My rating: 5 of 5 stars
John Scalzi books are always fun because they’re not intended to be deep tomes of introspective reflection on the future of humanity and our interaction with the Universe at large. Scalzi writes fun, quick to read science fiction that you enjoy because they aren’t huge investments of your life. In fact, they tend to be self contained volumes, so you also don’t have to buy into an expanse of books just to keep up with them.
In “Fuzzy Nation,” Scalzi revisits the world of H. Beam Piper’s Fuzzies, with a bit of a modern update. I have to confess, I haven’t read the original, so I can’t compare this effort, but for my money it was a fun read. The novel follows one Halloway, disbarred lawyer turned prospector and dog owner as he deals with making two huge finds – one that can make him rich, and the other that can take it all away from him. Halloway is the type of incorrigible rogue that will be familiar to readers – a smart mouth, quick decisions that you know have an agenda even if it isn’t obvious, and he’s entertaining.
I don’t usually gush, but this was a great read. The story was written with all of the flavor and fervor of the character centric storytelling of a classic Niven or Heinlein. The pace is fast, the characters engaging. A thoroughly fun read!