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crowsandprose's review against another edition
1.0
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 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.
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 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.
gewidder's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is my third Scalzi book and I might become a dedicated reader. I definitely want to pick up more of his books because I really enjoy his writing style and imagination. While I'm aware the plot of Fuzzy Nation isn't something he came up with entirely on his own, it still showcases his technique and talent perfectly. His books are both so easy to read in terms of flow and structure, and so nicely dense in terms of worldbuilding and plot. It's great entertainment, but smart and nerdy. They feel both light and hefty. There may be convenient plot contrivances or cliches here and there, but it doesn't feel cheap; his worlds and plots feel thought out, lived in, with well-earned twists and turns and endings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia
davesroka's review against another edition
3.0
This was an entertaining read (as Scalzi generally is, despite the fact that his main characters are almost always the same :)). Overall, it felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped; more like a short story than a full novel. Not Scalzi's best, but a perfect beach read.
ljesica's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Jack Holloway is a surveyor on an Explore and Exploit planet, working for Zara Corporation. They are allowed to mine there because there are no sentient natives. Jack has just found a sunstone seam that is going to make him a millionaire. And then he returns to his house to find a cat like creature who walks on his hind legs and has broken in to his home.
While getting to know “Papa Fuzzy”, Jack starts to think he may be the smartest creature he’s ever met. Definitely smarter than his dog Carl, who Jack has taught how to hit the detonator button while surveying. And now Jack has a dilemma. Millions of dollars in his pocket, or saving some really cute, possibly sentient creatures from losing their planet.
This is my third Scalzi book and they continue to be completely hilarious and ridiculous novels of nonsense. He is great at anthropomorphizing animals and I love it. I enjoyed this one and look forward to continuing to add to my Scalzi collection.
titleistmuffin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, but this was super good. It's full of excellent characters, space law and space creatures.
Spoiler
Tears were shed over the fate of certain Fuzzy's and Papa's testimony. The thing that pleased me more than I was expecting was that Jack's ex, Isabelle, stayed with her new boyfriend, Mark, throughout the whole novel and that he and Jack even become friends. I was worried it was taking that turn at one point.ravengrimsbane's review against another edition
4.0
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 even more than I did. 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.