The Two Doctors Górski by Isaac Fellman had a few strong reviews when it came out in 2022, but the overall mixed bag from reviewers and my spotty history when it comes to theme-heavy, plot-light stories saw me passing it up at the time. However, my themed Bingo card for this year requires a Dark Academia at a supernatural school, and given that I’d already read many of the obvious choices, it seemed an excellent opportunity to try out an intriguing work that I’d previously passed over. 

The Two Doctors Górski takes place in a fictional British university where the lead is enrolled for graduate work in magic, with a focus on magical psychology. Her work on rats had gained her some acclaim early in her academic career, but a disastrous romance with her advisor left her blackballed, with her only option for continuing her academic career being to study under the titular Doctor Górski, acclaimed for his academic prowess but avoided—by any who have other options—for his terrible behavior both inside and outside the classroom. 

I came into the novella expecting a plot-light portrait of academic abuse, and while the academic abuse is on full display, I’m not sure “plot-light” is the right characterization. There are plenty of seismic plot developments that radically alter the course of the story, such that it feels too plotty to be called a character study. But the major happenings never feel like they get enough support, either in the buildup or in the aftermath, leaving the pacing feeling inconsistent and preventing some of the major shifts from having the emotional impact that they probably ought to. 

But the portraits of toxicity in academia are on point, and there are some truly tremendous passages that wonderfully establish characters and their flaws. The lead’s romance is all backstory, but the abuses of power on the part of her former advisor are clear as day. The shiny, new advisor may not take advantage in quite the same way, but he’s a bitter old man whose inability to move past his own shortcomings make life miserable for all in his vicinity. His psychological commentary gives a depth both to his character and the themes of the novel, and his biting sarcasm is often hilarious—I honestly did not come into this book expecting to laugh out loud, but I did—but it’s all undone by the elements of his character he has so studiously excised and Is unwilling to build again. 

It can seem as though the lead is an entirely passive character, being passed between horrible advisors merely because that’s the path she has chosen and she can’t fathom another way. And there’s some truth to that, but the ways in which her research and her environments shape her do build a significant character arc. It’s not one I find especially satisfying, but the more I reflect after reading, the more I feel that’s the point. The Two Doctors Górski is a slow-moving tragedy as much as anything. 

Overall, it is a little bit of a mixed bag, as the pacing is jerky in a way that truly detracts from the overall package. But the portrait of the various kinds of dysfunction and abuse found in academia is really fantastic, and it’s a book that’s littered with tremendous passages. And if the ending may be a bit dissatisfying in the moment, it’s one that—at least for me—felt more and more powerful the more I thought about it. The pacing is a big enough drawback to put a cap on how highly I think of this one, but it’s a book that has me going back and raising the score after a couple weeks to think on it. 

Recommended if you like: theme-driven stories, everyone being terrible, academic settings. 

Can I use it for Bingo? It’s hard mode for Character with a Disability if you count neurodivergence, and is also hard mode for Set in a Small Town. It also has a Prologue or Epilogue and is Dark Academia. 

Overall rating: 16 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.