Fuzzy Nation

Spoilers ahead.
Rereading John Scalzi’s Fuzzy Nation (2011) alongside H. Beam Piper’s original Little Fuzzy (1962), I wondered what Scalzi did to make the tone of the two novels so different. They are both satirically comical, and both make corporations run by thugs into believable villains. Zarathustra Corporation seems to be a veiled reference to German industry in World War II. His coopted murderer becomes an object of pity when he commits suicide in his cell. I shivered when I learned that Piper committed suicide just two years after Little Fuzzy was published. Scalzi removes the German reference by renaming the company ZaraCorp. He also lets his heroic Papa Fuzzy deliver justice by kicking the oafish murderer off the planet with show more the memorable line, “Get off my planet, you son of a bitch.”
Piper’s fuzzies are innocent, comic characters that are given funny names and are adopted by kindly humans, including protagonist Jack Holloway. Scalzi dials down the comedy in the descriptions of Jack’s interaction with the fuzzy family. There is no suggestion that they will become part of his household in the long run. Scalzi also dials up the sentimentality of jack’s reaction to the deaths of two fuzzies at his house. Papa Fuzzy’s noble speech at the trial clearly establishes him as a thinking being, no matter whose definition of sapience one might use. Piper’s story is rife with Freudian psychobabble about the meaning of sapience. Scalzi ditches Freud for a linguistic model that may be too simple but is at least cogent: I can talk therefore I am sapient. In the end, I am not sure that the distinction between Papa Fuzzy, Jack, and Carl the dog is as clear as Scalzi makes it out to be. I wonder if that is Scalzi’s point in naming a town after Carl.
The most important change that Scalzi makes in rebooting Piper is in his treatment of Jack. Scalzi gives Jack more of a back story. He is a disbarred lawyer with a degree from Duke. He got in trouble when he punched out a client in open court because he needed a mistrial. He is a man much more likely to ask for forgiveness than permission. His ex-girlfriend Isobel tells him that he does not know how to apologize. It is a skill he learns in the end and attains self-knowledge well beyond anything in Piper. The key moment comes in the epilogue when Mark Sullivan, now married to Isobel, asks Jack about his motives. Jack replies that at first, he acted out of self-interest, then curiosity, and finally because he knew he was the only man who could get justice for the fuzzies:
“Why were you the only one who could make it happen?” Sullivan asked
“Because Papa Fuzzy said I was a good man. I’m not, Mark. I’m selfish and unethical and I am happy to lie and deceive to get what I want…. I am not a good man, Mark,” Holloway said. “But I was the right man. And for this, that was enough.”
By contrast, Piper gives the fuzzies the last word: “And they would pay the Big Ones back. First they would give their love and make the m happy. Later, when they learned how, they give them their help, too.” 4 stars. show less

I think the audiobook version, read by Wil Wheaton, earned an extra star as his narrations always seem to make the book better. Perhaps it's his enthusiasm, or simply his clear and natural way of speaking, but I find it very enjoyable.

But I'm also becoming quite a fan of John Scalzi after reading several of his books lately. I enjoyed the Old Man's War books that I've read, but some of the others have been even better. He has a great sense of humor that seems natural rather than contrived. He doesn't make a big deal out of it, it's just there most of the time, so it doesn't really detract from the story like some authors.

In this story, the main character is a former lawyer, and he seems to live up to everyone's expectations by being a show more bit self-centered and unlikeable. But since he's often unlikeable to people who deserve his contempt, it's OK with me. He's actually pretty honest, and seems to care about others, sometimes even when they are not exactly friends.

But the main theme of the book is how we differentiate between common animals and people. What is the definition of sentience? How do you treat an animal that looks like a cat, doesn't seem to talk, or do much of anything other than play, eat, and sleep? Or, more specifically, is it OK to destroy and rip off their planet? Well, if you can get rid of all of them before anyone decides, then it's OK, as long as you're a large and rich corporation.

