Fuzzy Bones

Fuzzy Sapiens #4

by Michael Whelan (Illustrator) William Tuning (Author)

Decent men everywhere rejoiced in the Pendarvis Decision, which declared the species Fuzzy sapiens to be a sentient race entitled to all the rights and privileges of man. But of course that was only the beginning. Men had a long way to go before they would get over the habit of thinking of Fuzzies as adorable pets and begin to accept them as equals in the universe.The study of Fuzzies as a species had begun immediately, and some puzzling questions Where did Puzzles come from? What was their anthropology? Why did they seem such oddities, in many small but significant biological ways, on the planet where men found them? The answers that began to appear were startling- and potentially dangerous to the Fuzzies and to all who cared about them.H. BEAM PIPER ENDEARED HIMSELF TO MILLIONS OF READERS WITH LITTLE FUZZY AND FUZZY SAPIENS. NOW, AT LAST, THE STORY CONTINUES. WILLIAM TUNING HAS MADE AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF PIPER'S CREATION, AND HAS HIMSELF CREATED A LABOR OF LOVE, A TRIBUTE TO ALL THAT PIPER STOOD FUZZY BONES

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Aliens, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Novels

Paperback

First published June 15, 1981

Reviews

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Tuning’s Fuzzy Bones was written as the third installment of the Fuzzy series and published three years before Piper’s own third volume was discovered in a trunk in Pennsylvania. This must have been disconcerting for Tuning, perhaps as much as it is for the reader. Tuning really got down with his subject and came up with a lot of interesting additions to the Fuzzy story but, ultimately, falls a little flat. His writing style differs significantly from Piper’s in that Tuning’s writing is more dense and involved. There is a buoyancy missing from Fuzzy Bones that is present in Little Fuzzy and Fuzzy Sapiens. If you read the first two followed by Piper’s own Fuzzies And Other People then proceed to Fuzzy Bones, or reverse the order of the two third volumes, the story gets a bit confusing. Things happened that didn’t happen! What’s going on, here?!? Regardless, this is a good book and Tuning did a hell of a job picking up where Piper left off.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before they discovered Piper's final notes for a third fuzzy book, Tuning was authorized to pen a third work. It's not bad, although it does lack a little of the charm Piper brought to his world.

[Helen Lemus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The action speeds up at the end once the writer introduces the complication of the attempted murder of Gwen and the fortune in sunstones. Learning that the Fuzzies are a race of intelligent beings that had arrived from another planet came at the end of the book, but the discovery solves the initial question of the book. From the beginning of the book, there is substantial discussion as to the intelligence and wisdom of the Fuzzies because they are portrayed as childlike beings in need of guidance and protection by humans. Since this is a book in a series, many things are carried over.

I like the book for several reasons. I like some of the references to military life. I love the diverse characters and the Fuzzies. They are a little cutesy, but I like that kind of thing. The Fuzzies are a race of beings that can neither commit evil nor go insane. For those reasons, they are definitely interesting contrasts to both the vile and the sweet human characters in the book.

Some other parts were kind of offensive. Although there are many women in the book, they are not quite fully developed characters and seem to be there to support their men. The portrayals of the servicemen are mixed. There are some dereliction of duty and corruption in the ranks which did not sit well with me, but I did like the book because of its honesty. The writer was communicating situations as he perceived without holding anything back. Honesty goes a long way in science fiction.

Good show, but too slow a buildup for such a quick ending for my tastes.

[Jabotikaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I started reading this book feeling somewhat apprehensive. After all, this sequel to H. Beam Piper's original Fuzzies story was written by someone else after his death. I wasn't sure what to expect.
But it turned out to be unexpectedly good. My favorite characters and the fictional world remained the same, and the writing style was similar to Piper's. Furthermore, this book answered the many questions that inevitably arise when reading the original trilogy. Why are Fuzzies the only primates on Zarathushtra? Why do they desperately need a certain substance to survive? Why can they only obtain that substance by hunting and eating land prawns?
The only thing I didn't like was the lack of Fuzzy points of view in this book. The last book of the original trilogy, Fuzzies and Other People, featured many Fuzzy points of view and was particularly enjoyable. However, that's not enough to take away a star, and I'm happy to give Fuzzy Bones five stars.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fuzzy series is weird. There are several novels telling different stories from the same time, and some from different points of view, even a reboot. But Fuzzy Bones is a good one that takes the story forward. Oddly, it was authorized and published before Piper's third volume was discovered and published, so the books contradict each other. I actually like where Tuning left things more, and I wish that He had written a follow-up.

