Short Fiction · Character
Salva Gordy
A former Pasadena professor of mathematics and physics, Gordy now hoes a garden at the end of the world, watching mutated ants and crabgrass overtake his carrots.
supporting
Also known as Gordy, Doctor Salva Gordy
First appearance: asteroid of the damned
As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Salva Gordy is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Gordy creates the ant race by planting queens in the Coal Measure forest, is captured by the evolved ants, forced to rebuild his time machine, and barely escapes.
Doctor Salva Gordy once taught mathematics and physics in Pasadena; now he sweats over a garden plot, smoking stubs and shaking his head at the rank crabgrass he cannot cut. When John de Terry, a former student, stumbles into his yard, Gordy finds help and an unsettling conversation about lunged ants and humanity's last chance. His quiet guilt — he made a weapon out of something that had nothing to do with war — colors every observation he makes about what comes next.
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Character Web
16 connectionsA slice of how Salva Gordy sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Romantic
- Family
- Other
Character groups
- Medical and Minor
- Authority and Protagonist
- Narrator and Ancient
+11 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because Roget Germyn’s psychological certainty—that his wife is a rational…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- John de Terry
romantic · ambivalent
John de Terry and Salva Gordy share a passionate but possibly fraught romantic… How this plays out →
- the Ants Try Gordy
family · ambivalent
- John de Terry
romantic · ambivalent
John de Terry and Salva Gordy share a passionate but possibly fraught romantic… How this plays out →
- John de Terry
romantic · ambivalent
John de Terry and Salva Gordy share a passionate but possibly fraught romantic… How this plays out →
- the Ants Try Gordy
family · ambivalent
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Salva Gordy in asteroid of the damnedIn the story
Salva Gordy appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Salva Gordy unlock in the free preview.
See Salva Gordy in asteroid of the damned