Book Discussion: A Printer’s Choice by W. L. Patenaude

NOTE: As usual, I will try to include as few spoilers as I can. If you have not read A Printer’s Choice, but you think you may, you’re safe here.

Let’s jump right in.

Here’s the cover:

(I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this one’s awesome.)

And here’s the synopsis.

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.

This synopsis had everything necessary to pique my interest, so I dug in, and was not disappointed. W. L. Patenaude’s debut novel reads like the work of a seasoned professional, and brings such a variety of topics together into one story that it’s impossible not to be enthralled. It holds up to all works of sci-fi being produced today, and stands out as unique among them.

First and foremost of A Printer’s Choice’s merits is Patenaude’s writing style. Simple and to the point, Patenaude tells an intriguing story with precision and keen familiarity with the themes presented therein.

Patenaude also does a fine job of developing the technologies that are present in his not-too-distant future. I particularly like that Patenaude takes care not to take it off the deep end here, but instead builds upon existing tech, and presents an interesting narrative of how these might advance in the near future. An example of this is Patenaude’s use of drone technology. In a flashback, Fr. McClellan describes a large fleet of reconnaissance drones used by the military on a battlefield to track troop movements, and the characters also encounter a drone equipped with explosive charges utilized by the Soldados de Salvación, an extremist group. It’s not so far-fetched to believe that our current technology could evolve to fit these uses in a short amount of time.

Patenaude’s most impressive use of technology, however, comes in the form of the printers, futuristic 3D printers that are capable of modifying matter on a subatomic level in order to create and print in any existing material. In order to assist a programmer with handling such complex capabilities, the printers are equipped with Deep Intellect, an advanced AI system. Intelligence in such a capable machine necessitates a unique interface between the user and the machine, which takes place over a neural link. In order for a programmer to use the printer, the printer has to “trust” the programmer. The whole process is interesting, and wonderfully creative. (I’ll talk more about this in next week’s technology post.)

The Third point that I want to touch on, and the one that makes A Printer’s Choice unique among today’s sci-fi, is the strong religious theme present throughout the story. Placing religion at the forefront of a sci-fi plot is very seldom done these days, and modern religion is all too often treated as a taboo in sci-fi. Patenaude skillfully weaves Catholicism into his future world, describing a conceivable scenario of the place that faith might find in a community to which it has been denied.

Potential readers will often assume that books written from a religious perspective avoid difficult topics in favor of glossing over the conflicts caused by opposing ideologies. This is certainly not the case here, as Patenaude touches on issues such as religious extremism, mass murder, euthanasia for environmental protection, and sentience of machines and their consequent rights. The result is thought-provoking and causes the reader to take a sobering look at the current state of world affairs.

In summary: A Printer’s Choice by W.L. Patenaude is an investigation into much more than just a murder mystery, as it explores the intersection of technological progress and human morality. A Printer’s Choice contends with the latest in modern sci-fi, not in spite of its strong religious theme, but because of it.

If you’re interested in a distinctly Catholic take on A Printer’s Choice, (And an altogether more complete and better written review) I’ll direct you to this one at The Catholic World Report.