Spotlight on Quinto's Challenge by Peter McChesney

 

For fans of Andy Weir and The Three-Body Problem

A genre-blending debut challenging conventions of religion, science, & politics

Salt Lake City, Utah – Inspired by author Peter McChesney’s experiences in the Mormon church, coupled with his educational background in political science, “Quinto’s Challenge” (Vivimus Press, January 27th, 2026) begs the question: what if science and religion collided and resurrection became a reality?

 On the 100th anniversary of JFK’s challenge to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth, visionary US President Vince Quinto challenges America with an even more audacious goal: finding a way to conquer death before the century is out—by developing the scientific means to achieve resurrection.

 As the 21st century draws to a close, advances in genetics, quantum physics, and artificial intelligence converge to make Quinto’s Challenge possible. The final breakthrough—hailed as the Theory of Everything—is made by Deeley Carr, a young, shy quantum physicist recruited to work on a top-secret US government project.

However, those privy to this highly classified science quickly realize that the power to bring about immortality is a double-edged sword—if it falls into the wrong hands, it would become the ultimate weapon of surveillance and control, a tool for the subjugation of all.

“Quinto’s Challenge” is a timely dissection of the burgeoning use of AI and its ethical implications in the scientific, political, and religious realms. A cannot miss debut that raises needling questions about the future of humanity.

  “Quinto’s Challenge: Dawn of Immortality | Book 1”

Peter McChesney | January 27th,  2026 | Vivimus Press | Speculative Science Fiction

Ebook | 979-8-9933803-0-8 | $6.99

Paperback | 979-8-9933803-1-5 | $17.99

Hardcover | 979-8-9933803-2-2 | $27.99 

PETER MCCHESNEY: Born and raised on the beaches of eastern Australia, Peter McChesney is a dual US-Australian citizen whose path has taken him from academia to corporate America—and now, to storytelling. His passion for writing began early, especially after his parents bought him an Amiga 500 computer, which he used not only for games but also to craft stories and fuel his imagination.

 

He holds degrees in Writing and Publishing (Western Sydney University), Law and Constitutional Studies, and a master’s in Political Science (both from Utah State University). Each of these disciplines now finds expression in his fiction—particularly in his enduring fascination with America’s founding era and the novel’s geopolitical themes.

 

Peter has worked as an adjunct instructor in US history and political science, with most of his career spent in business-to-business software sales. He also led several teams that trained some of the world’s most advanced real-world artificial intelligence.

 

Quinto’s Challenge is his debut novel and the first in a planned series that will explore the ethical, societal, and existential consequences should science ever advance far enough to make human resurrection possible. The story examines the tension between spiritual ideas and scientific ambition, reflecting Peter’s own formative influences from both faith and reason.

 

He lives in the United States with his family and dog, and still enjoys gaming when time permits. Find out more about Peter at https://www.petermcchesney.com/.

 

Follow Peter McChesney on social media:

Twitter: @peteramcchesney | LinkedIn: @peter-mcchesney

 

                                                                     An Interview with

Peter McChesney

 

1. What inspired the idea for this book, and how did it evolve over time?

As I transitioned out of the Mormon Church in the early to mid-2010s, I let go of its core tenets but retained a deep fascination with its promise of resurrection in one’s prime. Losing belief in that doctrine left the desire for it unresolved, and I began to wonder how science—not faith—might make such a feat possible. The Church’s view that miracles are simply phenomena not yet understood through science sparked my curiosity about how resurrection could be achieved if we had the know‑how. I also drew on my political science background, recognizing that any technology with such power would inevitably be a government initiative. As I developed the scientific angle, I realized the same technology could be weaponized for surveillance, which became central to the book’s political themes.

2. What were the challenges and rewards of writing a novel that encompasses several genres, such as hard sci-fi and political thriller, while balancing with emotional, deeply human characters? 

One of the biggest challenges was balancing exposition with narrative flow. Readers needed to grasp not only advanced scientific concepts—some grounded, others speculative—but also the political and societal dynamics that drive the plot. Weaving that world-building into the story without slowing its momentum required a lot of reworking. A turning point came when a thoughtful developmental editor encouraged me to convey much of it through character dialogue, which made the world feel far more organic. It was especially rewarding to see how that approach deepened the characters and helped bring their emotional arcs into clearer focus.

