Paul Kieniewicz holds Masters degrees in Astronomy and in  Geophysics. A renaissance man, he has lectured on astronomy, comparative religions, mythology and history. When not prospecting for oil and gas, he writes science fiction, plays with a recorder ensemble, carves in wood, and studies the properties of numbers. He speaks several languages and has traveled the world. He has published short stories in small press magazines, and this is his debut novel.

An Interview with the author

Question What inspired Erda, the planet of immortals?

Paul K This book started as a thought experiment. Many of the great religions have talked about the need for people to transcend suffering, so I wrote about people who have done it. I wanted to find out if such people would be passionate. What sort of technology might they build? If they live without conflicts, how do they deal with violent neighbors? Would we find such people at all interesting and be able to identify with them? 

Question Aren’t death and suffering part of the human condition and necessary if we’re to remain human?

Paul K  We may never achieve physical immortality, but do we need to suffer? William Blake wrote, “The tree does not require the blight in order to produce good fruit, and if it does, let none say it was on account of the blight.” To live without suffering and to conquer it, strikes me as a worthy life goal. But such a person would be different from most of us. In Immortality Machine, I’m asking, how different?

Question  Haven’t people have been writing forever about immortality?

Paul K  Yes. But not many writers asked, ‘What is required psychologically to enjoy a long life?’ Most people I’ve talked to, don’t want to live long. Life has given them some tough knocks, and the thought of living only twenty more years is more than they can take. A long life means watching loved ones die, angst, deprivation if you’re poor and boredom if you’re rich. Your opinions and beliefs solidify, and you don’t welcome attempts to change them. Older people often find the changing world difficult to accept, and can’t wait to leave it.  Immortality of the body seems a simple problem compared to creating an immortal mind that isn’t worn down by time.

Question  In Immortality Machine we meet androids, the sexy Zusi for example. What’s your interest in androids?

Paul K  Androids are lots of fun, and help the action from getting too serious. They also provide a way to study human beings and the causes of suffering. Most of the time we behave like programmed machines. We react to stimuli in predictable ways, and when we experience internal conflict between what is real, and what we want it to be, we call it suffering. However, we have unrealized potential and capabilities to be more than sophisticated androids. But few people want to go beyond what they know and trust, and would rather accept a life of suffering, than step out of it.

Question  What do the immortal Erdans do with all their time?

Paul K  They play games that resemble martial arts, such as Disk. There are no limits to what the body or mind can do, given the discipline and training --- and available time. Like us, they’re curious about the universe and don’t mind taking an interstellar trip of a few hundred years to check out a new planet.

Question  What are your current projects? Any plans for Erda?

Paul K  Children of Fire, the sequel to Immortality Machine, is almost completed.  In it, you'll see how non-violent people react to violent invaders.  I'm also completing a series of Erdan short stories, some of which will appear on the Erda website.

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