Building A World #5

A few thoughts on immortality

Building A World, Part 5

It was only a matter of time before I talked here about immortality. It is, after all, a theme I’ve always been fond of.

I remember reading, years ago, an article that mentioned how Roger Zelazny (my favorite author) was often criticized for using immortality as a central plot point in almost all of his stories. I always thought that was ridiculous. I mean, every writer tends to have themes they keep going back to—I think it’s only natural.

Since I never tire of reading about immortals (just like I never tire of reading time travel stories!) it never bothered me, quite the opposite. It might even be part of the reason why I liked Zelazny so much, though it also had a lot to do with his style. His most famous books, the Amber Chronicles, featured a dysfunctional family of immortals. “Creatures of Light and Darkness,” my personal favorite (though perhaps one of his less accessible ones), novelizes the conflict between Anubis and Osiris with many other Gods of Ancient Egypt making appearances.

Which brings us to the source of it all: mythologies.

As a child, I was fascinated with ancient civilizations and all their multiple gods. There was something outlandish about it that appealed to me, made my mind spin and speculate. It seeped into my writing, further fed by my readings.

How does this all relate to my worldbuilding?

Well, I love creating pantheons, something I often do when I write epic fantasy. I also like using ancient mythologies. I have a series of novels I plan to write that will be set in Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer (have I mentioned I like ancient civilizations?)

In 2020, I also wrote a short story about Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec deity, living among us in modern times (I’ll likely post this here in the near future, possibly next month).

Here’s the thing, though. It might seem like there are gods everywhere in what I write, but... in reality, there are no gods.

I love this dichotomy.

This is most apparent in my debut novel, Everlife, where the reader is presented with a world where thousands of gods live among men. I really went overboard with this one LOL. But the truth is... none of them are really gods. Though I suppose it depends on your definition of godhood—something two characters discuss in the book.

Most of the gods in what I write would dispute being gods (which is what happens in Everlife).

Because immortality does not necessarily mean godhood.

Not if immortality can be achieved through science... or even through magic, in a world where magic is indistinguishable from science.

Unless immortality is the definition of godhood?

It’s an interesting debate.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this.

Feel free to comment below.

Everlife

Speaking of my debut novel, it’s a sprawling Science-Fantasy epic with magic, blood-sucking gods (maybe!), an alien mask, political intrigue, and two murder investigations.

It’s the first volume of The Evernow Canticles, though it can be read on its own (no cliffhanger).

There will be three more books in the series, that I hope to publish next year.

You can read the blurb and buy a copy on various online platforms. Click on the cover below to be redirected to your favorite store.

By the way, want a sneak peek of my novel? You can read the first five chapters for free, right here on Substack.

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Copyright (c) 2022 by Alex S. Garcia.