diff --git a/lib/zlib.js b/lib/zlib.js
index 00be56dffc44fb..8804034017eb12 100644
--- a/lib/zlib.js
+++ b/lib/zlib.js
@@ -146,7 +146,14 @@ function zlibOnError(message, errno) {
   var error = new Error(message);
   error.errno = errno;
   error.code = codes[errno];
-  this.emit('error', error);
+
+  if (this._initSuccess) {
+    this.emit('error', error);
+  } else {
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      this.emit('error', error);
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 function flushCallback(level, strategy, callback) {
@@ -222,6 +229,7 @@ class Zlib extends Transform {
     this._handle = new binding.Zlib(mode);
     this._handle.onerror = zlibOnError.bind(this);
     this._hadError = false;
+    this._initSuccess = false;
 
     var level = constants.Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
     if (typeof opts.level === 'number') level = opts.level;
@@ -229,13 +237,24 @@ class Zlib extends Transform {
     var strategy = constants.Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY;
     if (typeof opts.strategy === 'number') strategy = opts.strategy;
 
-    this._handle.init(opts.windowBits || constants.Z_DEFAULT_WINDOWBITS,
-                      level,
-                      opts.memLevel || constants.Z_DEFAULT_MEMLEVEL,
-                      strategy,
-                      opts.dictionary);
+    var windowBits = constants.Z_DEFAULT_WINDOWBITS;
+    if (typeof opts.windowBits === 'number') windowBits = opts.windowBits;
+
+    var memLevel = constants.Z_DEFAULT_MEMLEVEL;
+    if (typeof opts.memLevel === 'number') memLevel = opts.memLevel;
+
+    this._initSuccess = this._handle.init(windowBits,
+                                          level,
+                                          memLevel,
+                                          strategy,
+                                          opts.dictionary);
+
+    if (this._initSuccess) {
+      this._buffer = Buffer.allocUnsafe(this._chunkSize);
+    } else {
+      this._buffer = null;
+    }
 
-    this._buffer = Buffer.allocUnsafe(this._chunkSize);
     this._offset = 0;
     this._level = level;
     this._strategy = strategy;
@@ -467,7 +486,9 @@ function _close(engine, callback) {
   if (!engine._handle)
     return;
 
-  engine._handle.close();
+  if (engine._initSuccess)
+    engine._handle.close();
+
   engine._handle = null;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/node_zlib.cc b/src/node_zlib.cc
index e4adda52026c87..d4e21aea17b436 100644
--- a/src/node_zlib.cc
+++ b/src/node_zlib.cc
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 namespace node {
 
 using v8::Array;
+using v8::Boolean;
 using v8::Context;
 using v8::FunctionCallbackInfo;
 using v8::FunctionTemplate;
@@ -480,9 +481,11 @@ class ZCtx : public AsyncWrap {
       memcpy(dictionary, Buffer::Data(dictionary_), dictionary_len);
     }
 
-    Init(ctx, level, windowBits, memLevel, strategy,
-         dictionary, dictionary_len);
+    bool result = Init(ctx, level, windowBits, memLevel, strategy,
+                       dictionary, dictionary_len);
     SetDictionary(ctx);
+
+    args.GetReturnValue().Set(Boolean::New(args.GetIsolate(), result));
   }
 
   static void Params(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
@@ -499,7 +502,7 @@ class ZCtx : public AsyncWrap {
     SetDictionary(ctx);
   }
 
-  static void Init(ZCtx *ctx, int level, int windowBits, int memLevel,
+  static bool Init(ZCtx *ctx, int level, int windowBits, int memLevel,
                    int strategy, char* dictionary, size_t dictionary_len) {
     ctx->level_ = level;
     ctx->windowBits_ = windowBits;
@@ -553,6 +556,9 @@ class ZCtx : public AsyncWrap {
 
     if (ctx->err_ != Z_OK) {
       ZCtx::Error(ctx, "Init error");
+      if (dictionary != nullptr)
+        delete[] dictionary;
+      return false;
     }
 
 
@@ -561,6 +567,8 @@ class ZCtx : public AsyncWrap {
 
     ctx->write_in_progress_ = false;
     ctx->init_done_ = true;
+
+    return true;
   }
 
   static void SetDictionary(ZCtx* ctx) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-zlib-failed-init.js b/test/parallel/test-zlib-failed-init.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..b250ebffcf7bd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-zlib-failed-init.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+const zlib = require('zlib');
+
+// For raw deflate or gzip encoding, a request for a 256-byte window is
+// rejected as invalid, since only zlib headers provide means of transmitting
+// the window size to the decompressor.
+// (http://zlib.net/manual.html#Advanced)
+const deflate = zlib.createDeflateRaw({ windowBits: 8 });
+deflate.on('error', common.mustCall((error) => {
+  assert.ok(/Init error/.test(error));
+}));