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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
For a book where nothing much happens.... I loved it. It ended and I wanted to keep reading.
This book, while it should have been boring for me, was actually fascinating. A coming-of-age book about a teenager suddenly faced with an uncertain future, the story was very addicting. I greatly enjoyed following along as our main character finds his footing in a new place, making friends, finding his way, making a place for himself. And the trading! As I said, this should have been boring for me, as I'm not really one for economics and the like, but I found it all really interesting - what are they going to pick up in this port, how well is it going to sell at the next, rates of return vs. expense ... the whole lot. Couldn't get enough - loved this book!
4 stars. There was essentially no real conflict, which sounds boring, but the minutiae of ship life and trading were unaccountably compelling. I couldn’t help but root for the protagonist, even if all he was doing was helping his community and improving efficiency, instead of the much higher stakes more typical of science fiction.
I was looking for a new sci-fi series to get into. Sadly, this was not it. Quarter Share wasn't a bad book per say, it just had one glaring problem with it--nothing happens.
I understand if it's not supposed to be a sci-fi space opera with war and aliens, but as a story, it should still have common elements in it. There's no action, no tension, no mystery, no romance, no nothing. Because of all that's lacking, it's a very boring book. Once I realized that nothing was ever going to happen, I struggled to get through the rest of it. For a second, part of me thought, there would eventually be a war between the traders and the corporations who control the planets. That would have been cool.
I haven't read Moby Dick, but I have seen a few adaptations. I may be wrong, but I like to think that Moby Dick was the inspiration for this book. Both characters are named Ishmael and join a ship. Now, if Moby Dick had no crazy captain, killer whale, and it was all smooth sailing with no rough weather, it wouldn't be the classic it is. That's pretty much what Quarter Share is. They practice drills but there's never an actual emergency.
Quarter Share probably should have been told from Pip's point of view. He's out there trading, getting into a bit of trouble, has problems and baggage from his previous ship, and lacks self confidence. Nothing interesting or entertaining happens to Ish despite the fact that his mother dies in the first few pages and has to leave the planet on his own. Everything's perfect.
It might not have been too bad if Ish was something fantastical, but he becomes a cook. We all know about cooking. If he was the equivalent of the transporter operator in Star Trek or the guy who cleans the holodeck that would be interesting.
I won't be continuing this series, but I am curious as to how six books are in the series. If I was to guess, I think Ish becomes a captain and gets his own ship by taking a bunch of standardize tests.
I guess I'll continue my search for a new sci-fi series.
I understand if it's not supposed to be a sci-fi space opera with war and aliens, but as a story, it should still have common elements in it. There's no action, no tension, no mystery, no romance, no nothing. Because of all that's lacking, it's a very boring book. Once I realized that nothing was ever going to happen, I struggled to get through the rest of it. For a second, part of me thought, there would eventually be a war between the traders and the corporations who control the planets. That would have been cool.
I haven't read Moby Dick, but I have seen a few adaptations. I may be wrong, but I like to think that Moby Dick was the inspiration for this book. Both characters are named Ishmael and join a ship. Now, if Moby Dick had no crazy captain, killer whale, and it was all smooth sailing with no rough weather, it wouldn't be the classic it is. That's pretty much what Quarter Share is. They practice drills but there's never an actual emergency.
Quarter Share probably should have been told from Pip's point of view. He's out there trading, getting into a bit of trouble, has problems and baggage from his previous ship, and lacks self confidence. Nothing interesting or entertaining happens to Ish despite the fact that his mother dies in the first few pages and has to leave the planet on his own. Everything's perfect.
It might not have been too bad if Ish was something fantastical, but he becomes a cook. We all know about cooking. If he was the equivalent of the transporter operator in Star Trek or the guy who cleans the holodeck that would be interesting.
I won't be continuing this series, but I am curious as to how six books are in the series. If I was to guess, I think Ish becomes a captain and gets his own ship by taking a bunch of standardize tests.
I guess I'll continue my search for a new sci-fi series.
I must say. I was reluctant to read yet another space story but a good friend talked me into it and I am so very happy he did. This has been a great story. So pleasant to have a well written and simply told sorry that has no drama. There are no epic battles, no worlds to save. Just a simple story of life. Can't wait to get to the rest in this series.
I like the concept: "Merchant Horatio Hornblower in space". Kudos to the author for doing something unique. However, the execution didn't do justice to the premise. Maybe reading Don Quixote concurrently exacerbated it, but I just really didn't enjoy the writing. Also, you probably do need some sort of conflict to make it interesting. A for effort.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
The first two thirds of the story succeed wildly at the apparent goal of being light and easily readable entertainment, but then the author apparently ran out of ideas.
A charming low-stakes, slice-of-life sci-fi that predates [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet|22733729|The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729._SY75_.jpg|42270825] and [b:Legends & Lattes|61242426|Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)|Travis Baldree|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654581271l/61242426._SY75_.jpg|94968745] and should appeal to fans of both.
Ishmael Wong, a teenager living with his mom, finds himself in need of a job when she suddenly dies unexpectedly. He finds a berth aboard a freighter, eschewing the soldierly life, where he works in the mess assisting the ship's cook. He quickly finds his feet and begins branching out, studying for tests that make him eligible to take more advanced and higher-paying work in different avenues within the ship's crew, and also begins doing some "private trading" on the side. As with Legends and Lattes, coffee also plays an outsized part in the story.
As pointed out by the excellent carol., the world-building is minimal and the culture/food/sensibilities are all very 21st century things. If you like your sci-fi to be heavy on the sci (and/or if you like your speculative fiction to be especially speculative) you might find this lacking, but if you're in the mood for a pleasant read about the crew of a 23rd century space ship written like a Horatio Hornblower novel (with the aforementioned modern style), this won't disappoint.
Ishmael Wong, a teenager living with his mom, finds himself in need of a job when she suddenly dies unexpectedly. He finds a berth aboard a freighter, eschewing the soldierly life, where he works in the mess assisting the ship's cook. He quickly finds his feet and begins branching out, studying for tests that make him eligible to take more advanced and higher-paying work in different avenues within the ship's crew, and also begins doing some "private trading" on the side. As with Legends and Lattes, coffee also plays an outsized part in the story.
As pointed out by the excellent carol., the world-building is minimal and the culture/food/sensibilities are all very 21st century things. If you like your sci-fi to be heavy on the sci (and/or if you like your speculative fiction to be especially speculative) you might find this lacking, but if you're in the mood for a pleasant read about the crew of a 23rd century space ship written like a Horatio Hornblower novel (with the aforementioned modern style), this won't disappoint.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this series and all the offshoots. Nothing major happens but a nice universe to get lost in.
This book is far better than it has any right to be. It's about ordinary people doing ordinary things and it's wholly engrossing.
The characters are aboard a space trading ship and I was one spreadsheet away from Eve online or elite dangerous. The crew is wholesome and the prose is engaging.
The characters are aboard a space trading ship and I was one spreadsheet away from Eve online or elite dangerous. The crew is wholesome and the prose is engaging.