The Call of Abaddon follows a gifted young scavenger on a crumbling, post-apocalyptic Earth who is attacked by an ancient alien obelisk, triggering a surge in his dormant psychic abilities. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Thanks for the interview and for the thoughtful questions. The genesis of The Call of Abaddon goes back many years, through countless drafts and title changes.

The initial spark was Jason himself. I had a dream when I was younger about a guy (someone like me) using the power of his mind to fight something dark and terrifying. Obvious inspirations would be Luke Skywalker, Neo, Beowulf, and others. That darkness took many forms as the story evolved—from extradimensional demons (like in Doom or Warhammer) to biological zombie plagues—but eventually coalesced into the Abaddon Beacon obelisk. I did get my “zombie plague” in the form of the Nanophage, but it’s far more complex than a simple virus and will continue to (literally) evolve in future books, as Abaddon seeks revenge for Jason’s unexpected, hail-Mary-level victory at the end of Book 1.

The rest of the cast and world grew over years of development, both visually and on the page. In other interviews, I’ve mentioned some external inspirations—like a friend who started writing and a student teacher who gave me a massive sci-fi reading list in eighth grade—but the true origin of the story was always Jason. He began life as a bit of a power fantasy for me, but over time, Jason matured into something far more complex and mythic. Honestly, I think all my characters grew up as I did, which is why I’m glad I waited this long to publish. Great works take time to cook, and this one was no exception.

I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?

The setting changed a lot over time. Colossus Station, the orbital habitat referenced in Book 1 a few times, was originally supposed to be the primary setting. But as the lore and backstory deepened, I ended up pushing the journey to Colossus to future books. It’s kind of like going to Arrakis, stepping outside the Shire, or Odysseus leaving Troy—it marks the real beginning of the larger saga. That said, Book 1 is not a prologue or filler. New Toronto ended up becoming a much richer part of the story than I had expected, so the journey to Colossus had to wait.

Even New Toronto wasn’t originally envisioned as a sealed arcology. That came later, as the lore of the Confederacy and the Great War took shape. The idea of a dying Earth, ravaged by ecological collapse, ended up setting the perfect tone for readers—something like, “This world is old, broken, and a lot has happened here already… but you have no idea what horrors are coming next.”

Like any great SFF setting, the world grew, snowballed, got chopped down, and rebuilt several times. But once all the threads were tied together, it felt real. I think that’s what early readers and reviewers are responding to, regarding the setting in particular.

A lot of fictional worlds in SFF feel designed purely to serve the stories within them. A horror world, for instance, where things conveniently go wrong a little too easily. But I think that world of Abaddon strikes a stronger balance—it feels like it would still exist even if these characters weren’t in it. The events are wild, sure, but the world around them remains grounded. That’s something I worked hard to achieve.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

In other interviews, I’ve talked about the themes of memory, identity, and mental health—all of which are central to the book. Tyranny, environmentalism, freedom—those are in there too. But the core theme, the one that threads through everything, is the power of the creative human soul—and how that power transcends anything external.

The Abaddon Beacon hijacks human society, addicting us to its nanotech like a drug. But none of that comes from our own ingenuity—it replaces it. The real question becomes: what happens when someone has all that taken away? No nanotech, no psychic powers. Just a man against the universe and its horrors. What does he do?

In Jason’s case, he channels something deeper—something that lets him subvert Abaddon’s godlike influence and strike a blow that no one else has. But the question remains: is the power he wields a twisted form of what the obelisk gave him, or is it something else entirely? Only future books will reveal the truth.

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it heading in the future?

Great segue from the last question! As mentioned, future books will feature Colossus Station much more heavily. I won’t say how or why just yet—but the reason will probably shock readers.

The series is fully planned. Not down to line-by-line detail, but all the major arcs, twists, and character beats are mapped out—including the ending. Some things might shift along the way, but the key points are locked in. Readers are in for a saga with all the expected twists of epic sci-fi—but also some deeply personal character twists that I don’t think anyone will see coming.

Now that the world, characters, and conflict are in motion, readers get to grow with them, just like I did. I may be the creator, but I’m also part of the audience now, cheering them on… and hoping they all survive the hell I’m about to unleash.

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