Fuzzy Nation

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi - introduction

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In John Scalzi's re-imagining of H. Beam Piper's 1962 sci-fi classic Little Fuzzy, written with the full cooperation of the Piper Estate, Jack Holloway works alone for reasons he doesn't care to talk about. On the distant planet Zarathustra, Jack is content as an independent contractor for ZaraCorp, prospecting and surveying at his own pace. As for his past, that's not up for discussion.

Then, in the wake of an accidental cliff collapse, Jack discovers a seam of unimaginably valuable jewels, to which he manages to lay legal claim just as ZaraCorp is cancelling their contract with him for his part in causing the collapse. Briefly in the catbird seat, legally speaking, Jack pressures ZaraCorp into recognizing his claim, and cuts them in as partners to help extract the wealth.

But there's another wrinkle to ZaraCorp's relationship with the planet Zarathustra. Their entire legal right to exploit the verdant Earth-like planet, the basis of the wealth they derive from extracting its resources, is based on being able to certify to the authorities on Earth that Zarathustra is home to no sentient species. Then a small furry biped - trusting, appealing, and ridiculously cute - shows up at Jack's outback home. Followed by its family. As it dawns on Jack that despite their stature, these are people, he begins to suspect that ZaraCorp's claim to a planet's worth of wealth is very flimsy indeed and that ZaraCorp may stop at nothing to eliminate the fuzzys before their existence becomes more widely known.

©2011 John Scalzi (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Science Fiction, 2012

“[Scalzi’s] style and skill make it a highly entertaining read. It succeeds both as a new novel from a talented writer and as a tribute and gateway to Piper’s work.” ( Wired)

"It’s a wonderful book.... [T]he way that Scalzi puts that wonderful novel of Piper’s into a fresher context is cynically lovely.... Year’s best? Yeah, one of them." ( The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“A perfectly executed plot clicks its way to a stunning courtroom showdown in a cathartic finish that will thrill Fuzzy fans old and new.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Loved it!

I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh, cry, cheer...and so on. Wil Wheaton, as usual, was a superb narrator and John Scalzi's re-imagining of this story was fantastic.

I was laughing aloud.

I was hesitant to get this audio book because I read many negative comments on Amazon, but I like Scazi and Wheaton, so for it anyway, and I am glad I did.

The characters are interesting. The main one is insufferable and likeable at the same time.

I have still to finish the original book, but this one stands on its own.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was an Alien

What made the experience of listening to Fuzzy Nation the most enjoyable?

Wil Wheaton really made this enjoyable. John's a great writer but Wil really brought the characters to life. His interpretation of the characters felt spot on.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The dog because it was trained to detonate dynamite. :) Also, the Xenolinguist. I know they are super minor characters, but I loved the Xenoliguist's passion once he finds out there is actually something to do on the planet.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi (Introduction) ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I imagine they are just as good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! It's very intriguing. Story really builds momentum and you get that, "What's gonna happen next?" feeling after each chapter.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of Law Drama's or court case books, then you'll love this one.

awesome story.

loved the story. it is also very well told. I have listened to it a few times

A superb re-working of a much loved SF classic.

If you know and love H Beam Piper's original "Little Fuzzy" I think you will enjoy this one. It is not just a retelling, it is a re-plotting, with new characters introduced and old characters (Pappy Jack!) re-imagined.

The narration is excellent. The only minor annoyance is Scalzi's habit of adding "<person> said" after every line of dialog. That's fine in print, but not so much in audio, where the narrator's intonation already serves that purpose, and the repeated "...said...said...said" distracts a bit. A very minor thing.

Insanely good

Scalzi turned a great story even better. Updated and relevant and just fascinating. Wil Wheaton did a phenomenal reading this. I could not recommend this more. I can think of only a few novels that can stand at this level.

I didn't know what to expect but I was happily sur

story had a nice engaging Pace all the way through. I will definitely read more by this author

Great story

I went into this book a little dubious and was blown away. Fantastic all the way around.

Great story. Narrator needs character voices

Fuzzy Nation has a great story and in general I'd say that Wheaton is a good narrator - the only drawback, compared to other audiobooks, is that he doesn't shift tone when reproducing character dialog. There's a great example of this early in the book where a character's voice is described as being adnoidal but isn't anything of the sort when reproduced by the narrator. I'm not sure why Wheaton decided not to provide different voices for the characters (he's certainly a very capable narator otherwise), but this lack detracts from what is otherwise a great audiobook.

funny anti-hero a well told story

finished it in one day. my wife even enjoyed the story narrative. time well spent.