If you like Holmesian British mysteries but gay and set in space, then be sure to check out this novella. Older's characters are complex and interesting and the 2SLGBTIA+ romantic tension is well-done and believable. The world building is extremely well done and provides an atmospheric sci-fi read. The mystery itself isn't really something the reader's meant to "solve" but the investigation is an engaging read. Additionally, the environmental commentary and ethical quandaries presented are thought provoking. I will say that the literary slant to the verbiage was a bit over the top at times and could pull my attention from the plot. Overall this is a charming and quick read that anyone interested in a cozy mystery or science fiction will enjoy. This is the first in the Mossa & Pleiti series and I look forward to reading more from these characters.


I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Humanity lives on platforms over the planet Giant after leaving a ruined Earth. One day, on the last station of one of the train lines, a man has a nice meal and then disappears over the railing. Malka Older’s The Mimicking of Known Successes (hard from Tordotcom) is the story of Investigator Mossa, working with an old friend and scholar Pleiti, look into other researchers that help keep Earth's life forms alive. Eventually there is a murder with a dead body that helps lead our Holmes and Watson to the high level of corruption. Fun.

ex-girlfriends solving a murder mystery together…on Jupiter!

Mossa is a crime investigator on Jupiter’s ring system, while Pleiti is a scholar whose work revolves around learning how to perfect an ecosystem that would allow civilization to eventually return to Earth. When a scholar from Pleiti’s university disappears under mysterious circumstances, Mossa realizes she needs Pleiti’s help to dig deeper into some of the university extremists and prove that he didn’t simply jump from the rings into the stormy atmosphere.

The Mimicking of Known Successes was such a cozy story! Mossa was the serious, occasionally grumpy, married-to-her work type, while Pleiti was hopeful, mostly sunshine, and all together adorable. They balanced each other so well (even if Mossa occasionally frustrated me with her communication issues) and realized the things that drove them apart in the past could be repaired.

I really hope this series gets another installment because it was wonderful!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for this arc!

* Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

A space mystery with interesting character development and a unique setting - this was just my jam! A reserved investigator gets her old flame, an academic researcher, entangled in the investigation of a missing person case. The mystery itself is a little rushed, but I loved seeing the interactions between the main characters, jumping between awkwardness and ease and hinting to a complex past. The setting itself, a colony in Jupiter, sealed the deal for me. The ideas around setting up multiple settlements, and the transportation between them, in a gas planet were fascinating, and while this is a short novella, and there is not a lot of technical detail, it's a mesmerizing world.

The Mimicking of Known Successes
by Malka Older

This was a really fun cozy, sci-fi mystery novel. The main draw of this book is the characters and setting - the setting is fun (though I little convoluted for a novella, I'd love to see another novel in this world). The relationship at towards the last third of the novella seems a bit rushed, and we are given so little detail of the characters' past relationship that it falls a little flat in terms of emotional impact. The ending overall felt a little rushed. Overall though, I greatly enjoyed this book!

A compelling and utterly unique Sherlockian mystery. Loved the queer romance, compelling characters, and sci-fi setting.

My enjoyment of The Mimicking of Known Successes stems from both the delightful - and scary - world, and the characters. While this might skew towards more character work than a straight up high octane mystery, I enjoyed this. Can you have a cozy space mystery? There's a sense of danger, which does build as the novella progresses, but the true intricate focus is the characters. How they open back up to each other and react to these loose screws and wrenches in their plans.

One thing that really stood out was how it tackled some complex issues in a really approachable way. It's like Malka Older is saying, "Hey, let's talk about important stuff, but make it a good time!" There is a diverse bunch of characters, each with their own personalities and quirks, it makes it feel like you are meeting real people. I may have laughed and I may had shed a tear or 3.

I was surprised to see that this story is more of a novella than a novel. While I was reading, I was even more surprised at how adequately Malka Older was able to gently deposit me into this futuristic sci-fi world. I was rarely confused at what was going on, and found it easy to fall in and out of this story, as I had to read it over the course of a few sessions. As Mossa investigates a missing person who might just have been murdered, she reconnects with an old friend/love interest/roommate, Pleiti. While they parted somewhat tensely, it is clear the two never stopped caring for one another. As they grew older, what pushed them apart became inconsequential and the normal growth one experiences through life brings them to a new understanding over the course of the investigation.

Told through their altering points of view, the investigation reveals a plot that may ruin society’s potential to return to Earth and all the research and data that has been gathered to reach such a goal.

