I typically have a lot of projects going at once, and since I published The Recognition a few years ago, I haven’t actually come to the end of a story. The only stories that have gotten endings are The Plight of Steel (the first novel) and The Recognition, and so to cap off another novel was an incredibly rewarding feeling – especially one that I love as much as this one.

I set out to write a Sci-fi novel that I would personally find interesting enough to...