#The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

[murderbot-moodboard]

Found an Easter egg in the book The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older!

It's the second (and latest) book in her mystery series The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti. I can highly recommend both it and the first book, The Mimicking of Known Successes.

The simplest way to describe the series is that it's very similar (I'd say intentionally so) to the Sherlock Holmes stories, but if Sherlock and Watson were reimagined as lesbians with chemistry that was more than just potential subtext, and they lived in a future post-apocalyptic colony in space with definite Victorian-type/steampunk world building, but with a healthy amount of foods and other cultural aspects from many different cultures around the world.

In fact, one thing that surprised me at first was that the books' vocabulary commonly uses not only formal/older English words, but also words and expressions from many different languages, only some of which were familiar to me, but most of which can be understood from context. It's a choice that makes sense, though, for a society that's been removed from Earth for a long time, and what it would look like for different Earth cultures to synthesize into totally new cultures and groupings of people over time.

Anyway, these are the kind of books that you're likely to enjoy if you like TMBD. As a matter of fact, in the first book's acknowledgments, Malka Older listed Martha Wells first among the other authors she was thanking for their writing and how it impacted her. So if you're looking for a fun and interesting scifi read, these books are worth it! :)

[aurora-van-vana]

why do I keep drawing cowboys

[evenaturtleduck]

I love them so much ❤️

[tinynavajoreads]

Currently Reading: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older

Book 2 of Mossa and Pleiti murder mysteries, this time with the vanishing of students, staff, and some faculty at Pleiti's University. Mossa is called in to investigate where these people might have gone, and why, and she asks for Pleiti's help once again.

A cozy murder mystery set on Jupiter in a way that makes me kind of wish I worked at that university. And I love that we get a bit more insight into Pleiti herself and how she sees the world.

[abookishidentity]

Books read in April 2024

-A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen started March 29, 2024 and finished April 2, 2024 - 4/5 stars. This is a time loop story with love in it. Time loops are always so angsty and devastating. I like how the main character initiated the love story. Its very interesting how the only way to stop the loop from repeating again is to go back in time to fix mistakes. Its devastating that the main character doesn’t end up with the man she likes but she makes it so her past self can end up with him. Did not see that coming 

-Light Years from Home by Mike Chen started April 2, 2024 and finished April 5, 2024 - 5/5 stars. Oh man what an amazing book. Imagine having such an estranged relationship with your family that when you and your dad are abducted with aliens you are like “Yeah, I’ll fight this alien war but I’ll send my dad back though” I don’t know what I would do if my twin was abducted by aliens and then returned years later. Such good family drama in this book. Lots of “Why didn't you come back?” and “It’s your fault that dad died!” 

-The Afterlives by Thomas Peirce started April 5, 2024 and finished April 8, 2024- 4/5 stars. Man dies and comes back and sort of has a crisis about not seeing anything. Interesting characters and plot. This was going to be 3 stars but the part with the main character going through the machine was interesting. Main character was a tad annoying but I have read worse. 

-The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey started April 9, 2024 and finished April 10, 2024 - 4/5 stars. What do you do when you find out your husband essentially made a clone of you and marries her? I’m so glad the clone murdered the abusive husband. It sounded like the main character and her husband were toxic to each other. I was thrown a bit when the clone and the main character decided to make a clone out of the asshole cheating husband but whatever. Asshole husbands are buried in the garden it seems. Interesting ending. 

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older started April 11, 2024 and finished April 12, 2024- 4/5 stars. Cozy murder mystery in space with lesbians. What’s not to love? The dynamic reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Watson a bit. This was a short book so I read it pretty quickly. 

-The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older started April 12, 2024 and finished April 15, 2024- 4/5 stars. The sequel was a tad longer but it was still pretty good. I would be interested to see where this series goes. 

-The Devil You Know by Mike Carey started April 15, 2024 and finished April 19, 2024- 4/5 stars. Now this is the urban fantasy that I really fucking love. It makes me think what the hell Felix was doing before this book took place. It amuses me to no end that Felix plays the tin whistle to do stuff with ghosts. Imagine going about your business and see a man playing a flute and playing popular british songs. Anyway good book. I need to read the entire series. Felix Castor is an interesting man living in an interesting world. 

