Let me start out by saying that I was drawn in by the image-evoking name of this book. It turns out that the book is much more about the trader than the golden age of the solar clipper.
If, like me, you come looking for interstellar adventure with destinations described as beautifully as the title suggests, you’ll not find that here. The idea of the solar clipper is merely a backdrop as it provides ports for the story to take place.
If you’re looking for a story of people coming together and forming friendships as they form an as-yet unexplored way to reasonably make money in the ports they visit, then this is a tale for you.
The characters are all at least relatable if not downright likable. And watching them come together to form plans and find success is enjoyable.
I never heard Nathan Lowell as narrator, so I can’t chime in on the Lowell vs. Kafer debate. But I will say that I thought Jeffery Kafer did an admirable job. His narration may have leaned ever-so-slightly to the dry side, but overall he kept me interested and kept the voices between characters distinct enough to tell everyone apart. Actually, I kept thinking that he sounded like Charlie Sheen when he was reading scripture as Aramis in the ’90s Three Musketeers movie.
I’m personally not going to go onto book two of the series. But that isn’t because I didn’t find the book well written and performed. On the contrary: if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t have finished it. But this book just isn’t my kind of subject matter.
But if this falls under your preferred subject matter, I highly recommend it.