Imago: A Dystopian Gothic

by M Zakharuk

Tresor Institute accepts only the worthy, and Ada Călinescu is anything but. Intractable, mannish, a child of convicted terrorists, she can at best hope to be overlooked. Yet somehow the Institute accepts her application for transfer. Her ticket to the polar town of Heilung, home of the Institute, arrives free of charge.

Her only chance to forge a brighter future.

Except Heilung welcomes Ada with news of a brutal murder. Militiamen stalk the town, keen to fill their arrest quotas—and Ada knows she could make an easy scapegoat. At every turn the bloody conspiracy follows her, from the halls of Tresor to the arms of a stranger she yearns to make hers. What starts as a dalliance risks putting Ada at odds with the Bureau itself.

And then expulsion will be the least of her concerns.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, Dystopia, LGBT

336 pages, ebook

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

M Zakharuk (she/her) writes lesbian fiction with a focus on the monstrous, the dreadful, and the thrilling. She's lived in Chernivtsi, Kyiv, and Dublin.

Reviews

[Aster · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRANSMASC SAPPHICS WHERE ARE WE?!?
DYSTOPIAN DARK ACADEMIA !! NB/NB ROMANCE


__________
I discovered Zakharuk with their transhumanist debut All Orbits Decay Homeward that I greatly appreciated, albeit a bit short. When they announced their full-length novel I closely followed updates. Imago is a dark academia gothic horror/dystopian story set in an arctic environment with a transmasc lesbian and deals with gender deviance, oppressive fascist government and surveillance, linguistic magic, and a mysterious monster.

Imago is a book that reminded me a lot of Babel in its the university setting, translation/language-based magic system, eugenics policies and anti-authoritarian politics but the story takes a turn halfway through to delve into horror, monsters and metarmophosis in a twist that set it apart and brings a new side to this story. It even has a shady professor that makes you lose faith in academia.

Our protagonist, Ada is judged deviant by an authoritarian society. She's gender-nonconforming, too masculine, too desiring of masculinity, and too autistic for the society she lives in. And most importantly the daughter of the wrong people. Unlike her sister, Ada refuses to bow to the government and pursues her study in a place she once called home. The town is an isolated polar city, hyper militarised, on edge from recent killings, and nothing is at it seems.

Coming home, carries the weight of memories, of Ada's parents but Ada also comes home to her sister, distant after all these years. Freedom is alluring as Ada meets the mysterious androgyne Nikola who helps Ada become herself.

Ada's sister appears to be her opposite at first, she rejects her heritage, tries to assimilate, to not make any waves. But a society like this will never let you forget where you're from

I really enjoy reading books that have a distinct non-American feel to them whether it be in culture or politics. Imago is informed by Zakharuk's Ukrainian heritage in a way that feels fresh and deeply anti-imperialist.

Imago is sharp when it needs to be although less horrific than I thought it would be. Although queer rage is not my favourite term, it's an angry book, makes you want to chew at the fascist enclosure you live in, burn the restraints of respectability, rebel against the society that throws the corpses of those at the bottom in the furnace so the train can keep moving forward.

Maybe Nicola was the weakest aspect for me, I understand the mystery but I never really fully warmed up to the character.

[McKayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ✨

Wow this book was…wow. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I had no idea what was happening until the last 6 or so chapters, and once it clicked, it CLICKED. I’ve never read a story quite like this one, and the concept is so unique. At the end of the day, we all have a little piece of monster in us. Question is, what are you going to do with yours?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on JamReads

Imago: a Dystopian Gothic is a queer genre bending novel, written by Matthew Zakharuk. With an excellent use of a literary prose, Zakharuk has created a cruel and dark world, where our character will navigate defying the conventions established by the Authority, in a story that combines in excellent ways elements from gothic dark academia and horror.

Ada Călinescu didn't have many hopes of getting accepted at the Tresor Institute. Daughter of convicted terrorists, incorrigible; however, against all the odds, she is accepted to continue her studies in spellcraft there, in the polar city of Heilung. Spellcraft is the force that powers all under the control of the Authority; and soon we will understand that its study will play an important role in the plot.

