What a delight of a novella. It was throughly enjoyable how the author would spread tiny tidbits of backstory about how humanity came to live in Jupiter, and it's future goals, versus large infodumps. The mystery was good, and the suspect's motivation was wholly unique to the story's setting.

The perfect mix of gaslamp Murder mystery and innovative sci-fi! The world building was absolutely the star of this show in this novella, amazingly precise and well developed in such a short book. The tone of the writing was very congruent with the setting and I quite enjoyed the Holmes/Watson dynamic of Mossa and Pleiti with the added complexity of a former romantic relationship between the two! I wish this had been a full length book to delve more into character backstories as there wasn’t much character development as expected in a novella and I really wanted it! I wasn’t super gripped by the murder mystery but appreciated it as a device to explore the larger themes of the story! Would definitely read a next book if this was a series!

The Mimicking of Known Successes was about as far from what I was expecting as it could be. It was marketed as cozy and romantic. This was not that. This was not a cozy book featuring academia like Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It read like a book I'd read in AP Lit, which isn't inherently bad, but it definitely made reading this a lot more draining.

I will admit that this one challenged me, which was a nice experience. The vocab was so different than most books, I was constantly googling the definition of words. The diction definitely helped build the very foreign atmosphere, which was both a positive and a negative.

That was the other thing this did so well: the atmosphere. While it wasn't cozy, it definitely felt very atmospheric and all-consuming. I felt like a part of the world. The scientific discussions of Earth and the attempts to rebuild it were interesting, and I almost wish they could've been explored on a deeper level.

The main reason this is three stars instead of four is because I feel nothing towards it. The entire thing was interesting, but that was it. The characters were bleh and unremarkable. The romance was stilted and although it had a few cute moments, as a whole, it was very forgettable. Granted, that's a pretty good description of the whole book - forgettable.

Thanks to Turn the Page Tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This novella is a sapphic murder mystery set on Jupiter that totally gave me steampunk vibes. Unfortunately, I felt that the tone was dry and I really had a hard time staying engaged with the two main characters. It lacked depth in regards to understanding the history between the two mcs. I feel that quite honestly this would’ve been better as a full length novel filled with a solid plot, history of characters and a bit more expansion on the world building.

I don't really have any strong feelings about this book. The writing was ok, but the dialogue seemed awkward. I didn't care about the plot or romance.

The Mimicking of Known Success is a fun detective novella with themes of environmentalism in a world where humanity has already destroyed earth. Set on man-made structures orbiting a giant gas planet known as Giant, open with our main character and detective Mossa, who’s called in after a man has disappeared, possibly having jumped off a remote platform to his death. From here, we become embroiled in a conspiracy of the academics of new, attempting to learn what they can about long-gone planet in the slimmest hopes of restoring humanity to how they once lived. Along the way we meet Pleiti, current Scholar at the Valdegrad academy and former schoolmate and lover of Mossa’s. I enjoyed the dynamic between Mossa and Pleiti, somewhat akin to a Holmes and Watson but with more warmth and more back and forth on the knowledge transfer. The writing is written in a way that almost attempts to mimic Victorian-speech, albeit a little more accessible to the modern reader. It was a little odd at first, in pairing with the sci-fi world but I was quickly charmed by it. While I liked the story overall, some pretty significant events occur toward the end that the characters leading up to it acknowledge quite strongly, but seem to be okay to just let be in the aftermath, which felt odd given the stakes. Overall. I rate this book a 4/5.

Review will go live on my blog 10 Feb 2023

This was an interesting novella that felt to me like the introduction to a longer series/story concerning these characters. I really enjoyed the interplay between Mossa and Pleiti and thought that they were both well drawn. I thought that the author did a really good job of giving us glimpses of their joint backstory, making their behaviours in the present day understandable and convincing. I also thought that the world building was really good and the setting of a human-inhabited Jupiter was fascinating. My main issue comes with the plot itself, which I felt was a bit lackluster when compared to the other elements of the story. It felt almost like a contrivance to bring the characters together rather than a key element of the narrative. With that being said, I would definitely read more from this world and these characters, hopefully with a stronger plot element.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for this advance copy.

