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eli_abroad 's review for:
The Mimicking of Known Successes
by Malka Older
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a quick, pleasant SciFi mystery set in a future when humans had to abandon Earth and seek refuge on Mars. The writing is intelligent with the thought-provoking idea of humans as environmental refugees rather than explorers or colonizers, and unpacks some of the baggage that would accompany an involuntary exodus (OMG - could it be that migrants would actually prefer to be in their home countries? really?)
Along with anthropological preservation, Older incorporates tantalizing ideas such as the ‘mazooleum’, a place for resurrected species whose genetic info had been collected before extinction. Not only does the story question the viability of living on a planet with potentially no other life larger than microbes, but considers everything that would be left behind on Earth should an exodus occur. “How would Earth ever be restored if the animals and plants could not be reconstituted, or could not be cared for once they were?”
Even though I enjoyed this cozy SciFi mystery with a tease of second-chance love between Sherlock and Watson, I just couldn't fully connect with the work. The worldbuilding isn’t exactly lacking, but I had a difficult time picturing the world or scenes being described, and couldn’t feel a sense of atmosphere. Maybe there were too many conflicting vibes - the gasses set the scene for a Sherlock-esque foggy London, the distant outpost/platforms and galing, empty wind emulated the wild west, the university threw ivy league campus into the mix, and the train stations made me think of DC Metro late on a Sunday. In any case, the positives outweighed my disconnection, so I had a pleasant experience and definitely plan to continue to the next installments.