Recently – well – a few months ago, while clearing away some books that had been sitting on my shelf of shame for quite a few years, I sort of went down a rabbit hole (I avoided saying Fuzzy hole because it sounds dirty). Namely, I finally got around to reading H. Beam Piper’s classic Fuzzy books.
For those who may not be familiar, these books are set on a very Earth-like planet called Zarathustra, which in the distant future is an Earth colony that is initially wholly owned by a large mining corporation called the Zarathustra Company – which is possible because there are apparently no sentient beings inhabiting it. In the first book, Little Fuzzy (published in 1962), an independent gem prospector named Jack Holloway one day finds a small creature in his hut out in the deep wilderness; it’s about a foot tall, covered with soft golden hair, bipedal with hands that have opposable thumbs, and quite friendly. As Jack becomes familiar with it – and names it ‘Little Fuzzy’ – he realizes that it’s very intelligent, i.e., it knows how to use and make tools, can communicate with him using hand gestures, etc. His conclusion is later confirmed by biologists and other scientists and experts who study the creatures, and the problem of determining the sapience of the ‘Fuzzies’ becomes the main plot driver in the first book.
The story continues pretty seamlessly in the second and third books, Fuzzy Sapiens (originally published as The Other Human Race in 1964) and Fuzzies and Other People – the latter was apparently written not long after the second, but only published in 1984 (due to Piper’s tragic death by suicide in 1964; the manuscript was apparently found in a previously overlooked box among this papers). The third one is particularly interesting because it contains big sections devoted to the inner thoughts and conversations among the Fuzzies themselves.
Now, even though I don’t love these books uncritically, I have to say off the bat that all three are thoroughly enjoyable and very readable with really great characters and dialogue. I fully understand why they are so popular and well-loved among a large segment of SF fans. The whole discussion of how to define sentience and how to determine whether a given species is, in fact, sapient, is quite thought-provoking. And the first book in particular at times seems to be a critique of colonialism and excessive mineral exploitation (it’s suggested that the Fuzzies finally came into contact with humans due to climate change and environmental degradation caused by the Zarathustra Company’s activities).
However, there are also many problematic aspects. First the mostly harmless, honestly amusing ones: even though they are set about five or so centuries in the future, pretty much everyone smokes, a lot. And the alcohol also flows freely (there’s one bit where two characters are hoping to be able to get back from a some work assignment ‘before cocktail hour’). Almost all of the main characters are largely middle-aged, very capable and responsible men, and what women there are tend to be in their 20s or early 30s, who eventually become love interests for the various male characters. It’s almost like some kind of Mad Men fantasy world (for those who would consider that a fantasy). Worse yet, some of the Fuzzies even take up certain human vices.
More troubling is the fact that once it is ascertained that the Fuzzies are sentient beings, there is no suggestion that perhaps the humans should just leave the planet, or at least stop ripping it up to extract resources. Instead, there is a section in the second book in which the provisional administration’s officials talk about how they’re going to set aside big chunks of the planet as exclusive ‘reservations’ for the Fuzzies, while commercial mineral exploitation activities will continue elsewhere. Another problem is the paternalistic, “father knows best” way in which the Fuzzies are treated by humans, which is coupled with the fact that the Fuzzies are generally portrayed as rambunctious, precocious children (and an entire sub-plot in the second book is the establishment of a service for people who want to ‘adopt’ Fuzzies).
And the concerns about mineral exploitation and the associated environmental problems raised in the first book tend to mostly fall by the wayside in the second two.
Many years later, in 2011, specifically, another Fuzzy book was published which is, I think, a great companion to Piper’s original trilogy, and works as a sort of – I don’t know – antidote for someone like me who can’t help thinking about some of the unsettling implications in those original stories. I’m talking about John Scalzi’s ‘reboot,’ Fuzzy Nation.
In the most basic sense, the plot is the same as Piper’s first novel, Little Fuzzy: an independent gem prospector named Jack Holloway living and working on a planet basically owned by the Zarathustra Company one day finds a small furry bipedal creature about the size of a house cat in his cabin and, after alerting a biologist friend, they realize that these ‘Fuzzies’ are a sentient species. This sets off a chain of events that ends with a court-room drama to settle the issue. However, Scalzi indeed gives the story a modern sensibility, and throws in a few really unexpected twists. And best yet – to me, an yway – it really addresses some of the misgivings about the originals while still paying tribute to Piper’s books in the best way.
p.s.: All black & white illustrations above are by Victoria Poyser, and they are taken from the omnibus edition of the first two books published in the early 1980s, The Fuzzy Papers…

p.p.s.: Before anyone mentions it in the comments – yes, I’m aware that there are other Fuzzy sequel books written in the same continuity as Piper’s (two written before his long-lost third volume was released, and a more recent trilogy). I haven’t read those, and I’m not sure when – if ever – I’ll get around to doing so.
I also finally got around to them recently — or rather, the original novel and the reboot. I should look for the sequels. (Though I vaguely remember a children’s picture book adaptation back in the 80s)
Anyway, I had similar thoughts to yours, and I enjoyed Scalzi’s take more, between the stronger characterization and breaking way from the 50s stereotypes of the original.
Oh, and actually setting up twists instead of just dropping them in out of nowhere.
And now for the back-story:
Scalzi wrote his reboot for one single reason. It wasn’t to eliminate the rampant sexism, colonialism, paternalism, or endorsement of rapacious corporations. It wasn’t to update the technological references or anything else like that.
It was about money.
Not for Scalzi, he’s better than that. In fact, he’s such a good guy that he has never, as far as I know, copped to the real reason he wrote it, and the reason why the Piper Estate allowed him to publish it. It was for them.
For some reason, the copyright for LITTLE FUZZY was allowed to lapse; I don’t know why, but it did. Possibly a publisher went out of business, leaving it an “orphan work.” That’s a good question for the IP lawyers out there. In any case, the murky copyright status of the book is the primary reason why you’ve never seen a film adaptation. It’s in the public domain in the US, but still protected in some other countries, and nobody wants to deal with it. Piper’s later Fuzzy books are still under copyright, and as derivative works of the first book, since they share the same characters, world, and story premise, it would be very difficult to adapt the original without infringing on the sequels. To further complicate matters, the copyrights for cover art and interior illustrations may or may not still be under copyright to the artists; that’s another question for the lawyers.
So, since the Piper Estate can’t collect royalties or sell any licensing for Piper’s most popular and successful book, and this also means films, TV, toys and merch are also non-starters. But….
A new retelling of the original story is copyrightable, and it is copyrighted. This gives Scalzi a little revenue stream, but much more importantly, it gives the Piper Estate a clear chain of custody and legal claim to the story. So now, if Spielberg or Disney or somebody wanted to develop LITTLE FUZZY as a movie, TV series, animated cartoon, videogame or other entertainment, they can do it without having to bring in an army of lawyers and fight over it. The path is now free and clear for Piper’s descendants to profit from his work, thanks to John Scalzi.
(How I know this: a friend of mine did the cover illustration for one of the editions; he told me the back-story.)
Yes, Scalzi explained most of these always-puzzling copyright matters in the introduction to his reboot (I have the UK edition; I’m assuming that the US editions also include it). He of course refrained from tooting his own horn about lending a helping hand to the Piper Estate, so thanks for adding that context.