Description: "A raucous roller-coaster ride . . . the writer deconstructs all things New England to hilarious effect. Ericson's tale reveals strong flavors of Tom Robbins, but there is also a splash of Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Just sit back and enjoy the long strange trip." - Shelf Awareness "This delightfully loopy debut combines Down East deadpan with elements of Nordic mythology and Pynchonesque pyrotechnics. Ericson's Maine coastal setting lies at the edge of the surreal." - Publishers Weekly "Swell reads like an early Tom Robbins novel. It's stuffed with fresh-feeling observations-and old observations dolled up in just the right pair of Groucho Marx glasses-giving many chapters the feel of a hilarious, discursive night at the bar with a talented bullshit artist. Even though Whippey's the literary equivalent of an old friend who crashes on your couch for a week too long, you can't help but fall in love with him. He's a romantic, and his obvious adoration for coastal life in New England will leave you longing for a vacation in Melville country." - Paul Constant, The Stranger "Jaunty, playful, hilarious, and imminently readable, Swell is much more than an auspicious debut, it's that rarest of birds, a good old-fashioned reading pleasure." - Jonathan Evison, best-selling author of The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and West of Here Orange himself reads like Pynchon's Doc Sportello. Add a splash of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, too . . . A superbly crafted mixture of humor and observations of modern life, a combination of barely-noticeable detective fiction and magical realism, something uniquely its own and, in the end, a truly good read. Swell is a fantastic novel. - Line Zero "Gaiman meets Barth in a novel about a cellphone network made out of whales. It's time to go away to sea. [. . .] The question is, are you ready for Whalepunk?" - IO9 "A postmodern maritime epic." - Necessary Fiction "A ridiculously anarchic good read that makes Moby Dick look about as exciting as a lobster fishing manual. Swell rises and falls like the ocean, gradually working its way towards a conclusion that's both emotionally satisfying and curiously open. If you've ever wondered what Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas might have been like if Hunter S. Thompson had set it at sea, then you finally have your answer." - Dan Coxon, Culture Mob "Orange Whippey is a degenerate loser from the tiny North Atlantic island of Bismuth who somehow, despite his best intentions of remaining a loser, inexplicably winds up heading a plot involving whale herders, Korean drug smugglers, an aquatic cell phone network, Norse mythology, and the subtle intricacies of Jaws, the novel. I loved every single hilarious word of it." - The Book Catapult

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