Book review: Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Genre: Science fiction.

Fuzzy nation by John Scalzi is a rewrite/reboot of the novel, Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. While Little Fuzzy is in the public domain, Scalzi released Fuzzy Nation with the permission of the Piper estate. I have not read Little Fuzzy, so I do not know how it compares to the original.

The hero in Fuzzy nation is Jack Holloway, a independent prospector, working on a world being mined by ZaraCorp. ZaraCorp's modus operandi is to find a planet worth exploiting and to then strip it bare of its resources. On this particular planet, Zarathustra, Jack Holloway encounters some cat like creatures, that he names Fuzzies. He starts to discover that these creatures are pretty intelligent, and the possibility is raised that these creatures might be sentient. Sentient creatures on Zarathustra would mean that ZaraCorp would no longer be allowed to exploit the planet. This is the premise around which Scalzi develops his story.

The book flows very well and the writing is excellent. Scalzi gets us to like the good guys and the bad guys are believable. The plot is entertaining and well fleshed out and even when one can see a plot twist coming, the way Scalzi executes the plot twists is satisfying and entertaining.

Seeing how well this book turned out, I now feel like reading the original Little Fuzzy, to see how they both compare.

Rating: 5 / 5; Highly recommended.

The Precipice by Ben Bova

Genre: Science fiction.

Decades of greenhouse gas emissions have taken their toll, and Earth has now warmed. Floods and various other environmental disasters are causing havoc all around, and the world is in crisis. This is the setting for the novel "The Precipice" by Ben Bova.

In this book Dan Randolph, an industrialist, pits his wits against his rival, Martin Humphries, in a race to develop and control fusion drives for space travel. Fusion drives are critical, since apparently there are the only thing that would let us tap the resources of the asteroid belt. Dan Randolph wants to do this so that he can move earth based industries into space and help mitigate climate change related chaos, while Martin Humphries wants control of this so that he can make more money.

Sounds like some cheesy soap opera plot? Unfortunately, the writing and plot in the novel never raise it above the cheesy soap opera level. The rivalry and corporate maneuvering between the two main characters is infantile. There is no plot or story to speak of. I can't think of any redeeming qualities for this book.

Rating: 1 / 5; Terrible. Don't bother.

Book review: Dinosaur planet by Anne McCaffrey

Genre: Science fiction.

Uninteresting characters, no real plot line whatsoever is how I would characterise this book. This book feels like it is a preview for the next book. There is very little story progression here and a bunch of mysteries are set up and none are resolved.

I never grew to like the characters mainly because everyone felt one dimensional. The characters motivation for doing good or bad are not explored. Anne McCaffrey's writing style itself is pretty good but that is the only redeeming point about this book.

Rating: 2/5, Below average, only reason to get this one is if you are a huge Anne McCaffrey fan.

The Amazon link is to this book and the sequel for this book. I have not read the sequel.

Book review: Titan by Ben Bova

Genre: Science fiction set in the near future.

Set in the near future (2095), the characters in this book are on a massive colony ship Goddard, that has made orbit around Saturn. Contained in this habitat are 10,000 misfits, people who are considered too risky to be kept on earth for political or social reasons. The pacing of the book is brisk and there are plenty of characters. Ben Bova does a great job of building up the characters without overwhelming the reader.

There are multiple story arcs in book with the major focus being on a malfunctioning probe on Saturn's icy moon Titan, a upcoming election and search for life in Saturn's rings. There are plenty of other dramas among the various characters in the book. The science and the descriptions thereof are interesting and cause the narrative to have a believable ring to it.

It is not necessary to read any of the other books in the series to enjoy this one, only reason to do so is if you want some continuity.

Rating:4/5, Recommended.