The Adventures of ArgyLe Sock
By M. Kelly Peach
When an argyle sock disappears in a dryer and lands in the Misplaced Universe, all the evil lost Things in this new world cannot stop him from returning to his beloved, rather annoying, brother.
The Adventures of ArgyLe Sock—the upper case ‘L’ indicates he is the left sock and, by the way, would appreciate being worn on the correct foot—is a contemporary fantasy novel for adult readers complete at 97,300 words. It is a humorous and adventure-filled answer to the mystery of how and why a sock vanishes in the laundry.
Gyles, a self-centered, know-it-all sock deeply enamored of the sound of his own voice, is saved by his brother and other clothing in the washer but is snatched by the fiendish dryer and taken to the Misplaced Universe. Frightened and disoriented in this unspoiled paradise with stunning vistas and no humans, he soon realizes he no longer has to pretend to be inanimate and immobile. Standing upright, he walks across the Plains of Mist Opportunities towards distant hills where he meets and befriends other lost man-made Things talking and moving about freely. He relishes his new freedom but is determined to return to his brother who is threatened by the sharp teeth of the household’s vicious new puppy. The Argylenauts, a team led by dress shears and her Swiss army knife companion, is formed to aid in this quest. They survive many adventures including a mortal combat with a killer tournament robot, a battle with diabolical mind-controlling Dataks, and a deadly clash with cruel tools as Gyles matures and learns about true friendship and self-sacrifice. The expedition becomes a race against time as the worn and weakened sock journeys to the far-end of the world to find the portal back to earth and his adored brother.