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Djdaedalus (talk | contribs) ←Created page with '{{User sandbox}} <!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> '''The Valdegeld Series''' is a novel series by Malka Older set in a human colony in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The stories are detective fiction in a setting both extraordinary and familiar. ==Setting== Earth has suffered ecological catastrophe and become uninhabitable. Centuries later, people live in artificial habitats, one particular set of habitats being in the atmosphere of Jupiter, which the coloni...' |
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Earth has suffered ecological catastrophe and become uninhabitable. Centuries later, people live in artificial habitats, one particular set of habitats being in the atmosphere of Jupiter, which the colonists refer to as "Giant". A ring around the entire planet supports the habitats and links them via a rail system. Valdegeld is a university-like institution in a habitat, dedicated to rediscovering Earth's ecology so it can be reconstructed. Plants and animals from Earth are preserved and nurtured there. |
Earth has suffered ecological catastrophe and become uninhabitable. Centuries later, people live in artificial habitats, one particular set of habitats being in the atmosphere of Jupiter, which the colonists refer to as "Giant". A ring around the entire planet supports the habitats and links them via a rail system. Valdegeld is a university-like institution in a habitat, dedicated to rediscovering Earth's ecology so it can be reconstructed. Plants and animals from Earth are preserved and nurtured there. |
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The main characters in the novels are two women, |
The main characters in the novels are two women, Pleiti and Mossa, who were lovers when younger but whose paths have diverged. Pleiti is an academic in the Classics discipline, which tries to discover the relationships between species by studying old literature. Mossa has become an Investigator, an independent police agent. Most cases she investigates are disappearances, a common occurrence on Giant, as people can simply step off into the atmosphere and fall into the planet. |
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Through the series, it becomes apparent that some factions are unhappy with the lack of progress made in reconstructing Earth's ecology, and are looking for ways to accelerate the effort, while others are threatened by such efforts, which may disrupt their comfortable lives. |
Through the series, it becomes apparent that some factions are unhappy with the lack of progress made in reconstructing Earth's ecology, and are looking for ways to accelerate the effort, while others are threatened by such efforts, which may disrupt their comfortable lives. |
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==Novels== |
==Novels== |
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===The Mimicking of Known Successes=== |
===The Mimicking of Known Successes=== |
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A man has arrived at a rail terminus, but never taken a rail car back from there. There is no evidence that he left the terminus by any means. |
A man has arrived at a rail terminus, but never taken a rail car back from there. There is no evidence that he left the terminus by any means. His reported state of mind made it unlikely he committed suicide by jumping off. Mossa asks for Pleiti's help, since the man was a colleague at Valdegeld. Soon there is a murder, the victim seeming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Continuing the investigation may put Pleiti and Mossa themselves in danger. |
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===The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles=== |
===The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles=== |
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No fewer than 17 people, mostly students, have disappeared recently. Mossa tries to find connections between them, and she and |
No fewer than 17 people, mostly students, have disappeared recently. Mossa tries to find connections between them, and she and Pleiti go to the moon [Io], where Mossa was born, to connect them through their families and political affiliations. |
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Revision as of 15:34, 12 July 2024
The Valdegeld Series is a novel series by Malka Older set in a human colony in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The stories are detective fiction in a setting both extraordinary and familiar.
Setting
Earth has suffered ecological catastrophe and become uninhabitable. Centuries later, people live in artificial habitats, one particular set of habitats being in the atmosphere of Jupiter, which the colonists refer to as "Giant". A ring around the entire planet supports the habitats and links them via a rail system. Valdegeld is a university-like institution in a habitat, dedicated to rediscovering Earth's ecology so it can be reconstructed. Plants and animals from Earth are preserved and nurtured there.
The main characters in the novels are two women, Pleiti and Mossa, who were lovers when younger but whose paths have diverged. Pleiti is an academic in the Classics discipline, which tries to discover the relationships between species by studying old literature. Mossa has become an Investigator, an independent police agent. Most cases she investigates are disappearances, a common occurrence on Giant, as people can simply step off into the atmosphere and fall into the planet.
Through the series, it becomes apparent that some factions are unhappy with the lack of progress made in reconstructing Earth's ecology, and are looking for ways to accelerate the effort, while others are threatened by such efforts, which may disrupt their comfortable lives.
Novels
The Mimicking of Known Successes
A man has arrived at a rail terminus, but never taken a rail car back from there. There is no evidence that he left the terminus by any means. His reported state of mind made it unlikely he committed suicide by jumping off. Mossa asks for Pleiti's help, since the man was a colleague at Valdegeld. Soon there is a murder, the victim seeming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Continuing the investigation may put Pleiti and Mossa themselves in danger.
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
No fewer than 17 people, mostly students, have disappeared recently. Mossa tries to find connections between them, and she and Pleiti go to the moon [Io], where Mossa was born, to connect them through their families and political affiliations.