cover image Fuzzy Nation

Fuzzy Nation

John Scalzi. Tor, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2854-0

In this gripping estate-authorized reboot of H. Beam Piper's Hugo-nominated 1962 classic Little Fuzzy, Scalzi (Old Man's War) changes the hero from a grandfatherly miner to a handsome hunk and updates the plot with new events while retaining the prescient focus on ecological concerns. Disbarred lawyer Jack Holloway, prospecting on Zara XXIII for ZaraCorp, finds an immensely valuable stream of sunstone. But this find pales beside the cuteness of a catlike native biped who shows up at Holloway's house the same day. Holloway forwards footage of the "fuzzies" to a biologist friend, who believes they are sentient%E2%80%94but if they are, Zara XXIII and its sunstone must be abandoned. Enter hired company thugs, murder, and arson. A perfectly executed plot clicks its way to a stunning courtroom showdown in a cathartic finish that will thrill Fuzzy fans old and new. (May)