Testament by J. Marshall Smith

Meet Testament: the premier caretaker android for the future. Not only were they designed to care for the wellbeing of dozens of interstellar passengers; explorers, scientists, poets, and artists - they have also downloaded millennia of religious texts and liturgies to best serve the members of a religious commune that make up the bulk of their human charges. These members of the Order of the Abundant Grace of the Cosmic Christ, having already chosen a monastic and scholarly life, are ideal for their mission: a one-way voyage to discover all they can about a miraculous far-flung planet capable of life and, by choice, not repopulate.

Soon, only Sister Judith remains on the distant planet, facing decades of life alone with her caretaker and no other human company. Struggling with faith and despair, she seeks purpose, or perhaps something else, in a sudden research trip into hazardous territory. Testament tries to carry out their directives, while staring down their own immortality, and questioning their place in a spiritual infinity equipped with the knowledge and traditions of people who could never have imagined a being like them.

118 pages // 2-color pantone // 8” x 6.5” // printed in China // designed by Carina Taylor

ISBN 978-1-7371301-8-5

Praise for Testament:

“The world that J. Marshall Smith has created is both vast and intimate, and the story's namesake is solitary yet hopeful. Testament is an incredible example of what it means to stay tender in the face of the unknown and the inevitable, and I cried during each reread. So much care was put into every panel — don’t ignore the details.”

- Kat Schneider (Someday Perfect)

“This serenely paced book has a careful yet powerful touch. With its various turns, J. Marshall Smith harnesses major questions of the soul. I'm grateful for Testament.”

- Hartley Lin (Young Frances)

"This tale is haunting and familiar, like a Psalm—yet one beamed into the future of a distant world. With J. Marshall Smith's rich mark-making, this incredible story looks and feels like a sketchbook come to life. Much like the titular android, tasked with caring for the final days of human expedition to a new world, Testament is a fresh reimagining of the most ancient questions about community, beauty, and purpose. This is a story you will think about for a long time after you read it."

- John Hendrix (The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien)