time between books. He's grown, matured (if that were possible), and is no longer aboard the Lois. The new enviroment of the William Tinker is a whole new world for both Ish and the reader, and now we get to see how Ish REALLY performs under extreme conditions. This book had me gritting my teeth in anger, shouting in frustration, and clamoring to know how things could get so bad for some people. It was a journey with an end that couldn't be seen, and yet Lowell managed to pull things off in a novel that's an excellent exercise in human nature and relationships. At least once, I made a prediction about something going on behind the scenes, only to have my ah-HA ripped away right when I was certain I was right. Lowell made such a thing somehow satisfying, so I was pleasantly surprised with how wrong I was. It is yet another example of a brilliant writer's craft.
Would I Recommend This Book? Well YES! If you want to see a group of people dig up from a chasm, see how one person and one kind thing can make a huge difference, then this is definitely a book to read. I give Double Share a grubby 5 of 5 stars.
For more on the author, visit http://nathanlowell.com/
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