I love that, for me, the investigation fell into the background, and I was much more interested in what was going on between Mossa and Pleiti. The investigation was, of course, fascinating, but this renewed relationship drew my attention time and time again. Especially as Pleiti analyzed her feelings for Mossa, which presented as concern when Mossa was injured, then as an urge to spend time together, to get dinner together, even as the investigation surged forward.

The storytelling is unbelievably tight for a science fiction story and while it leaves many questions unanswered, it only left me curious for more, rather than frustrated or confused. This book would make an excellent addition to anyone’s TBR but especially those who enjoy sapphic romance and science fiction rolled into a neat little package. It would also make a good transition novel because of its length. It could even be finished in one sitting, should someone be so inclined.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC of this book!

The Mimicking of Known Success by Malka Older
Moss & Pleiti #1

Whew…took me a LONG time to get into this book and am still not sure what to think. Why did it take time? Well, the writing felt rather stilted and old fashioned and as if I was reading a book written over a century ago although I am sure the time must have been far distant in the future as it takes place several generations after humans left earth after making it inhabitable. Add in the rather highbrow terms that felt erudite but archaic, a setting devoid of much common on earth and a Gaslamp steampunk feel to it and people I had trouble understanding or warming up to…well…I am scratching my head trying to remember if reading an original Sherlock Holmes story would read like this or not.

I was intrigued by the book description since sci-fi sometimes grabs my interest and this plot sounded intriguing. The main characters were easily visualized but difficult to warm up to and I wondered if that was due to what had happened since humans left earth or if it was their basic characters. I also felt that I didn’t get to KNOW them. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since Mossa and Pleita had seen one another, what their relationship was like in college, or what they might have in common later that would draw them together again. Were the two in their late twenties, thirties or even older? My guess is late twenties but am not sure.

The descriptions of Jupiter were well done, the characters easy to visualize if not warm to, and the mystery solving easy to follow. As this is the first in a series, there will be books to follow and perhaps through following them I will find out more about Mossa and Pleita in the past as they work together in the future.

I am glad I did not give up at chapter eight as the story did begin to grow on me and I now feel that I would like to read more to find out what happens next. Will Mossa and Pleita work together and form more than a working relationship? Will progress be made concerning the future of humans living on Pluto? Will the humans ever be able to return to earth? How did they actually manage to get to Pluto and make it habitable? I think those and other questions that I have would be worth finding out…maybe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This was a very fun, creative novella! I thoroughly enjoyed Mossa and Pleiti's relationship and all of the world-building this story had. Everything was so well thought out, and the two just worked so well! I only wish the book was longer, but it was great for its length!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor for giving me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I loved the idea of the book. It was a unique and under-tackled premise. And the promise of an LGBTQ element cemented it for me.

But there was too much happening, I felt like I was in a literary fast-moving river, tumbling through rapids after rapids, unable to figure out which way was up.

The worldbuilding was terrific, and while I really connected with Jupiter as it was envisioned, I could not connect with either character.

So great premise but the execution didn't do much for me, I'm afraid.

this book had me at “cozy holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance set on jupiter” and lost me just as quickly—an intriguing concept, but underwhelming in its execution.

in a future where earth has been rendered uninhabitable by climate change and human greed, generations of humanity have built a new society centered around an eventual return to the planet their ancestors fled. the mimicking of known successes follows a pair of exes, one an investigator and the other a scholar, who are reunited by an investigation into a missing man that quickly escalates into a larger plot—one that may shatter centuries of work towards a future on earth.

this was a dense read that simply tries to accomplish too much in too little space, and as a result nothing feels properly explored. so much time is spent cramming complex world-building wherever possible that the more character-driven aspects of the story—the investigation, mossa and pleiti’s relationship (both past and present), the bond between a people and a planet they’ve never known (which had the potential to be a fascinating exploration of generational trauma)—are neglected.

to give credit where credit is due, i did love the exploration of what a civilization on jupiter’s rings might look like, i just wish that world-building hadn’t come at the expense of the story itself.

I don't know why but this was just not for me. I didn't like the writing style of the author; it felt kind of pretentious and like she was trying too hard to sound fancy and profound.

What I did like was the world building and her thoughts and ideas on how civilization would look on Jupiter. I liked how she described the system and the architecture and everything in that realm... but her character building and the way they spoke was so weird. The two mains had a romantic past but they spoke too formally to each other. It was like they had either never met before or they were living in the future but had come from the past and hadn't yet figured out how to speak like the normal humans around them.

This one was a real challenge for me to get through.

A solid mystery set on Jupiter. A man has fallen to his death on a remote platform, and there have been thefts from an institute devoted to restoring life to Earth. Investigator Mossa and their ex-girlfriend Pleiti follow the clues and try to solve the mystery. Holmesian and traditional with a scifi setting.

