Printer's Devil

by Stona Fitch

Two warring printers' guilds struggle to survive in a world where natural disaster has become commonplace. Caught up in a risky raid on rival printer Sevenheads' bank, the Printer's Devil and the Patchwork Girl struggle to escape the city as the black wind starts to blow. Picking up where "Clockwork Orange" and "On The Beach" left off, "Printer's Devil" deals with the fate of the remnants of humanity in an extreme post-apocalyptic landscape. A fable in the spirit of Coetzee's "Waiting for the Barbarians", "Printer's Devil" is a meditation on power and its abuses - one that echoes with disturbing parallels to the present.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I'm a novelist, former punk, ad man, and recovering Okie living in Boston. I write dark, politically inflected novels that have a redeeming sense of humor that pulls them out of the abyss. My books go on to foreign editions, film adaptations, and other lives. But most important to me is that my books connect with new readers, every day. Thanks to you for being one.

My latest novel is Death Watch, and it's a wild ride. Not as scary as it sounds. Or is it? Your call. I also write under the pen name of my Irish twin, Mr. Rory Flynn (Third Rail, Dark Horse). And I'm the founder of the Concord Free Press, which has inspired more than $5 million in generosity around the world. Our books are free in exchange for a donation to a cause you believe in or a person in need in your community.

https://www.concordfreepress.com/

Reviews

[Janellyn51 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly I like Stona's writing. I read this while I was knocked out from my first vaccine shot, so maybe feeling lousy had something to do with not getting that into this book. And then, it just kind of made me feel like with the pandemic......we're already headed there, and that really made me feel like crap!

[Ronald Koltnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now read the complete works of Stona Fitch, a remarkable writer, publisher, musician, husband, and father. I accused him of writing this story as a parable of the hazards of running a small press. Fitch and his wife Anne run The Concord Free Press, which gives books away for free with the agreement that the recipient will donate money to a local charity (http://www.concordfreepress.com/). This novel is post-apocalyptic. It would be possible to read it as a warning about environmental destruction, but the underlying cause of this particular tragedy is consumerism run rampant, the demand for more production with no regard for environmental impact. Hidden within this tale is a heist novel, as one guild of printers tries to rip off another. The one remnant of consumerist culture is dog eat dog. The world Fitch imagines is all too recognizable.