This book was inspired by an older book, Little Fuzzy by Henry Beam Piper, written back in the stone age (around 1960). It dealt with the same issue, and there were some similarities, especially in the names of some characters, but the story was pretty different. This book was included with the Scalzi book on my Audible edition of the book, so I gave it a listen. It was somewhat interesting, but not as good, in my opinion. show less

Summary: Jack Holloway is an ex-lawyer who now makes a living as a mining surveyor for Zaracorp, currently living on the planet Zara XXIII. When a cliff that he is surveying collapses, he's in trouble - Zaracorp has to protect its image against the concerns of the environmentalists - but when he discovers a rich seam of incredibly valuable sunstones is discovered in the cliff, his bosses are willing to overlook his eccentricities (like letting his dog, Carl, detonate the explosives Jack uses). Shortly thereafter, Jack returns home to find that his house has been broken into, by a formerly unknown species that looks something like a bipedal cat but have the intelligence at least of a monkey. Jack asks his former girlfriend, Zaracorp's show more planetary biologist for Zara XXIII, to examine the species (five of which have now semi-permanently taken up residence with Jack and Carl). She decides that the Fuzzies, as Jack has dubbed them, are not only intelligent, they're actually sapient. But if that's proven to be true, Zaracorp will have to leave the planet, including the massive sunstone seam, immediately, so there are powerful people that have a vested interest in making sure the Fuzzies are proven to be animals - or exterminated before a decision can be made. Jack's not exactly disinterested himself - his finder's fee will net him a massive profit from the sunstones - but he might be the only ally the Fuzzies have.

Review: This book is a reboot of H. Beam Piper's 1962 novel Little Fuzzy (which I have not read, nor even heard of prior to reading this book) - same characters and storyline, but updated to a modern sensibility. I went into it not knowing hardly anything about the plot (other than the Ewok-esque creature on the cover), and expecting something with the same level of snarky humor as Redshirts or Old Man's War. So initially I was a little disappointed - there are definitely funny scenes and good one-liners, and Jack's a snarky bastard, but overall I didn't find it as funny as most other of Scalzi's books that I've read. It's also filled throughout with a bunch of corporate contract negotiations and legal maneuvering, which take up a lot of the initial scenes and didn't really hook me in. But as I got more and more into it, I became more invested in the characters, and Jack's legal maneuvering became something to cheer for, not just sit through. As much as I normally dislike situations where good people (or at least people trying to do the right thing) are stuck powerless in terrible situations against opponents who are holding all the cards, in this case, it was fun to watch them play the one card they do have, especially when it winds up being exactly the one right card. (There may have been fist-pumping involved as I was listening. More than once. At least I wasn't in public!)

So, as the plot maneuvers through its twists and turns, almost all of which managed to totally surprise me and yet fit into the plot perfectly, I wound up being totally won over, and eventually I remembered that Scalzi also has books like Zoe's Tale, and this book is just as full of heart, with the same occasional touches of heartbreak. I wound up really enjoying this book - it had the right pace, the right level of complexity, and a great blend of action and humor and cleverness and emotion. (And also Carl - I'm always a fan of good dog characters in my stories.) 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: This book was a little bit of a slow start for me, but I wound up enjoying the heck out of it. Recommended for fans of Scalzi's, or science fiction, or anyone who's thought about xenobiology, and how our current societal attitudes would really affect the way we deal with alien life. show less

Scalzi's story is set in a distant future when corporations strip-mine entire planets if the Colonial Authority doesn’t stop them first, Jack Holloway discovers an unbelievably rich seam of sunstones on Zara XXIII, exquisite jewels found only on that planet. Holloway has a past as a disbarred lawyer and in his new career the claim he makes on the seam puts serious stress on his relationship with ZaraCorp, the company that runs Zara XXIII. And that’s before he discovers a race of native creatures whose potential sapience could nullify ZaraCorp’s mining rights on the planet. In his original novel, Piper presented issues including the meaning of sentience and the ethics of the mining companies who took advantage of the resources on show more vulnerable alien planets. Scalzi updates Piper's story and more importantly provides richer characters (both alien and human) who are believably real. Piper’s Jack Holloway is a crotchety prospector with the proverbial heart of gold; Scalzi’s Holloway is brilliant, but sometimes he makes the unwise moral choice as a way of railing against the universe. Scalzi also updates and expands upon the cynicism of the original to be more familiar to a contemporary audience: Piper’s corporation attempts to hide its frequent environmental depredations from notice (and also plans to wipe out the Fuzzies), while Scalzi’s has the corporation develop a public “eco-friendly” campaign. Scalzi ends up improving on Piper's novel with a richer and deeper story that still pays homage to the classic SF style of the fifties and sixties. Piper's novel seems somewhat juvenile in comparison. Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation is compact and readable with some great courtroom scenes.
His update is a worthy successor to the classic novel from the sixties that began our (especially those of us who were teens back then) fascination with the lovable aliens known as Fuzzies. show less

Fuzzy Nation is a reboot, or reimagining, of H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy. I have not read Piper’s work (yet) so I came into the story fresh. This book is everything I have come to expect from John Scalzi. The story was fast-paced, featured engaging characters and an interesting plot.

