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odin45mp's review against another edition
4.0
I have not read the original story that Scalzi is rebooting here, but I may have to track it down. It was a bit awkward reading this directly after The Android's Dream, as both spend some time in courts of law, but we learn a short way into this novel that the main character used to be a lawyer, so I saw it coming here.
What hooked me here was the initial meeting of the fuzzy and the main character's dog, Carl. It was beautifully written and brought a smile to my face. Scalzi made both the fuzzies and Carl believable characters through sounds, actions, and other characters' responses to then.
The main character, Jack Holloway, is in his own words not a good man, and speaks with the typical Scalzi protagonist voice (which is to say: Scalzi), but is an enjoyable lens through which to view the events as they unfold. I will reread this, and I hope to be able to compare and contrast it to the inspiration when I do.
What hooked me here was the initial meeting of the fuzzy and the main character's dog, Carl. It was beautifully written and brought a smile to my face. Scalzi made both the fuzzies and Carl believable characters through sounds, actions, and other characters' responses to then.
The main character, Jack Holloway, is in his own words not a good man, and speaks with the typical Scalzi protagonist voice (which is to say: Scalzi), but is an enjoyable lens through which to view the events as they unfold. I will reread this, and I hope to be able to compare and contrast it to the inspiration when I do.
ecole's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
infinimata's review against another edition
3.0
Nicely done redux of Piper's seminal SF staple (which I encountered fairly early on in my reading career and is well worth digging up). I'm hoping this will lead to a good movie version of the same story, provided people don't balk at the title.
mchester24's review against another edition
4.0
Really fun read that flew by, and honestly surprised this isn’t a Netflix movie yet!
Obvious and not subtle environmental allegory, but done in a fun way. The fuzzies are as cute as your imagination can make them be, and with the fever pitch conclusion suddenly going to a court room drama it still didn’t feel like a slog.
Great, readable sci-fi, would love to dive into more from this author.
Obvious and not subtle environmental allegory, but done in a fun way. The fuzzies are as cute as your imagination can make them be, and with the fever pitch conclusion suddenly going to a court room drama it still didn’t feel like a slog.
Great, readable sci-fi, would love to dive into more from this author.
kalona's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
timinbc's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars because it does what it says on the tin. This isn't trying for a Nobel in Literature, just to entertain us, and it does that five stars' worth.
I've read "Little Fuzzy" - OK, some while ago - and as others have noted, both stories are jes' fine.
This one has a good, tight plot. There isn't much doubt about where we're headed, but there are some interesting details in how we get there. In particular, there are plenty of little plot details that turn out 300 pages later to be important - so pay attention early on.
Jack starts out as a classic rebel,then appears to be someone who just has to be contrary 100% of the time, and ends up as an interestingly complex selfish altruist.
There's a great courtroom scene, followed soon after by an even better one. You won't want to stop reading at that point.
I liked the way Aubrey was a spoiled-brat toffee-nosed rich twit - but not entirely. Saved him from being a cardboard cutout. And there's a nice little Gort-Klaatu twist at the end.
Good fun read.
I've read "Little Fuzzy" - OK, some while ago - and as others have noted, both stories are jes' fine.
This one has a good, tight plot. There isn't much doubt about where we're headed, but there are some interesting details in how we get there. In particular, there are plenty of little plot details that turn out 300 pages later to be important - so pay attention early on.
Jack starts out as a classic rebel,then appears to be someone who just has to be contrary 100% of the time, and ends up as an interestingly complex selfish altruist.
There's a great courtroom scene, followed soon after by an even better one. You won't want to stop reading at that point.
I liked the way Aubrey was a spoiled-brat toffee-nosed rich twit - but not entirely. Saved him from being a cardboard cutout. And there's a nice little Gort-Klaatu twist at the end.
Good fun read.
maestroalberti's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
hyzerchan's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoy John Scalzi books. This is the third I've read and the 4th 5 star.
book_hoarder_bose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
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.