Fuzzy Nation
Apr. 17th, 2012 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowA few days ago, I read John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation, which is, so to speak, a remake of H. Beam Piper's classic Little Fuzzy. It's a quick read, as its progenitor was, and quite enjoyable. I'm not going to give a full review, but only a few comments, hopefully not too spoilery.
The basic story of both books is the same. A miner discovers a possibly-sapient species of aliens on a planet controlled by a single corporation; confirmation of their sapience would legally void the company's control, with massive financial implications. The miner and his allies face off against the corporation's agents. The fight has both physical and legal aspects, and climaxes in a courtroom battle.
There are numerous minor differences. Jack Holloway, the miner, has a distinctly different personality in Fuzzy Nation. (He also has a dog.) The corporation's behavior bears a closer resemblance in FN to that seen in 19th/20th century "company towns". There is far less smoking and drinking. But there is exactly one truly major difference, and it turns a pleasant romp into a far more mature and nuanced story. (FN is, I think, less memetic; Piper's Fuzzies belong to a recognizable class including Anderson and Dickson's Hoka, Cherryh's hisa, and even the Ewoks. Scalzi's version are more themselves.)
The difference is agency. Piper's Fuzzies are intelligent and capable enough in their own sphere, but in their relations with humans they are essentially passive; one character thinks of them as perpetual children, until and unless they evolve into species adulthood. (Never mind the teleological assumptions there....) Scalzi's Fuzzies are fully adult; when, late in the story, we see the sequence of events from their point of view, it is a major shift, and leads to a climax fully as moving as the ending of Heinlein's "Jerry Was a Man" - but Papa Fuzzy is even more of a man than Heinlein's Jerry.
Fuzzy Nation is an excellent reworking of Piper's theme, and I strongly recommend it.
The basic story of both books is the same. A miner discovers a possibly-sapient species of aliens on a planet controlled by a single corporation; confirmation of their sapience would legally void the company's control, with massive financial implications. The miner and his allies face off against the corporation's agents. The fight has both physical and legal aspects, and climaxes in a courtroom battle.
There are numerous minor differences. Jack Holloway, the miner, has a distinctly different personality in Fuzzy Nation. (He also has a dog.) The corporation's behavior bears a closer resemblance in FN to that seen in 19th/20th century "company towns". There is far less smoking and drinking. But there is exactly one truly major difference, and it turns a pleasant romp into a far more mature and nuanced story. (FN is, I think, less memetic; Piper's Fuzzies belong to a recognizable class including Anderson and Dickson's Hoka, Cherryh's hisa, and even the Ewoks. Scalzi's version are more themselves.)
The difference is agency. Piper's Fuzzies are intelligent and capable enough in their own sphere, but in their relations with humans they are essentially passive; one character thinks of them as perpetual children, until and unless they evolve into species adulthood. (Never mind the teleological assumptions there....) Scalzi's Fuzzies are fully adult; when, late in the story, we see the sequence of events from their point of view, it is a major shift, and leads to a climax fully as moving as the ending of Heinlein's "Jerry Was a Man" - but Papa Fuzzy is even more of a man than Heinlein's Jerry.
Fuzzy Nation is an excellent reworking of Piper's theme, and I strongly recommend it.
