Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi was the Alternate Pick to the official Sword and Laser Book Club selection. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Reading period: Jul 12, 2011 - Aug 15, 2011
How/Why was this book chosen: Some Sword & Laser's Goodreads Group members didn't want to read A Dance with Dragons. They had a poll to choose an alternate book.
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi 14 votes 40.0%
Magician by Raymond Feist 7 votes 20.0%
The Atrocity Archives by Charlie Stross 5 votes 14.3%
I'm going to read A Dance of Drag Queens, but I want to vote anyway 5 votes 14.3%
Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe 4 votes 11.4%
Sword & Laser Goodreads Group Discussion of Fuzzy Nation
Sword & Laser Podcasts: Kick Off: S&L 68Wrap Up: S&L 73
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
Jack Holloway works alone, for reasons he doesn’t care to talk about. Hundreds of miles from ZaraCorp’s headquarters on planet, 178 light-years from the corporation’s headquarters on Earth, Jack is content as an independent contractor, prospecting and surveying at his own pace. As for his past, that’s not up for discussion. Then, in the wake of an accidental cliff collapse, Jack discovers a seam of unimaginably valuable jewels, to which he manages to lay legal claim just as ZaraCorp is cancelling their contract with him for his part in causing the collapse. Briefly in the catbird seat, legally speaking, Jack pressures ZaraCorp into recognizing his claim, and cuts them in as partners to help extract the wealth. But there’s another wrinkle to ZaraCorp’s relationship with the planet Zarathustra. Their entire legal right to exploit the verdant Earth-like planet, the basis of the wealth they derive from extracting its resources, is based on being able to certify to the authorities on Earth that Zarathustra is home to no sentient species. Then a small furry biped—trusting, appealing, and ridiculously cute—shows up at Jack’s outback home. Followed by its family. As it dawns on Jack that despite their stature, these are people, he begins to suspect that ZaraCorp’s claim to a planet’s worth of wealth is very flimsy indeed…and that ZaraCorp may stop at nothing to eliminate the “fuzzys” before their existence becomes more widely known.