H Beam Piper

Every once in a while, you come across an author that sparks your interest. I have discovered an author from the explosive era of science fiction that not only writes a good story but also uses his stories to explain why the hand out mentality of the socialist governments creates a nation of lazy people. I started reading Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper (I know, the name sounds like a grade B adult cinema flick) and became intrigued.

The book is part of his future history. He wrote about the expansion of man across the universe and how we would handle the colonization of the planets we discovered. Little Fuzzy refers to the discovery of a creature that appears to be sentient. For all intensive purposes, it sounds like they are the creatures that George Lucas used when he created the Ewoks. The battle is between the people who discovered them and the corporation that has the rights to exploit the planet. He paints the corporation as greedy and mean spirited but he approaches it from a European colonial mentality. Exploit, use and make as obscene profit as you can. Make sure you eliminate any obstacle that gets in your way.

In the end, the good guys win and in the sequel, the corporation teams up with the good guys to take out the corrupt, mafia style organization that is preying on the Fuzzy's good nature. Piper uses his vast knowledge of history to incorporate how by ignoring the past, we are likely to repeat it. He uses that same knowledge to demonstrate how stagnation and rot settle in when the government takes too big of a role in our daily lives.

Unfortunately, H Beam Piper did not live to finish his future history. He fell in love and married a lady from France. He was in love with her but she was not in love with him. Unfortunately, she left him and created a significant amount of financial hardship that we was unable to cover. He ended up taking his own life. A sad loss for the world of science fiction. At least we have the legacy of the works he left behind.

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