- The Good: An easy short read; a queer cozy mystery
- The Bad: Low stakes; sub-par Marple
- The Literary: Nominated for Hugo and Locus best novella
Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers, which isn’t unusual, but this one belongs to someone else. Luckily Dorothy is one of the ship’s detectives who love a good mystery, but what she finds is more sinister than she imagines. The first person she must interrogate is her own irresponsible nephew Ruthie.
On board the interstellar generation ship HMS Fairweather, room and board are included, new bodies available as needed, and consciousness is preserved between lifetimes in the Library. The Library is supposed to be protected, but Dorothy discovers that someone is not only killing bodies but also permanently deleting minds from the Library, which was an impossibility until now.
Dorothy’s character is obviously inspired by Miss Marple. She’s an elderly spinster who loves knitting, nosy gossip, and a keen mind. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to live up to such an iconic character. Dorothy is not near as keen an observer of human nature, and is clearly surprised by multiple characters and their motivations. Also, Dorothy is only in her 50s, though she acts 20 years older.
Some of the worldbuilding elements are particularly enjoyable, from the conscious ship who acts drunk during magnetic storms and memory cocktails that conjure distinct places on Earth.
This award-nominated novella is still a little cozy, with low stakes, but I had a nice time with it. However, if you’re already a Miss Marple fan, I’d skip this one.