Long drawn out, mystifying story of seeking unmotivated resson for death off a railway platform .. even the 'victim' wasnt very appealing .. not being prepared to understand the contexts, or even which first person was talking, I could see distant echoes of sherlock Holmes and Watson.. but I was completely befuddled and stopped! I must have missed something ..

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This book had a little bit of everything - sapphic romance? Check. Murder mystery? Check. Western-y feels? Check! I loved the world-building and getting to envision how a colony on a gas giant planet would be able to work. I'm excited to read the rest of the series when it comes out.

This is a cozy mystery that involves a second chance sapphic romance. I loved seeing the way the two main characters had grown, and how that growth made the second chance so much more poignant.
The world that was built was fascinating. Malka Older has clearly thought about the complexities that would come living above a planet, and the way the different communities would consider how to "reseed" a planet. On that subject, I loved the academic angles that were introduced about how the different though patterns were considered and how the funding showed which were more popular.
I raced through this book and I"m thrilled that a sequel has been announced.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Mimicking of Known Successes, and am very much looking forward to a sequel. This hits on that classic Holmes and Watson dynamic through a couple of sapphic exes, in an interesting and intriguing future world. Between learning about the mystery, the fascinating space station the story takes place on, and, most importantly, the complicated dynamic between the two main characters, this has been one of my favorite Tordotcom releases so far this year (and I don’t see it being unseated from that title by years end). Thank you so much to Tor/Macmillan and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older is a mystery set in a gas giant-circling habitat, featuring a lesbian detective and her former lover who’s now an academic specializing in the lost environments of Earth through literature (at one point, she’s studying Watership Down by Richard Adams, with its meticulous descriptions of flora known to rabbits). There’s a lowkey second chance romance woven into what, at first, seems like a locked room murder mystery but turns out to be much more complicated and unexpected. There’s a thematic undercurrent relating to how humans might cope with and adapt to have destroyed their home planet and left it behind.

A Sherlock Holmesian story in a Jovian spacepunk future, where 'Holmes' and 'Watson' are two ladies, and are exes that are definitely not over each other.

This novella has one very Holmes-ian lead, Mossa, who is rather neuroatypical and has her own way of thinking and making decisions, and one Watson-ish character, Pleiti. Back in their university days, the two were dating, and Mossa’s current case brings them back together, both unsure of what exactly they want from it. I could’ve done with just a little more focus on that and how they work together, but in general I think it worked quite well: Pleiti’s feelings all being stirred up again really shows, at least, even if it’s a bit less obvious from Mossa’s side.

As far as the world goes, it’s a fascinating idea — there’s a sense of plenty of world-building in the background, plenty more space in which other characters are living and working. Sometimes that’s the downside of a novella: it feels too constructed, there’s no room to imagine that other characters are out there… or it goes too far and reveals too much complicated machinery, leaving the story feeling secondary. I think Older walks the line quite well here: there’s enough to whet the appetite, without being overwhelming.

The mystery itself unfolds in a rather Holmes-ian way, where the connections Mossa makes aren’t always obvious — though Pleiti is an intelligent Watson, and one who knows her Sherlock, and thus she puts things together to catch up with Mossa just in time.

I enjoyed it, and would definitely read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I loved this noir-ish mystery from Malka Ann Older. Mossa is a Holmesian detective, better at unpicking the details of a crime than handling the niceties of interpersonal relationships. She recruits Pleiti to assist in getting to the bottom of a mystery centred around place Pleiti now works. The more they uncover, the deeper the mystery seems to run.

I really enjoyed the characterisations, and the growing relationship between Pleiti and Mossa. In addition to that, the world built in the novel is fascinating. A post-Earth society, on a barely survivable planet was a fascinating read.

If there are more stories to come for these two, I will absolutely be picking them up.

Highly recommend this one to people who enjoy a mystery, but don't need it to be over-the-top gritty.

