Little Fuzzy (original 1962; edition 1962)

So I read Scalzi's version, didn't much like it, and was very confused, and so went back and re-read this, and it's not at all the book I remember. I've cross-wired this to some entirely other book, which I remember as having much better aliens. Perhaps I'm remembering a sequel? Or an early Le Guin? Anyway, officially fuzzied out now. ( )

For some reason this showed up as a comment when I meant to leave a review, here it is in the proper location: This was an entertaining little fast read. It was a stereotypical "Dances with Wolves" type plot but that did not really detract from the story and the Fuzzies were fun . I would recommend it to anyone who likes classic science fiction with "alien" style life forms and cocktail swilling, gun toting protagonists who are not afraid to stick it to the "man". ( )

After finding out Fuzzy Nation was a reboot of Little Fuzzy, I wanted to go through both of them before reviewing either.

I liked this book, and it was good. It was a little dated (and not just the tech, it felt old), but it still held up pretty well. I'll admit to liking the reboot/Fuzzy Nation better, but this book was pretty good as well. ( )

After finding out Fuzzy Nation was a reboot of Little Fuzzy, I wanted to go through both of them before reviewing either.

I liked this book, and it was good. It was a little dated (and not just the tech, it felt old), but it still held up pretty well. I'll admit to liking the reboot/Fuzzy Nation better, but this book was pretty good as well. ( )

Re-read in order to compare with Scalzi's [b:Fuzzy Nation|9647532|Fuzzy Nation|John Scalzi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316132345s/9647532.jpg|18280046]. I read Little Fuzzy sometime in my adolescence, and it's funny to see my highlighted paragraphs (all of which concern language as evidence for sapience). I enjoyed re-reading it, though as an adult reader I am somewhat chilled by the happy colonialism of the ending, which is presented uncritically as a good thing and not presented ironically or as a cautionary parallel to slavery or colonial practices. Though the Fuzzies are declared to be sapient, the protagonist and others are "adopting" Fuzzies "of their own," moving them out of the forest and into their houses, and generally improving them (in the colonial sense). The Fuzzies are described as cognitively similar to a preadolescent, and as indigenous in the positive-sounding language often used in racist and colonial descriptions of primitive (sic) races (sic). And they're so happy! (Gosh, I've learned a lot from the noble savage!) For their part, the Fuzzies are glad to move into the wonderful big house and become domesticated, so that's okay, right? The flavor of the text hovers between Fuzzy-as-pet and Fuzzy-as-indigene who requires benevolent protection from the civilized overlords. Protected from what, since until the book's action they were a successful sapient, language-using, tool-creating species? Why, protected from the bad colonizers, as opposed to "Pappy Jack" and the good colonizers. ( )