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angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than I was anticipating. All about what defines and encompasses “intelligent life” then it turns into a Grisham-like courtroom thriller. Really engaging, introspective, and asked tons of cogent questions.
ravengrimsbane's review against another edition
5.0
This is a childhood favorite, about a prospector on a distant planet who one day discovers a new species, which happens to turn out to be sapient. The tech the people are using in H Beam Piper's world did not age well, and seems quaint when compared to what we have today, but that issue aside, still a book I enjoy rereading.
jdhacker's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
posies23's review against another edition
5.0
This classic science fiction novel holds up remarkably well. It's remarkably prescient, too! I don't want to say too much about it, because part of the fun is in the journey.
rachael_amber's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thewallflower00's review against another edition
4.0
It's not a new story -- new alien animal is discovered and everyone wants to know what to think of it. In this case, it's because otherwise the resource-takers lose their planet full of gems if the creatures are sentient.
The story comes to a head when one of the Little Fuzzies is killed. So everyone's wondering if it was murder or not. To decide if it's murder, they have to know if the Fuzzies are sapient or not. To do that, they have to define what sapience is. And that's no easy task for some backwater scientists. All this is executed in a gripping courtroom drama.
I saw a lot of potential in this book -- and I can't wait to see what Scalzi does with it, because I think he can fix a lot of the problems. One of those is that everything's too easy for the protagonist. Immediately, the court sides with him, and allows him all the advantages. While the Company (the resource-takers) are given the short shrift, and the burdens of proof are placed on them. In fact, the only real problem that occurs is how to define sapience, and that crisis is averted when the courtroom trial is annexed by the deus ex government which reveals the secret evidence its been gathering on the Fuzzies, rendering all the tension moot.
My favorite part is that the book is labeled as a "science-fiction juvenile", except that when the antagonist realizes he's about to lose the case and go to jail for murder, he SLITS HIS OWN THROAT WITH HIS JACKET ZIPPER IN A PRISON CELL. You know, for kids!
The story comes to a head when one of the Little Fuzzies is killed. So everyone's wondering if it was murder or not. To decide if it's murder, they have to know if the Fuzzies are sapient or not. To do that, they have to define what sapience is. And that's no easy task for some backwater scientists. All this is executed in a gripping courtroom drama.
I saw a lot of potential in this book -- and I can't wait to see what Scalzi does with it, because I think he can fix a lot of the problems. One of those is that everything's too easy for the protagonist. Immediately, the court sides with him, and allows him all the advantages. While the Company (the resource-takers) are given the short shrift, and the burdens of proof are placed on them. In fact, the only real problem that occurs is how to define sapience, and that crisis is averted when the courtroom trial is annexed by the deus ex government which reveals the secret evidence its been gathering on the Fuzzies, rendering all the tension moot.
My favorite part is that the book is labeled as a "science-fiction juvenile", except that when the antagonist realizes he's about to lose the case and go to jail for murder, he SLITS HIS OWN THROAT WITH HIS JACKET ZIPPER IN A PRISON CELL. You know, for kids!
jonathanpalfrey's review against another edition
3.0
This is a rather odd book from H. Beam Piper, an American gun enthusiast whose best works were alternative-history stories. It describes an alien planet on which some little furry creatures are found; the good guys love them, believe them to be intelligent (sapient), and want to prove it. The bad guys (big company executives) are motivated by financial considerations to deny sapience and exterminate them.
This is an amiable book and (not really a surprise) the good guys win in the end. Is it a good or interesting book? This is of course a very subjective question. The question of what defines sapience is much debated in the course of the story, and it is an interesting question, although in the end the Fuzzies seem to be clearly sapient rather than at the margin of sapience: they don't severely test the definition.
I read it back in the 1970s and put it aside as a book that was OK, but not one of my favourites. Rereading it now, it seems a little better than I remembered, but still not one of my favourites. It poses the question, "If we find small, furry, cute, friendly, intelligent creatures, do we make friends with them or exterminate them?" Not really a very difficult or interesting question.
But it shows a rather nice side of Piper's nature that he thought of writing such a book, and the book passes the time pleasantly enough, if you like that kind of thing.
This is an amiable book and (not really a surprise) the good guys win in the end. Is it a good or interesting book? This is of course a very subjective question. The question of what defines sapience is much debated in the course of the story, and it is an interesting question, although in the end the Fuzzies seem to be clearly sapient rather than at the margin of sapience: they don't severely test the definition.
I read it back in the 1970s and put it aside as a book that was OK, but not one of my favourites. Rereading it now, it seems a little better than I remembered, but still not one of my favourites. It poses the question, "If we find small, furry, cute, friendly, intelligent creatures, do we make friends with them or exterminate them?" Not really a very difficult or interesting question.
But it shows a rather nice side of Piper's nature that he thought of writing such a book, and the book passes the time pleasantly enough, if you like that kind of thing.
suzemo's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
gjertrud's review against another edition
4.0
John Scalzis Fuzzy Nation er en såkalt reboot av denne boka. Fuzzy Nation er unektelig mer moderne i sin tilnærming, selv om jeg liker diskusjonen rundt bevissthet som blir mer filosofisk reflektert i denne boka sammenlignet med Fuzzy Nation.
Anbefaler begge :)
Anbefaler begge :)