3. How did leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints impact the writing of “Quinto’s Challenge”? What parts of the Mormon religion inspired the plot of the book?

While I’m technically still on the Church’s records and continue to hold deep respect for the Church and its members, my transition out of the faith was essentially complete by the mid-2010s, just before I began writing the novel.

 Perhaps the most immediate impact of no longer being active in the Church was simply having more time and space to take on a creative project like this (for those not familiar, an active Mormon life can be quite involved).

Beyond that, the Church’s view that science and religion aren’t incompatible inspired the book’s central premise: resurrecting the dead through scientific means. The Church’s extensive genealogical efforts, headquartered in Salt Lake City, inspired an aspect of the biotech firm in the novel: the firm’s operation of the world’s largest combined genealogy and DNA database—central to the resurrection process and also based in Salt Lake.

Finally, the Church’s reverence for the American Founding Fathers—something I absorbed even after joining the Church as a teenager in Australia—undoubtedly encouraged me to learn more about them when I came to the U.S., helping awaken a more dormant interest in politics.

4. How did your background in technology and AI inspire some of the cutting-edge science that’s featured in the book?

I’ve always been fascinated by science and technology—especially imagining what the future might hold—and I was often an early adopter of new innovations. My father nurtured that same curiosity and was always dreaming up inventions, which encouraged me to start imagining and creating things from a young age—like when I sketched out an idea for an alternative fuel vehicle as a child.

While I’ve had the opportunity to work at the forefront of the AI revolution, especially during my time at Tesla, it was my lifelong curiosity and love of science that shaped the book’s cutting-edge technology—much of it imagined even before my professional involvement with AI. Some of the more direct inspirations came from real-world scientific instruments, like the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, which inspired the much larger Pan-Hadronic Supercollider featured in the novel. And today’s tech—mobile devices, earbuds, desktops, VR—served as the foundation for the book’s late-21st-century AR/VR contact lenses that merge all those functions and more, such as interfacing wirelessly with the mind.

5. How did your educational background in political science and constitutional law inform this book? Did you draw inspiration from our current political climate?

My background in political science and constitutional law definitely shaped the framework of the novel. The story centers on the U.S. presidency—from President Quinto’s moonshot to conquer death, to a successor overseeing the top-secret project to fulfill Quinto’s Challenge, to political rivals seeking to control this extraordinary power for their own ends. Nuances of American governance are woven throughout, along with global dynamics in a world where U.S. hegemony has faded—but may return in an unexpected way. While the core story was developed before the current political climate, the last several years of polishing and refining the novel were shaped in part by broader trends—like the rise of social media figures in presidential politics and the polarized political dynamic in America—even though, in this case, the major divide centers on those who support the infusion of androids into society and those who resist it.

6. What’s next for the series that you can share with readers?

The next installment will delve deeper into the consequences of resurrection—especially what it means to bring people back from vastly different periods of time. The story will also push further into the domestic and international power struggle over the surveillance power that makes resurrection possible. As the series progresses, it will explore how the reality of an afterlife here on Earth—albeit a scientifically made one—may differ from our long-held expectations of peace and closure, as human nature, with all its desires and conflicts, remains unchanged. Characters and places briefly introduced in the first book will come into sharper focus, while the true cost of playing God begins to surface. A draft of Book Two already exists (it was originally part of the first novel before I split it to create a stronger debut).

7. What do you hope readers take away from “Quinto’s Challenge”?

I hope readers come away with the idea that even within a secular, scientific framework, death may not loom as a comfortless finality—that in an infinite universe, even resurrection might one day be possible. I also want those who feel out of place in the world to see that such differences can be a source of strength and untapped potential. The story celebrates how great breakthroughs—like the one pursued in the novel—emerge when free societies empower collaboration, foster imagination, and embrace those who think differently. And if the book sparks curiosity in science or inspires someone to explore fields like physics, AI, or biotechnology, that would be incredibly rewarding.

 

 

 

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