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Little Fuzzy
Little Fuzzy
One day Jack Holloway, prospector on the planet Zarathustra, finds what seems to be a small monkey with golden fur; these new introductions (for the first brings a family) are tiny hunters, and prove to be curious and capable tool users. Why is this so important to the new human settlers? - Because a planet inhabited by a sapient race cannot be monopolized by the Zarathustra Company.
Book Excerpt
rcling about it as it revolved slowly.
"The globe itself is keeping perfect time, and Darius is all right, Xerxes is a few seconds of longitude ahead of true position."
"That's dreadful, Mr. Grego!" Stenson was deeply shocked. "I must adjust that the first thing tomorrow. I should have called to check on it long ago, but you know how it is. So many things to do, and so little time."
"I find the same trouble myself, Mr. Stenson." They chatted for a while, and then Stenson apologized for taking up so much of Mr. Grego's valuable time. What he meant was that his own time, just as valuable to him, was wasting. After the screen blanked, Grego sat looking at it for a moment, wishing he had a hundred men like Henry Stenson in his own organization. Just men with Stenson's brains and character; wishing for a hundred instrument makers with Stenson's skills would have been unreasonable, even for wishing. There was only one Henry Stenson, just as there had been only one Antonio Stradivari. Why a man
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4.4
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The writing is mature, the characters are believable, and the plot is, well--there. The plot is basically about proving that a group of aliens is sentient. Not exactly an exciting goal, but at least the story is driving at something.
The actual sci-fi content is very low, which is disappointing. Change a small number of details, and this could be a story about aborigines in Australia.
An incredible amount of the story is about building a case for the aliens, then the actual trial. This just doesn't make for very exciting reading.
Inexcusable and unnecessary use of extreme foul language in a few key instances degrade the story a notch.
Overall, an OK read, but nothing to brag about.
The actual sci-fi content is very low, which is disappointing. Change a small number of details, and this could be a story about aborigines in Australia.
An incredible amount of the story is about building a case for the aliens, then the actual trial. This just doesn't make for very exciting reading.
Inexcusable and unnecessary use of extreme foul language in a few key instances degrade the story a notch.
Overall, an OK read, but nothing to brag about.
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Thoroughly enjoyable read. The technology, naturally, is a little dated, but the characterizations and plot make that easy to overlook.
I'm surprised that with today's CGI abilities, no one has made this into a movie yet.
I'm surprised that with today's CGI abilities, no one has made this into a movie yet.
01/06/2015
A feel good story about doing the 'Human' thing rather than the "Corporate" thing.
Like any good tale its about people we can like and hate, (if you can-not care about the folks in a story, you most likely won't finish or read it again).
Like any good tale its about people we can like and hate, (if you can-not care about the folks in a story, you most likely won't finish or read it again).
10/02/2011
H. Beam Piper is one of my favorite silver age authors, but it's kind of a shame he's most often remembered for the "Fuzzy" novels.
It's a fun read, but not his best work in my opinion.
It's a fun read, but not his best work in my opinion.
10/17/2010
This is an outstanding book. Very hard to put down.
10/10/2010
I like Fuzzy but I don't like cast very much.
10/02/2010
Little Fuzzy has achieved status as a classic, and may be the best known of Piper's works. There are two sequels by Piper: Fuzzy Sapiens and The Other Human Race. They take place about midway in the Federation timeline.
Piper died in 1961, and the manuscript for the planned third Fuzzy novel disappeared. Ardath Mayhar wrote a third Fuzzy novel called Golden Dreams, and William F. Tuning wrote a third called Fuzzy Bones. Both took off from the ending of Fuzzy Sapiens, but in different directions.
Years later, Piper's manuscript for the third Fuzzy novel was discovered in a trunk by an old friend, and was eventually published as Fuzzies and Other People.
Author John Scalzi, whose Agent to the Stars is available here, has signed a contract to produce another novel in the Fuzzy universe, tentatively titled Fuzzy Nation, which will be published by Tor Books in 2011.
Piper died in 1961, and the manuscript for the planned third Fuzzy novel disappeared. Ardath Mayhar wrote a third Fuzzy novel called Golden Dreams, and William F. Tuning wrote a third called Fuzzy Bones. Both took off from the ending of Fuzzy Sapiens, but in different directions.
Years later, Piper's manuscript for the third Fuzzy novel was discovered in a trunk by an old friend, and was eventually published as Fuzzies and Other People.
Author John Scalzi, whose Agent to the Stars is available here, has signed a contract to produce another novel in the Fuzzy universe, tentatively titled Fuzzy Nation, which will be published by Tor Books in 2011.
09/19/2010
Marvelous book! I want a fuzzy!
02/18/2010
Looking back on this magnificent book, It makes me wonder if this is where George Lucas got the idea for the Ewoks. I love anything by H. Beam Piper
11/01/2008
This has a Hugo Nomination for Best Novel (1963). One of the few Hugo nominated novels in the public domain.
07/28/2007