I requested this book because it was by Malka Older and then slammed the download button without re-reading the marketing copy, which means I went in cold, with no conscious knowledge of the concept, length, or premise. It's novella-length; if you want to recreate my experience of reading the entire book in one joyful Friday evening of discovery, hit the pre-order button now.

Mimicking of Known Successes is the kind of book you get when a really smart person makes a list of their favorite tropes and then writes them all simultaneously. (In that sense, Aliette de Bodard's novellas are a good comparison.) To give you an example, at one point two characters visit their favorite restaurant:

"Slow Burn was, most exceptionally, in the center of a small but dense wood. The owner had purchased soil, and saplings, and cultivated the fastest-growing firewood species she could find, all within her small allotted plot on Valdegeld platform. Tiny paths led through the trees to a slender building, and within the visitor found a long hearth..."

There are layers on layers here: a joke about the book's central relationship, a cozy fire, an example of the crafted ecological management/historical recreation that forms the viewpoint character's career, and a reference to the platforms along rails above a gas giant that form both story setting and mystery structure.

The one major element of the premise you can't extract from this piece of gleeful scene-setting is that in addition to being a gaslights-on-a-gas-giant ecological adventure, Known Successes is a lesbian riff on Sherlock Holmes. Or maybe it's as fair to say, a queer riff. The Holmes character is clearly a woman, but for a while I thought the Watsonesque narrator's gender was deliberately ambiguous in the style of the Hilary Tamar mysteries. That was a misapprehension on my part, but the rumpled academia readings are certainly comparable to the Hilary Tamar books. You'll also find hot scones and levels of hurt/comfort you could scoop up with a spoon--and background musings on ecological disequilibrium.

The description of this book totally pulled me in, as did the cover. But this was the first book by this author that I’ve read, and unfortunately their writing style just didn’t work for me.

I won’t hesitate to suggest this book to other readers, because by no means did I think the writing was bad, just some writing styles work better for some than others and I think the story sounds so intriguing. I’m really disappointed that it didn’t work for me!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

A nice enough book that unfortunately was lacking in both the mystery and romance departments. Character development could have been better too.

Read this over the course of a few nights, and it was a fun read. You have a combo of hard sci-fi, retro futurism, noir detective/mystery fiction as you unravel everything, and, of course, the longing of working a case with your ex girlfriend who reminds you of how great of chemistry you had, and the possibility of reconciliation besides. Jupiter sapphic noir, really, and it's a wonderful read besides. At the point that I'm writing this, it doesn't come out till '23, but it's still a wonderful read besides and will be a fantastic treat as you edge into spring. Pre order this now, you won't regret it.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This was a very fun Sherlock-Holmes-esque murder mystery on Jupiter. I wish that it was longer, as more could have been explored, and the world building was so interesting! Mossa and Pleiti are are interesting, but again, the length made it difficult to fully connect to them. Generally, very fun, quick, low stakes murder mystery with interesting main characters.

rated: 4.5 stars

whoever decided to describe this book as cozy really hit the nail on the head. this was a fantastic little read, with our two main characters and the mystery they solve being fabulously enthralling and compelling.

the strongest point of this book was the worldbuilding. this was almost a masterclass in it - setting out the world and what had happened in history to lead people to end up living on such remote outposts in a clear and frank way. the book also does not treat its readers as stupid and does not over-explain concepts that would be so commonplace to mossa and pleiti and instead allows us to fill in the blanks with context clues and our own imaginations.

the crux of the mystery also felt nicely resolved in terms of justice, but left me with a huge amount of unanswered ethical questions that could be very easily applied to the world today.

and i would be remiss not to mention the characterisation and the romance. pleiti was an incredibly engaging narrator - i thought it was a huge strength of the book to use her instead of mossa as the reader got to develop and change with her. i also really loved her character arc with mossa and how pleiti came to meet mossa where she was because she was the one doing the growing and the changing and becoming a more flexible version of herself. there was a great underlying tension between the two of them, especially in the first half of the book, that made you remember that they are exes but also that there was a reason that they were together in the first place a long time ago, and that they really do work well together. there was also a nice use of neopronouns just tucked in one of the pages that was not any more strange than anything else, and i thought the normalising of that was really nice.

the only issue i have was with the length of this book - it was basically a novella, and while the author worked a significant amount of magic and created a beautiful fantasy world within those constraints, i would have liked to see just a bit more. perhaps that is my own selfish urge, because i was so captured by the world and the story that i just wanted more.

overall, a highly recommended short read from me.