-The Veiled Masters by Tim Pratt started April 19, 2024 and finished April 22, 2024- 5/5 stars. Oh man what an excellent book. It’s the third book of a trilogy. There’s just something about mind controlling spores that I just fucking love. It actually works in this book. I also love the mind control is added with feelings of bliss and happiness when a task is completed. This trilogy was entertaining as hell and I love the diversity of characters. It’s also queer which is good. I think I ought to look into Tim Pratt books more. 

-Vicious Circle by Mike Carey started April 22, 2024 and finished April 28, 2024 -5/5 stars. Holy crap I think I like this series as much as the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey. Felix is incredibly interesting. He inserts himself into certain situations though as if he’s the only one that can fix things but whatever. I’m a little confused as to why a certain dude injected him with truth serum. Didn’t even get to read if it actually worked or not. It’s very interesting to see how Felix will get out of situations and or fights. He can get hurt and has to recover like any normal person. It makes a lot of sense that at the end of the book his landlady/friend is like “Yeah you aren’t living here anymore” 

-dhalgren by samuel r. delany started April 28, 2024- I am half way through this book at the current moment. I am unsure if I’m going to finish it. The main character doesn’t seem particularly picky with things including where he’s sleeping and who he is sleeping with. I hope protection still exists. Like the main character will sleep with women and men and there isn't any mention of protection. Like fucking hell I just got to the part where he does stuff with the 15 year old boy. I'm pretty sure it's considered rape. This book was written in the 70s and I have to remind myself with that. This book doesn’t always make sense but I guess that’s fine. Perhaps I’m reading it for a change in scenery. Sometimes you got to read things that make you uncomfortable.

[bloghrexach]

🇮🇱 … Israel is nothing but a European colony implanted in the Middle East! —.No one wanted these ‘settlers’ and the a British decided (after considering several other ‘lands’) to send them to Palestine!!

Notice the quote by Arthur Khosla!!

By: LaillaB, founder of ‘Reclaim the Narrative’, from LinkedIn …

“Israel should be viewed as a European colony implanted in the MiddleEast rather than having genuine native semitic roots to the land argue various scholars and academics.

A colony with a story rooted in colonialism, a project that has slightly modernised its visage but continues to subject Palestinians to military occupation and land dispossession.

🔬 Autosomal DNA admixture of Palestinian Christians, Muslims and Ashkenazi Jews; National Library of Medicine 2010:

🔻Palestinians derive most of their ancestry from the Bronze Age

🔻Canaanites, 83% among Christians and 70% Among the Muslims.

🔻Ashkenazis derive most of their ancestry from a Southern European source and not the Canaanites.

🔻Closest modern groups to Palestinians; native Levantine groups, Lebanese and Jordanians.

🔻Closest modern groups to Ashkenazis are Europeans.

Genealogically speaking, & politics aside, Ashkenazis would be considered outliers and not Native to the Levant Area.

All the Levantine Arabs, including Palestinians, have a common genetic inheritance in continuity with the Canaanites.

Palestinians are for the most part descendants of groups who have been in the Middle East for 4 thousand years, at least.

Despite the significant historical dna ties (roots), the coloniser continues colonising Semites, resulting in the massacre of over 40,000, which no longer warrants the term "plausible” genocide.

Israel's imperial ambitions in their current ethnic cleansing campaign of Gaza, driven by the desire to exploit the region's natural resources and fulfill their vision of constructing the Ben Gurion Canal.

This project aims to rival Egypt's Suez Canal and establish (lucrative) strategic trade dominance, underscoring Israel's colonial agenda driven by exploitation;

According to Israeli historian Ilan Pappe in his book “On Palestine”, 2015 co-written, American scholar Noam Chomsky:

“The tale of Palestine from the beginning until today is a simple story of colonialism and dispossession, yet the world treats it as a multifaceted and complex story, hard to understand and even harder to solve.”

