Fuzzy Nation

Right now, I think more science fiction should end in courtroom drama, but I suspect that opinion will change upon further reflection.

Not sure how reading Little Fuzzy will affect my opinion of this book, but I hope to find out in the near future. ( )

I need to start out by saying that I first read H. Beam Piper's Fuzzy trilogy when I was in middle school or high school, and it has become one of those books (it's an omnibus edition of the entire trilogy) that I re-read at least once a year. When I first heard about this book, I was under the impression it would be a continuation of Piper's story, not a re-imagining of it. When I found out what it really was, I was not sure I would ever read it, for how could it live up to the original? Obviously, I finally read it, and it's a good story; it couldn't compare to my fondness for the original, but if I had never read Piper's trilogy, I'd probably like it a lot. I think my biggest complaint is that Jack Holloway isn't nearly as sympathetic a character in Scalzi's interpretation (and no "Pappy Jack"!) I will admit that every time I reread the original, I am struck anew by how antiquated the technology in the book seems, this version resolves that issue - of course, assuming people are still reading it in 50 years, this version will suffer the same. ( )

OK I feel a little strange giving this five stars since it is a rewrite (or "reboot" if you prefer) of an older out-of-copyright book. But I really enjoyed it. Scalzi has a really easy to read style and the characters and plot were interesting all the way through. Now I'm going to go back and read the original. I read one of the sequels 25 years ago but my memory is hazy. ( )

Whew, that went by fast. So enjoyed it, that I just went right on through to the companion audio of the original Fuzzy book by [a:H. Beam Piper|128647|H. Beam Piper|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1233504564p2/128647.jpg]. [a:John Scalzi|4763|John Scalzi|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236228326p2/4763.jpg] has a knack for snappy dialogue and smooth prose. Reminds one of [a:Joe Haldeman|12476|Joe Haldeman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1224736362p2/12476.jpg]. Complex ideas and situations presented in such fluid style. Good job, Mr. Scalzi! Well worth the effort. Should you one day decide to teach a writing class, I will surely do my best to attend.

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