Costi Gurgu is the award-winning, bestselling author of original works of fiction that have appeared in Canada, the US, and Europe. He has sold 5 books and over 50 stories for which he has won 26 awards. He was three times a finalist for the Canadian Aurora Awards and one time finalist for the Book Excellence Award.
His latest sales include the anthologies Tesseracts 17, The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk, Dark Horizons, Street Magick, Water, and Alice Unbound.
His bestselling novel RecipeArium has won three awards (Kult, Nemira, and Vladimir Colin) and was a 2018 finalist in the Aurora Awards.
His second novel, Servitude was published in October 2022. His latest novel Green Corrosion is book one of the Corrosion series, and was published in September 2023. This one-on-one interview shares Costi’s background and experience writing Green Corrosion.
Tell us about Green Corrosion.
Green Corrosion is set in a dystopian North America that has been forever ruined by society’s abject treatment of the environment. A devastating Black Rain has transformed the once-lush land into an arid wasteland, turning all water into a gel-like substance across the globe. Fresh, drinkable water has become the planet’s most precious commodity, sought after by all.
Some have chanced upon underground liquid reserves, while those with no choice but to drink gelled water become “Corrosives,” disfigured by a verdigrislike substance covering their bodies. The rich have access to a treatment that counters some, if not all, of the corrosive effects but this is out of reach to the masses.
The Golden Tower of Prince Boris shines above the otherwise derelict city of Torono. From the Golden Tower, Geo Woodman, the leader of a clan who has access to their own hidden fresh water supply, leads the fight to save the people of Torono from the dangers of corrupt leaders and the hazardous climate.
Using elements of Man vs. Man and Man vs. Nature, Green Corrosion exposes readers to a dire situation where resources are at a premium and the wrong people are in charge.
What inspired you to write Green Corrosion?
When people think of climate change, they often think of global warming, storms, drought, famine, and coastal land shrinkage.
But, the possibilities of climate change are endless.
Throughout Earth’s history, the climate has already changed, and if we do not take action, it will continue to change—drastically.
At the end of the day, we are just specks of dust in nature's plans. Through the book, I wanted to ring the alarm on what could happen in the future and showcase how these impending changes could change us too.
How did you feel when you found out you received a Book Excellence Award?
After writing for more than 30 years, it felt wonderful to be recognized for my work. I’m honored to have received this prestigious award.
How did your background and experience influence your writing?
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.
I began writing in primary school, where I was strongly influenced by Star Wars, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
I got serious in high school when my German Language teacher, Nadia Dorian, wife of acclaimed SF author Dorel Dorian, read some of my short stories and encouraged me to enter my first writing group, Solaris. A few years later, some authors from Solaris formed a new writers group called ProspectArt to reflect the changing nature of the SF market in Romania. I became one of the founders of this group.
My first successful writing attempt was in university when I sold my first story, Wonderful Asaara. It was published in the Science Fiction Journal, received two awards, and has been resold five times since.
After that, I became a prolific writer.
To date, my work has been published internationally, received numerous awards and been met with market success and critical acclaim, in Europe and North America. Through experience, I have come to understand the differences between European and American genre writing, and my goal is to combine the two different cultures to produce glorious hybrid stories that will appeal to both readership groups equally.
What is one message you would like readers to remember?
Green Corrosion paints a picture of what a dystopian future could look like if we lost a major resource: water. It offers readers a harrowing glimpse at a world marked by environmental degradation, corruption, and the consequences of unchecked corporate power. It also challenges conventional notions of progress, underscoring the delicate balance between technological innovation and ecological sustainability.
In our society, corporate greed and egotistical blindness have made us believe that money can save us from whatever situation we end up in, but to nature, money has no value.
We haven’t yet reached the point of no return on climate change so there is still time to salvage the world as it is. The book was designed to be a reality check to open readers eyes to what could happen if we do not stop exploiting the environment.
Purchasing the Book
Green Corrosion is available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook, Google Play and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://a.co/d/bqfHpKk
To connect with Costi and receive updates about upcoming events and new book releases, visit: https://costigurgu.com/. You can also find Costi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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