Malcom X argued in his article, “Zionist Logic” …

“Did the Zionists have the legal or moral right to invade Arab Palestine, uproot its Arab citizens from their homes and seize all Arab property for themselves just based on the “religious” claim that their forefathers lived there thousands of years ago? Only a thousand years ago the Moors lived in Spain. Would this give the Moors of today the legal and moral right to invade the Iberian Peninsula, drive out its Spanish citizens, and then set up a new Moroccan nation . . ., as the European Zionists have done to our brothers and sisters in Palestine?” 1964.

“Does Israel’s existence as a Coloniser, an Occupier, a Settler Colony have any claim or any right?

Not historically, not biblically, not logically and not legally. Religion is no basis to claim a right to inherit another land.

Call it what it is!! … 🇮🇱

#reclaimthenarrative —🕊🍉 — #FreePalestineFromTheRiverToTheSea … @hrexach …

[flameintobeing]

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

and its upcoming sequel: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (out Feb. 13, 2024)

[ilikereadingactually]

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older

i adored The Mimicking of Known Successes and was so excited to get to read the galley of this follow up!! and Older did not disappoint, this adventure has all the charms of the first book and then some.

what i loved best was the deepening and connecting of all the plotlines. the first book reads like a fairly light mystery and very lovely relationship arc, with just enough worldbuilding to give almost literal structural support (if you haven't read these books yet, the characters live on a series of rails and platforms above the gas giant Jupiter). this book could have coasted on just being a second case for these two compelling characters as they further their relationship, but it doesn't!

we get Mossa and Pleiti's nice relationship stuff, yes, with all the doubts and sweetness of that, but also we get more complex politics! we get Mossa background! we get more about the abandonment of Earth, and this new society's different ways of dealing with the loss and the longing for it! we get all of these things connected, in a more fully realized social structure than i was expecting, and i was thrilled by it. i would read a hundred more books about their weird social strata and Pleiti continuing to come to terms with the inequities of the system she's working in and Mossa's enthusiasm for her home and the two of them learning how to be together in more and more equal and solid ways.

also, this is a small thing, but the language of this book was interesting! there were a number of peppered-in loan words from other languages, most of which i was familiar with but some i wasn't, giving a fascinating sense of the evolution of language in a place where the national and cultural borders of Earth have been shaken up or gotten rid of or redrawn. (gotta say, i laughed out loud when Pleiti described an elderly faculty member as genki.) oh also also? there are some appearances by a character who uses the neopronoun "ta" which just feels supremely British and the best possible choice for Holmesiana in space, i laughed so much about it. a hugely delightful read all around.

the deets

how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley. my NetGalley tbr for the spring is v long and exciting!!

try this if you: loved the first book obv, are into the current crop of sff about the new societies humans build after Earth goes tits up, have to yell and pace around the room when characters who are not easily affectionate show their deep affection, or delight in a good casefic

some bits i really liked: ✨Jewish Mossa?!✨ references that made me lol! hysteria!

"My father died some years ago--" ("May his memory be a blessing," I murmured, and she dipped her chin in acknowledgement).

---

The father of Strevan lived in a type of construction known as a hobbit house, presumably because no matter how vague your grasp of Classical literature, that still sounded cozier than bunker. It was built into an artificial slope in the plateau, and the door, I was disgusted to see, wasn't even round.

---

I insisted that they wire Mossa immediately. I insisted on this at length, with a fervor that would once have been attributed to a displacement of my internal organs, and to everyone I saw...

---

WELL DONE STOP OMW M Those few words proved sufficient to distract me for some time. Omw was an archaism, a Classical expression meaning she was coming back; I spent an inordinate amount of time wondering whether Mossa would have used that expression with, say, one of her Investigator colleagues or whether it was a nod at my interests. After some time I understood that this was a ridiculous question and indicative of exhaustion, and I went to bed.

pub date: February 13, 2024! at the time of this posting, TOMORROW!!! Malka Older is doing a virtual book release event with Tubby & Coo's, maybe check it out!

[landoverwater]

Currently on the Kindle... I am loving this. I don't get to physically read as much as I'd like to, so this is a real treat. If you enjoy reading about a useless lesbian, who's in space and solving crime then oh boy, this is the book for you.

