"Half Share" or "The Erotic Adventures of Ishmael Horatio 'Boytoy' Wang"
This book was a huge letdown. Honestly, I feel partly responsible—like I read too much into the first book.
Context: In [b:Quarter Share|2334538|Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, #1)|Nathan Lowell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1273808382l/2334538.SY75.jpg|2341114], I thought we were seeing a shy, "homeschoole-vibed" young man thrown onto a spaceship, forced to grow up fast. The protagonist, Ishmael, has a sharp mind and a knack for deep focus, and he made his first big impact by starting a trading booth during his initial six months on duty.
Expectations: I was looking forward to Ishmael using his focus and intelligence to tackle increasingly complex challenges—each maybe 20% tougher than the last. Sometimes he’d succeed, sometimes he’d stumble, and it would be his growth as an ordinary, decent person in a demanding world. I thought this was the journey.
Reality: This book wildly redefines Ishmael. He’s no longer the quiet, uncertain young man from [b:Quarter Share|2334538|Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, #1)|Nathan Lowell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1273808382l/2334538.SY75.jpg|2341114]—instead, he’s transformed into an implausible Gigachad. The change is just...absurd.
I may have misjudged [b:Quarter Share|2334538|Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, #1)|Nathan Lowell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1273808382l/2334538.SY75.jpg|2341114]’s intent, imagining a grounded series about a regular guy facing increasingly realistic challenges. Maybe I misread the plain, no-frills world as the author’s challenge to make something interesting out of it. Instead, it turns out this is a pure power fantasy: Ishmael’s a Mary Sue who lucks into insane opportunities at every turn. If this is your thing, enjoy the journey—but I'll be waving from the dock as you sail on.
Bonus: A small sample of things I found particularly absurd:
* Randomly referred from one tailor to another elite tailor.
* Receives “magic pants” that make women swoon.
* Gains a “platonic harem” of women who have a spiritual awakening just from watching him try on clothes.
* Every woman starts swooning whenever he walks by.
* The entire ship becomes inexplicably obsessed with his personal life.
* Turns into a master flirt.
* Revealed to be great in bed, apparently since he was 14.
* Handles his liquor like a pro, as his mom had him drinking for years.
* Acquires a magical talisman with an "energy indicator" that’s brighter than anyone’s ever seen.
* Teams up with a random woman (Sarah) who doubles the value of his goods with her selling skills.
* Sarah largely recovers from an abusive relationship after a single good night's sleep?
* Supernatural ability to walk into any open air market and immediately spot the highest ROI item.
* Completely loses all self-doubt.
