Author Guide | BookFairy
📖 About Nic Dobre
Nic Dobre is a Romanian science fiction writer whose work explores humanity’s future, the challenges of survival and the extraordinary possibilities that arise when scientific imagination meets human experience.
Born on 5 December 1970 in Brașov, Romania, Dobre works professionally as an IT consultant. His background in technology provides an interesting context for his speculative fiction, where scientific concepts and imagined futures play an important role without necessarily overshadowing the characters who inhabit them.
His literary career began in 2012 with the short story Dilema, published in the Romanian online science fiction magazine SRSFF. He subsequently contributed fiction to publications including Gazeta SF, Revista de Suspans, Ficțiuni and Știință și Tehnică, becoming an active voice within Romania’s speculative fiction community.
Dobre made his novel debut with Căldura Ghețarilor, published by Smart Publishing in 2016. The book introduced readers to a distant future in which Earth has been devastated by a catastrophic ice age and humanity’s descendants must confront the possibility of returning to their ancestral planet.
His second novel, Un polițist în spațiu, followed in 2017 through Tritonic, exploring another science fiction setting while continuing his interest in human relationships and the choices people make under extraordinary circumstances.
Beyond his novels, Dobre has contributed to Romanian science fiction through short fiction, editorial and community activities. His work has also reached readers internationally: a story appeared in the Hungarian magazine Galaktika in 2018, and he received an honourable mention in the American Writers of the Future competition in 2020.
He has also been involved with the Antares science fiction club in Brașov and the organisation of AntareSFest, an event dedicated to celebrating speculative fiction and bringing together writers and readers.
What makes Dobre particularly interesting to me is his ability to approach ambitious futuristic scenarios while keeping the worlds he creates convincing. Science fiction becomes especially rewarding when I can forget that I am reading about an invented future and simply accept it as the reality of the story. That was precisely my experience with his work.
📚 Nic Dobre Books and Series
❄️ The Ancestors Series — Seria Ancestorilor
Căldura Ghețarilor (2016)
Published by Smart Publishing
Dobre’s debut novel imagines Earth centuries after a catastrophic glaciation has made much of the planet uninhabitable. Humanity has survived beyond its original home, establishing settlements on Mars while Earth remains a frozen reminder of a lost civilisation.
The story follows a young man born on Mars who dreams of travelling to the planet his ancestors once inhabited. When he finally reaches Earth, he becomes involved in efforts to recover and restore territories emerging from beneath the ice.
The novel combines planetary exploration, post-apocalyptic science fiction and questions about humanity’s relationship with its ancestral home.
What makes the premise particularly fascinating is the reversal of our familiar perspective. Earth, the planet we instinctively regard as home, becomes a mysterious and potentially dangerous destination for someone who has never lived there.
Căldura Ghețarilor is identified as the opening volume of Seria Ancestorilor. Although the author discussed plans for its continuation, I have not established a verified publication record for a second volume.
🚀 Other Novels
Un polițist în spațiu (2017)
Published by Tritonic
Dobre’s second novel takes readers into another science fiction setting, following a story in which futuristic circumstances provide the background for questions about human behaviour, relationships and personal choices.
While different from the frozen, post-apocalyptic setting of Căldura Ghețarilor, it continues the author’s exploration of humanity through speculative scenarios. His interest in balancing scientific ideas with recognisable emotions and motivations is particularly relevant to readers who appreciate character-focused science fiction.
📖 Short Fiction and Other Literary Contributions
Nic Dobre’s writing extends beyond his novels. His short stories have appeared in Romanian science fiction magazines, and a selection of his work is available through Galaxia 42.
Among his published short fiction are:
- Dilema
- Oglinda
- Saudade
- Efectul Penrose
- Dimineața fluturelui orb
- Misiune în afara cupolei
- Zile speciale
These titles illustrate his involvement in the wider Romanian speculative fiction scene. They are presented here as a selection, rather than as an exhaustive bibliography.
Dobre also coordinated the 2019 science fiction anthology Încotro, homo cosmicus?, which features contributions by multiple Romanian authors. It is therefore an editorial project rather than a novel written solely by him.
✨ What Makes Nic Dobre’s Stories Special?
One of the qualities I appreciate most in science fiction is credibility. I enjoy extraordinary concepts, distant worlds and imaginative predictions about humanity’s future, but I want the fictional universe to possess an internal logic that allows me to believe in it.
