The Twiller: The Unintentional Adventures of a Truly Hapless Hero [Paperback]

David Derrico (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010

Ian Harebungler, our hapless hero, just can't catch a break. First, the deli ran out of his favorite cucumber sandwiches. Then he left the gas on at home. But the lowlight was being abducted from his front yard by a particularly ill-mannered alien, one who apparently doesn't believe in anesthetic, no less. Fortunately, Ian is saved by an unlikely ally: the Twiller, whose bravery is somewhat overshadowed by its uncanny resemblance to a floating yellow marshmallow with big eyes.

The Twiller follows the adventures of Ian and his newfound companion as they are whisked around the Universe, and Ian learns how difficult it can be to find his way home to a backwater planet called "Earth." Along the way, Ian must survive the traffic of El Leigh, the enthusiastic protestors of Bez Erkeley, and rampaging politicians in the city of WMD. Even worse, he must contend with exorbitant prices in the city of York, endure the heat and crazy drivers in Fleur Ida, and struggle to escape the small planet of "Huh? Why E?" before he contracts island fever. Astute readers might pick up on subtle correlations to real places here on Earth, but my lawyers have reminded me to state that such resemblances are purely coincidental.

As it starts to dawn on Ian that the bizarre planets he visits suffer from many of the same problems, comical situations, and inane rules all too familiar to him, he stumbles upon an important secret that gives his quest to return home added urgency. Can Ian make it home? Will he arrive in time to prevent a terrible catastrophe? And can he find a flight without a Saturday night stopover? The answer lies with the Twiller...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you are looking for a light and airy entertainment, a popcorn book with an intergalactic setting, The Twiller is a button-pusher that will keep you smiling."
--I Love My Kindle blog

4 3/4 Stars. It's funny, really funny. ... Author David Derrico came very close to matching Douglas Adams' farcical, achingly funny style of writing that fit the story so perfectly. ... Overall, this was a fun book to read.
--Red Adept Reviews --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

  Ian continued walking through the spaceport, more or less at random. As he gaped at a kiosk offering a wide variety of creative piercing services, he was startled by a loud ringing sound coming from his pocket. Belatedly, he realized his cell phone was ringing. He went to answer it, and paused, then shrugged disinterestedly. He never got signal anywhere back on Earth, so why shouldn't he get reception half a galaxy away?

  He answered the phone skeptically. "Hello?"

  "Mr. Harebungler?" came a voice, rather clearly, Ian thought. "Is that you?"

  Ian looked down at himself. "I believe so."

  "Good, good, Mr. Harebungler. This is Colonel Zachary Sanders of the NETSA. It has come to our attention that you have recently been abducted by aliens. As such, I have a very important mission for you."

  "Really?" asked Ian, who had never heard of the NETSA. "What is the NETSA?"

  "I'm afraid that's classified, Mr. Harebungler. But we have an important mission for you."

  Ian shrugged. "What's the mission?"

  "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to tell you that, Mr. Harebungler." The man sighed. "Perhaps you don't realize just how important--and how classified--this mission is. You are, after all, only a civilian. It just wouldn't do for us to go around telling civilians about super-secret, classified plans like this one, now would it?"

  Ian was confused. "No, I suppose not." There was an uncomfortable silence. "So it's like, Top Secret, then?"

  "Oh, no," said the man, whose voice was beginning to disconcert Ian. "It's far more classified than that. In fact, it's so fiendishly classified, even the name describing how classified it is, is classified. Do you see?"

  "Yes," said Ian, who didn't.

  "Very good."

  "Wait a moment," said Ian, who was beginning to piece some of the conversation together as his head cleared. "Did you say your name was Sanders?"

  There was a definite pause from the other end of the line. "Yes."

  "But, Colonel Sanders?"

  "That is all," said the voice, and hung up.

--Flyleaf excerpt --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1453638504
• ISBN-13: 978-1453638507
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,286,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Derrico was born just north of Miami, Florida, and developed his appreciation for complex moral issues while receiving a degree in philosophy from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He wrote his first novel, Right Ascension, before attending law school at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Right Ascension was first published by Bookbooters Press in 2000, and garnered its inaugural eBook of the Year Award.

Derrico wrote his second novel, Declination, during law school, while he was probably supposed to be studying. Nonetheless, he graduated, passed the California Bar Exam, and worked as an attorney at a large, international law firm in Los Angeles for several years. While practicing law (all that practice actually made him pretty good at it), he managed to write some short stories and start work on his third novel, The Twiller.

Recently, Derrico retired from his "day job" as a big-firm attorney and moved back to South Florida, where he finished that next novel. The Twiller follows the (mis)adventures of an unlikely hero and his unique companion on a comic romp around the galaxy. Derrico maintains a website with reviews, excerpts, current news, a blog, and purchasing information for all of his novels and other works at www.davidderrico.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twiller Review, July 28, 2010

By 

Lloyd Johnson (League City, TX, US) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Twiller (Kindle Edition)

David's 3rd book promised to be a fun romp through the galaxy reminiscent of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I really did enjoy it and am looking forward to a sequel.

I was reminded somewhat of HGG but not all that much. There are some similiarities but the differences are far greater. Instead of the Arthur Dent's smarter friend, Ford Prefect, our hero, Ian Harebungler has a small floating marshmallow-like alien whose vocabulary consists of the single word, "Twill" (hence the name, Twiller). A few of the events in this book are just silly and didn't strike me as that funny yet there were some other instances where I was totally taken off guard and was chuckling out loud. As the book goes on, there were other circumstances that revealed a very rich satirical look at our own society making me think of what Jonathan Swift did in his classic unabridged version of Gulliver's Travels. These circumstances were superbly crafted.

In HGG, Arthur Dent was given a babble fish to put in his ear so he could understand everyone. In Twiller, Ian doesn't need such a contraption. Ian briefly wonders why he can understand everything but then decides not worry about it. The author advises the reader not to worry about this either.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun frolic through the Universe, June 17, 2010

By 

Jay Allbritton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Twiller (Kindle Edition)

What is a Twiller? Well, it's a small, yellow being resembling a marshmallow that floats, but doesn't say much aside from, "Twill." It's from some place other than Earth, and it has made a friend--a hapless American named Ian, who has been snatched from the mundane comforts of his home world and thrust into the dangerous, and often hilarious, rat race that is the Universe. On his journey, Ian encounters places that seem eerily familiar.

No matter how far away from home Ian gets, the more things stay the same, and the better his cell phone reception seems to get. Author David Derrico follows up on his more serious space epics (Right Ascension and Declination) with a sci-fi comedy of that is fun and funny from start to finish.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.. and still fun., August 29, 2010

By 

B. Tackitt (Granbury, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Twiller (Kindle Edition)

There is not "4th wall" in this book, the author freely takes you along on Ian's hapless wandering through the galaxy and describes everything to you as if the whole book were one long conversation. I found the story to be kind of let's poke fun of all these places in the USA, and having lived in many of them, I loved it. Thank you Mr. Derrico for poking fun at our stuffiness.