The Two Doctors Górski

Title: The Two Doctors Górski

Author: Isaac Fellman

Summary: Annae, a brilliant graduate student in psychiatric magic and survivor of academic abuse, can’t stop reading people’s minds. This is how she protects herself, by using her abilities to know exactly how her colleagues view her. This is how she escapes the torturous experience of her own existence.

When Annae moves to England to rebuild her life and finish her studies under the seminal magician Marec Górski—infamous for bringing to life a homunculus made from his unwanted better self—she sees, inside his head, a man who is both a destructive force to everyone around him, and her mirror image. For Annae to survive, she’ll need to break free of a lifetime of conditioning to embody her own self and forge her own path.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5

Review: This is a book that I’ll be thinking about for a while. For a short book it sure packs a lot in. Not all my thoughts on it are positive, but they are interesting to consider. I adore books that get me thinking!

The most interesting aspect for me were the title characters. Marec Górski and his homunculus, Ariel. The idea of syphoning off the parts of yourself you dislike to make a new person, and the profound conflict that creates was morbidly compelling. Marec hated those aspects of himself so much he gave them away, but then leant heavily on Ariel emotionally. Is it easier to accept those parts of yourself when they are no longer actually a part of you? It’s a fascinating psychological concept and I could speculate and theorise on it all day.

We learn about both Górskis through Annae, who interacts with them both but also reads both their minds. Annae is another character I could analyse for a while. On the surface she seems fairly simple to understand, but there is depth to her. It’s a complex and murky depth that I think she herself is reluctant to explore. Instead, she reaches out into others’ minds to discover what they make of her. It leaves her much more focused on everyone’s thoughts and feelings but her own.

That’s where my biggest issue lies—with Annae, as the sole woman in the book, occupied with and managing the emotions of all the men around her. Quite literally, in one stand out moment. I do believe it’s an intentional part of the book and is making its own point. For that I respect it, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating to read.

The short length of the book works perfectly in its favour. Though that might be my own preferences showing. I love short stories and books not inflated by unnecessary descriptions or filler. This book gives us exactly the right amount of information to paint the story it’s telling. It didn’t feel short—there is so much to take in, digest, and enjoy. And none of it is given to you too easily, either. The pieces of the story and the concepts it’s exploring fall into place as you read, gradually adding more to think about.

I loved the ending. It leaves just enough unspecified for plenty of room for speculation, but also lets us know where the characters are a little further down the line. What place they are in compared to where they were during the events in the story. And what I particularly loved was the ultimate correlation between Marec and Annae—those that can’t do…

Overall the book was wonderfully written. So many vivid descriptions and memorable turns of phrase. It was a pleasure to read, regardless of what was happening in the story. Fellman certainly has a beautiful way with words, and I would happily read more of them.