Fuzzy nation by John Scalzi

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a reworking of a 1962 novel by H. Bean Piper called Little Fuzzy. Scalzi says it is not a sequel, but to think of it more like a reboot, like the Star Trek reboot movies. I confess that I have not read the original Piper novel. Does that mean I shouldn’t be reviewing it without having read the original? After all, it was probably intended for fans of the original, just like the Star Trek reboot was intended for fans of the original series. Right? Meh. I would imagine that people who had never seen the original Star Trek did watch the reboot. They either liked it or they didn’t based on their own perceptions and how good the movie was. The same is true with this book.

Not having read the original, I can only assume that it must follow a similar outline to this one, but Scalzi has put his own stylistic stamp on it. The hero (Holloway) is a typical Scalzi hero, witty, irreverent, sarcastic, and one who suffers no fools. One whose attitude frequently lands him in trouble. The judge is also a creature of Scalzi, someone who is smarter than the corporation gives her credit for. And I love a good courtroom scene where all the players are smart.

This is the story of one man against the big bad corporation. The corporation controls nearly all aspects of life on this planet. But because he is not greedy, it cannot control Holloway. This is also the story of first contact, with all the moral and legal intricacies revolving around the determination about whether the “Fuzzies” are sapient. Spoiler alert (though I don’t think this will come as a big surprise) they are. The fuzzies have their own kind of wisdom. Seeing the human race through their eyes, the humans don’t come off very well. Even the good humans in this story have their flaws. The same cannot be said (as far as we know) about the fuzzies.

If I had a criticism of the book, it would be that the main villains are a bit obvious and two dimensional. They are not nearly as well rounded as Holloway, who sometimes struggles with his choices. In the end, it is a story about making moral choices. The choices you make define if you are good or not. Holloway makes a choice that is right for him. John Scalzi as a writer is not to everyone’s taste. I can see how he might rub some people the wrong way, but not me. I love his irreverent humor and his colorful characters. To me, Scalzi is just plain fun.

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