Our favorite otherworldly investigators, Mossa and Pleiti, Jupiter-residing gay gals with a whole lot of know-how, are back. Or at least Pleiti is back, having been called up to help a good friend’s cousin, Villette, who is about to undergo her donfense, a sort of doctoral defense. Reluctantly, Pleiti agrees, despite the lengthy trip out to Stortellen University, located at the furthest reaches of the planet. But there are problems. Number one is that Villette is being accused of plagiarism—a false accusation but hard to shake. Problem number two is the absence of Sherlock-like Mossa, who is a no-show, leaving Pleiti alone to keep Villette safe while missing terribly her affectionate relationship. Thankfully, this is a short novel, whereas the earlier works (The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, The Mimicking of Known Successes) were novellas. This gives Older some room to play, including in the bond between Pleiti and Mossa and the wonderful use of language (since the early settlers, after all, spoke a breadth of languages). Don’t be lazy, look the non-English words up; it’s half the fun. A unique series that just keeps getting better.
