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Quarter Share
- A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 1
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
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Quarter Share
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Summary
What if we sent freighters instead of frigates?
In a universe run by corporations, where profit matters more than life, how can an orphan with no skills, no money, and no prospects survive?
When Ishmael Wang's mother dies in a senseless accident, he's given a choice: leave the planet on his own, or the company will remove him. To avoid deportation Ishmael finds work as a mess deck attendant on an interstellar freighter.
Find out what Ishmael must do to earn his Quarter Share.
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What listeners say about Quarter Share
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Simon
- 12-05-16
Genuinely Interesting Concept
While in search of authors new to me I noticed this one coming up. It’s a rather different approach to science fiction in that it’s really a coming of age story that just happens to be set in the distant future. The futuristic setting provides the framework of the story rather than being the focus. It is a very gentle story, and I found it surprisingly engaging. If you are looking to set your phasers on maximum then you’ll have to set a course elsewhere because this is about a young man making his way in the world or rather galaxy. It is about encountering problems and overcoming them, about making friends and relationships in a new environment. Looking for a direction in life when the one you had always imagined for yourself is ripped away from you unexpectedly.
It’s a warm story and the author clearly has a lot in the way of human empathy. The narration feels right bringing the feel of almost classical fiction to the reader. Personally I like my battles and a good dose of “the engines canna take it” but this story kept me engaged. There is a good amount of detail that has gone into the way that this future universe works and how the trading ships operate which comes through. The characters also have a genuine feel to them.
Even given the premise I have to say I don’t think it’s perfect. I found it a little strange that virtually everyone that Ish, the lead in our story, came directly into contact with was actually genuinely nice. It’s hard to imagine hard-working crews of deep space freighters being quite so friendly across the board. You’d expect at least some kind of harder element to show up. I also have a bit of a beef about the length of the book. Something like an hour of this one is dedicated to a free introduction to the next in the series. Positive is that they are obviously planning to release more of the series for those that will continue with it. Negative, that seems a bit much to me, free previews are nice but some might feel that’s being used to pad this relatively short book into appearing more than it is . . .
That aside, and I’m still not 100% sure why but I enjoyed the maturity from the author of just writing a story set in the future. “The Golden Age” gives a good feeling for the his intentions. So if that appeals this one may well be worth one of your credits. Just put your phaser back in its holster first
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Tom
- 29-08-17
Not Star Wars no Jedi but lots of Trade Talks
[{"type":"Overall","question":"Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why? ","id":231,"answer":"Possibly. This read less like science fiction and more like a business marketing class. Although we are meant to be moving between star systems we could as easily have been on the Dover Calais ferry. This is very definitely not the Starship Enterprise."},{"type":"Story","question":"What was one of the most memorable moments of Quarter Share?","id":197,"answer":"Actually right at the beginning. Our main Character Ishmael Horatio Wong (I kid you not), finds himself orphaned, effectively bankrupt, and homeless in one foul swoop. The morality of throwing a child (for the purposes of the book he has just turned 18) onto the street and moving them off planet is glossed over. I found myself wandering what would have happened if Ishmael had been a couple, even one year year younger. I find it odd that there is no safety net, no hardship fund that the university could have extended, and apparently no media service interested in taking up the story and shaming them into doing something. This is after all meant to be an advanced society that has moved off planet, but apparently left charity on Earth. "},{"type":"Performance","question":"Did the narration match the pace of the story?","id":221,"answer":"Hmm! The narrator is not the right narrator for this book. There is nothing wrong with him and he does the job well, but the main protagonist is 18. At no point in my listening to this book did he sound any less than 36 and usually somewhere in his mid-40\u0027s. The narrator makes him sound wise beyond his years simply by talking. He is 18 and meant to be finding his feet in the world and yet he comes across as someone who has just changed from one middle management job to another. He is 18 where is the sex. At that age whether you want it or not your hormones are fizzing and your body is responsive and none of that is here in this narration beyond a few furtive looks and a bit of blushing. "},{"type":"Genre","question":"Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?","id":245,"answer":"No. However, I did finish it within 24 hours as it is an hour shorter than advertised padded out with an hour from the next book."},{"type":"Misc","question":"Any additional comments?","id":-1,"answer":"I will continue with one further book as I am interested enough in the characters, but if they remain as they are I will not return for a third book. I note with interest that the books get longer as the series proceeds I hope that this is an indication of a more complex story line."}]
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dawn
- 16-05-16
Different, but amazing.
When I like someone, I kinda follow them, so when I saw that Jeffrey Kafer posted about a new sci fi. I was like, Oh, yes please!
I did learn that it wasn't the usual kinda sci fi I read or have started to listen to, but that didn't mean I did not enjoy this.
The author Nathan Lowell has really done something different here. This is a very character driven book with people you can soon fall in love with. The main character Ish, has just lost his mum in a tragic accident, and with no parents and no job he's about to be forced off planet, so he takes the first thing offered to him because he's no choice.
