Lowell, Nathan. South Coast. 2007. Shaman’s Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. No. 1. Nathan Lowell, 2014.
If you like, you might consider South Coast a prequel to Nathan Lowell’s Quarter Share. Set in a fishing village on South Coast some 47 years before the beginning of Quarter Share, it tells the story of the coming of age of Otto Krugg, who will become the father of Sarah Krugg, the woman who replaces Ishmael Wong on the mess deck of the Lois McKendrick. It is a quietly intense tale that tells us as much about corporate greed and the fishing economy as it does about shamanism. But that is the sort of scifi fantasy we have come to expect from Lowell. It has a nice story arc, and it avoids the worst excesses of family melodrama—something that is very rare in comin-of-age stories. ( )

I've waited eagerly to read in print the book I first heard as a podiobook. As I see it, the book is about people coming into their real personal power. One person has this strength at the beginning of the story, and her goodness is key in opening others to theirs. That's why I like this book so much besides the fact that it's just a great story to be immersed in. Nathan Lowell does tell good stories.

Having also read the Trader's Tales, I like the perspective seen in this book from those who live on a planet in this Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. Their impossible situation opens their eyes to a better way. There is no one hero. They find a way together. ( )

The synopsis for this book is right on the money. So I'm not going to go into the details, just to my thoughts.

There is a true family aspect here with Richard, Rachel, and Otto. I love it. They are a family and love each other, don't always agree but work through it as a unit. This is wonderful to see.

We see welkies! If you listen/read Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series with Ish, you know what a welkie is. Shamans make them. And we see them right here where they start and how they evolve to the amazing little statues they are.

This story is told with different Point of Views. This way we get all sides of the story - a Shaman and the Business owner as well as the low workers. Even though the workers are the ones who do the labor, Jimmy Pirano - the son who runs the branch in this area - doesn't forget where he and his father came from. They worked their way up to where they are, and he won't forget it. We hear from Otto and his family, Jimmy and the business side of fishing. Both have their own lives, yet meet in the middle.

Nathan sets up a whole world and environment here on this planet. A planet and production that is affected by needs out in space. A fishing port on land, which is kind of the same set up and idea as going into deep dark space but on the vast sea. Boats and crews and a business of trade, same general aspect as Ish's story. However, the fishers have a quota they are required to meet, and it's been raised.

Nathan is meticulous at creating well defined systems of work and money. The marketing system is well defined, and the people are in a normal routine to do as they do best. The manipulators are high up the ladder, but there is always two sides. We get a feel for the little guy and working class as Nathan is wonderful at doing. How the workers are affected by the numbers. And as much as I love the idea, I think this is why this one was a bit slower for me. I love to fish, but I wasn't as taken with the fishing business, yet I couldn't stop listening out of curiosity of what will happen on this world. It's well done, but I wasn't as into the story.

Then we have the Shaman side, as we got further into the story I started to really get curious about this aspect and loved what I saw. This was the growth of a young boy into his family heritage, and even the father as well. This shows you what a Shaman does and is rather than tell you, and for what we learn of the Shaman, this is the best way to experience it.

If you've listened/read Nathan's tales with Ish, you know of Sarah Krugg. This tale is of the Krugg family, but not of Sarah. This is long before her. This story doesn't relate to the Golden Clipper series, other than it's a world in it's Universe.

A trader's tale of another kind. In the end, I enjoyed the magic I saw unlocked in a Shaman, and how a world grew to be more than what it already is. ( )