Port Nowhere [Paperback]

K. G. McAbee (Author), Jim Johnson (Author), Elaine Corvidae (Author), Steve Thompson (Author), Richard Meehan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mystic Toad (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975254227
• ISBN-13: 978-0975254226
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,573,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liked the Starport Canteen in Star Wars? You'll LOVE this., July 23, 2004

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Port Nowhere (Paperback)

Here is a novel unlike any I have ever read before! There are twenty-three chapters and almost a dozen sci-fi authors! The entire novel takes place far away from our planet, Earth, at a place called "Port Nowhere". There are dozens of different species that call Port Nowhere home. The inhabitants affectionately call it "The Rock", because people live below ground. Few ever see the surface. Many believe the stars and tales of other places are just that, tales. As for planets with free water, that could not really exist! Water is never free!

LevOne is for the richest inhabitants. The lowest level (that house beings able to generously be labeled as civilized) is LevSev. There are lower levels, called the Depths. But trust me on this, you DO NOT want to go there!

Let me tell you about a few characters now. As the story opens, Port Nowhere is getting a new local commander. Captain Carle Eversyn arrives on the Rock. He commands the Consolidated Guard (A.K.A. the "Connies") of Malpairiso Sector. He has the last word on everything! His main goal is to capture Malik "Mal" Blayne. Malik has single-handedly kept the Connies (and all the authorities that claimed authority before them) in chaos. Glimpses are often seen of Mal, but no one can find him. As with the best villains, Mal hides right under Captain Carle's nose. Mal is also Rudof Dyll, the richest person at Port Nowhere, but only his bodyguard knows it. Mal and Rudof look nothing alike. As for the bodyguard, he is one of the Vamir. Think Wookie, but meaner and deadlier.

Then there is Crila "Cri" Maragorn. Her left forearm is a prosthesis. She is a bartender at Dhamu's Place. But that left hand can become several weapons, power tools, and so much more! She joins the Circle of the Beryl. (Think assassins and spies that look like tall lizards.) Cri is half Human and half Halsan, so her form is human female, red hair, lilac skin color, and she is a lethal combination of lovely and deadly.

There is also a boy, Tau the Silent, who is just hitting puberty. I found him exceptional. Tarzan, if you recall, was raised by apes. Tau was raised by things much more deadly. I refuse to say what and I doubt that you would ever guess.

***** There are several other characters, some get a lot of attention, some do not. The most awesome thing about this particular novel is that each chapter is written by a different author. So for the first few chapters, it is like reading an anthology. But each chapter picks up where the last left off! Soon the authors are using characters from each other. So Mal and Captain Carle have a plot going, then Mal could enter that plot and have another going that involves Tau, who may have another going with several others... You get the idea.

We have all heard the saying "Too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil the dinner." Yet somehow, these authors have collaborated and the stories flow smoother than silk. You would have to really be looking to figure out where one author stops and another begins. Few authors can works well with other authors. This group is part of that elite clan. If you enjoyed the Starport Canteen scene during the original Star Wars movie, then you will LOVE this novel. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough! Astounding! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

4.0 out of 5 stars Last Place You'd Want To Go, August 18, 2010

By 

Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Port Nowhere (Paperback)

Port Nowhere is an asteroid somewhere on the edge of the galaxy, and the last place anyone in the galaxy wants to go. Many intelligent species live there in controlled dysharmony. Everyone has an unsavory past and a story to tell. And the stories roll on, each one more disturbing than the one before.

This is not a collection of short stories, as it appears to be, nor is it a novel in the usual sense. The book is a remarkable collaboration by eight authors, based on a common created world, characters, species, technologies, and the constant struggle to escape from the unbearable tedium of the rock at the edge of the galaxy. The authors have created shared terminology and even shared curse words, which the characters use freely.

Bringing off a collaboration like this is quite a feat, and the authors have done well, with some good writing and interesting characters. The downside is that the story has no plot, no beginning or ending, no resolution. Murderous rampages, desperate flights, disgusting foods, and bodily fluids follow one another in an endless cycle. If you like this kind of writing you will love Port Nowhere, but it's not for everyone. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

4.0 out of 5 stars Author Review, July 2, 2006

By 

Charlotte Babb "Author of Maven Fairy Godmother" (Spartanburg, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Port Nowhere (Paperback)

Port Nowhere was great fun to write, both building the world and creating the stories. Collaboration can create a synergy that excites authors and brings new ideas rushing to get on paper. Our group had the freedom to explore alien points of view and shifting loyalties.

I really like Crila and her dilemma of whom to trust when her life is on the line. Trillfin was one of my characters, and I learned a lot about facing personal limitations while writing her stories with her human lover. My favorite story is about Jesse, who has been in a lot of dark places before, but who is now in much deeper than even he suspects.

I hope you like it.

Charlotte Babb