The kid finds himself on the Lowis, (sp) and embarks on a very different way of looking at things, something no one on the ship has seen before.
Ish soon makes friends with the people in his department, Cookie and Pip. Even though he shows Pip up, he finds time to actually help the other youngster, and they become not only friends but partners in crime too, getting up to all kinds of trading adventures.
Pip, however, isn't having much fun, after losing everything he had in a trade gone wrong, it's the captain and Ish that help him here, and they begin to form a co-op with the ships best interests at heart.
The narration from Jeffrey is great, he's perfect in first person POV and the inner mind of a youngster finding his feet, not only with the fleet, but amongst other people is interesting and very well done. Jeffrey delivers a lot of emotion with hardly any effort and all the characters come alive. I was especially fond of Bev and Dianne. :) even Francis and Cookie. :)
I do think that there should have been a little more conflict for Ish on the ship. Although he's never been off planet before, the people he meets, all seem a little too nice. Maybe that's because Ish himself is just so nice, he never seems to fire up over much, doesn't really grieve for his mum, and I think I'd really like that, even if it wasn't in the first section of the book, but defo towards the end. The closest we get to that is when he remembers packing up on the planet, and moving to his new quarters, (but I'm not sure if that was actually in the second piece, as there was a few chapters in there for free.)
I am really interested in seeing what the gang does now though with their trading empire. I wonder what can go wrong, and what other relationships are going to form. It seemed Ish was starting to become attracted to some of his female friends on a different level, he kinda doesn't mention that from the planet. about his other friends, or any potential girlfriends.
Thanks for an awesome new series to follow, and I look forward to more! :)
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Grant
- 23-02-22
Excellent Sci-fi Trading Story
Loved this book. Really engaging story. Military feel but with fantastic economics themes. If you ever wanted a little more real world economics in your sci-fi this is the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 13-02-22
Delightfully and unexpectedly good
This isn't your usual sci-fi with desperate battles and back to back life or death situations. If you like those sorts of stories, you may like this as a change of pace.
This series explores life as crew on an interstellar trading ship where even the crew members get in on the trading action as an expected and even endorsed side hustle, hence the title.
I really would like to justify why I like this but I don't want to spoil the story for you.
This audiobook comes with the first 2 chapters of the second book, Half Share which I also listened to and then had to immediately continue the second book.
If you are a maker of any kind (potter, sewist, leather worker, knitter.....), THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU!
If you're not a maker, I hope you can lose yourself in the story telling as well.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SystemState
- 26-01-22
A delightful surprise
Knowing nothing of the author I decided to give this book a go and loved it.
I was looking for a series where combat and world saving was not the focus and I was not disappointed. The story is that of interstellar trading, plain and simple and therefore feels more positive than a lot of books I've read of late. Simply put it's a good story, expertly narrated and I look forward to listening to the rest.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms B Lerner
- 24-01-22
A brilliant understated story
This book won't be for everyone because there's no big threat to the hero or a quest that needs a long and arduous journey. Instead this is a fantastic foray into normal people's lives in a futuristic galaxy. The narrator is great and lends gravitas to the mundane setting. But what amazed me was how absorbed I became in the protagonists journey, when it's really just a day by day account of a kid doing a job, meeting new people and starting a small business with them. Really great writing to pull that off I think.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Interceptor
- 21-01-22
Enjoyable, a bit different
It's a merry little tale which, surprisingly, had me completing it in a couple of days. I'm not sure why though as much of it is fairly hum drum. But it does grab you and it moves along briskly with a neat, to the point, narrative. I like this style of writing and could listen to more of the same, Probably a good listen if travelling.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Booksniffer
- 05-12-21
No worries in the deep dark
A light, fun book; no real plot or conflict, just slice of life in space.
Main character is sympathetic, and gets pretty much everything right, but that didn't bother me; it's a bit of Gary Stu / wish fulfillment, enjoyable to listen to.
Learn all you ever wanted to learn about making coffee, buying and selling belts, and growing mushrooms in space!
It took a chapter or so to to warm up to the narrator, but eventually I really liked him; the way he differentiated between different characters, without using silly voices etc, was great.
Lovely, undemanding story to play in the background, when you can't pay full attention, or want something that is not too heavy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bob
- 19-09-21
Well performed easy listen
This is the first of Nathan Lowell's Solar Clipper series. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job.
The story is not complex and avoids unnecessary thrills and spills. Instead it concentrates on Ishmael Wong, an unskilled but likable new crewman aboard a freighter.
The characters are not deep. There is no group dynamics for him to deal with. He just puts his head down and works hard. Which is great.
Unusually there seems to be some sort of exam certification which qualifies spacers for certain roles rather than practical tests. Ishmael works hard to pass said exams.
The story is easy to understand and listen to. There is a small element of Mary Sue, where the protagonist thinks up obvious solutions. But over all the book is entertaining
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