Fuzzy Nation is the story of Jack Holloway, a surveyor (and disbarred lawyer) on the distant planet Zara XXIII. He discovers an unbelievably rich deposit of a diamond-like mineral that will make him and the corporation mining the planet very wealthy. Shortly after that, his tree-top home is visited by a small, cute, furry and intelligent creature. If the creatures prove sentient, his wealth, and the corporation’s claim on the planet, could show more disappear.

This was a very fast read, mostly because there is no good place to stop and catch your breath. Jack Holloway is perhaps the most complicated character I’ve come across in a Scalzi novel. He is generally likeable even though he is incredible self-serving and of highly dubious morals. Every time you think he’s done a good deed, he reveals a selfish motive. This time though, the rights and lives of the fuzzies and the future of a planet rest on his shoulders. He’s learning about himself as much as you are learning about him. This complicated characterization makes him riveting and keeps the plot from becoming too predictable.

The supporting characters, good and bad, are well drawn. The fuzzies themselves are wildly entertaining, as is Carl the dog. The story wouldn’t work if you didn’t care about all of them. There are honest-to-goodness laugh out loud moments in this book, as well as deeply moving, poignant scenes. By the time you get to the last page, you’ll want to flip to the beginning and read it all over again. I hope he returns to this world, because I’d love to revisit these characters.

For my second time through the book, I listened to the audible version of it narrated by Wil Wheaton. The narration was brilliant and I think I enjoyed the book even more the second time. I'd forgotten how moving it was. Some of the most likeable characters I've ever come across. Merits multiple readings. Highly recommended. show less

I really wanted to like this book. H. Beam Piper's "Little Fuzzy" was near and dear to my heart as a teenager, and some of the first hard science fiction I started reading.

This isn't anywhere near that quality. This has hollow characters -- and every male character in the book with the single exception of Sullivan (who only has moments where he's not pretending to be a raging prick along withe Aubrey, Landon, DeLise and Holloway) is very busy throughout the entire book engaging in a planet-wide prick measuring contest which frankly makes for boring reading. If I wanted to see guys measure their pricks, I'm certain I can find it for free on the internet somewhere.

Beyond that, the plot is shallow, there's way too much time spent on the show more drama llamaing of the male characters over mining rights, and the fuzzies are a political back drop to a book that really should have been written as an original story, since it bears next to no resemblance to H. Beam Piper's works. It seems really like the borrowing of the Fuzzy set up is a marketing ploy, because I don't think this book would have flown on it's own right, if you'd presented it as anything other then a 'reboot' of a vastly superior series, and would have failed. Frankly, I hope we don't see another one of these from Scalzi.

In short: Homage became an insult. Take a pass on this and just go straight to the great: "Little Fuzzy" and other works by H. Beam Piper. show less

I love John Scalzi, though I haven't read many books by him. That is, I love him as a person. I follow him on twitter and read his blog, and pretty much love everything he has posted. Therefore, I feel guilty I haven't read more books by him, though I own a far number of them. By my count, Fuzzy Nation is my third book of his I've actually read.

I really need to kick myself in the ass for not reading more of him because so far, I have loved every one of his books I've read.

This was a bit different in that it was an audiobook. I remember picking this up when it was a daily deal over at Audible many years ago, and then forgetting about it. I've recently realized that audiobooks are perfect for car rides, even if it's a relatively short show more one.

I was a bit wary of Wil Wheaton as the narrator since in the sample I listened to, I found his voice a bit grating. This soon passed as his narration was pretty damn spot-on with the sarcastic asshole nature of Jack's character. I loved him as a narrator.

I had never read Little Fuzzy so came into this book pretty much a blank slate, and after reading Fuzzy Nation, will have to hunt down a copy of Piper's original novel. Because I really really liked this. The biological/evolutionary bits, the political ramifications, the legal wrangling. All of it. Jack Holloway was an asshole but you can't help rooting for him. And the book was funny. show less