Mike23b, (Paperback)

MIKE23b - The Island Planet (Sector 28)

By Johnny Darko

A quiet colony on a scattered island world was never meant to become the center of something extraordinary. But when a young boy befriends a being that folds space like paper-and the Empire's flagship approaches with inspections, regulations, and dangerous curiosity-one family must decide what "home" really means.

Blending sharp wit, layered sci-fi worldbuilding, and emotional stakes, MIKE23b - The Island Planet follows Marianie, a botanist hiding illegal discoveries; her son Mike, who finds what the universe forgot to classify; and Blink, a creature who may change the definition of personhood itself .

• A sentient-feeling island world with mysterious flora, forbidden zones, and relics older than Empire paperwork
• A child-alien friendship that challenges fear, prejudice, and interstellar politics
• Sharp, satirical commentary on empire, bureaucracy, and "age-appropriate truths"
• Hard sci-fi concepts woven with humor - folding space through grammar, xenobotany, and colonial survival
• A looming Imperial flagship (MICHAILA) bringing law, scrutiny, and consequences
• Family at the center of everything - loyalty, risk, and redefining what makes someone "one of us"

This is a story about small choices with galactic consequences, about kindness as rebellion, and about what happens when the universe decides a family is worth bending the rules for.