The cover of this one definitely drew me in, but I found the premise to be interesting and I was definitely hooked early on. The book opens with Mossa, an Investigator, looking into a strange disappearance. This search brings her back into contact with her old flame, Pleiti, who helps her to investigate. I love a good mystery, and that’s what kept me going through this quick read!

I really enjoyed the mystery, setting, characters, and the vibe, but the writing was difficult to follow at some points. Every so often there would be a sentence that seemed to leap multiple plot points ahead, and it was often confusing and prompted me to reread sentences quite a few times. I loved the way that different languages were woven in, but the overall flow of the novel was stilted at times and did not have a steady flow.

This was a pretty short read, but things got resolved quite cleanly and I did enjoy it quite a bit! I’ve had ups and downs with sci-fi, but this cozier take with an interesting mystery worked for me. For me, this is overall 3.5⭐️, rounded up to 4 everywhere except for StoryGraph.

The worldbuilding was interesting and unique—I could definitely read a full length novel set in this world. The characters were fine. I didn't feel particularly attached to either. of them. i enjoyed the hints toward their previous relationship, but I didn't completely buy that either of them had changed enough to make a relationship work in the present. My favorite thing about mystery novels is trying to work out what happened and who committed the crime. That was basically impossible in this one, at least for me, as I didn't know enough about the world to figure out what was really going on. That was disappointing but it was still an enjoyable read.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older is a cosy sci-fi detective story that takes place in a human colony on Jupiter. 
 
The story followed an investigator Mossa during her case about a missing man. The trail led her to Valdegeld university and she had to ask for assistance from her old friend Pleiti who worked there. They hadn't seen each other for a half of decade and it was interesting to follow their reunited and somewhat awkward dynamic.
 
The narration was from Pleiti's POV and it was an interesting author's choice I appreciated. We didn't know what genius thoughts went through Mossa's mind all the time, but instead, we received a lot of Pleiti's commentaries about Mossa's way of thinking.
 
What I loved about this book was the atmosphere. The sci-fi component didn't go into deep science nuances but created a perfect setting for the story. Malka Ann Older didn't overwhelm us with dry information but added a lot of details that created the mood of Jupiter with its fogs, winds, and colors. I enjoyed this aspect of the book and can’t imagine it being done in a better way.
 
The detective plot was also solid and it was interesting to follow our characters' investigation. There were different clues and twists and I liked how it came together in the end.
 
I liked Mossa and Pleiti, but, honestly, I wanted to have more time with them and their complex relationships to feel and understand them better. But it's the question of the book length - it's short. And in a given time I think we had enough of character dynamics. Also, the romantic part was a small and nice addition to the book.
 
Overall I don't have what to say about this book in a negative way or some points to improve. For its length, all details were created in a good way and left for the readers enough to be engaged and immersed in the story.
 
I'm grateful to Netgalley, the author of the story - Malka Ann Older, and the publisher Tordotcom for providing me with this free advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

What I loved most about this book was the concept! It felt like a classic mystery and I loved the idea of it being set on Jupiter with ex-girlfriends as a detective duo. Unfortunately, since the book was so short, a lot of the cool ideas and the characters weren’t as developed as I would have liked. It was hard to get invested in the plot because there was a lot I didn’t know.
I definitely got more used to it as the book went on, but the writing made it difficult for me as well. It felt very formal with lots of long wordy sentences. If you don’t mind that style of writing, you will like this book more!
2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

the premise is very intriguing, and i happened to like the lofty, impersonal writing style. however, i found the story a bit meandering (especially for a novella) and the characters lacking personality. still, i found it enjoyable overall, and i am interested in reading the author's other works.

Actual rating: 3.5

With a sapphic investigator and a society reliant on railcars, this reminded me a lot of P. Djèlí Clark's Dead Djinn Universe.