Part of the charm of this book is the process of slowly unraveling the conspiracy that is happening at the Tresor Institute, and how from the first moment Ada arrives at Heilung, we can feel there's an unknown danger; brutal murders are happening in the city, and the militia is clueless about who is the responsible.
Ada herself is a peculiar character in this world, standing out against the conventionalism and all the customs established by the Authority, which has a fierce control over all the aspects of life. She represents the revelry against the norm, even if that means being pointed out; Ada doesn't forget what happened to her parents.

The world is bleak and cruel, a grey place where all is controlled and established by the Authority, a power that tries to eradicate all that goes outside of the norm; militia is the way violence is exerted over the citizens.
Inside the Tresor institute, spellcraft is investigated and taught, that source that powers the buildings and the weapons; however, behind the investigation of this force there are bloody secrets, and the prize of it is not known by many.

The pacing is a bit weird, partly motivated by the use of the prose, a literary prose that embellishes this kind of bleak world where the story is happening. Once Ada becomes part of the Tresor Institute, the story becomes totally unputdownable.

Imago is an excellent book, a well written dystopic story with queer elements; if you are in the look for something different, I would recommend you to check it, because it will blow your mind.

[lua ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
interesting!

[achilles · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I was provided an e-ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Imago is a queer-to-its-core dark academia murder mystery with a chilling atmosphere. The writing style mirrors the cold setting and sends a chill wave of wind as you go through the thrilling story of Ada as she tries to live through the harsh world around her and the authority that brings her down.

"Cold" is a great way to describe this book and my experience with it. The characters, the story, the setting, and the themes are all intertwined with this somewhat dreadful sense of cold. But it was a delightful cold. We have themes of identity and desire at hand that were explored quite well. Those aspects were a high point for me. I do enjoy a cold academic setting with equally cold characters with murder mystery intrigue, so it was genuinely a good read.

The only part that didn't really grab my attention as much as the desire and mystery aspects were the magical school parts. While I love an academic setting, I realized that I don't really enjoy the magical school aspect. But Zakharuk's writing kept those parts up for me as well.

Zakharuk's world-building and character-building really highlights every aspect of the story so well that I didn't find myself focusing on magic. Which overall, made this a great and thrilling read full of queer power.

[Liis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of SPFBO10

Wow. Let me throw some keywords at you: gothic, academia, dystopian, love, family, horror, identity, power, conspiracy, violence.

We are introduced to Ada, the perfect main character for a dystopian setting. Intelligent, curious, unrelenting. We follow Ada to Tresor Institute, despite the potentially dangerous family ties, and it is in academia that the dark conspiracy hidden under society’s shining image unravels. A society where loyalty is questionable and lies are well hidden, and the reader doesn’t have to wait long to dive headfirst into dangerous action and violence.

The momentum of the story is relentless. It starts with a feeling of ever looming danger. It moves on, into a feeling of false sense of safety, to finish on a complete turmoil of emotions and metaphorical middle finger to the powers that be. Love will win. Individuality will prevail. The sum of all people is made up of single identities.

Imago started out really great – I absolutely adored the artistic, observant prose used to set the scene and create the feeling of atmosphere. It was cold, it was gloomy, it was melancholic. It did things to my soul that I very much enjoyed. I wish the second half of the story would have kept a similar feel – though this is personal preference – but it made sense for things to come to a head and crescendo into chaos before conclusion. Imago has to be read. It’s difficult to put into words what it all could potentially be and mean to readers. It may shock with some horror elements, but it could also deliver a truly powerful metaphorical experience.

What does Zakharuk do well? I mean, all of it. The dark side of humanity. Love. Prose. People. Identity. The representation of accepting self and pushing back against the suffocating boundaries of society as well as the unethical over-reaching of the powers that be.

[MichiruEll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I loved this book more than I did. It did a lot of things well: the worldbuilding is intriguing (although I wish we had learned more), the characters and their interactions are complexe, the atmosphere is very immersive.

But I also had issues connecting with the characters and understanding their actions. Especially some of the side characters were hard to understand. Towards the end, I struggles with following what was actually happening, and differentiating between metaphors and magical things that were actually occurring. I also think I have to conclude that the whole dark academia vibe is not for me.

[Abhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC generously given by the author*
Holy fucking shit, this book. Ive never had a book legit make me feel cold, in both climate and the feeling of desolation and then turn up the temperature to hot, queer rage so wonderfully in a while.
A masterpiece of dark academia combined with a Psycho-Pass level of careful, slow build of the stiflement and suffocation and stupidity of living in a dystopic authoritarian society, the book is like an ice bath that slowly warms you by letting us stay in Ada, our MC and angry lesbian's sheer anger and frustration and still reluctant, urgent need of trying to conform, to disappear into a society and town that hates her for her parents' reputation and her genderqueerness as she travels back to her old hometown to study history of spells. It's a cold and distant place, it's people suspicious and nasty and implicitly hostile to her and her sister, seemingly except for one person who pushes her into studying the language of magic, which opens up a horrifying maw of truth that will change her life forever.

The magic system is developed with such a flair of almost science fiction style of practicality, with falselights and glyphs that are all built like an electrical grid to keep this frozen tundra warm, but also stays firmly within its metaphoric costs and who in fact keeps the crappy system going when it introduces one of the hottest fucking love interests in a bit, Nikola, a mysterious dancer and patron at the secret lesbian bar The Guelder-Rose.

As Ada grows in confidence in her desire of Nikola, we also see her repressed rage start bursting out of its seams as her research into the magical languages grows, encouraged by a top 10 shady MILF professor Professor Vogt, but there's also such sadness baked into every sentence as Ada's rage against the machine is still tempered by a need to believe someone, someone with influence, someone a part of the system could care, could help her and Nikola as she uncovers a horrifying yet sadly mundane costs of how the Authority literally keeps its magic lights on, and being disappointed and let down at every turn at the helplessness or reluctance to give a shit enough.

The book doesn't give you a triumphant moment, which is in sync with how the world and the world Ada inhabits is described, but it gives you something more- cathartic rage and a union that assures you, and Ada/Nikola that you can't fuck up the system fully, but maybe with a Stronger Than You in minor key, Ada can damn well bring down the hell that is your shitty ass hometown.

[Reg 🦇 · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks to book sirens and matthew zakharuk for allowing me to read this masterpiece.

< i am leaving this review voluntarily >

“When Ada first sees Heilung’s grey wall rise, she mistakes it for an overcast sky.”

the world building was brilliant and every single character was completely fleshed out and fully realised. if you like dark academia, dystopian fiction, gothic horror, magic and/or sapphic romance, this book is for you.

i haven’t read anything like this book, and have the biggest book hang over i’ve had this year. truly fantastic… not a dull moment. i loved ada and nikola so much, too, and thought the ending was well suited to everything they endured throughout the novel.

[Lez_be_readin_ya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you, Matthew, for the ARC. It was a pleasure to read your book, although at first I was a little confused with what was going on, the more I read, the more I understood.

This book is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, the storyline is good and I liked Ada and Nikola's connection, who doesn't have a little monster in them right?! I liked the book and do recommend it if you like a dark Dystopian book. It's thoroughly thought out very well written.

This book comes on January 30th, so get it in your diaries.

Star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating. 🔥🔥🔥

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBOX contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

The train conductor can hear screams from the coffin-like boxes, but no one else can. The dark figures who deliver them seem to, but she’s learned it’s safer to be uncurious about them. Trans/LGBTQ+ gothic horror fantasy.

Wow.

Sometimes it feels like it would be an injustice to say much more about a book than to recommend people read it. Here we are. I’ll do my best tho.

The prose here is terse and darkly poetic. It makes good use of 3rd person close voice to create a palpable sense of tone and place and character.

It is not an easy read. If I have a critique of this prologue, it is that. I’d flatter myself if I said I am middlingly intelligent, and I do not quite understand everything here. There is a fragmented quality to the thoughts of our MC and the close narration.

However, the experience of the text is deeply rewarding. That I understand it darkly seems to me to reflect the character’s experience of her world. I find it draws me into the story rather than pushing me out.

We begin in a polar town to which our prologue MC has been cast, possibly forever, by the Bureau. She shouldn’t have complained about her last assignment. Now she’s here, probably forever, feigning indifference to the interests of the coachman who delivers these screaming boxes.

There are spells on the boxes that will keep them closed. She needn’t worry about them. She meant wonder about where they come from or where they’re going or what is inside.

This manages its action with brilliance. The dialogues is wonderful. It‘s pace feels effortless. There is not a line here that is uninteresting. I don’t know how many POVs this will have, but I am eager to keep turning the pages to find out.

