If there's one thing I'm known for as a writer, it's my habit of writing across disciplines, connecting multiple fields in a single book or narrative. My sense from talking to readers and following the reviews is that if you like my books, the discipline-jumping is one of the main attractions, and if the books rub you the wrong way (as in this review of Invention of Air from last year) it's the connections that grate.

But the truth is I haven't written a truly multi-disciplinary book for near...