Fuzzy Bones

H. Beam Piper (1904-64) enjoyed a brief career as a science-fiction author, which ended with his suicide in 1964. In 1963 he published Little Fuzzy, which revolved around the discovery of a race of small humanoids on a human-colonized world and the battle to get them recognized as a sapient race. In 1964 he published Fuzzy Sapiens as a sequel. Though there were reports of a nearly completed third book, it was not found after his death, so in 1981 Ace Books printed a sequel written by William Tuning, Fuzzy Bones. Now that the rights of the Fuzzies have been established legally, the decent people of Zarathustra are ready to get on with the development of the planet. But, there are so many nagging questions about the Fuzzies. For example, why is their biologically so dissimilar to every other living thing of Zarathustra? When a dramatic find is made in the north, the whole planet goes up for grabs. There's a fight brewing, and Jack Holloway and Little Fuzzy are certain to be right in the middle of it! Overall, I find myself of two minds when it comes to this book. With the way the Fuzzies are presented, and many other factors (no spoilers), it has a different feel from the other H. Beam Piper books. But, that said, it is a very exciting and entertaining book, and a great read. It's a nice thick book, with lots of great action and a fascinating mystery. Plus, I must say that I was glad to see another book in the Piper universe, and I dearly wish that I could see more! So, overall I do recommend this book. I am glad that I bought it, and I highly recommend it to other H. Beam Piper fans. (By the way, if you like this book, you should read Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey by Ardath Mayhar. It takes the Piper/Tuning story, and presents it from the Fuzzy's perspective.)

Tuning appropriately dedicates FUZZY BONES to "Anubis, the guide from the first life to the second life" - this is, after all, the first book about the Fuzzies of Zarathustra to be written by anyone other than their creator, H. Beam Piper. At the time FUZZY BONES first saw the light of day - December, 1981 - Piper had published two Fuzzy novels, LITTLE FUZZY and FUZZY SAPIENS; in the nature of things, FUZZY BONES contains massive spoilers for both of them, since it picks up a continuing cast of characters at a turning point in Zarathustran history. However, FUZZY BONES is *NOT* in sync with Piper's 3rd Fuzzy novel, because Piper's tragic death in 1964 left his estate in such a mess that the manuscript of FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE wasn't located and published until 1984, 3 years after FUZZY BONES. Consequently, Tuning's projected results for the trial of Diamond's kidnappers and the ultimate fate of Hugo Ingermann, the sleazy lawyer who controls the Zarathustran underworld (mainly Mallorysport, its only full-fledged city) differ from Piper's actual resolution. Since Ingermann is a major character in FUZZY BONES, that portion of the plot makes this an alternate history of Piper's Zarathustra instead of a seamless continuation. Apart from that - something Tuning couldn't have foreseen - he's done well in taking up Piper's mantle, and the flavor of his writing is close enough to Piper's to satisfy a craving for a new Piper story. At 47 chapters, it's about twice as long as any single Piper Fuzzy novel, but there's no makeweight. Tuning picks up 6 months after the end of FUZZY SAPIENS, starting with the 3 first-class passengers aboard _City of Asgard_ in the wake of the immigration boom triggered by the Pendarvis Decisions of LITTLE FUZZY. None of the 3 is a typical colonist, if there is such a thing, and each is a hook providing a window on a different section of Zarathustra, in addition to the regular cast inherited from earlier books. Master Gunnie Philip Helton's en route to Xerxes to see that the naval base is up to scratch in case of further civil unrest, given the changeover in colonial government and the sudden influx of immigrants - many of whom will wind up broke and desperate on finding that the loss of the Company charter hasn't paved the streets of Mallorysport with gold, even though much of the planet is now technically public domain. The Rev (Helton pegs him as an ex-marine) has been sent by his immediate boss to a) get him as far away as possible and b) to set up the first soup kitchen/mission on Zarathustra. Any planet settled for 25 years is bound to have a slum, immigration boom or no. (In Mallorysport, it's Junktown, and mostly owned by Hugo Ingermann.) The last of the 3 first-class passengers is also travelling for "business" reasons - Christiana Stone, taking up the oldest profession after being rather abandoned by her fiancee when she asked for help for her father. Christiana's basically a good egg, just young and naive - she

Recently, I acquired a copy of The Complete Fuzzy and was confused. The story simply was not as I remembered it, from first reading the Fuzzy books years ago. The reason, of course, is that I had read every Fuzzy book I could get my hands on. Fuzzy Bones had completed the story so well that it had become an integral part of H. Beam Piper's universe -- to the extent that I was unaware Piper hadn't written it! This really is a "true" Fuzzy book, regardless of who wrote it.

If you loved H. Beam Piper's first two Fuzzy Books "Little Fuzzy" and "Fuzzy Sapiens" (sometimes called "The Fuzzy Papers") then you should definitely try to track this one down.The author was authorized to write a third book to conclude the series. It is obvious he studied the previous works carefully and loves his subject. He catches the true feeling and spirit of Piper's Terran Federation, and also the underlying themes of the Self-Reliant Man and the nature of Civil Society. If that is too deep, there are also some great Gunfights!William Tuning displays his own distinct voice, and it is sometimes delightfully different from H. Beam Piper, the author of the first two novels. For those of us who love H. Beam Piper, this is an unexpected and charming look at his universe from a different angle, with much extra enjoyable information about the Terran Federation Marine Corps, Mallorysport's Tramptown, and the original origin of the race of Fuzzies. This last plotline forms the main thrust of the story and is a brilliant and logical extension of Piper's previous statements about Fuzzy physiology and genetics, while also being surprising and deeply satisfying. Mr. Tuning also somehow manages to nearly perfectly catch the personalities of the heroes and villains we have loved for almost forty years-- Jack Holloway, Ben Rainsford, Victor Grego, Hugo Ingermann, and the all rest. And his own characters--new arrivals-- fit in perfectly and positively add to the story.I should note that I have read the published version of H. Beam Piper's unfinished manusript for "Fuzzies and Other People", which was the projected third Fuzzy novel. At the time of his death, Mr. Piper did not consider this manuscript ready for publication, and I would have to agree with him. It is a pity he never got to polish and refine that novel, and more of a pity (and certainly against his intent) that this fragment was published after his death.In comparison with that, to me William Tuning's labor of love, "Fuzzy Bones" which adds to the saga of the planet Zarathustra and the race of Fuzzies is the REAL third novel. This book is clearly and cleverly thought out, fast paced, and well written, while also being true to the original stories.The final pages, although ostensibly just a simple description of an office gathering at the Native Affairs Agency on Beta Continent, have a distinct feeling of "farewell" to them, while at the same time having a slightly incongruous but deep sense of joy. I know that sounds strange, and it is hard to describe in writing, but if you are a fan, then this concluding chapter will probably raise some good emotional goosebumps and resonate deeply with you. It did that for me, anyway.This is a good writer saying goodbye to an author, setting, and characters that he loves, and those of us who also loved the works of H. Beam Piper should salute William Tuning for the fine job he did in evoking the master, and in wrappin

This sequel to Piper's fuzzy series not only added another fasinating tale to the series but was done in the grand style of H Beam Piper.I sit enmeshed totally in the story every time I've read this book.Everything hold together to give a totally exciting experience.I greatly recommend this book to anyone,but exspecially to someone who has read the other two books of this collection