This novella follows two ex-girlfriends, an Investigator and a scholar, solving the case of an allegedly deceased man. Long after destroying Earth and Mars, humans have settled on Jupiter, inhabiting the planet on floating platforms connected by railcars.

It took me a bit to get into this because I wasn't a fan of the first person narrator's pretentious attitude at first, both through her personality and the writing style, but her character develops as the story goes on. The mystery element, while keeping me engaged, wasn't the strongest element of the story. For me this novella shines in the world-building. I haven't read a ton of sci-fi that takes place on Jupiter, so it felt very fresh for me.

While the mystery element does wrap up at the end, it also leaves a lot of questions about the aftermath of the events in the book. I would be interested in reading a sequel.

🪐the mimicking of known successes by malka older🪐

thank you to net galley for an ARC of this book, published march 7th 2023.

🌟🌟🌟.5

as soon as I heard about a cosy, sapphic sherlock holmes-esque murder mystery set on Jupiter I just had to request a copy on netgalley, but unfortunately I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped I would. the worldbuilding was wonderful - earth has become inhabitable so a world of platforms connected by railways around jupiter is created, its the perfect setting for a sci-fi murder mystery. and the idea for the story sounded great: a dark academia novel in which someone either steps off or is pushed into the planet and killed and our two sapphic MCs work together to find out who did it and why, but it could've been done better. the dialogue felt really awkward and formal which made it difficult to like or care about the characters or the plot, but there are quite a few 5🌟 reviews so I'm potentially just disappointed by this book because I was hoping for something that made me feel how becky chambers's work makes me feel and it doesn't do that, but it is an interesting, queer short read.


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I often find the blurb of a book to be a bit too lofty in its description. Either by being purely conceptual and not representative of the true themes of a book or just simply not living up to titles that might be mentioned. This blurb promises a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter. I am pleased to report this book delivers. The world building was brilliant! I was deeply invested in learning all I could about life on Jupiter. I found the concept of civilization settling in suspension of a planet’s atmosphere to be super fascinating. With much of the description being left to the world building means the characters and immersion scene by scene can feel paper thin at times. The prose, told in first person, keeps you at a distance from Mossa and Pleiti. I would’ve liked more descriptions of character movement (many instances of the word gestured.. gestured how?) and facial expressions, as well as introspective thought. Overall a lovely novella that I would be interested to see expanded into a sequel.

A mystery set on a future human colony on Jupiter with a heavy dollop of sapphic romance? Yes, please, and thank you! While I felt some of the pacing was a bit off in the middle, overall, this totally delivered and I particularly appreciated the themes around climate change that it interrogates. I'd love for there to be more stories in this world

This is a 4.5 star book for me (I always round half stars down, though it almost hurts to do so for this book). Overall, I enjoyed this book, though I had a few minor quibbles. Read on for my thoughts.

The writing
The blurb and the prologue left me expecting (and wanting) more of Mossa's point of view, and getting only Pleiti's perspective was jarring at first. I initially had a little trouble connecting to her voice, as I didn't find it 100% believable, but I think that may have been due to a matter of taste/expectations on my part. Once I kept reading, I appreciated the narration more, as the word choice and phrasing serves a lot to establish both Pleiti's personality and the environment she lives in.
My only other minor gripe is that the text is sometimes very dialogue heavy, to the point where I am not completely sure what the characters are doing. There was one instance in which Pleiti mentions her tears stopping, and I had to read back a bit to scour the text for any mention she'd started to cry — I couldn't find any explicit description of her doing so.

The world
The world building was one of my favorite parts of this book. I appreciated that the setting combined gaslamp and high tech elements in a way that felt both innovative and believable. I tend to permit a lot of hand-waving when it comes to the scientific feasibility of sci-fi settings, so people who crave harder science in their reading might want to take my opinion here with a grain of salt. The stand out to me was the richly depicted academic environment at Valdegeld, and the newly invented disciplines there. I wish there had been more academic politics in the book, but I might be biased because I'm in academia. Given the stated goal of the researchers, and Gianter society at large, I was easily able to appreciate what was at stake for Pleiti and Mossa, and therefore I think the world building and the amount of detail served the story well.