This has 41 ratings on goodreads as of my writing this. If the opening is any indication of its quality, it deserves to have at least 1,000 by the end of the year. It is really something.

Sinister, inescapably dark, cold, maybe hopeless, this seems like a one of a kind read, and not just in the SPFBO contest. If this sounds at all like a book you’d be interested in, read it immediately. You can say you were one of the first.
Without reservations, I’m in.

[Nausicaa's Requiem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me with a book in exchange of a review.

Imago is a book that is almost a dream come true. A sapphic dark academia dystopian gothic featuring transmasc and non binary main characters. It is hard to imagine what else I could want from a book. So going into it I was worried I might have hyped it up too much. But thankfully the book proved me wrong.

First of all the writing. The book takes place in a desolate winter town and the writing in incredibly atmospheric. So detailed that I felt present at every street our MC Ada walked. A winter city stained at the edges with smoke and soot and smog, the constant surveillance of a militia, the rigid conformation of a society that punishes deviation from the norm. It was incredible.

The dark academia part of the book was extremely well done as well. Infact this is one of the few DA books the actually includes academia. Research, studies etc. Because of this the book reminded me a lot of "The starless sea" and it's magic system based on ink and letters, reminded me of "Babel". This book is a mixture of those two books but dystopian. Infact the world building was so well done that if I could have explored it forever I would have.

In terms of characters, the MC Ada was absolutely incredible. Fierce, intelligent, kind - she is everything I love in a protagonist. The exploration of her loneliness and struggle to fit into this society despite never being able to was explored incredibly. Apart from her, I loved every other characters as well. Her sister, sister's wife, her love interest were all very well writen. I loved that even the most minor characters had a unique voice of their own.

The romance was aching and beautiful and brought a much needed lightness to the story. The mystery element was utilised properly. I loved every revelation as it came. At points the book effectively crossed into horror and terrified me more than most horror books have. The body horror and gore were as unexpected as they were welcome.

The concept of rejecting a violent dystopian world built on blood to love the one it claims is a monster was an incredible premise and this book delivered!! I recommend it to everyone.

[Viz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story deserves the dystopian gothic tag and really excels at teasing the mystery and fear gripping the main character in a steampunk-magic(?) style frozen wasteland. I really liked the slow yet ramped up reveal of the mystery and the plot twists at the end.

The author's writing style is polished and elegant although at certain parts the writing felt a little too stylistic which helped with the mood but made the story and character reactions harder to follow.

This is unapologetically a trans sapphic romance and I loved it, although I would have appreciated more build-up and description of the love interest and other characters' worldview and not just the vibes/instant attraction as the initial punch-drunk encounter felt a little hollow. But I would like to give props to the author for actually writing explicit and very visceral, emotional sex scenes that felt fitting for the characters, especially the final sex scene where the devotion between the characters was truly felt by the end.

The body horror was also amazingly described. By the end, I was in the story's grip and now I'm hoping for the next installment!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cat Voleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very hard to talk about this book's strengths and weaknesses without giving spoilers, and I've been agonizing for awhile over how to phrase this review.

What I can say about the book is that it is a beautifully constructed story with a unique execution. I'm very glad to have read it, and it was worth making it to the end of.

That being said, I did have a tough time getting to that point with it. The early chapters felt bogged down under the weight of the very ambitious world-building and I had no immediate connection to the main character. I wish the hook had come sooner.

This is one of those books where I appreciated the whole story more retroactively after its conclusion. I wish the entire journey had felt as captivating as the end.

I'm very grateful to have received the free review copy of this one, and am leaving the review voluntarily.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

(rounded up from 3.5)

This was enjoyable but the worldbuilding was a bit difficult to follow for me. I would have preferred a longer book that fleshed out the world a bit more before we're thrown into the deep end with a mystery and navigating within the parameters of this world as a deeply disadvantaged member of society.

I did enjoy the mystery generally, the sapphic romance subplot, and the female rage as Ada slowly understands what's been happening and to whom and what she can do about any of it. I'll not say any more due to spoilers but it's worth reading if you enjoy dystopian fiction with normalised queer people and a mystery at its core.

