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Alien Pets
Boldly going where no pet has gone before
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Alien Pets
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Edited by Denise Little
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Daw Books
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, Dec. 1998
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ISBN 0-88677-822-0
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Review by Susan Dunman
 alling all pet lovers: Name a science fiction short story
about pets. If nothing comes to mind immediately, perhaps some hints from this collection will help. Editor Denise Little has selected 15 authors,
including Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jack Haldeman, Elizabeth Scarborough, David Bischoff, and Diane Duane, whose works combine visions of the future with the pets who live there. Alternately humorous, thoughtful, and downright scary, these stories offer a wide assortment of critters to choose from.
In "Objects of Desire," Nina Kiriki Hoffman introduces the skewlis, a cute, genetically engineered pet that's a must-have item for every fashionable teenager. Kirby's financially strapped family can't afford a designer label skewlis, so her grandmother buys a discounted one on the black market. Although just as pretty as those belonging to her wealthy friends, it's soon apparent that Kirby's pet is not like the rest.
John DeChancie tells a macabre tale reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe in
"Watchcat." Eleanor's husband has an inexplicable aversion to Terwilliger,
her devoted cat-like pet imported from a distant star system. Unknown to
Eleanor, her devious husband is coldly plotting her murder. At the same
time, with cat-stalking finesse, Terwilliger is busy plotting a murder of
his own. Another cat inspired story is "What Fluffy Knew," by Rusch.
In this piece, an elegant white cat lives a life of luxury and enjoys the favors her people lavish upon her. One day Fluffy notices an insect-sized flying saucer land in her house. After comprehending its purpose, she decides to take matters into her own four paws.
Lassie never acted like this
Aside from cats, dogs are also well represented in this collection. In
"Dog is my Copilot," Karen Haber envisions a time when space pilots won't
fly solo due to psychological problems associated with long periods of
isolation. Dogs are selected to accompany pilots because, "dogs always like
to go for a ride, don't they?" Of course, there's the possibility that
space dogs may develop psychological problems of their own.
Although an amazing array of creatures are portrayed here, it's the variety of themes within this collection that provide the real entertainment. "Bongoid," by David Bischoff, sarcastically looks at an Earth conquered by crass commercialism, requiring an alien "pet" to save the planet's culture. John Helfers' "A Boy and His Alien" looks at the symbiotic relationship between two renegades from different worlds who need each other to survive, and the meaning of true intelligence is examined in "Diamonds," a powerful story by Michelle West of a retarded child's search for love and acceptance. More than one story raises concerns with humanity's predilection to willingly accept anything cute and cuddly without regard for unpredictable consequences.
Some writing is less than stellar, and at least one story's inclusion is
questionable. However, the basic premise is so appealing that allowances
are easy to make. In her introduction, Little aptly reminds readers that
any pet they've ever had was, "A bundle of alien intelligence and emotion
waiting for you every day when you got home." These stories echo that
belief, amplify it, and aim it directly at the future.
There's no doubt we'll always have pets. The question is, exactly who or
what will they be? After reading this book, your basic dog or cat looks
pretty boring, but also a whole lot safer.
-- Susan
Back to the top.
The Complete Fuzzy
Welcome to Zarathustra, planet of the Fuzzies
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The Complete Fuzzy
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By H. Beam Piper
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Ace Science Fiction
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$15.00/$21.00 Canada
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Trade Paperback, Dec. 1998
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ISBN 0-441-00581-0
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Review by Curt Wohleber
 he Complete Fuzzy collects H. Beam Piper's three short novels that chronicle the first encounters between humans and a race of endearing aliens called Fuzzies.
The planet Zarathustra harbors more than its share of nasty animal life.
In Little Fuzzy (1962), a prospector finds a previously unknown and very different creature: a golden-furred, pint-sized primate whom the
prospector names Little Fuzzy. The discovery of the friendly, harmless
Fuzzies spells disaster for the Zarathustra Corp. Fuzzies appear to
be intelligent, and the presence of intelligent natives on the planet would
void the company's charter. Zarathustra will protect its
interests at all costs, even if it means slaughtering Fuzzies.
Fuzzy Sapiens (1964) explores two mysteries: the appearance of a Fuzzy at the Zarathustra Corp.'s headquarters, thousands of miles from Fuzzy turf, and the grimmer puzzle of the Fuzzies' low birth rate.
Scientists try to find out why the Fuzzies are going extinct.
In Fuzzies and Other People (1984), a band of thugs stands charged with abducting Fuzzies and forcing them to commit crimes. The bad guys will go free, however, unless prosecutors can prove courtroom lie detectors work on Fuzzies. Ironically, validating Fuzzy testimony means first teaching them how to lie, a concept Fuzzies can't seem to grasp. Meanwhile, the embattled head of a Fuzzy tribe hits upon an ingenious leadership tactic: he tells his people things that are not true.
Cute critters and rugged adventure
The Complete Fuzzy will charm readers who have a soft spot for playful, furry critters. For those who don't, the saga offers a light,
well-crafted blend of courtroom drama, scientific mystery and rugged
adventure. There's nothing really original or outstanding about the novels,
but they're enjoyable and, like an old Teddy Bear, comforting.
The first two novels read like halves of a single book, though Fuzzy
Sapiens lacks the surprisingly subtle characterization and darker edge
of the first story; readers never have the slightest doubt that things are
going to turn out just fine. Fuzzies and Other People did not
appear until two decades after Piper's death in 1964, but it more than
holds its own. The human characters remain static and two-dimensional, but the Fuzzies, including Little Fuzzy, finally come into their own as fully
realized characters.
The Fuzzies aren't particularly believable aliens. Piper's genius lay in
creating an imaginary race of perfect surrogate children: cute, cuddly,
small and self-sufficient, yet ever eager for the guidance and affection of
their adoptive human "parents." Piper knew how to tug on the heartstrings
without strangling readers with them.
The political and moral implications of Fuzzy-human relations--Fuzzies
have the legal status of children--don't bear close scrutiny. The Fuzzies'
lesson to humans, however, is to not take things so seriously all the time.
To paraphrase Ecclesiastes--or is it The Byrds? --there is a time to be
serious, and a time to be fuzzy.
Never liked Ewoks or had much use for tribbles, but Fuzzies I like.
-- Curt
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