Publishers Weekly
★ 12/05/2022
Older (...and Other Disasters) packs a punch in this slim volume, delivering a romantic sci-fi mystery replete with ruminations on environmentalism and the importance of adapting to change. Life on Earth has ended and the survivors have fled to Jupiter, where they’ve been living on an elaborate railway system surrounding the planet for generations while dreaming of one day making Earth habitable once more and returning there. Classics scholar Pleiti has dedicated her life to studying the lost flora and fauna of pre-collapse Earth ecosystems. It’s a quiet life—until one of her colleagues throws himself off the rails in an apparent suicide. Investigating the case is Mossa, Pleiti’s ex-girlfriend, who storms back into her life with a request for help. Together, the two uncover a far deeper mystery with wide-ranging implications for the fate of Jupiter’s society and the future of Earth. Despite the post–climate collapse setting, Older keeps the tone largely upbeat throughout this charming Gaslamp romp, focusing more on characterization and the leads’ rekindling love than on the dystopian worldbuilding until the heavy-hitting philosophical questions raised in the final pages. Combining an old-timey aesthetic and a powerful message, this sapphic genre-bender is a treat. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Every once in a while, a book comes along that is both a comfort read and a rousing, fist-pumping adventure, and The Mimicking of Known Successes absolutely is both of those things. An utter triumph.”—Charlie Jane Anders
"Older has created a wonderfully sci-fi take on the gaslamp mystery. Add in the wry depiction of academia and the warmly authentic portrayal of a relationship in the process of rekindling, and this is exactly my kind of story!"—Freya Marske
“Malka Older's The Mimicking of Known Successes mixes Holmesian mystery, Sapphic romance, petty academic politics, and post-apocalyptic speculative ecology into a delightful and unexpected concoction. The perfect book to curl up with when the wind is howling outside, even if it's only a Terran blizzard rather than a Jovian superstorm.”—Ruthanna Emrys
"A magnificently imaginative setting, a nicely developed and satisfyingly resolved mystery, a beautifully understated central romance, and a lot of thought-provoking ideas make this an immensely satisfying read [that] does more at novella length than many books manage in three times as much."—K. J. Charles
“Malka Older has created a far-flung speculative winner that is as much hard science fiction as it is gritty xenobiological noir, with characters you want to see get closer. . .to the possible killer and each other. I am absolutely in love with this world and these characters.”—Fran Wilde
"A quiet masterpiece, an intimate character study, a tender queer romance, a satisfying mystery, and a unique take on many genre clichés in a short form."—Ancillary Review of Books
"The writing technique is excellent, the worldbuilding interesting and poetic, the characters enjoyable to spend time with, and there’s tea.—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Fans of The Centenal Cycle will be astonished by the breadth of Older’s range.”—Book Riot
"A novella that more than lives up to the idea of cozy, it takes the literary connotations of that word further by creating a delightful mashup of science fiction and cozy mystery, with a delicious side of sapphic romance."—Autostraddle
"Reading this novella was an absolute delight . . . I can imagine further stories set in this world; if I’m very lucky, they will feature Mossa and Pleiti."—Locus
"Mystery and science fiction are rarely this satisfying when mixed, and rarely this much fun."—Hugo Book Club Blog
"Older gives us many delightful details about life on the Giant, as the inhabitants call Jupiter. . .All of these quotidian details make the novel a fascinating read."—Asimov's
"It’s hard to pull off a novel that attempts to have equal footing in two genres—never mind three—and typically one of the genres ends up taking on a minor role . . . but The Mimicking of Known Successes, a work of speculative fiction, a traditional mystery, and a romance, is a walloping success."—First Clue, starred review
"This quiet yet compelling whodunit will attract fans of Becky Chambers or Connie Willis."—Booklist (starred review)
"Older packs a punch in this slim volume, delivering a romantic sci-fi mystery replete with ruminations on environmentalism and the importance of adapting to change. . . . Combining an old-timey aesthetic and a powerful message, this sapphic genre bender is a treat."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Recommended for readers who enjoy a bit of mystery mixed with their SF . . . and anyone who cannot resist a Sherlock Holmes pastiche."—Library Journal
author of the Will Darling Adventures series K. J. Charles
A magnificently imaginative setting, a nicely developed and satisfyingly resolved mystery, a beautifully understated central romance, and a lot of thought-provoking ideas make this an immensely satisfying read. Does more at novella length than many books manage in three times as much.”
Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Charlie Jane Anders
Every once in a while, a book comes along that is both a comfort read and a rousing, fist-pumping adventure, and The Mimicking of Known Successes absolutely is both of those things. An utter triumph.”
Nebula Award–winning author Fran WIlde
Malka Older has created a far-flung speculative winner that is as much hard science fiction as it is gritty xenobiological noir, with characters you want to see get closer…to the possible killer and each other. I am absolutely in love with this world and these characters.”
bestselling author of A Marvellous Light Freya Marske
Older has created a wonderfully sci-fi take on the gaslamp mystery. Add in the wry depiction of academia and the warmly authentic portrayal of a relationship in the process of rekindling, and this is exactly my kind of story!”
Library Journal
11/01/2022
Combining planetary resettlement SF with steampunk, mystery, climate fiction, and a touch of romance, Older's (State Tectonics) newest moves from a remote train station over a gas giant planet to the halls of academia as a case of a missing scholar reunites investigator Mossa with her former lover Pleiti. Soon the case evolves into a vast conspiracy to speed up humanity's repatriation to an Earth that is still not survivable—in the hopes of hurrying the day when it will be. The investigation ranges from the hallowed halls of academe to a barely functioning spaceport as the duo collects clues, gets attacked by suspects, and takes a second chance at the best thing either of them ever had—even if they have to stay in exile to keep it. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy a bit of mystery mixed with their SF (like Mary Robinette Kowal's recent The Spare Man and Eddie Robson's Drunk on All Your Strange New Words) and anyone who cannot resist a Sherlock Holmes pastiche.—Marlene Harris
APRIL 2023 - AudioFile
Lindsey Dorcus narrates a sci-fi mystery loosely inspired by the Sherlock Holmes mythos. After a man goes missing on a distant outpost of Jupiter, Investigator Mossa must work with her former lover, Pleiti, to figure out what happened. While Dorcus portrays Mossa with a brisk, no-nonsense tone that fits both her personality and her role as an investigator, this should not imply that her performance is flat or lacking in emotion. Mossa is simply straightforward and to the point. Scholar Pleiti is the perfect foil to Mossa. All her emotions are on display, but rather than being tiresome or over-the-top, Dorcus's performance is invigorating and keeps the plot moving briskly along. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