One word of warning, I was going to refresh my memory of the first book (The Mimicking of Known Successes) by listening to the audio book but I would advise against doing that. Choices were made by the narrator, who has a perfectly nice American speaking voice, to read in a faux English accent. It's a horror show. Think Don Cheadle in that Ocean's movie. It's that bad. I cannot for the life of me think why the actor wasn't allowed to, or chose not to use her natural accent. There's nothing in the plot that dictates it needed to be English. Or perhaps, if someone wanted it English, they could have hired an English actor. Or at least someone who could get closer to the accent. Anyway, suffice to say I didn't listen to the book past the first few pages because life is short. BUT, go read it. Go read them both. They're marvellous.

[living400lbs]

"There are other ways to live."

- dedication from The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older

[primmlife]

Review: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles

Review: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older from Tordotcom #Jupiter #cozy #mystery #romance #tea #sciencefiction

Jupiter is my favorite planet. I find the storms and the atmosphere beautiful. The idea of living amongst those swirling gases and turbulent storms is exciting and daunting. It’s also beyond the scope of technology that we have and could possibly foresee. So when Malka Older set her series of cozy mysteries on Jupiter, I was intrigued and pleased. After all, that’s what science fiction is for,…

[narrativedisorder]

SO happy to see this sequel getting some love! THE IMPOSITION OF UNNECESSARY OBSTACLES gets a starred review from Booklist!

"The culture of Giant, or Jupiter, is gently teased out, including words from seemingly every language from Earth, lots of food, and references to manga that have been developed into operas. Though the conclusion is satisfying, the journey is the true draw." 💜💙💜

[geeklyinc]

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles Review: Leveling Up

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles Review: Leveling Up

One of my favorite things going on right now is sequel books that are better than the first one. I don’t think it’s fair to call it a trend per say, maybe I’m just lucky in my choices or maybe there is some other reason. But whatever the cause for it, 2023 was a year …

[evenaturtleduck]

I adore Mossa and Pleiti. I want to read a hundred stories about Mossa dragging Pleiti to every random platform around Giant and out to every moon with barely five minutes' warning and Pleiti (not-so) secretly enjoying every moment of it. I hope they go back to Io soon.

[sixth-light]

13 books tag game, tagged by @amemoryofwot

1) Last book I read:

Starter Villain by John Scalzi, in an effort to 1) get back on my Hugo nominee completionist bullshit and 2) give him a second go, since I was deeply unimpressed by the first one a few years ago. It was...you know the thing about how badly-written books can help you learn more about writing than well-written ones? That!

2) A book I recommend:

I am metaphorically grabbing everybody I know by the collar and telling them to read Some Desperate Glory, unless the subject matter isn't for them which is fair, but it's so good.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

I distinctly remember finishing Gideon the Ninth at like 11pm because I couldn't wait until morning, which must be seen in the context of me being asleep by 10pm every night of my life I get a choice in the matter.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more)

I went through a solid decade of reading Hogfather every Christmas and I've probably got a few more left in me.

5) A book on my TBR

I've got Mary Beard's latest book, Emperor of Rome, on reserve at the library.

6) A book I’ve put down

Tried The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart last year because it was blurbed well and I was in a fantasy mood, and got like...twenty pages in. It didn't leave enough of an impression for me to remember exactly why, just a general 'I don't care about these characters' vibe.

7) A book on my wish list

Kate Elliott is being very kind about progress updates in her newsletter and I want her to have the time she needs...but I am also chewing at the bit for Lady Chaos.

8) A favourite book from childhood

I was SO into Redwall as a kid. First fanfic I ever wrote.

9) A book you would give a friend

This is hard because I always want to rec specific books to specific people, I sincerely believe there's no generic book which is good for everybody. Um, maybe All Systems Red since Murderbot seems to resonate with a wide audience?

10) The most books you own by a single author

(Physical books only) An ACTUAL single author? Anne McCaffrey for sure. An alleged single author? I own 36 Trixie Belden Mysteries books.

11) A nonfiction book you own

Storm over Mono, which is a really interesting account of the fight to save Lake Mono in California, a scientifically interesting and historically and ecologically unique place.

