Fuzzy Nation
Scalzi's latest is typical of his work. Fast paced, with well conceived aliens and just a touch of Heinlein's ultra-competent everyman.
Based on H. Beam Piper's 1962 book Little Fuzzy, this is an attempt to re-imagine the story in a contemporary context.
The plot concerns a mining surveyor called Jack Holloway who identifies an incredibly rich seam of a rare gemstones and the existence of a group of creatures he calls the 'little fuzzies' in the same week.
The gems will make the corporation in charge of the planet gigantically wealthy but the existence of the fuzzies could lead to the shutdown of all mining activity under ecological law - if they can be proved to be sentient.
I enjoyed reading the book, but I couldn't say that it struck me as being Scalzi's best. Maybe that's because Holloway is not terribly likeable character and the ending seems rather inevitable.
I'd recommend it to anyone who likes Scalzi's stuff and I suspect it'd make a good introduction to science fiction for younger readers.
I'd also like to point out that Piper's original book Little Fuzzy is available for download at Project Gutenberg for free as it's in the public domain. It too is a pretty good read.
Agent ToThe Stars
Scalzi's first novel (written first, published later) is a fun romp set in Hollywood. Drawing on his experiences as a film critic and insider knowledge of the film business to tell the story of a showbiz agent who becomes the representative for visiting aliens.
It's funny in the same sort of way as The Android's Dream and at the same time has brilliant, genuinely SFnal, aliens. While being utterly different it kind of reminds me of Pratchett in that it uses humour as a foundation in order to philosophically explore real issues with a light touch.
Totally recommended if you're looking for a fun, pacy bit of science fiction.
See here for my original review
Dying Inside
First published in 1972 and set in 1976 this is considered one of Robert Silverberg's great novels.
David Selig is a middle aged New Yorker, barely scraping by on the bottom rung of the ladder, who has telepathic abilities.
As he has aged his power has weakened, become fitful, and he expects that one day it will go away for good.
Selig narrates the story of his everyday life and, with flashbacks, the story of his life and loves.
He's a self-centred, self pitying creature and at times rather unlikeable.
For someone with perfect insight to other minds he treats people incredibly badly.
I really didn't get why Silverberg included the essays that Selig ghost writes for college students to make a living and the narrator really annoyed me at times.
However, this novel is a fine character study and a clever take on the idea of ESP. Which is why it has an A rating, the minus reflects the problems I had with the book.
I'm not sure that I can say I wholeheartedly enjoyed Dying Inside, but I do think that it's an exceptional piece of science fiction - especially considering when it was put out.
I should say that the book is very much of its time. Some bits made me rather uncomfortable, particularly some of the attitudes towards women and blacks.
I'd like to direct you to a much better and rather less amibivalent review of the book by Jo Walton.
My final verdict is that if you love Science Fiction you should probably read this book, but with the caveat that if you can't stand books with an emphasis on the psychological then you aren't going to like Dying Inside.
Passage
If this book had just been shorter, or quicker paced it would have received a much higher mark from me.
The book follows Doctors researching into Near Death Experiences based in a General Hospital somewhere in the USA. One of them develops a way to safely replicate NDEs under lab conditions in volunteers and the other has been recording the testimony of real life NDE patients.
Essentially what should be a snappy medical mystery/science fiction novel gets bogged down in the detail of Near Death Experiences and generally makes you think "this is going nowhere, do something to advance the story"
It's extremely well written and some of the characters are great (especially the ultra pragmatic, disaster obsessed, pre-teen heart patient Maisie), and generally what happens is quite satisfying - I just felt it took too long to get there.
I think I'm going to take a break from Willis' books - I've been struggling with the audiobook of Blackout for months now and lost the will to listen to it anymore!
Agent To The Stars
What if, instead of making first contact by arriving on the White House lawn and demanding to see the President, friendly TV-informed aliens decide they need a Hollywood agent to boost their image before they make proper contact.
A very readable and enjoyable book from Scalzi. It doesn't quite hit the heights he reached later but still well worth reading.
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