The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter, by Malka Older, 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.
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“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, bestselling author of A Marvellous Light
“Reading this novella was an absolute delight.”
— Locus“Packs a punch…Combining an old-timey aesthetic and a powerful message, this sapphic genre bender is a treat.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A novel that attempts to have equal footing in two genres―never mind three…[and] The Mimicking of Known Successes, a work of speculative fiction, a traditional mystery, and a romance, is a walloping success.”
— First Clue (starred review)“[A] quiet yet compelling whodunit.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Combining planetary resettlement SF with steampunk, mystery, climate fiction, and a touch of romance.”
— Library Journal“Lindsey Dorcus narrates a sci-fi mystery loosely inspired by the Sherlock Holmes mythos…Dorcus’s performance is invigorating and keeps the plot moving briskly along.”
— AudioFile“A rousing, fist-pumping adventure…An utter triumph.”
— Charlie Jane Anders, author of Victories Greater Than Death“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.”
— Fran Wilde, author of The Ship of Stolen Worlds“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.”
— K. J. Charles, author of the Will Darling Adventures seriesCassandra Khaw writes horror, press releases, video games, and articles about video games and tabletop RPGs. These are not necessarily unrelated items. Her work can be found in professional short story magazines such as Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Fireside Fiction, Uncanny, and the scientific journal Nature. Cassandra’s first original novella Hammers on Bone came out in October 2016. To her mild surprise, people seem to enjoy it.