I have discovered that I like John Scalzi's writing, so when I saw that he had done what he calls a 'reboot' of one of my favourite SF stories - Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper - I thought, well, okay, I can read this.  Also, a couple of my friends said they enjoyed it.

So, did I?

Yes, for the most part.  Like I said, I enjoy Scalzi's writing.  Which is a good thing, because all the lawyer talk, the scientific talk etcetera, could have been very dry and unappealing in another author's hands. 

There are a lot of differences from the original Piper novels. A lot of characters missing or retooled into other, maybe composited, characters.  The plot, while remaining true at its heart, is focused much more on the legal aspects of the story as well as the um... not-niceness of Jack Holloway.  All that is fine, but what I missed was the interaction with the Fuzzies.  How Jack grew to accept and care for them as people, not pets.  How the Fuzzies showed their sapience. I remember a scene in the original about a funeral that's stuck with me all these years.  I missed those scenes in this book.

So, yeah, I enjoyed it and would probably recommend it to others, but I wasn't as satisfied as I'd hoped I'd be.  I would totally direct people to read the original Fuzzy books by H. Beam Piper, though.  :)

I’ve never read the original story, and I am disappointed because I was under the impression that the two books were packaged together, based on the foreword and the reviews placed highest on the Audible website, but apparently they’ve now split the two books and must be purchased separately.

Still, I enjoyed the Scalzi reboot very much on its own, without reference to the 1963 version. This is what those goofy ewoks should have been. Figuring out what’s going on with the main character, Jack Holloway, and his motivations kept me engaged with the plot, which is a little heavier on the legal intrigue than I usually care for, and I sincerely appreciate that Scalzi includes a strong, smart, independent female character who, 

Audiobook, via Audible. Wil Wheaton provides a fantastic performance for the readings. Although he doesn’t attempt a lot of unique “voices” for the different characters, he reads with spirit, humor, and excellent pacing, and I’m never in any doubt as to which character is speaking.  

I read this book for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 12: December 23^rd: Book themes for Saturnalia:  The god Saturn has a planet named after him; read any work of science fiction that takes place in space.  –OR– Read a book celebrating free speech. –OR–  A book revolving around a very large party, or ball, or festival, –OR– a book with a mask or masks on the cover.  –OR– a story where roles are reversed. I do have a ruling from the game overlords that an extraterrestrial setting counts as “in space”.

ALSO: This book would have fit a couple of other hard-to-capture squares:

• Square 4 Thanksgiving Day (Books with a theme of coming together to help a community or family in need)
  Because a small group of people – Holloway, Isabel, Sullivan, and eventually that other guy that hates Holloway – go to considerable risk and against their own personal interests to see that the Fuzzies are recognized as sapient beings, protected from genocide, and are given control of their own planet
  (spoiler show) .
• Square 7 International Human Rights Day (any story revolving around the rights of others either being defended or abused)
  Because the Fuzzies are a previously unrecognized race of sapient beings whose rights to their own planetary resources are being trampled by the company that is mining there
  (spoiler show)
• 

Previous Updates:

11/10/17 4%

11/10/17 61%

I love, love, love Wil Wheaton's performance in reading the audio. If I could have all my audiobooks read by Wil Wheaton, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Jayne Entwistle, I might double my book consumption. 

Well this is fun. How can you not like a protagonist who talks to his dog like he's a real person and trains him to detonate explosives by jumping on the remote button?

Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Saturn, comes to an end. 

Book themes for Saturnalia:  The god Saturn has a planet named after him; read any work of science fiction that takes place in space.  –OR– Read a book celebrating free speech. –OR–  A book revolving around a very large party, or ball, or festival, –OR– a book with a mask or masks on the cover.  –OR– a story where roles are reversed.

Reading Fuzzy Nation for Saturnalia, because it is an update/reimagining of a classic Sci-Fi story.