A Classic '60s pulp fiction novel which looks at the theme of ‘What constitutes a sapient creature’?

The last half of this book goes into a detailed discussion between the characters, in and out of the courtroom, about this subject and then the repercussions it will have on the company owned planet of Zarathustra. Greed is the secondary theme as we follow the machinations of the company trying to keep its grip on the lucrative sunstone market.

I particularly liked the technology of the book, it was vague enough in some areas to pass as a modern book and then quirky in the spots where it was a bit more detailed, like using audio tape to store information. I guess some of the tech in today’s modern sci-fi books will seem obsolete in 20 years time as well.

This book can be read at two levels. When I read it twenty years ago it was an exciting story, after finishing it again at this later stage in my life the philosophical discussions where more interesting than the action.

Space Vikings by H.Beam Piper is a good read as well but it looks at the theme of retribution and revenge. ( )

I didn't start out with high expectations for Little Fuzzy, but I found its balance of gee-whiz futurism and the exploration of the nature of intelligence has aged well since 1962. Most of the characters are suitably developed (for science fiction, at least), but the big reveal of the character with other loyalties was easy to spot from a long distance. The fuzzies are impossibly likeable, almost to a point of distraction. ( )

Jack Holloway is digging for stones on Zarathustra when a friend comes to visit. This friend isn't human though. Its a 'Fuzzy'.

What follows is a lovely, interesting, enthralling and thought-provoking science fiction novel. The descriptions of the Fuzzies are wonderful. Their customs, habits, routines and methods of learnings are fantastic and made them entirely real.

Not only is this a book with 'cute' written all over it, but also a serious look at what defines a sapient being and the lengths people will go in walking over what they consider 'inferior' beings to ensure they get what they want.

This is by far and away the best science fiction I have read this year. I get the feeling it could take some doing to beat how much this book touched me. The ending just makes it brilliant.

In one line: Not only a fascinating look at another species but also a discussion about the definition of a sapient being. Highly Recommended. ( )

Now, the Terro-Humans colonise like nothing else. And, being human, they also love the commerce and capitalism. So, when possibly, this uninhabited planet the Company has essentially just started running in the black and self-sufficiently, isn't like—really uninhabited? Yeah, we learn about humanity, and how imaginatively cruel, grasping and utterly selfless it can be. At least when things are fuzzy. The ending would have been totally different if they were dealing with a "Little Scaly". There's two (still copywrit) books involving the Fuzzies after this, I may need to check them out (actually, just they and one other are the only Terro-Human books still in copyright). For all I know, Piper deals with that not-big-problem in them. ( )

The Big Idea in Little Fuzzy: Alien Intelligence. - On the recently-settled frontier world of Zarathustra prospector Jack Holloway encounters a small, furry biped that he names "Little Fuzzy." Eventually "Pappy" Jack comes to think of Little Fuzzy as a sapient being which sparks a harsh reaction from the interstellar corporation that owns the planet because its charter will be revoked if Zarathustra is the home of an aboriginal species of sentient beings.

Part "first contact" story, part corporate intrigue, part courtroom drama, Little Fuzzy is perhaps the most well-known work by H. Beam Piper. The novel remains one of the most salient science-fiction examinations of the challenges involved in recognizing non-human sentience and is as relevant to researchers studying chimpanzees and dolphins today as it is to those concerned with possible contact one day with extraterrestrials.

Piper eventually wrote two sequels to Little Fuzzy which were collected in The Complete Fuzzy. The third novel in this trilogy was not discovered until many years after Piper's untimely death and so two alternate endings to the trilogy were also commissioned, William Tuning's Fuzzy Bones and Ardath Mayhar's Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey. ( )