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dabrit's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent book, classic SF that has stood the test of time. Entertaining and thought provoking with a great ending. Really well done by audiobooks and made me want to continue listening long after I should have stopped.
kimminy's review against another edition
4.0
Cute. Would be good to read with kids and discuss the issues.
ceezer's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I had seen Regina Petty’s review and advice sooner - to read them in order so that you 'enjoy two books, rather than enjoy one and be disappointed by the other' - because that's what happened to me. I wouldn't say I was *disappointed* by this original version, but I didn't find it as interesting and engaging as Scalzi's reboot. Nor did I find Piper's tale to develop a deeper or stronger relationship between the Fuzzies and the reader. In fact, when reading Scalzi's, I had a tough time getting through the-scene-which-shall-remain-unspoiled, whereas Piper made 'Pappy Jack' sound mostly like a cranky old whiner, and not someone who was distraught by the absence of his Fuzzies. I was also slightly annoyed that, in Piper's book, .
Spoiler
once sapience was determined, the Fuzzies were continued to be treated like petspine_wulf's review against another edition
4.0
What is sapience? That is what this book tries to answer. The accepted definition is if it talks and builds fire, it's sapient. Then along comes a species which seems to do neither, yet it IS smart. But is it sapient smart? There are supporters for both sides of the argument, and they end up going to court to duke it out.
I found it most disconcerting that people treated the fuzzies like pets even when the same people were trying to convince others they were a sapient race. I also had problems telling some of the characters apart; there is a rather large cast.
Take note beforehand, this is very much a book of its time. There is a LOT of smoking and drinking. Also, the female cast is rather small, having only one significant character.
Spoiler
I found the plot to be well thought out and the answers satisfying. I was disappointed at first when it was discovered the fuzzies did have language; I thought for sure they would just use that to say that they were sapient and ignore the question, "Is it possible to be sapient and not have language?" The summary of sapience at the end thankfully did not say they have to talk, although, it did allude to it in another way.I found it most disconcerting that people treated the fuzzies like pets even when the same people were trying to convince others they were a sapient race. I also had problems telling some of the characters apart; there is a rather large cast.
Take note beforehand, this is very much a book of its time. There is a LOT of smoking and drinking. Also, the female cast is rather small, having only one significant character.
corymojojojo's review against another edition
5.0
This might be a new favorite for me; what a delightful story that has a lot more thoughtfulness and intrigue than would seem apparent on the fuzzy surface. A bunch of cute, friendly creatures (pre-Ewoks, basically) are found on what was thought to be an uninhabited planet, but it turns out they might be more intelligent than is immediately obvious. One of them is killed and the question needs to be posed: did they merely kill an animal or did they murder a sapient being? The whole book leads up to what is essentially a courtroom drama with the intention of proving whether or not the Fuzzies are people or animals, and it’s fascinating and fun and incredibly wholesome. I couldn’t put the book down once it got into the swing of things, I think there’s something about a courtroom drama that just keeps the pages turning.
gmvader's review against another edition
5.0
Some books set out to do important things like raise questions about accepted beliefs and morals or discuss controversial topics. Some books are just fun and are meant for nothing else. Very few books succeed at being either (as can be seen by Sturgeon’s Law).
A very small percentage succeeds at doing both.
Little Fuzzy tackles the issue of sapience. How does one define sapience? It’s a question that only science fiction can address with any kind of meaning and one that Piper has massaged into a brilliant story.
Science Fiction and Fantasy, when they’re done right, are mediums that can address controversy and questions of ethics and morals that other books cannot. They have a kind of distance about them that makes them safe. Take Star Trek VI as an example. The entire movie is about racism and the ugly side effects it can have while two races strive to overcome their prejudices and word together, and many member of those races that cannot. That’s a dark topic and painful to many people but by making it between Klingons and Humans with Captain Kirk as the most prejudiced of all it humanizes it in a way that much other literature cannot do without making us uncomfortable.
The definition of sapience is one that most people probably don’t think about. We are people, everything else is an animal. But, if we do not define what we consider sapience carefully then we can delude ourselves that it is okay to kill people who we do not consider people. This might sound unlikely on the surface that it could ever happen but thousands of sapient infants are killed in abortions every year (and that’s a conservative estimate). Much of the justification for those deaths amounts to ‘it’s not a person yet’.