[Economondos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good entry in the saga of the Fuzzies of Zarathustra. Remembering that this was published before the discovery and publishing of H Beam Piper's Fuzzies and Other People, this is an alternative timeline to that book. Having just read both, I prefer Piper's take. Others may well prefer this one.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good sequel to Piper's first two books published before his manuscript for the third book was found.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good continuation of H Beam Piper's work. For the first part there are several different stories running at once. It makes sense in the end, but the end is rather abrupt.

[Judy Goldich · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT READ AND WORTH THE EFFORT. You don't need to read the predecessors to understand it. The first two volumes, Little Fuzzy and The Other Human Race, were out of print for decades. See separate reviews.

This is the third book in The Fuzzy series, though not by the original hand. This utterly charming original duo was first published in 1962 (Little Fuzzy) and 1964 (The Other Human Race was the original title.) This story presented Tuning's best estimate of what happened next, and was published a good 20 years after the first two, and about three years before Ace's mysterious discovery of a third Piper-penned volume in a trunk in Pennsylvania.

Not much has emerged about Tuning to this date, so little in fact that you might imagine he was invented by the publisher as cover for a committee (untrue) or that he had a second, non public life (more likely) that he didn't care to share. Or, perhaps he was just eccentric

Tuning's recreation of the original atmosphere of the stories was superb. He either studied it closely, or loved the originals, or both. The tale itself was excellent, particularly in the absence of a third Piper-penned novel.

After that, Ace managed to turn up a Piper sequel, which it claimed had mysteriously emerged from Piper's papers. I wonder where those papers have been hiding since 1964.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I've been impressed by the way in which additional authors have added to Piper's Fuzzy Sapiens series - there is a real care taken to keep the narrative true to the originals that demonstrates a respect to the great story writing that began this series.

In Fuzzy Bones by William Tuning, the Jack Holloway narrative continues with his charming and intelligent Fuzzy friends to face new challenges on the planet Zarathustra. The story continues Piper’s original Fuzzy series, taking readers through debates over the Fuzzies' rights and territory as Jack navigates corporate and political hurdles to protect them.

Tuning’s adaptation is a well-crafted homage, honouring Piper’s themes of ethics and empathy while adding fresh depth to the characters. Any fans of early science fiction and the Fuzzies will appreciate Tuning’s commitment to capturing the original spirit of the series, making it a satisfying and heartwarming continuation.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Tuning did his homework well. when reading this book it is easy to forget that it wasn't written by the same author as the other Fuzzy Books. Tuning has captured Pipers style and his charaters and placed them in a story that is a worthy sequel to the beloved sci fi classics.
This book does lack one thing though. Fans of the origanal Piper Books will notice the lack of courtroom drama the made the origanals so engaging. Tuning does,however, make up for it by providing the reader iwth one startling Fuzzy revealation after another.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written before the discovery of the Fuzzies and Other People manuscript tuning took the world Piper had created for the Fuzzies and added a substantial background to it. Longer than the two original novels combined (but still short by today's doorstop standards) Tuning does a great job of fleshing out the story of the inhabitants of Zarathustra. I wonder how he reacted when Piper's third book was discovered.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story that blends well with the original Fuzzy stories by H. Beam Piper. In this timeline Fuzzies have an agrarian lifestyle and there is a spaceship underneath the ground nearby. This spaceship appears to be leaching titanium into the soil which was helping to produce healthy Fuzzies until the local weather patterns had been disrupted. But where did this spaceship come from and when and does this mean Fuzzies may not be native to Zarathustra?

[Kat Klein · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it years after reading the first 2 Fuzzy novels. And I did not enjoy it. The entire space faring possibility I felt was way off the original intentions of Piper's story (Actually the 3rd manuscript discovered some 20 years after his death proves that my feelings were right)

This was so disappointing to me that for years afterwards I pretended there were only 2 books in the series. I've probably read those books 20 times. This one I was sorry to have read once.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows in Piper's footsteps and does a good job of not changing the world too much. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place were the love interests, although I did enjoy them.

Since the real third Fuzzy book was discovered after this was published there are some amusing inconsistencies. But given there was thought to be nothing to continue the story, Tuning does a decent job.

[Mickey Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ace books contracted William Tuning to write a wrap up to the Fuzzy series, as Piper's third Fuzzy manuscript had not been discovered or published yet. Tuning is not up to the task, and writes a much more sexist book, with far too many storylines going on, and some out of character actions for characters established in Piper's books.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Stuck well to the original H. Beam Piper universe. I miss Fuzzies and wish the estate would encourage others to write stories about them.

[Howard]

12

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1989 grade B

Series book F3 in my listings

Filed with HB Piper.