Profile of Gord Sellar

More Information

This profile moderated by Gord Sellar.

Bio

Gord Sellar was born in Malawi, grew up Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, Canada, and is currently living in South Korea. He is a graduate of Clarion West 2006, at which he was the receipient of the Susan C. Petrey Memorial Scholarship, and his works have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, and Interzone, among others.

He is currently eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy was published in a professional publication in the previous two years.

Bibliography

Gord Sellar's first Campbell-qualifying work:
"Junk," Nature, August 2007.

Short Stories:

Poems:

SF-Related Scholarship & Nonfiction:

Forthcoming work:

  • “Improperly Prepared Blowfish” (Short story.) — Machine of Death.
  • “Dadeumie Sori”, “Ode to the Competent”, and “Tian Zhu Jiao." (Poems.) — Diet Soap.

For a more complete bibliography of all publications, see here.

REVIEWS:

Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues:

  • "Especially good is "‘Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues'' by Gord Sellar, a new writer of enormous promise on the strength of the tour de force he accomplishes here. Writing in a style drawing on the hip autobiographical voice of Miles Davis, Sellar reimagines the late 1940s East Coast jazz scene as it might have evolved had aliens visited Earth during and after WWII…" (Nick Gevers in Locus. This story was included on the Locus 2008 Recommend Reading List.)
  • "This novelette is a tour de force of voice, music, and storytelling. In an alternate timeline where jazz musicians are taken to the stars by an appreciative alien species, things aren't exactly as they seem. Written like fine jazz itself, capturing the voices of musicians as well as the era, and managing to write well about music (I heard [or perhaps I should say reheard] a lot of the pieces in my head as I read), this story is extremely well done. The most memorable story I've read in the magazines this year." (Kristine Kathryn Rusch, in her August Recommended Reading List.)
  • "Think about the first time you discovered science fiction you enjoyed; remember the wonder and joy you felt, the sort of sensation that makes you twelve years old again. Sellar conjures up that Ray Bradbury-esque golden-hour bliss with a piece which has a traditional feel but glimmers with freshness, originality, and craft... sort of like a good rendition of a jazz standard." (Val Grimm at The Fix.)
  • "... the oddest setting of any story this year... It's a terrific story, and should deservedly bring Sellar wider exposure." (Colin Harvey at Suite 101.com.)
  • "This is an absolutely wonderful mix of 1940s jazz & black culture, plus sort of an alien invasion; the voice of the character is dead-on. Why isn't more SF written like this? That is to say, with characters clearly of color and willing to explore issues of race. This story will stick with me for a long, long time." (Kyle Maxwell at Chrome Bits.)

"The Country of the Young":

  • "...distinctly my favorite piece in the issue... Sellar has done a superb job on every count. The characters and setting feel alive, three-dimensional, and absolutely convincing. From these, the plot grows naturally--absorbing, meaningful, and free of contrivance. And detail is handled perfectly, showing real-life richness and complexity without ever getting bogged down, and without ever leaving the reader missing crucial information. Kudos, Mr. Sellar, for an excellent story." (Ziv Wities at The Fix.)
  • "...one of the most interesting angles on aging versus artificial eternal youth I've read since Jack Deighton's thoughtful Son of the Rock..." (Joe Edinburgh at The Wollomaloo Gazette.)
  • "Immigration, demographics, youth obsession, all in one superb story. This is why I read Interzone." (Paul Pritchard at Jaiku.)

"Wonjjang and the Madman of Pyongyang":

  • "New writer Gord Sellar's first few stories have quickly attracted notice - and so should "Wonjjang and the Madman of Pyongyang"..." (Rich Horton, Locus, November 2008. The story was included on Horton's recommended reading list for the month.)
  • "Wonjjang and the Madman of Pyongyang" follows a well-trodden storytelling path, in this case a world where superheroes are omnipresent. While this has been the setting for a number of very good stories in recent years, Sellar takes a masterful leap by making his superheroes "shoopahs," which is a Korean reworking of the English word... This is a great story, and one which breaks out of its formulaic mold to become something very different. Highly recommended." (Jason Sanford at The Fix.)

"Dhuluma No More":

  • "This story hits a lot of Big Issues, and Makes You Think. Obviously there’s the idea that whatever we come up with in the West to mitigate climate change will have a real effect on real people; they may come looking for us someday. This often gets left to the side in writing like Kim Stanley Robinson’s Capitol Trilogy or Ben Bova’s climate engineering columns in Analog. There’s also the dilemma of the passive observer: the filmmaker is forced to make a decision to stay uninvolved or to actually help the Africans in their violent action. He can’t hide behind his cameras anymore and he has to take a side. This is something of a call to action to all of us who read the news but think that news is what happens to other people. I’d like to see more of this sort of story, and I’ll be thinking of this one when I look at the Hugo ballot this spring. This is a short story, but with enough weight that it feels longer. In this case, that’s a good thing." (Karen Burnham at Spiral Galaxy Reviewing Laboratory.)
  • "... crackles with righteous indignation... an excellent, furious story about the real cost of humanity's efforts to combat Climate Change, particularly on the developing world." (Colin Harvey, Suite101.)

"Pahwakhe":

  • "... blurs together myth and history in his standout story, "Pahwakhe." ... Sellar's skillful merging of European traders and visitors from Ghost Town makes this retribution as poignant and creepy as it is unjust... [and his] use of descriptive writing and visual imagery make his tale effective and haunting." (Val Grimm, The Fix.)
  • "The story feels very much like a tale told by a fireside... The prose is sometimes stark, sometimes lyrical and filled with images of startling clarity..." (Carol Ryles, Writing Walking Whatever.)