Don’t worry; I’m not going to turn this into an abortion debate. I’m merely raising the point that this is a question that needs to be addressed.
For years the rule in the Terran Federation has always been ‘talk and build a fire’. Fuzzies can do neither yet Jack Holloway insists that they are sapient beings and, as such, have the rights to due process and protection from crimes that other people have. The Zarathustra Company who will lose their charter for the planet Zarathustra if Fuzzies are proved to be sapient insists that they are not.
What follows is a courtroom drama that could only take place on a distant planet in a future that we’ll never have.
I’ve read this book at least a dozen times and I love it just as much every time. There are only six books that hold that qualification for me and four of them are by Tolkien.
If you haven’t read this book then you should, it can be found free online in ebook and audiobook form because it’s in the public domain. It will make you think and it will probably make you cry. And you will be grateful it did.
A very small percentage succeeds at doing both.
Little Fuzzy tackles the issue of sapience. How does one define sapience? It’s a question that only science fiction can address with any kind of meaning and one that Piper has massaged into a brilliant story.
Science Fiction and Fantasy, when they’re done right, are mediums that can address controversy and questions of ethics and morals that other books cannot. They have a kind of distance about them that makes them safe. Take Star Trek VI as an example. The entire movie is about racism and the ugly side effects it can have while two races strive to overcome their prejudices and word together, and many member of those races that cannot. That’s a dark topic and painful to many people but by making it between Klingons and Humans with Captain Kirk as the most prejudiced of all it humanizes it in a way that much other literature cannot do without making us uncomfortable.
The definition of sapience is one that most people probably don’t think about. We are people, everything else is an animal. But, if we do not define what we consider sapience carefully then we can delude ourselves that it is okay to kill people who we do not consider people. This might sound unlikely on the surface that it could ever happen but thousands of sapient infants are killed in abortions every year (and that’s a conservative estimate). Much of the justification for those deaths amounts to ‘it’s not a person yet’.
Don’t worry; I’m not going to turn this into an abortion debate. I’m merely raising the point that this is a question that needs to be addressed.
For years the rule in the Terran Federation has always been ‘talk and build a fire’. Fuzzies can do neither yet Jack Holloway insists that they are sapient beings and, as such, have the rights to due process and protection from crimes that other people have. The Zarathustra Company who will lose their charter for the planet Zarathustra if Fuzzies are proved to be sapient insists that they are not.
What follows is a courtroom drama that could only take place on a distant planet in a future that we’ll never have.
I’ve read this book at least a dozen times and I love it just as much every time. There are only six books that hold that qualification for me and four of them are by Tolkien.
If you haven’t read this book then you should, it can be found free online in ebook and audiobook form because it’s in the public domain. It will make you think and it will probably make you cry. And you will be grateful it did.
titusfortner's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this since Scalzi wrote his "remake" of the story with Fuzzy Nation. This book is simpler and more straightforward. In spite of the different ratings I might like this one better.
eli99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
While this book is a tad outdated in some ways, it is an amazing read. I didn't want to put it down. It tells the story of a man finding a new possible sapient species and the complications that go along with that. It gets into legalities and different definitions and was a fun read.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This is an entertaining book about whether a species called the fuzzies are sapient or not. Even though it is dated, the story is still enjoyable. For instance, they still film things and the film has to be developed. The fuzzies are fun, the characters are rather flat. I listened to this on audible, and the narrator made some odd voice decisions. The main character sounds like an old miner from a western. The police sound like NYC cops. There is even one character that sounds like a NYC Jew. Other characters try to sound like the racial identification of the names. Very odd.
Most of the story is a debate over what sapience is. Some of the ideas are outdated. Also, you never feel any real peril for the protagonists. The antagonists are pretty incompetent which I thought added to the humor. I saw this listed as a juvenile book. I can see why. It was written in 1962.
Most of the story is a debate over what sapience is. Some of the ideas are outdated. Also, you never feel any real peril for the protagonists. The antagonists are pretty incompetent which I thought added to the humor. I saw this listed as a juvenile book. I can see why. It was written in 1962.