PIZZA, TWITTER y 23 días en el INFIERNO
A forty-something programmer takes on a viral Twitter challenge and ends up stranded in the Namib Desert for 23 days. No signal, no undo button. Just the sun, the sand and an ego too big for the desert.
Science fiction and dark comedy from Murcia. Stories where technology collides with the deeply human, and where no one walks away unscathed.
A forty-something programmer takes on a viral Twitter challenge and ends up stranded in the Namib Desert for 23 days. No signal, no undo button. Just the sun, the sand and an ego too big for the desert.
It is 21:47 when the lights across Europe go out. A cyberattack called Medusa leaves the continent without power or communications. Elena Vega has 48 hours to prevent total collapse.
August 2026
Writer and software developer José María Palazón presents his new project on El Rompeolas: ViaTinta.com, "the Tinder of books". A digital platform born in Murcia that connects authors with publishers, literary agents and audiovisual producers to enable an efficient match between creative supply and market demand.
Alcantarilla, Murcia · April 2026
9 April 2026 · Lucía Hernández
Lucía Hernández interviews the author on Tarde Abierta, the regional public radio programme. José María Palazón talks about his second novel, the writing process and why a forty-something programmer ends up stranded for 23 days in the Namib Desert.
News bulletin · 13 April 2026 · Hosted by Paco Galera
Paco Galera devotes a segment of the Radio Sintonía news bulletin to PIZZA, TWITTER y 23 días en el INFIERNO, with a brief comment from the author himself. Alcantarilla talking about one of its own.
Recording and interview
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A novel that breaks a little with quite a few established rules, and for that reason it deserves our attention.
That first-person voice of Chema, narrating the torment he lives through and his attempts not to die, is very well rendered, especially when it blends with the memories of the life he left behind.
The brutal conditions, the bodily and mental degradation, are also told with force and precision.
A positive balance that keeps us on edge page after page.
If a certain castaway had his Wilson, our Chema has Paco.
The book gripped me from the very first page. The story is beautifully constructed, the character is deeply human, even with slightly ridiculous moments that make him all the more real, and the author's writing makes it impossible to put down.
In one word: spectacular. The story caught me from the first page and I even found it hard to schedule breaks. I went through a whole range of emotions, from joy and laughter to tension and sadness.
A magnificent blend of dark comedy, tension, suffocating yet deeply human moments. A beautifully built plot that, time and again, holds up a mirror to the reader.
It is one of those books that grab you and never let go. It starts off close to home, but within a few pages you are caught up in a tough, real and deeply moving story. It reads fast, but it leaves a mark. It is not just a book, it is something you live.
If I had to sum this book up in a few words, I would call it a survival adventure told through the narrative technique of interior monologue. That, together with the protagonist's "ordinary person" image, makes it an immersive read that hooks you.
Thrilling, absorbing, fast-paced, harrowing and funny all at once — that is what "Pizza, Twitter y 23 días en el infierno" is. A book to entertain you and pull you right into the story. A fresh read for any time of year. Perfect for evenings by the fire, days under a beach umbrella, relaxing in the countryside or as a travel companion. Well worth reading.
Spectacular! Hilarious, addictive and screaming out for a TV miniseries. I've finished it and all I can say is that it's an absolute blast of a read. It had been a while since I had so much fun with a book: it's super entertaining, dynamic and, above all, very, very funny. The dark humour it deploys and the situations the protagonist gets into are sheer genius. The pace grips you from the very first page; it's one of those fresh, human stories you can't put down because you need to know how the character will get out of the next mess. Visually it has such force and such a brutal hook that it's crying out for some streaming platform to adapt it into a miniseries. I'm buying popcorn right now! If you're looking for an original, enjoyable read that makes you laugh and keeps you on edge from start to finish, don't hesitate. It's a total winner!
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