Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
Introduction
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is, as he names it in the Author’s Note, a reimagining of the story and events of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway is an independent prospector on the planet Zara XXIII. His companion is his bomb-detonating dog named Carl. They find a new mine worth a lot of money for him and Zarathustra Corporation. The problem is when he discovers a new species or better yet when they discover him. If the species he calls Fuzzys proves to be sentient, he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?
Summary
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi starts with Jack Holloway prospecting on the planet Zara XXIII with his dog named Carl. They cause an ecological disaster which is noticed by Jack’s ZaraCorp contractor rep named Chad Bourne. Chad threatens to end Jack’s contract. Jack finds a valuable mine because of the disaster and will profit greatly but he runs into a problem.
Back at Jack’s tree house in the middle of the jungle, he encounters a being. He can’t decide if it is more like a monkey, dog, or cat. It might be smarter than that. If the being is sentient, then he stands to lose his rich find because the law will give it to the beings which he calls Fuzzys.
Jack enlists the aid of biologist Isobel Wangai and xeno-linguist Dr. Arnold Chen to figure out if the Fuzzys are sentient.
He faces off with the representatives at ZaraCorp and brings the issue of sentience to the planetary court. Jack believes they are sentient while ZaraCorp thinks they are wild animals. The conclusion proceeds from there.
Recommendation
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a contemporary retelling of the story found in H. Beam Piper’s novel Little Fuzzy. I have read both novels and I enjoyed the added elements that Scalzi had added. The corporate plot is like the movie Avatar, though Avatar was probably inspired by Little Fuzzy in the first place. This novel reads like a remake of a movie. I’m glad I read it.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9647532-fuzzy-nation
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