Where did Echoes come from?

Echoes of the neXt was born from a lifelong love of science fiction and cyberpunk. As a teen, I devoured the works of William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, John Shirley, and Rudy Rucker, writers who taught me that technology isn't just hardware; it's identity, memory, power. Ray Bradbury opened my eyes in more ways than I could even try to list here. More recently, authors like Dan Abnett have continued to inspire me with stories that blend grit with heart.

But beyond books, Echoes was also built from something far more personal. Years ago, during a long-distance relationship between the U.S. and U.K., my now-wife Joanne and I would spend long hours in the world of the MMO City of Heroes, talking through headsets as we fought side by side. I created a fire-based hero called Firestarter. She played Ellemental. Those characters—who became Fahrenheit 451 and Ellemental in the novel—started as avatars but grew into symbols of our connection. Just as Elle steadies Caleb in the story, Joanne has always grounded me.

Doc Pandora came from that same game. He was a close friend and one of the founders of our online guild. Life separated us before his story could finish—but I made sure he lives on in Echoes. He isn’t just a name. He’s the spark at the origin of the recursion. An echo I refuse to forget.

So in many ways, Echoes of the neXt is a mosaic: literary influences, personal loss, long-distance love, and digital masks that slowly became real. Fahrenheit and Ellemental are more than heroes. They’re memories. They're us.