Reviews

Fuzzy Sapiens by H. Beam Piper

jsterling91's review

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Great continuation of the series

posies23's review

4.0

The sequel to LITTLE FUZZY continues the story almost immediately after the close of the first novel. There are some interesting twists along the way, with some characters that were considered "bad guys" in the first book turning out to actually be much more complicated than they seemed. There are many more Fuzzies this time around, and Piper has fun exploring their society and interactions with humans.

On the down side, this novel is much more "talky" than the original, with much of the actual "action" of the novel taking place only in the last few pages. In some respects, it almost functions as a detective story in that respect, as the majority of the novel is spent searching for some missing Fuzzies.

Well worthwhile, but not as strong as LITTLE FUZZY.

johnnyforeign's review

3.0

I really liked 'Little Fuzzy," the first book in a trilogy about the fuzzies, but I didn't enjoy "Fuzzy Sapiens" as much. The first book centered around a debate as to whether or not the fuzzies were sapient, which was an interesting philosophical issue and also made for a very entertaining plot. The question of the fuzzies' sapience is brought to a court of law and a ruling is issued. "Fuzzy Sapiens" is largely taken up with how the human population deals with that ruling. The book is very readable, but it lacks the drama of "Little Fuzzy." Also, I think the fuzzies could have been portrayed as more than just adorable and somewhat comical moppets. They lack any complexity and there is nothing alien about them. You would think a species that evolved on a planet other than Earth would be different in some way, but, other than their appearance, they mostly act like human children. Nonetheless, the book was a pleasant read. I might still read the third one, which, I understand is better than this one.

eli99's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

Not as good as the first book. There's some points where it was slow and other points where it felt like there were too many characters. 

bookmason's review

4.0

Have loved these books since my teens and passed them on to my daughter last fall.

Piper remains one of my favourite SF authors, the Fuzzy series is his best, but Space Viking/Federation series and Paratime books and stories are all terrific.

Sadly he died before most of his work gained popularity, much his early work can be found on Project Guttenberg, The H. Beam Piper Megapack on Amazon contains a great collection of many of his novels and short stories, highly recommended.

jrt5166's review

3.0

Almost as enjoyable as the first one. I'll admit I was distracted by some of the politics - I can't help wondering if someone pointed out to Piper that the first book could be read as anti-capitalist, and this book was an attempt to swing back the other way. The characters were always righteous in the author's eyes, but in my opinion, they had somewhat flexible morals. The big bad from the last book got a redemption arc, but all of his goons evidently deserved the death penalty.

cerv's review

5.0

Much like the characters in the story, I've got fuzzies on the brain and can't find fault with them. So, same as the previous review, this is entirely biased. It was simply too much fun, I couldn't help but be continually smiling while reading. Ah, if only I were able to find more that made be feel the same way. H. Beam Piper is one of my favorite authors from this era, I've read and enjoyed much of his short fiction and works in general. Flaws in the book? I don't know what you're talking about, ha ha. The story of the fuzzies integrating into human society captivated me the entire time.