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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
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.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
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
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
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.
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.
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced