Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Imagoes

AUTHOR:  N.R. Walker

SERIES:  Imago #2.5

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  73 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 16, 2021

BLURB:

When Jack receives a phone call from a colleague in the southeast of Tasmania with news of a newfound butterfly habitat, he and Lawson head off on another adventure. It’s not an easy trek to the location. The Franklin-Gordon National Park is famous for wild rivers, rainforests, and rocky cliff faces, and they’ll need to hike and abseil—in the dead of winter—to get to the site.

It’s no ordinary expedition because this is no ordinary butterfly, and Jack and Lawson aren’t an ordinary couple. Join Jack and Lawson on another quest in this short story of extraordinary butterflies and extraordinary love.

REVIEW:

What a wonderful surprise N.R. Walker has given us with the unexpected release of Imagoes, a short story in the Imago universe. It’s an utter delight to catch up with Jack and Lawson Brighton-Gale. To quickly get you up to speed, Jack and Lawson got married at the end of Imagines and have been living on a farm in Tasmania for several years. Jack works nearby as a park ranger and Lawson has become internationally acclaimed for his work as a lepidopterist. They’ve built a large butterfly house for Lawson on the farm. Most importantly, the men now have a beautiful little boy, four-year-old Brennan. He’s a mini-Lawson, intelligent and inquisitive, with neat and orderly ways. He adores his Daddas and they cherish him. 

Happily-ever-afters in a novel are a must for me, but even better are glimpses, like Imagoes, of a favorite established couple in the future when we can get affirmation they’re thriving past the honeymoon phase. Here we get to visit Jack and Lawson who have been deeply in love for many years now. There’s mutual respect and immeasurable caring, and it’s now combined with a profound parental love. 

Lawson unexpectedly receives an exciting phone call requesting his help identifying a butterfly species that is possibly undiscovered. Jack and Lawson set off for a national park in southern Tasmania while Jack’s mother and sister come to stay with Brennan. The expedition isn’t easy with demanding mountain climbing and dangerous rappelling (abseiling) down sheer rock cliff faces. The accident-prone Lawson is nervous because of the travails of previous trips (a bushfire, an encounter with the world’s deadliest snake, a confrontation with a highly toxic cane toad, and a sprained ankle). But Jack promises they’ll be safe and prepared because he has no intention of leaving Brennan parentless. Walker creates a stunning world at the top of the mountain. At night it’s cold and foggy; in the morning they’re greeted by an exquisite sunrise. Their view encompasses snowy farmland, a lake, rainforest, valleys, rivers, and an extinct volcano. The mood is tense as they rappel down the cliff face and then the imagery continues inside the caves with the unearthing of the brilliant pink butterflies. 

Even though the book is fiction, Lawson’s work with butterflies feels authentic. The scientific explanations allowed me to feel very real excitement at Lawson’s discoveries. His findings are monumental in the field of ecology with regard to the new butterfly’s symbiosis with other species of flora and fauna. While Lawson grapples with the scope of this career-changing discovery, he must consider how it will impact their lives and establish a work/family balance. In Brennan’s eyes, his Dadda is a superhero saving butterflies; what job could possibly be better than that? But does that entice Lawson to follow through with his time intensive life’s work or shift the focus to his family? 

Imagoes is a fun, easy-breezy novella that’s a must read for all Jack and Lawson fans. Highly recommended. 

RATING: 

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