3.5 stars

Space sci-fi isn’t usually my favorite genre to read, despite my love of all things Star Trek—I think because it’s often <i> hard </i> sci-fi, which doesn’t particularly interest me. <i> The Mimicking of Known Successes </i> drew me in because the plot is a traditional, Holmesian mystery, which just happens to be set in the distant future when humanity lives on platforms surrounding the gas giant Jupiter after fleeing Earth. The story is a very human one, the mystery all about interpersonal conflicts and greed and hope for the future, grounded by our detectives (Mossa an Investigator and Pleiti a scholar swept along for the ride) navigating their own relationship to each other and to society as a whole. Mossa and Pleiti do share some philosophical discussions about what it means to live on artificial platforms so far from the planet where they evolved, and what the future could or should look like re: returning to earth, but as Earth’s repopulation won’t take place in their own lifetimes it’s all theoretical, nicely distant from the much more urgent and compelling questions of <i> what do we owe one another as people </i> and <i> Can I kiss you, Pleiti? </i>

Much like the ACD Holmes stories from which it clearly takes inspiration, this mystery is not one that the reader is likely to be able to solve on their own. Too much is dependent upon factors of the alien world that the reader cannot possibly know. But Pleiti is an able narrator and following along with her thoughts, even when Mossa’s on another track entirely, is great fun.

The only thing I didn’t really care for was that the prologue is written in Mossa’s POV and the rest of the book is written from Pleiti’s POV. I spent the first few chapters expecting a Mossa POV chapter again and had to keep double-checking what mental voice I had reading as all the chapters are written in the first person, so it takes a few sentences of context clues to figure out that it is, in fact, still Pleiti we’re hearing from. I think I would have enjoyed the earlier chapters more had we not had Mossa’s first-person narration for the prologue.

I recommend if you are interested in environmental fiction, classic Holmes mysteries, sweet and clean sapphic love stories, or imagined futures fiction. A perfectly pleasant novella.

WLW Sherlock in space.

Quick read. Second chance romance. Nothing too complex. Good read to break up the monotony of dense sci fi/fantasy.

The author did a really good job of adding lore throughout the plot instead of info-dumping all at once in the beginning.

Character’s weren’t super deep, but I don’t think they needed to be.

Wonderful worldbuilding and characterization! This was a pleasure to read. The Jupiter setting was perfectly atmospheric and reminiscent of London's pea-souper fogs, but with a twist. I loved the way that this added to and heightened the sense of unease and mystery. Mossa and Pleiti's backstory was woven in well, and the layer of their feelings for one another raised the stakes in a way that felt true and that drew me in to their story. I can't wait for further instalments in this series!

The book is a bit of a hidden gem! I loved the steampunk flair it had, while maintaining that post apocalyptic, sci-fi air. Now Normally I do not like sci-fi. There’s something about it that makes my brain hurt in an unpleasant way. But this book wasn’t sci-fi enough to do that, it’s sci-fi in the sense that it’s not set on earth, that the characters are essentially living in space, but that’s about it.
In it, humanity destroyed earths environment centuries ago, leaving humanity with nothing to do but leave and find a new home. They did, but they cannot live on its surface, so instead they live on platforms that surround the planet(I think it’s Jupiter?) our main character is a scholar, an academic who’s job is to reconstruct what earth’s biomes might’ve looked like in the hopes of one day restarting it on earth. Her love interest is a Sherlock Holmes style Investigator, who needs her help looking into a missing persons case.
In fact, this novel very strongly reminded me of reading Sherlock Holmes in the best way.
I throughly enjoyed this book, however I felt that some parts were a little to convoluted and the pacing could’ve been better. 4/5 stars

This book was a super interesting twist on the Sherlock Holmes universe. It was set on the planet Jupiter after Earth collapsed. I very much loved the sapphic turn to Holmes and Watson. It was a refreshing take on the usual Holmes and Watson.

Queer female Sherlock and Watson on Jupiter.