The Mimicking of Known Successes promises and delivers a straightforward yet mostly satisfying concept: a classic Holmes and Watson-style mystery, but in space with queer women. With no frills or unnecessary bulk, this novella gets straight to the intrigue and throws our characters into a missing persons case that has bigger implications than either of them realize.

The lead characters are Mossa and Pleiti. The former is a professional investigator, tasked with determining what exactly happened to a man who has seemingly vanished. The latter is an academic specializing in old Earth ecosystems, a colleague of the missing man and also Mossa’s college ex-girlfriend. Mossa is your classic Sherlock-type - aloof and enigmatic, yet brilliant. Pleiti is able to gradually open her up and reveal a warmer, more caring side to her, which gives the book a warm, pleasant emotional core. Due to the short nature of the story, however, the relationship does not develop much depth beyond generic pleasantness.

The best part of this story, for me, is the wholly original setting. It takes place in a future where humans have made Earth inhospitable and settled not on the Moon or Mars, but a far more unlikely locale: Jupiter. Since the actual planet is made up of gas, the settlers have constructed platforms that reside within the rings, connected by an extensive rail system. The mechanics of the platforms and railways play an integral role to the central mystery, making the world feel material and lived in. I also quite enjoyed that everything had a sort of gaslamp feeling to it. It resonates with the Holmesian tone, but it also explores a thought that I don’t see too often in science fiction - the idea that if we lose Earth, and all of our efforts and resources are directed towards survival elsewhere, the everyday technologies we take for granted could potentially regress or disappear.

I think this is a nice, understated mystery with romantic undertones in a very interesting setting, but ultimately I would be feeling much more sour if I did not know there would be more. This certainly works as a set-up for more stories with Mossa and Pleiti, but as a standalone story it’s just a little bit bare.

The best thing about The Mimicking of Known Successes is the ways in which it manages to make a post-apocalyptic futuristic Jupiter colony feel, on both superficial and fundamental levels, like the foggy melancholia of Victorian London. The scarves twined about our protagonists' necks may be for individual protection from an alien environment, and the fog and wintery storms may be the result of the planet's gaseous atmosphere - but they seem at once natural for the sci fi setting and for the Sherlock Holmes pastiche of the story. At a deeper level, there's a sense of melancholy nostalgia and shades of recent industrialism that give the same blend of future (the major project on this colony is to resurrect a destroyed Earth and return humanity to its homeplanet; colonialism and nostalgia are, it turns out, just as likely in Future Jupiter as Victorian England). And it's all pitch perfect for both a sci fi novella and a Sherlock Holmes story. (The title, in its internal and external meanings, works much the same way.)

The fact that my biggest criticism of Mimicking is, in fact, my usual criticism of the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories is probably also a sign that the adaptation works. The mystery isn't the kind you can figure out while playing along at home, and I wish we knew the villain before they're presented as the villain. But both of these things are reasons I'm not a bigger fan of the original Sherlock Holmes, too, so can I really fault a retelling for mimicking the flaws along with the successes?

As characters, Mossa and Pleiti likewise perfectly balance faithful adaptation (they are recognizably, authentically, Holmes and Watson) and creative freedom and growth. They don't feel like they could have been simply plugged in from the original, but are their own beings, with a different relationship with one another, with their work, with their world - and all that is precisely why I'm not just content with seeing how one puts Sherlock Holmes on Jupiter, but eager to read more from this series, from this world and this pair of characters. A pitch-perfect pastiche, but richly original enough to grow.

Thank you to Tordotcom for the advance review copy!

So unique. I LOVED. The love story, the life on Jupiter, the mystery. Just wish it were longer! Can we get a sequel?

Sapphic Sherlock in space? SAY LESS. After Earth becomes uninhabitable humanity has resettled on Jupiter. Train platforms connect cities on the gas giant and it's one of the platforms that an investigator is called to. A man suddenly disappeared into the empty expanse below. Did he jump? Or was it something more nefarious?

I was completely on board (hey-o) with this plot -- and the 137-page length was even better. Unfortunately this didn't work for me. The dialogue was so stilted. I'm not sure if Older was trying to give it a formal, Victorian-esque feel and that's where the Sherlock comparisons came from? "Is there any way to find out whom he did meet?" "I have hopes we may yet triangulate on the evil-doer."

The plot sounded great, but the story itself fell flat.

I have no idea how, but this was too boring to read, even with how short it was. I just did not care about any of the mysteries, the characters, or the setting. I do wonder if it would be better more fleshed out, but as it is, I cannot finish it.

**Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the eARC**