Friday, 5 April 2024 09:00 pm
Book Review: The Mimicking of Known Successes
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deckardcanineThis novella came out only last year. Unsurprisingly, it does not have its own Wikipedia entry, nor does the entry for author Malka Older give details on it. I find too little information to supplement what I read.
In the future, Earth has become uninhabitable, but humans persist on a multi-city colony called Giant above the surface of Jupiter. It consists of a series of platforms connected by rails. You don't even need a special suit to go outdoors, tho an "atmoscarf" helps with breathing. If you want to understand the logistics of any of this, I can't help you, because Older isn't big on worldbuilding in the usual sense.
Apart from the prologue (which I don't think adds enough to justify its existence), every chapter has first-person narration by Pleiti, who does research for the Institution for Preservation of Earth Species, often facetiously called "the mauzooleum." It's not that they have only dead animals; they've managed to produce small populations of many species -- even long-gone ones like mammoths. The hope is to someday bring sustainable life back to Earth. People, within and outside the institute, have differing ideas on its approach and value.
Pleiti serves as a sort of Dr. Watson to the professional investigator, Mossa. A member of the institute, Bolien (sheesh, even the Foundation series doesn't completely depart from historic names like this does), has disappeared from a sparsely populated platform, presumably falling to his death. (I guess materials were at such a premium that nobody put up a fence.) From the testimony of those who met him shortly before, he seemed more ambitious than suicidal. And while many at the institute found him annoying, murder would be a bit much. Apparently, nobody ever falls off a platform by accident. Regardless, between an unambiguous murder being brought to Mossa's attention and an extraordinarily free-range caracal attacking her, she grows certain that Bolien's absence connects with something scandalous.
Why is Pleiti so involved when she knew little about Bolien? Because she and Mossa used to be roommates and even lovers. Their breakup sounds neither hostile nor amiable; it's clear that Mossa would not have contacted Pleiti without a relevant case, but she could have tried someone else. You don't need much genre savvy to predict that they'll rekindle their relationship. (The praise from Charlie Jane Anders had me worried, but we don't get a sex scene.)
I also predicted part of the solution, but the audience doesn't get a whole lot of clues to work with. The plot feels rather simple when spelled out, with only a handful of major characters. I can only conclude that writing a good mystery was not Older's first priority, any more than having fun with an escapist setting was.
It comes as no surprise that Older is an aid worker and sociologist. Thematically, the book leans heavy on environmentalism and other left-wing stances. The women are invariably more virtuous than the men. Pleiti and Mossa even consider "conservative" too offensive a word to say. Older's academic side comes out further in using several foreign words without explanation, including Mandarin "ta" as a pronoun in one paragraph. I get that language changes over centuries, but a glossary would be more considerate than making me have to put the book down and look things up.
The best I can say about TMoKS is that it's pretty good at credible characters. Mossa's a piece of work, demonstrating why an acquaintance might alternate between affection and frustration. Even the villains are understandable if not persuasive.
But this book was not written for me. I decline to put its sequel, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (again so long-winded yet uninformative), on my wish list. Infomocracy might be more my speed, but I'm putting Older on hold.
My next read is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Time for a time-tested classic.
In the future, Earth has become uninhabitable, but humans persist on a multi-city colony called Giant above the surface of Jupiter. It consists of a series of platforms connected by rails. You don't even need a special suit to go outdoors, tho an "atmoscarf" helps with breathing. If you want to understand the logistics of any of this, I can't help you, because Older isn't big on worldbuilding in the usual sense.
Apart from the prologue (which I don't think adds enough to justify its existence), every chapter has first-person narration by Pleiti, who does research for the Institution for Preservation of Earth Species, often facetiously called "the mauzooleum." It's not that they have only dead animals; they've managed to produce small populations of many species -- even long-gone ones like mammoths. The hope is to someday bring sustainable life back to Earth. People, within and outside the institute, have differing ideas on its approach and value.
Pleiti serves as a sort of Dr. Watson to the professional investigator, Mossa. A member of the institute, Bolien (sheesh, even the Foundation series doesn't completely depart from historic names like this does), has disappeared from a sparsely populated platform, presumably falling to his death. (I guess materials were at such a premium that nobody put up a fence.) From the testimony of those who met him shortly before, he seemed more ambitious than suicidal. And while many at the institute found him annoying, murder would be a bit much. Apparently, nobody ever falls off a platform by accident. Regardless, between an unambiguous murder being brought to Mossa's attention and an extraordinarily free-range caracal attacking her, she grows certain that Bolien's absence connects with something scandalous.
Why is Pleiti so involved when she knew little about Bolien? Because she and Mossa used to be roommates and even lovers. Their breakup sounds neither hostile nor amiable; it's clear that Mossa would not have contacted Pleiti without a relevant case, but she could have tried someone else. You don't need much genre savvy to predict that they'll rekindle their relationship. (The praise from Charlie Jane Anders had me worried, but we don't get a sex scene.)
I also predicted part of the solution, but the audience doesn't get a whole lot of clues to work with. The plot feels rather simple when spelled out, with only a handful of major characters. I can only conclude that writing a good mystery was not Older's first priority, any more than having fun with an escapist setting was.
It comes as no surprise that Older is an aid worker and sociologist. Thematically, the book leans heavy on environmentalism and other left-wing stances. The women are invariably more virtuous than the men. Pleiti and Mossa even consider "conservative" too offensive a word to say. Older's academic side comes out further in using several foreign words without explanation, including Mandarin "ta" as a pronoun in one paragraph. I get that language changes over centuries, but a glossary would be more considerate than making me have to put the book down and look things up.
The best I can say about TMoKS is that it's pretty good at credible characters. Mossa's a piece of work, demonstrating why an acquaintance might alternate between affection and frustration. Even the villains are understandable if not persuasive.
But this book was not written for me. I decline to put its sequel, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (again so long-winded yet uninformative), on my wish list. Infomocracy might be more my speed, but I'm putting Older on hold.
My next read is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Time for a time-tested classic.