Thank you Macmillan books for allowing me to read this in advance.

I really loved the complexity of the characters and the journey they embark on. I would recommend this book to my audience

Thank you to @netgalley and @tordotcompub for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

This is a #quickread clocking in at 176 pages. If you're looking for a #sapphic #novella , look no further. This cozy, #scifi #mystery has a fantastic world that is colonized after humanity destroyed Earth. Mossa, an Investigator is working on the case of a disappearing man and has to enlist the assistance of her academic ex-girlfriend, Pleiti. Pleiti is researching a possible way to ever return to Earth since humanity has colonized Jupiter. The world and the detail that Malka Older has created is beautiful, and I wished that this was a longer story to get to explore it more. The relationship is very realistic, a knowing yet hesitant dip into the past emotions, knowing why it failed - but also why they fell in love in the first place. Highly recommend if looking for #lgbtqbooks or something very comforting and cozy to read.

⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Pub date: Mar 7 2023

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older, was the kind of book where I wanted to read faster to discover the mystery (and Pleiti and Mossa’s relationship mystery), but I also wanted to read more slowly to stay longer on future Jupiter.

When a man disappears off a remote train platform, Investigator Mossa is assigned to see whether he fell or was pushed into the swirling gases below. It’s a mysterious, not-gory death (my favorite kind!) because we never see any guts, the characters all know that a human body couldn’t possibly survive the atmosphere and storms of Jupiter. Trains are the only method of transit between platforms, and platforms are the only places that can support life on Jupiter, so he couldn’t have wandered off.

I liked this from the start — a dramatic, not-gristly hook, and an intriguing character investigating that hook. We rarely get to see women being single-minded, dedicated geniuses in their work, and a bit socially awkward outside. There are 10,000 Sherlock Holmes reinventions where a man gets to be the antisocial genius, but I rarely read about a woman single-mindedly solving a mystery.

The story is told by Pleiti, Mossa’s ex-girlfriend, and her story begins when Mossa shows up asking for help in the investigation. Pleiti is definitely the Watson in this mystery, but she’s a pretty solid character and researcher herself. Pleiti is another familiar archetype, but again one I don’t see enough in a woman, and definitely not a woman in space! Pleiti is a scholar at Valdegeld, Jupiter’s university, studying Classics, which (sadly for me) doesn’t mean Romans, but old Earth ecosystems, from back before climate collapse. She reads ancient literature, like Watership Down, and tries to cross-reference the animals mentioned to understand how Earth’s ecosystem’s worked, back when there were ecosystems on the planet. Eventually, hopefully, someday, maybe, she’ll be part of rebuilding the planet enough to allow humans to return there.

There was one small issue for me, which is that so much of the book is worldbuilding, it was impossible to guess or predict the mystery for me. There was no way to guess ahead because I was discovering the rules of life on Giant. It was OK, because I loved discovering the Jupiter outpost, I just also wanted to understand the mystery earlier. Basically, Pleiti would notice Mossa’s reaction to something or someone, and I’d file that away, a-ha! a clue! There’s something important about that! but I couldn’t put it together because I was still working out how the world worked for most of the novel.

Without giving spoilers about the plot or the ending, there are heavy questions about what we owe to each other. What do we owe to other people, when we think they’re impossibly wrong? How can humans coexist in shared spaces, whether that’s a society or a relationship? It works with the characters we’ve met, though, and adds additional depth, especially to the slightly-robotic Mossa. Some heavy questions linger in this delightful scifi escapism.

I recently read The Siren, and blogged about how it had so many elements I knew I’d like. Some of that could be true for how I went into The Mimicking of Known Successes, too. I knew this book would be a not-gross murder mystery, set on Jupiter, with developed, complex women. All things I expected to like reading about! I just didn’t know that I’d like a gaslamp gas giant mystery, because I has no idea it existed.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

THE MIMICKING OF KNOW SUCCESSES is a delicious blend of science fiction and cozy mystery with a dash of moral dilemma!

Loved the setting! Platforms suspended above Jupiter, shrouded in planetary gases, connected by railcar rings. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the archaic and the futuristic, with inhabitants relying on dated means of travel (railcar) and communication (wire, letter, and telephone) in the far future, while living on partially enclosed platforms and breathing with atmoscarves.

Also enjoyed the former lovers aspect of the story. The tension between Mossa and Pleiti was palpable, although Mossa struck me as a bit of a cold fish. I found Pleiti much easier to connect with and I’m glad the story was told from her point of view. The plot was well developed and hit the mark for both the Sci-fi and mystery genres.

Overall, THE MIMICKING OF KNOWN SUCCESSES is a refreshing twist on post-apocalyptic novels. If you love female MC’s, mysteries, and gorgeous world-building, then you will love this book!

Enjoyable. This book is written in the way of you’re supposed to know something more than what you do. I did really enjoy the setting and characters. The plot was interesting and kept me entertained. My only regret is that due to the author purposely being sparse on the details, I didn’t get as much world building as I would have liked

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review!

The Mimicking of Known Successes has all of the elements of a fantastic read. The story is set in the distant future on Jupiter. Earth is uninhabitable, so humans moved to Jupiter long ago as a temporary home until they could discover a way to restore Earth back to livable conditions. Mossa is an Investigator, trying to determine why an academic suddenly disappeared without a trace. The search leads her back to her old university, where she recruits her ex-girlfriend, Pleiti (now a scholar at the school), to help her uncover the mystery. So, there’s a delightful blend of sci-fi, mystery, and sapphic romance. It all works together fine for a novella, but I was left wishing everything had been developed so much more.

What stands out the most in this book is the setting and worldbuilding. I don’t know a whole lot about science, so I can’t really weigh in on whether this would ever be remotely feasible, but the author sure sold me on the idea that humans could someday develop the technology to live on a gas planet. I found the rail system and all of the little details about this new society so fascinating. I loved the cozy atmosphere of the university and all of the intense storms rattling the buildings. Also, Pleiti’s job involves searching through books from Earth in an attempt to understand what the ecosystems were like, so that they can recreate them someday. I found that super interesting, as well.

Unfortunately, the other areas of the story fell a bit flat to me. The mystery and plot were compelling enough, but I was not overly invested in them. The author did a good job of narrowing the playing field enough that I could follow along and make predictions (sometimes I find sci-fi mysteries frustrating, because the world is so vast that I can’t guess at the ending at all). However, there was a bunch of running back and forth between just a few settings, which got repetitive. I would have been more drawn in if this were a full-length novel, and the plot was expanded and fleshed out more.

I also couldn’t easily connect with the two main characters. I didn’t have a problem with them, but they felt distant. I think the writing was part of the problem (I’ll get into that in a moment), but also, the two characters have a ton of history that we don’t get to read much about. Again, if this were a novel, maybe some time could have been spent showcasing their initial relationship (either through flashbacks or maybe a prologue before the main plot). I would have likely felt more of an emotional connection to them had I seen what they had already been through together, rather than being told in quick bits and pieces why their relationship didn’t work out previously.

I have mixed thoughts on the writing. Malka Older uses a formal tone that feels… not quite pretentious, but dry. It was hard to stay focused and invested at times, because it seemed as if she was intentionally putting distance between the reader and the story. It was definitely a stylistic choice, though, so maybe others will like it. I did appreciate how thoughtful the writing was. There were many small details about the world sprinkled in that showed how Older truly thought not just about the logistical details, but also about the society and how today’s world could turn into something like that years (and years and years) from now.

This is one of those reviews where I’m being critical because I liked the foundation of the story and think it could be developed into something truly great. As the novella stands now, it’s perfectly fine. I found it to be interesting and a unique read, but it did take me a while to finish (I kept putting it down and feeling compelled to do other hobbies, rather than complete it). The beginning and end have a lot of room for development. Had the author expanded this into a 300+ page novel, it would be such an amazing read! I still hope many readers try this and connect with it, because it’s refreshing, thought-provoking, and has some heart to it. I’d also love to see a sequel or another book set in this universe. I'd recommend to sci-fi and mystery readers looking for something fun and different.
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3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded down to 3 because of the difficulty I had staying invested in the story.

Malka Older’s 2022 The Mimicking of Known Successes is a stand-alone science fiction mystery, one of the Holmes and Watson variety. (more at other end of link)

Do you like classic mysteries in the vein of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie, or are you a fan of the growing genre of “cozy mysteries”? Have you ever wanted to read a mystery set in space? Do you like reading about academia? Are you simply enthused about efficient public transportation? Well, folks: do I have a book for you!

This book truly was written to my exact taste: a detective and her academic ex-girlfriend team up to solve a mystery, in space. and, to my delight, it followed through on what it promised, which was an engaging, well-plotted, cozy Sherlock-Holmesian mystery against a delightful sci-fi setting.

The story is told from the POV of Pleiti, who is a scholar at the foremost university on the planet, Mossa’s ex, and our Watson figure; her narratorial voice is charming, and does just the right amount of keeping us out of the mystery, The plot is tightly-constructed and just right for the book’s novella-length. the writing is delightfully aware of, and playful with, its genre. The real star of the show is the setting, a human settlement in the rings of Jupiter, established after the Earth became uninhabitable, and featuring a truly excellent train system, which really becomes the heart of the story.

My only qualm is actually that I didn’t quite feel the romance between Mossa and Pleiti; I felt like their dynamic was a bit underdeveloped, and while we’re told there’s tension, I didn’t quite feel it. It wasn’t enough for me to bump it down a star in my rating, but I would have loved to see it just a little more fully fleshed out.

This is a book that is good at what it does, and it knows it; it’s an excellent, fast read, and I recommend it highly. And it comes out in march 2023, so you’ve got lots of time to preorder 😊 my thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the early review copy!

The Mimicking of Known Successes is a nice enough book that I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it, but it seemed slightly lacking in both the mystery and romance departments.

I was intrigued by the world-building and can say it's the most interesting part of the book besides the characterisations of the main couple. This book is not boring, but it's not gripping either - I picked it up because I am very much into queer mystery books nowadays, but I can't say I found too much of what I was looking for. I still would like to acknowledge the good parts and I hope to see this author develop, maybe even with a sequel.

(Also, does the cover slightly remind anyone else of a western?)

Sometimes what you need is a shorter, pretty creative story to help you get through a reading slump. This is a future Earth story where humans have ruined the planet so much we’ve had to leave… to a gas giant where platforms house all of civilization. Throw in a good ole fashioned mystery and this is what you get.

I didn’t get to this book as quickly as I’d hoped but I enjoyed it a lot when I did. I’d been a bit down on reading for a few weeks and this was an entertaining, shorter story that hit the spot.

I liked that the characters were given slightly atypical personality traits. The pacing was quick but not rushed. Events drove the plot instead of fabricated conflict.

My only critique is that the writing style was a bit iffy for me here and there. It was huge but it was enough that I had to reread things every now and then. I’m sure it was a stylistic choice for effect so it’s not a huge deal.

I love this reframing of Holmes and Watson! At first, the language was a bit formal for me but by the 25% mark, everything clicked. So much powerful world-building done in a short space. This was truly impressive! And I appreciated the F/F aspect. Would recommend!

Loved this world (Giant) and the mystery, which turns out to be so much bigger than a possible murder. The characters are beautifully drawn and very much themselves, which makes the rekindling of their romance so much more meaningful. And then there's the bigger picture, the environmental destruction of Earth and the competing factions trying to decide how and when, if ever, to try to re-seed the earth with salvaged species. Loved this. Loved that it is complicated and there are no simple solutions. Because there aren't .

The description of this book as “a cozy Holmesian murder mystery” is apt — *The Mimicking of Known Successes* elaborates a mystery with several twists and turns and a fully resolved conclusion. For me, where the book shines is in its worldbuilding — here, humans live in a colony made up of a series of platforms on Jupiter, having rendered the Earth’s environment uninhabitable. They dream of returning to Earth someday, and different schools of thought have emerged on how soon and how best this might happen. When a researcher goes missing, investigator Mossa calls on scholar Pleiti, her former partner, to help her navigate the university and interview the missing man’s colleagues. Older has developed a world that is compelling and original, with much attention to detail concerning the colony’s structure, attitudes, and varied priorities. I don’t know that I would call this a “romance” so much as a story following two awkward former lovers reconnecting under somewhat strange circumstances; I found the relationship between Mossa and Pleiti less interesting than the world and the mystery, though I did really like both characters independent of each other. I will definitely be checking out more of Malka Older’s work having enjoyed this novel very much.

*Content warnings:* violence, injury detail

*Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, & Tordotcom for providing an ARC in exchange for this review*.