A Printer’s Choice

In January 2088, life in outer space is rocked with news of its first homicide. The dead man—a young Dominican Priest—had secretly made his way “upside” and lived as a common laborer. His intentions are a mystery and the killer’s identity and motive are questions that the best investigators of the new world cannot answer.

With public order threatened, the reputation of the ruling engineers at stake, and criminal elements seizing the opportunity to gain control, authorities seek help from Earth—itself recovering from decades of war and environmental crises. With assistance from the Vatican, they recruit Father John Francis McClellan, a parish priest from Boston and a retired US Marine Corps expert in “high-defs”—the artificially intelligent three-dimensional printers that built the new world.

A Printer’s Choice tells a story of faith, the future, and the power of free will. It explores questions about sentience, choice, and the necessity of choosing well. Set in locations on Earth and in the orbits, the story takes place in a future extrapolated from today’s geopolitical and ecological turmoil. In this epic debut novel, author W. L. Patenaude illuminates not just the struggles of our world, but also the promises and implications of building a better one, one choice at a time.

Praise for A Printer’s Choice

Patenaude’s masterful debut novel tells a gripping story of the near future. This is a superb morality tale in which the power of free will and the implications of making good choices are carefully woven together. Patenaude’s take on the possibilities of technology is inventive and in line with contemporary science, and his work truly shines as a nuanced, character-driven drama. This work is a must-read for those who enjoy thought-provoking, challenging speculative fiction.

—Publishers Weekly Starred Review

The novel grabs our attention from the first page, and delivers a suspenseful whodunit set in the chilled darkness of outer space. There are rumors that the novel could be the first in a series, and we certainly hope those rumors are true.

—Dr. Kelly Scott Franklin, Writer, Assistant Professor of English at Hillsdale College

Complex, action-packed and thought-provoking all at once, A Printer’s Choice is a uniquely crafted piece that doesn't handily limit itself to a single genre, but spreads its message and vision across a broad spectrum to attract a diverse audience of readers who like their sci-fi intricate, original and compelling.

—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Just as Aragorn embodied the role of a king in The Lord of the Rings, Father McClellan's portrayal in A Printer’s Choice captures what Christians and priests should be. His actions speak of a love for others grounded in a God who is love itself. By setting his story in the future and space, Patenaude enables readers to see the universality of this truth—that the choice to love is at the heart of the universe—more clearly.

—Dr. Jason King, Professor of Theology, St. Vincent College

Father McClellan is artfully drawn and compelling in his hard-won spiritual wisdom works. He uses his Marine toughness, programming skills, and gritty faith to sort out potential motivations and methods to solve the murder of an undercover priest, Father Tanglao. An engineer himself, Patenaude describes all the technological details, societal tensions, and moral ambiguities of New Athens with confidence and finesse. The most compelling passages, though, are the human ones, where McClellan and other characters grapple with their troubled pasts and future options, and the free will choices before them.

—Marybeth Lorbiecki, Author A Fierce Green Fire

Mr. Patenaude is a highly skilled and masterful storyteller. He crafts a story that is unique and absorbing. The ability to weave elements of science fiction, faith, and purpose into one book is truly inspiring.

—Trudy Thompson, AML

W.L. Patenaude pens an out-of-this-world, whodunit mystery in A Printer’s Choice.

—Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite