The Mimicking of Known Successes

The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1

by Malka Older

Hardcover, 176 pages

English language

Published March 7, 2023 by Tordotcom.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-86051-4

(40 reviews)

The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter, by Malka Older, author of the critically-acclaimed Centenal Cycle.

On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.

Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.

4 editions

nucleareaglefox reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Skip!

2 stars

The romance is tepid and sickly. The setting is poorly thought out. The plot has a huge Killmonger problem. This book makes the argument that literature departments should be defunded. Scientists, as depicted here, are uninquisitive and incapable of being self-critical. Ecological science is apparently based on reading Watership Down and Beatrix Potter and not scientific observation. The author has a poor idea of restorative ecology and how ecological systems work. The main character doesn't know what petals look like, yet grew up on a farm.

Also, this book does not reveal who did the crime that this book is about.

Aimee Gunther reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

great writing. one plot slip but otherwise a well developed story

4 stars

Impressed by the author's use of this story to discuss a particular issue... Revealed only at the end.

reconbot reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Sherlock Holmes has nothing on M

4 stars

This is a fun sci-fi detective story placed far enough ahead that we’ve reverted to the sensibilities of 1800s England. That wasn’t my cup of tea (which they love) but the environment and story were amazing. I wish the detective was the narrator throughout (like the first chapter) but not doing so helps keep us in the dark much like her assistant ex girlfriend.

Well written and quite enjoyable. However the journey might be more enjoyable than the destination but I would absolutely read the sequel.

Flauschbuch reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Solid

4 stars

Imaginative setting with a steampunky feel to it. I liked all the travelling around on railcars. It's quite a page turner. But the characters felt a little distant despite the first-person perspective. Perhaps a tad too short. I'd love to read another story set in the same world, though.

Martin reviewed Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

None

4 stars

I had to buy this after seeing Martha Wells promote it, and then within 24 hours, (and totally separately) Charlie Jane Anders. I didn't expect a novel set around Jupiter to feel so steampunk, but I suppose it might just inherit that from its Sherlock Holmes DNA. I did appreciate the coziness, and the mystery.

enne📚 reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Mimicking of Known Successes

4 stars

This book was a lot of fun and definitely my favorite Malka Older book so far. Out of everything, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the slow romance the most. The world has very retro-future 19th century vibes, complete with Jupiter's fog misting, atmoscarves, gas heating, and railcars between floating platforms. This world and the characters were so much fun.

My one quibble is that I found some details of the mystery a little weak (although this may be my own expectations for what I want out of a mystery) but I will put those spoilery details in a separate comment.

The setup of the book is that Mossa the Investigator enlists Pleiti (an old university friend, and ex) to look into the disappearence of a man from a remote platform. Pleiti is a scholar of classics, which here stands in as "studying past Earth so that future Earth and its ecosystems can be rebuilt perfectly". I love the connection here of her studying both the failure of Earth but also the failure of her past relationship with Mossa. The title drop during the book's conclusion bringing everything together is just chef's kiss

(Finally, an unrelated aside, but I YELLED when these two went out for dinner at a thematic wood-burning restaurant named Slow Burn.)

Daniel Darabos reviewed Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Review of 'Mimicking of Known Successes' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Very Sherlock Holmes! That part worked really well and made for an enjoyable read.

It's set on Jupiter, but the sci-fi part is not making a lot of difference. Public transport is free, but the weather is bad. People are sad because Earth is gone.

Okay, so it's making some difference. The crime is motivated by the sci-fi part and committed using its tools. But I don't understand it! The three guys stole some seed samples to restart the Earth biosphere. They illegally launched a spaceship to deliver them too. But what's up with Bolien? Why did he go around Jupiter on a suspended railcar? Why did they kill the homeless guy?

I was probably supposed to understand that. But I didn't worry about it too much. The relationship between Mossa and Pleiti was more important to me. There are several differences from Holmes and Watson. Our Watson (Pleiti) knows …

Will reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Great Worldbuilding

3 stars

I love the world Malka Older created and the two main characters are wonderful. But I would have liked the story to be longer. The resolution felt very rushed.

benwerd reviewed Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Review of 'Mimicking of Known Successes' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A delight from beginning to end: a cozy murder mystery set on rings around Jupiter, where humanity lives on great platforms linked by trains, centering on two women who rekindle an old romance as they get to the bottom of the crime. If that doesn’t sound like fun, I don’t know what to tell you.

Andy P. reviewed The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, #1)

Quick review

4 stars

I don't think I've ever had a book smack me over the head with the theme quite like this did, "It was right there in front of you the whole time, in the title even, how did you miss it?!" Anyway, as a story, the characters and setting, it was quite enjoyable, the mystery aspect was less well constructed as far as mysteries go, imho. Fans of The Locked Tomb would probably enjoy this quick read.

Arturo Serrano reviewed Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Review of 'Mimicking of Known Successes' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I reviewed this book for the Hugo-winning blog Nerds of a Feather:
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2023/02/review-mimicking-of-known-successes-by.html

Amber Herbert reviewed Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Review of 'Mimicking of Known Successes' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The Mimicking of Known Successes is a mystery novella set on a platform constructed around Jupiter. While the world-building is great, there isn't enough of it. I loved the descriptions of the platforms and how sections and railways are set around the uninhabitable gas giant—not to mention the university's large role in the future reintroduction to life on Earth through meticulously planned ecosystem building. Unfortunately, that was the only thing I really enjoyed about this book and there wasn't enough of it to paint a full picture.

The main plot centers around a mystery regarding a missing person and would could have become of him. Though there are numerous snippets of information thrown at Mossa and Pleiti, most of it seems disconnected, and the ending proves unsatisfying because there aren't breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the story for the reader to pick up on. If I'm reading a mystery, I don't want to come to the end without having seen it coming. I should at least be able to look back, knowing everything that led up to that point, and stitch clues together. This story did not offer that, and for that reason the ending fell flat.

I also disliked the overstated romance. Mossa and Pleiti's relationship is paper thin, yet the narrator (Pleiti) never lets up about how she wishes Mossa will give her a sign that their relationship—which Pleiti broke off—might be rekindled.

All in all, I believe there was too much going on in this 176-page novella. If it had been novel length, there would have been time to flesh out the world, mystery, and romance.

Thanks to Tordotcom for the physical ARC.