Humanity has fled global warming and now lives in enclosed platforms on the gas giant. The survivors see their new home as temporary, and much of their intellectual and artistic endeavors center on recovering and preserving the remnants of Earth, and preparing to return to the planet once it has healed. Mossa is a government Investigator tracking down a possible murder, and she enlists the help of her ex-girlfriend, Pleiti, a scholar at the university.

Older's descriptions of the setting are evocative, and the book offers a thoughtful critique of humanity. However, the dialogue and characterization felt flat, and Mossa never really developed into more than yet another Sherlock Holmes variant. The plotting was fine—readers don't get enough information about the setting to solve the mystery themselves, but things do keep moving at a good pace.

If you want a relatively quick SF mystery with an autistic sapphic protagonist, definitely check this out. I liked it enough that I would probably read a sequel, but I'm not particularly excited about it.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was so much fun, the Holmes and Watson dynamic really worked, loved the Jupiter setting and overall was a great mystery novella. Really glad this a series, loved the slow burn between Mossa and Pleiti and looking forward to more adventures in this world.

(4.5 Stars)

"The Mimicking of Known Successes" is a surprisingly cozy mystery story! It’s able to establish high stakes right right away, but then the gradual unfolding of this really soft second-chance relationship provides a counterbalancing feeling of comfort.

I think the setting of this story is so perfect. Not only is it fascinating to discover more about this human outpost on Jupiter and how it works, but the remote location also heightens the mystery aspect, because there’s a hard limit to the parameters of this place. Not only is this human colony extremely remote, but Jupiter is also a fairly hostile and unlivable planet. So having those limitations makes the mystery more interesting, because it drastically reduces the possible outcomes to the case.

But my favorite part, by far, is the loveable duo at the center of this story.

I think “Holmesian,” as in being reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, is the perfect descriptor for Mossa and Pleiti’s entire dynamic. Mossa is a diligent and sharp-eyed inspector who plays everything close to the chest, and Pleiti is an intuitive and observant academic who wears her heart on her sleeve much more than Mossa does. They really balance each other out in that sense. I love seeing how they combine their very different sets of expertise in order to puzzle out what’s happening in this case, and also how their research is a perfect excuse for them to slowly and subtly rekindle their romance.

There’s such a tenderness between them, and I think a perfect example of that is how a lot of their interactions revolve around food and meals they’re going to share together as they either process new information or just enjoy each other’s company and take a break. Mossa, especially, is known to neglect herself and run herself ragged until a case has been fully resolved, and Pleiti often uses food as a means of encouraging her to slow down, recharge, and refresh herself. I love how the story uses food as a conduit for showing care, nurturing, and even mindfulness, and how in that sense Pleiti is given that Watson-like role of observing the observer—seeing and tending to the human part of Mossa beneath the machine.

The title of the book is so incredibly smart as well, because it beautifully parallels with so many different things happening in the story. It reflects how humans are studying how to make Earth habitable again, it relates to aspects of this case and even the methodology of retracing your steps, and even how reigniting this relationship is a mimicking of a "known success."

The mystery is compelling, the characters are fantastic, and I love the slow-burn romance underlying the investigative process. This is definitely setting the stage for what could be a really wonderful series of books, and I cannot wait to read every single one.

My one note is that sometimes the plot skews itself a little bit too wide, especially in such a short space, and some of the world-building can be a bit difficult to visualize at times. But even so, this book is still utterly fantastic, and it's a unique sci-fi mystery that should absolutely be at the top of your list!

A man has gone missing on the colony around Jupiter, and Mossa is diligently on the case. Pleiti, an academic, reconnects with Mossa in service of thislmystery, and struggles to break through and digest their past relationship with Mossa, who is so single-minded in her work.

This took me a while to get into. It's truly a Sherlock Holmes-esque story, written in that style, in space and queer. Once I got used to the writing style, I started to enjoy it more. It is a novella, so there is a certain amount of science to the science fiction that isn't totally clear. But once the mystery starts unfolding I was definitely invested in the outcome. I also liked the more philosophical questions around what the right actions for the scientists to take was. I would've liked to see the relationship develop a bit more and/or get both Mossa's and Pleiti's POV. But I hope that it will begin to feel a bit more organic in the coming novellas. To be honest, I think the style made it hard for me to love it, but it will definitely appeal to many readers and I would recommend.

