Hardcover, 176 pages
English language
Published March 7, 2023 by Tordotcom.
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.
Impressed by the author's use of this story to discuss a particular issue... Revealed only at the end.
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.
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.
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 …
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.)
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 …
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 less. What Mossa is thinking and doing is as much a mystery as the crimes are. They are women. The relationship is more romantic. They think they are an autistic genius and a normal person, but actually they are both autistic geniuses. Otherwise it's the same. Gallons of tea.
If there's another Mossa & Pleiti story coming, I'm going to check it out!
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.
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.
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.
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