12) what are you currently reading

Technically between books but I'm about to start The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older. I liked the first one fine but it didn't grab me grab me, so we'll see how it goes.

13) what are you planning on reading next?

My mostly-science book club is going retro and reading Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman which I have been putting off because I have Heard Things about Richard Feynman...but also I gotta gird my loins and get onto it.

I have not been around Tumblr enough lately to think of who to tag but with 100% sincerity, if you see this and it starts the wheels turning in your head about books you've read lately and so on, you're it!

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in February 2024

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson 🧡 The Paper Boys by D.P. Clarence 💛 Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada 💚 Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine 💙 A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair 💜 Clarion Call by Cayla Fay ❤️ Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories edited by Sandra Proudman 🧡 The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton 💛 Truthfully, Yours by Caden Armstrong 💙 Outsider by Jade du Preez 💜 Cross My Candy Heart by A.C. Thomas 🌈 The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

❤️ An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson 🧡 The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Ann Older 💛 Never a Bridesmaid by Spencer Greene 💚 The Rewind by Nicole Stiling 💙 Good Christian Girls by Elizabeth Bradshaw 💜 The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha ❤️ The Terrible by Tessa Crowley 🧡 Blood Rage by Ileandra Young 💛 Call of the Sea by Emily B. Rose 💙 Sign Me Up by C.H. Williams 💜 Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts 🌈 Peaceful in the Dark by A.A. Fairview

❤️ We Are Only Ghosts by Jeffrey L. Richards 🧡 Dead Ringer by Robyn Nyx 💛 Somacultural Liberation by Dr. Roger Kuhn 💚 Stormbringer by Erinn Harper 💙 A Saga of Shields & Shadows by A.J. Shirley 💜 Ghost Town by R.E. Ward ❤️ I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante 🧡 The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor 💛 Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr 💙 Bloom by N.R. Walker 💜 Entwined by Alex Alberto 🌈 Queer Newark edited by Whitney Strub

❤️ Tristan by Jesse Roman 🧡 How to Live Free in a Dangerous World by Shayla Lawson 💛 Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos 💚 Of Socialites & Prizefights by Arden Powell 💙 Lost Harbor by Kimberly Cooper Griffin 💜 Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee ❤️ Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert 🧡 How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly 💛 Blackmailer’s Delight by David Lawrence 💙 Tile M for Murder by Felicia Carparelli 💜 Impulse Buy by Jae 🌈 Live for You, Die With You by Kalob Dàniel

❤️ Fairest of All by A.D. Ellis 🧡 Goddess of the Sea by Britney Jackson 💛 A Taste of Earth by Nico Silver 💚 The Moorings of Mackerel Sky by M.Z. Emily Zack 💙 How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith 💜 V is for Valentine by Thomas Grant Bruso ❤️ Crushed Ice by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James 🧡 When Tomorrow Comes by D. Jackson Leigh 💛 Bugsy & Other Stories by Rafael Frumkin 💙 The White and Blue Between Us by Kiyuhiko 💜 Guide Us Home by CF Frizzell & Jesse J. Thoma 🌈 The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett

❤️ Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender 🧡 Heart2Heart edited by Annabeth Albert 💛 No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub 💚 Bless the Blood by Walela Nehanda 💙 Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter 💜 Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops ❤️ Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt 🧡 Mewing by Chloe Spencer 💛 Awakenings by Claudie Arseneault 💙 Born of Scourge by S. Jean 💜 Disciples of Chaos by M.K. Lobb 🌈 To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

❤️ Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly 🧡 What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher 💛 You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden 💚 Turning Point by Cathy Dunnell 💙 For the Stolen Fates by Gwendolyn Clare 💜 Season of Eclipse by Terry Wolverton ❤️ These Haunted Hills by Jana Denardo 🧡 Samson & Domingo by Gume Laurel III 💛 Lies that Bind by Rae Knowles & April Yates 💙 We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller 💜 The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa 🌈 Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

❤️ Out There by Iris Eliot 🧡 At Her Service by Amy Spalding 💛 Green Dot by Madeleine Gray