I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Port Anywhere
by J.S. Frankel
Published by Finch Books on June 28, 2022
Genres: YA Dystopian Romance Sci-Fi
Pages: 256
Format: Kindle
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A restaurant in space, a waystation for all those who need a meal. When one of the guests turns out to be forbidden cargo, everything changes.
Rick Granger, seventeen, is the sole human occupant of Port Anywhere, a floating restaurant in space. His parents are dead, and he is aided by an alien called Nerfer—a pink alien that looks a lot like Spam. They journey throughout the galaxy, making a precarious living by offering meals in exchange for whatever their alien guests can pay.
As well, Port Anywhere, while powered by ion engines, has one unusual feature. It can suddenly jump from place to place, although Rick doesn’t know why. It simply happens.
His mundane existence changes when a warlike group of aliens led by a man named Kulida ask Rick to guard a possession of theirs. Upon further examination, Rick finds out that the cargo is a young alien woman named Merlynni from a planet called Kagekia, who carries a secret inside her—a mini galaxy.
The tiny galaxy was placed inside Merlynni by her father, a genius scientist, in order to hide it from hostile forces. As Port Anywhere continues its journey, Rick finds himself falling for Merlynni, and he will not give her up. When Port Anywhere shifts to various galaxies with various aliens in pursuit, they manage to escape time and again, but there comes a time for the inevitable showdown, and Rick has to use all his wits in order to save Merlynni and solve the riddle of the power she carries inside her.
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and murder.
Port Anywhere by J.S. Frankel is by far the best young adult dystopian romance science fiction novel I’ve read thus far in my reading. It combines Star Trek: Discovery, Firefly, and The Fifth Element in one great story.
Will Rick Granger ever be able to go back home to Earth? But would he want to?
Richard “Rick” Granger
Rick Granger is our protagonist, and he’s only seventeen. He’s also co-captain of Port Anywhere, a restaurant ship. Rick’s parents retrofitted an old time space cargo ship for them to leave Earth and explore the different galaxies with Rick. By the time we are introduced to Rick and his co-captain, Nerfer, he has already lost both of his parents and is keeping their business going. Rick’s life is turned upside down when they realize that their last restaurant go-ers cargo is, in fact, a girl. They keep her safe while going through the universe and keeping the secret in her safe as well.
Rick is a great character that had a lot of growing up to do in this novel. Granted, he had to, especially once he became captain of the ship but even more when dealing with other species of people throughout the universe.
The Story
Rick and Nerfer tasked themselves with keeping Merlynni safe from other alien species’ that wanted her and what she has inside of her. They kept on going to different galaxies, and trouble always followed them. The ship is just a restaurant ship that means no harm to anyone, and all they ever wanted to do was serve good food with good company around them.
I like this story because it was different from others I’ve read in this wheelhouse, and I loved it. I loved the fact that they were a restaurant ship that just wanted to go to the different galaxies and make friends with the inhabitants. Or be a safe, neutral place for a meeting that couldn’t be done on either of their ships.
Five Stars
Port Anywhere by J.S. Frankel is a great book that reminded me of other great shows I’ve watched on television. It is wonderfully paced and kept me glued to my Kindle screen the entire time. I loved every minute of being in Mr. Frankel’s universe, and Port Anywhere sounds like a great ship with two wonderful people manning it.
I am giving Port Anywhere by J.S. Frankel five stars, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a fantastic young adult dystopian romance science fiction book. It’s excellent and kept me hooked throughout the entire reading.
I hope you enjoyed this review of Port Anywhere by J.S. Frankel.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About J.S. Frankel
J.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada, a good number of years ago and managed to scrape through the University of Toronto with a BA in English Literature. In 1988 he moved to Japan and started teaching ESL to anyone who would listen to him. In 1997, he married the charming Akiko Koike and their union produced two sons, Kai and Ray. J.S. Frankel makes his home in Osaka where he teaches English by day and writes by night until the wee hours of the morning.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Thank you for such a stellar review!
Sincerely,
Jess (J.S.) Frankel