[Sara Sheikhi · Rating 1 out of 5]

My subjective experience, ofc: very fragmented, written mostly focused on characters' thoughts on things rather than focusing on the actual plot - which makes it confusing. It also gives a very claustrophobic feel, like you are trapped in a stream of conciousness, where every character is just a separate ego. The reactions of the characters to events in the book are very weak/implausible which makes it hard to keep up the realism of their reasoning. I did not get the feel of a true dystopian world and the world-building came a bit late, in small pieces that where not easy to tie together.

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting dystopian worldbuilding, with the eldritch lurking in the background from the get-go and creeping ever further forward as the plot moves along. I enjoyed every moment of this book, the protagonist, rebellious but not quite ready to let go (at first) of the need to be accepted by the rigid society that killed her parents. The queer romance that showcases the beauty and sexuality in abomination. The mystery of the plot, full of both tragedy and horror. I would absolutely recommend this book.

[Cozy Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bleak and artic gothic dystopian story was so intense and such a ride! The glyph magic system was so interesting and I loved how we learned through brain melting eldrich scenarios. The relationship with Nikola and the blooming of Ada's coming to terms with her love of the vile, is just stunning. At times this is very dense and could have been shortened a bit but it didn't affect the overall feeling of the book. It was just a bit heavy on the prose, even if they were lovely.
I am a huge fan of this author and was truly excited to see an entire novel, well done!

[Crow Greiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really needed this book right now with what's on the horizon in the U.S. That aside, this is my favorite book I've read this year. Incredible world-building and atmosphere, and extremely well made characters who are very relatable. All around fantastic book! I can't wait to read literally anything M Zakharuk writes next!

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. A little confusing at first, but I like how the author just tosses the reader into the world without awkward and unnecessary explanation. The story is a mixture of totalitarian dystopian fiction and eldritch horror mystery. The writing is very descriptive, quite enjoyable to read.

[pareidolia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slowburn, but that fits the cold atmosphere of this dystopian Gothic quite well.
Very queer, very gender, very angry too. I would've maybe liked bit more academia in this dark academia story, a bit more focus on the linguistic magic, but that's of course personal interest speaking.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong 4

The beginning was a bit challenging to get into, especially as the prose is rather dense (but good), but very very glad I made it to the second half of the book because it is so worthwhile.

[C.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, a bit confusing at times, but overall I enjoyed it. The book was subtle in a lot of ways that made uncovering the secrets and foreshadowing a lot more enjoyable. World building was pretty neat as well.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creative and creepy! Awesome book!

[Anne, V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was delicious and dark but also positive and I was genuinely scared in many of the scenes. I loved the romance and the way the characters progressed.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit this is good. It gave me mental illness and made me experience Gender Thoughts. 10/10

[Kajsa-Stina]

This was perhaps too weird for me? I felt a bit stupid while reading. Yet, it has something, but, I have no idea how to rate it.

[Mia Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer. Great mystery, super evocative, romance, and so visceral in lots of ways. Plus language-based magic - hell yeah.

[The Reading Ruru (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could easily be renamed 'A Brutalism Dystopia'. The architecture, the Authoritarian regime, the magic and even the weather is cold, uncaring and Brutal.
Ada Călinescu's parents were arrested and convicted of treason when she was a child. Whilst her older sister Augusta remained in their home town Ada was taken away and made to live with her grandmother. Now Ada is back home, accepted at the Institute where she can make a fresh start. But Ada's ideas of a brighter future are brutally challenged from the moment she arrives.
I loved Ada from the get-go, she is never going to be welcomed with open arms by the Regime and its brutal society. She is the daughter of rebels, a lesbian (who would rather dress in suits than dresses and corsets) and she goes to "subversive" clubs. Watching her meeting and falling for the mysterious Nikola combined with the treacherous, dangerous magical spell-crafted course set by her professor kept me on tender hooks as we see Ada fighting, following and sometimes leaving a bloody, brutal path to a future she (and I) never envisaged.

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing story! Thank you to Booksirens and Matthew for the ARC opportunity. I went into this one not really knowing what I would find, as I haven’t read much dystopian or gothic books- and apparently I’ve been missing out!

I agree with some of the other reviews about pacing, it’s very heavy on the world building in the first 20%. It didn’t immediately grab my attention, but once the character development and the main part of the story started I was beyond hooked.

I’m not going to say much about the plot because I think it’s something you just have to experience, but I had a lot of fun with the body horror, the sapphic love and the cosmic horror style scenes we got as well. Totally unexpected, unique and bizarre story, I highly recommend this read.