Thank you so much to Tor Dot Com Pub for partnering with B2Weird and the gifted copy of the book!!

I am a fan of novellas of all genres, but science fiction novellas are by far my favorite! I love the snatches of other worlds you can get by reading a short sci-fi story!

One sci-fi novella that I am particularly excited about right now is The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older! Today is my stop on @turnthepagetours’ bookstagram tour for The Mimicking of Known Successes, which will be out in March of this year!

Here’s a Synopsis of Mimicking of Known Successes-
A cozy gaslamp murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter, by the 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.

The Mimicking of Known Successes jumped straight to the top of my TBR list when I read that synopsis! I can’t wait to start reading it!

Early reviews of this book were so promising, but I did not enjoy it. I think that I could not wrap my head around the world that was built. I don't think it was poorly done, but it was not for me. I also kept waiting for the chemistry between the two main characters to get interesting and for me it never felt real. I did finish it, but it was perhaps the biggest dud of the year so far. Perhaps someone who reads more sci fi that I do would find it more compelling.

It feels appropriate to be talking about this book (again, following one of my Nerds of a Feather colleagues, this time Arturo) at a point when many of the genre fans I know are grappling with the definitions and purpose of "cosy" fiction. Perhaps this will become an essay for another time, if this fan ever gets her proverbial shit together. The Mimicking of Known Successes, billed as cosy Holmesian fiction, divides much of its time between university campuses and windswept train platforms and comfy carriages, but perhaps not in the location you'd expect: this is the human settlement on Jupiter, to which the survivors of humanity fled after Earth became uninhabitable, with habitats floating in the, uh, clouds of our biggest planetary neighbour and connected by a planet-spanning train network. We follow Mossa, an investigator looking for a missing academic, and her ex-girlfriend and classical geographer Pleiti, who Mossa approaches to help with the investigation into her colleague. Together, the two uncover a deeper conspiracy surrounding this disappearance, with implications for Earth's future and the people who get to decide on it.

Part of the cosiness here is aesthetic: Older does a fantastic job of creating a colony that seems comfortable and interesting and dynamic, even as we see characters grapple with the historic loss of Earth and the limitations of their current home. The novella opens in a remote settlement at the end of the railway line which Mossa refers to as a "piece of grit", but it's a piece of grit with a surprisingly nice pub and pleasant residents, not some desperate, impoverished outpost. People are doing OK for themselves, and for each other, on Jupiter, even if some are more OK than others, and it makes for a very different atmosphere than the gritty "everyone is one step away from a cold, unpleasant death" aesthetic that pervades most colonisation stories.

Beyond that, though, The Mimicking of Known Successes provides a perfect mix of personal stakes with wider implications for humanity's future, with Pleiti and Mossa rekindling their relationship and grappling with what this case means for their respective careers while also piecing together the answer to the mystery, and its full stakes. At the heart of those stakes is the academic debate for Earth's future, which is introduced to us as an interdepartmental war between different geography disciplines (finally, geography gets the respect and centrality it deserves!), and effectively revolves whether recolonisation of Earth should take place with full understanding of Earth's former ecosystem and its recreation, or whether humanity should be trying to build something new and adjust as they go along. I would read an entire Mars Trilogy-style doorstopper featuring characters arguing about the ins and outs of terraforming along these lines, but here it's just one strand in a much shorter narrative. Moreover, it's inextricably tied to Pleiti's position as a classicist (the "understand everything first" position) working in an academic institution alongside colleagues who, for various reasons (such as "being men") do not give her views the respect she feels they deserve.

Mimicking of Known Successes has a great ending to its mystery and its romance, but it also leaves the door open for more stories in this world - which we are getting! I, for one, am very excited.