This is where Nic Dobre’s writing made such a strong impression on me.
His speculative settings are ambitious, yet they remain grounded in recognisable human experiences. The futuristic circumstances may be extraordinary, but the characters still face questions about belonging, relationships, ambition, loss and the possibility of building a meaningful life.
In Căldura Ghețarilor, the idea of returning to an Earth devastated by ice is fascinating in itself. However, what makes the scenario particularly compelling is the perspective of someone who has grown up knowing Earth only as the ancestral home of humanity.
For such a person, travelling to Earth is not simply a journey between planets. It is an encounter with history, identity and the possibility of recovering something that previous generations lost.
I appreciate science fiction that encourages this kind of reflection without sacrificing the pleasure of reading a good story. There is a considerable difference between presenting an interesting concept and building a convincing fictional world around it. Dobre’s writing impressed me because I felt he understood that distinction.
Another appealing quality is his willingness to explore the human consequences of scientific and technological developments. A futuristic world becomes much more interesting when its inhabitants are allowed to behave like real people rather than existing merely to explain the author’s ideas.
For me, believable worldbuilding and natural storytelling are inseparable. They reinforce one another, allowing the reader to become absorbed in circumstances that might otherwise seem impossible.
That balance is what I remember most vividly about discovering Nic Dobre.
📖 Nic Dobre on BookFairy
❄️ Căldura Ghețarilor (2016)
My BookFairy review of Căldura Ghețarilor revisits one of my most enjoyable Romanian science fiction reading experiences from 2016.
The novel impressed me through its excellent writing, convincing futuristic setting and the natural way its speculative elements fitted together. I remember being completely absorbed in the story and genuinely appreciating the care with which Dobre constructed his frozen version of Earth.
What stayed with me most was the credibility of the fictional world. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, I never struggled to accept its reality.
It remains a particularly memorable example of Romanian science fiction for me.
📖 Read My Căldura Ghețarilor Review
🌟 Where to Start with Nic Dobre
For readers discovering Nic Dobre for the first time, I would recommend beginning with Căldura Ghețarilor.
It was my introduction to his writing, and it offers an excellent opportunity to experience his approach to worldbuilding, scientific speculation and human storytelling.
The novel’s central premise is immediately intriguing: humanity has survived a catastrophe that transformed Earth, and a young man raised on Mars sets out to rediscover the planet his ancestors once called home.
Readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic science fiction, planetary exploration and stories about the future of civilisation should find plenty to appreciate.
I would especially recommend it to anyone who values believable speculative settings. The novel demonstrates how much more powerful an imaginative premise can become when the world surrounding it feels carefully considered.
For those who want to explore his work further, Un polițist în spațiu offers another opportunity to discover his approach to science fiction in a different setting.
Readers interested in shorter works can also explore his published stories in Romanian speculative fiction magazines, particularly those available through Galaxia 42.
💜 My Favourite Nic Dobre Reading Experience
My favourite Nic Dobre reading experience is undoubtedly Căldura Ghețarilor, which I read in 2016.
What I remember most is how completely the novel convinced me. I have always loved science fiction, but I am particularly appreciative of authors who can make even the most extraordinary circumstances feel natural. Dobre achieved exactly that with his vision of a future Earth transformed by a devastating glaciation.
I loved the atmosphere, the concept and the way the story unfolded. The writing was excellent, and I found myself accepting the fictional world without questioning its foundations or feeling that the author was forcing the scientific elements into the narrative.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about discovering a book in which everything simply works for you. You become absorbed in the story, enjoy the experience from beginning to end and finish with the feeling that you have encountered something genuinely special.
That was how I felt about Căldura Ghețarilor.
Although many years have passed and I no longer remember every detail of the plot, the impression it left on me remains remarkably clear. I remember the pleasure of reading it, the credibility of its world and my admiration for the author’s storytelling.
For me, it remains one of those Romanian science fiction novels that deserve to be discovered by a much wider audience.
📚 Explore Nic Dobre’s Complete Bibliography
Nic Dobre’s literary work includes novels, short fiction, magazine contributions and editorial projects connected to the Romanian science fiction community.
A separate Complete Bibliography will bring together his published works in chronological order, including individual stories and their original publication details wherever these can be verified.