Quarter Share
By Nathan Lowell
Ridan, Fairfax, Virginia

Reviewed by Keith Jones

Many fans of Podiobooks.com have heard of Nathan Lowell’s “Share” series. I had listened to all of the series on the original audio and am a big fan. Like many of the books available on the Podiobooks site, “Quarter Share” is even better in print. The professional editing and publishing process took a great book and made it even better.

“Quarter Share” introduces us to eighteen year old Ishmael Wang living on a planet called Neris in the year 2351. Young Ishmael has just been hit with the terrible news that his mother has been killed in an accident. This presents a problem for Ishmael because Neris is a “company planet.” This means that only those working for the company and their dependents are allowed to live there. So he now has ninety days to get off the planet – at his own expense. That would not be a problem, if he had any money and anywhere to go. He now has two main options: join the Galactic Marines or find a job on a merchant ship. Not desiring a military career, Ishmael manages to secure a berth on a merchant vessel named the Lois McKendrick, and the fun begins.

The “Share” series is basically merchant marines in space. It is worth reading this book and the series for the problem solving skills illustrated within their covers alone. The character development and excellent plots make it a shame not to read these books. “Quarter Share” kicks off a great series of books and breathes life into a colorful cast of characters. In fact I have to say that in Ishmael Horatio Wang, Nathan Lowell has created one of my all time favorite fictional characters. You don’t have to be a fan of science fiction to enjoy this book, but if you are then it is almost a slam dunk. I highly recommend “Quarter Share” and its successors.