A mystery on Mars

 The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, Malka Older

This is the second book in a series set on Mars. The "Giant" has been settled by refugees fleeing an Earth that became uninhabitable. They live on platforms girded together by rings, railways that connect settlements and even towns. There are agricultural platforms, both on Mars and on its moons. Scholars are studying not just how to sustain life on Mars, but also how to re-establish life on Earth.

The first book, The Mimicking of Known Successes, introduced Mossa, an Investigator looking into the disappearance of a man on a remote platform. The story is narrated by Pleiti, a Classical scholar at Valdegeld University, whom Mossa turns for help in her investigation. Pleiti plays Watson to Mossa's Sherlock, complicated by their past history when they were students and lovers at the university.

That story was action-packed, leading to an explosive ending. This story is quieter but just as enjoyable. It did take a couple of tries for me to settle into it. The language is formal and feels a bit opaque, which seems a marker of the differences. These aren't 21st century people plopped down in Mars. Malka Older makes you feel the distance and the difference, and also the precariousness of life on Mars.

Here Mossa returns to ask Pleiti's help, as she is again investigating a disappearance, this time a student from Valdegeld. Pleiti is shocked when she learns that the student is one of 17 missing from the university - students, faculty, support staff. Their investigation will take them into university politics, as well as a trip to Io, Mossa's home planet, and a trip around the rings to the dark side of the Giant. There was a fascinating bit of backstory in that Io was settled first, by rich people with the means to escape Earth in comfort. But Io has active volcanoes, and it has become difficult to sustain life there. Those who settled Mars had a much harder time, but now the mother planet is thriving, and residents tend to side-eye the Ionians.

I enjoyed the mystery, but even more learning about Mars and Io, and particularly life on the Giant. It was also lovely to see Pleiti and Mossa settle more deeply into their relationship. There is a lot of care in this book, with tea and scones available via demand in Pleiti's rooms, as well as hot baths (one of the benefits of living on a gas planet). There are also delightful insights into the culture: this planet has a Murderbot opera, and I would pay good money just to read the libretto.

I hope that we will have more mysteries for Mossa and Pleiti to solve, maybe even on the other moons. I read a library copy of this, but I will be adding a copy to my shelves.