The characters/the romance
I loved both Pleiti and Mossa. In fact, I kind of wish I had gotten more of Mossa's point of view. That isn't to say I didn't like Pleiti — she is precious and deserves to be protected at all costs — but I was so intrigued by Mossa that I wanted to know what was going on in her head.
At any rate, I enjoyed watching their relationship unfold. It was a good slow burn, not agonizingly slow, but not rushed. I liked their chemistry, and I was rooting for them to get (back) together almost from the get go. I do think their romance arc wrapped up a little too neatly at the end, but I appreciate that a deeper dive into their past issues/their resolution of them would have been detrimental to both the pace and the tone of this story.

The plot
I didn't find the big twist at the end to be too out of left field, but I wish the culprit's involvement (and the scope thereof) had been foreshadowed more beforehand. Generally, when I read mysteries, I like those that provide a whole new set of "Aha!" moments upon a reread — I like seeing how all the pieces of information fit together once I know the ending. This book didn't quite do that for me, but I did appreciate the pace at which information was revealed. The narrative kept just enough information unknown to make me want to find out more without hiding so much as to confuse me.
The ending was satisfying, but it left a lot of loose threads hanging in a way that almost begs for a sequel. As this is a cozy SF mystery, I would expect a sequel, and should there be one, I will definitely read it.

I've never thought that blending mystery with outer space would go well, but The Mimicking of Known Successes did just that. It was fun to read about the dynamic between Mossa and Pleiti. It was fun, cozy, and the perfect length.

8 Compelling Sci-Fi and Fantasy Murder Mysteries to Curl Up With

Murder mysteries carry a unique yet familiar set of tropes and archetypes; cracking the spine on one is like opening a board game of Clue. There are locked rooms stalked by inspectors and suspects, unexpected murder weapons and devious red herrings, missing memories, and sympathetic motives. But while that genre has its beloved classics rooted in contemporary realism, more and more sci-fi and fantasy authors have turned to this formula and framework—to continue the metaphor, like a special-edition Clue with fun new speculative trappings.

In the past five years especially, there has been a rise in SFF murder mysteries, stories set in secondary fantasy worlds or near-future cities or in the cold infinity of space (where, yes, someone can hear you scream and can try to solve what made you scream). Some of these SFF sleuths are detectives and inspectors by trade, conjuring up futuristic versions of Columbo and Sherlock Holmes. Others are amateur investigators (paging Jessica Fletcher and Phryne Fisher) thanks to their lucky proximity to an unreasonable, nearly comical amount of foul play and seemingly random deaths.

These eight engrossing mysteries entangle angels and demons, clones and hyper-insomniacs with some good old-fashioned murder. Whether you want to dip into a brisk whodunnit novella, or curl up for hours unraveling every clue and motive in a thicker volume, we have all the pieces for you to play.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

In The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older conjures the gaslight streets of Holmesian London on the gas-wreathed planet of Jupiter, better known as Giant to its inhabitants, descendants of the Earth refugees who fled their own ruined planet centuries before. Investigator Mossa, brilliant and inscrutable to the end, pursues the befuddling disappearance of a man who seemingly leapt off the side of the planet… or was he pushed? But a potential murder like this requires talking to people, which is not Mossa’s strong suit. And so she reunites with her ex-girlfriend, the Watson to her Sherlock, a scholar named Pleiti.

The duo’s unorthodox investigation takes them to the university of Valdegeld, the proud center of the colony’s knowledge of the home they left behind and have been trying to recreate on Giant, down to the ecosystem. Told mostly from Pleiti’s perspective, this novella augments the mystery beats with a personal meditation on whether you can ever (figuratively and physically) go home again.

This was delightful - I loved the Holmes/Watson dynamic between Mossa and Pleiti. The setting is cool and it’s the perfect length. It’s a cozy mystery set in space, what more can you ask for?