Quozl, by Alan Dean Foster, is a delightful and thought-provoking science fiction novel that explores the concept of first contact between humans and an alien species. The story follows the Quozl, a rabbit-like race of aliens who have arrived on Earth aboard a generational ship.

One of the strengths of Quozl is its unique and well-developed alien culture. The Quozl are a fascinating species with their own customs, values, and social structures. Foster does an excellent job of portraying them as both alien and relatable, making their interactions with humans all the more compelling.

The novel also offers a humorous take on the challenges of intercultural communication. The Quozl's slow and deliberate way of speaking and their tendency to engage in philosophical debates can be both endearing and frustrating to humans. Foster's witty writing style keeps the story lighthearted and enjoyable, even as it delves into deeper themes about xenophobia, tolerance, and the nature of intelligence.

However, some readers may find the pacing of the novel to be uneven. The first half of the book focuses on the initial encounters between humans and Quozl, which can be a bit slow-paced at times. The second half picks up the pace as the Quozl become more integrated into human society and face increasing challenges.

Overall, Quozl is a charming and entertaining novel that offers a fresh perspective on the classic first contact theme. It's a perfect read for fans of science fiction who enjoy witty dialogue, interesting alien cultures, and thought-provoking social commentary.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I liked other books by this author before but I couldn't get into this one. I feel it is partially the audiobook or simply the audiobook version in general. The book would be better read than listened to. I may try a physical book in the future because I found the audio experience just didn't grab my attention.

Alan Dean Foster has always been on my radar, but I have yet to pick up one of of his titles so Quozl coming to audio was perfect timing to dive in. There was so much about this that I enjoyed., its detail and reverence really flushed out this civilization living alongside us without our knowledge. Ultimately, though it all kind of fell apart at the end for me, kept it from being a five star read. I can’t see where people would draw some comparisons to Douglas Adams; however it’s missing a sense of whimsy and intentional chaos to really capture that energy for me. This definitely feels like a product of its time and brought me back to the world of my childhood, filled with made for toy cartoons on Saturday morning, and the Dawn of the 24 hour new cycle.

The narration on this was great, the voice actor really helped bring all of this to life with a wide range of characters across multiple species all in all I would definitely pick up more from this narrator and from Alan DeanFoster

The story centers around a race of rabbit-like aliens called the Quozl who are on a mission to find a new home planet. Their spaceship is a generation ship, meaning that the Quozl on board are descendants of the original colonists and have never set foot on a planet before.

The Quozl land on Earth during World War II and are shocked to discover that Earth is already inhabited by another intelligent species. The Quozl are a peaceful and docile race, and they are horrified by the violence and destruction they witness on Earth. They decide to keep their presence a secret and establish an underground colony. They are worried about what humans will do to them if they are discovered.

At first, the story follows a Quozl named Looks-at-Charts: A scout on the Quozl ship. He's responsible for finding a suitable planet and plays a crucial role in the initial landing on Earth. In the second part, the story shifts to Looks-at-Charts' extended relation, Runs-Red-Talking, who stumbles across a human child, and this simple interaction will start a chain of events that will forever change Quozl's history.

What I liked most about the book was Foster's detailed alien culture of the Quozl. Their social structure, communication, and motivations are interesting and well-explored. I also liked that they were giant rabbits, and in many respects, they had the same character traits as Earth rabbits, which was rather humorous.

The pacing could have been improved. Although the book kept my attention, the story sometimes moved slower than I would have liked. For example, the book spans many decades, with the main storyline happening in the present. The beginning world-building part was the aspect that dragged a bit, although it did build a good foundation for the main plotline.

Overall, Quozl is a charming and entertaining read that will leave you smiling. It's a perfect pick-me-up for anyone who enjoys lighthearted sci-fi.

Alan Dean Foster's Quozl reveal themselves with each ear cant, display of respect and shudder at the reminder of their ancestor's bloody past. From their hidden burrow, Quozl colonists watch the natives of Shiraz with scientific curiosity and wary fascination. Revolting but definitely clever, the nearly hairless, nearly earless, warlike Shirazians develop increasingly effective ways of killing each other as generations pass.

The children of both species are curious, test boundaries and keep secrets.

No one can stay hidden forever.

Narrator Paul Bellantoni voices the pomposity of elders, the curiosity of the explorers and rising tension as discovery nears.

This was an absolute delight!

Originally published in 1989, but just being released for the first time on audio, "Quozl" is a first contact story. I have read a couple of books by Alan Dean Foster recently, and this was another fantastic tale. I could actually see many things from this book that felt like they affected many other things I've read and watched in the last 10-20 years. I feel like this story may have inspired many in various ways. It got a little "weird" for me at the end, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment in the book.

Here's my breakdown:
Characters 4.5/5
Plot 4.5/5
Storytelling 4/5
Enjoyment 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5

The audiobook "cover" for this book changed from the original 1989 cover. I absolutely adored the original cover though, and I will definitely be seeking out a physical copy of the book now because of the cover note that it includes a "flip-a-mation" story as well! I used to love flip stories as a kid, and this book feels like it would generate some fun flip stories. Now to begin the hunt!

Oddly enough, when I got to the second half of this book, it reminded me of some of the original black and white television series of The Outer Limits from the 1960s. Sometimes, silly, oftentimes humorous, leading the reader to a serious and meaningful conclusion. The basic storyline here is based on a race of beings called Quozl. They are physically, rabbit-like. They have a need to find a new planet since their own is becoming overpopulated. The first part of the book is somewhat repetitive, with hormone-driven males in constant need of coupling. They’re rabbit-like after all. Once humans come into the picture, the story begins to quickly develop further. In Alan Dean Foster style, the reading is compelling, fun, intelligent. This was an audiobook and the narrator, Paul Bellantoni, really did justice to the book.

A ship of sentient (and slightly humanoid) space rabbits land on earth, only to realise it is already inhabited by another (violent) sentient species - humans. They decide to live underground for a few generations, establishing themselves before making contact, all while monitoring human transmissions (e.g. what is playing on tv) and making careful explorative trips to the surface in the remote area in which they landed. Unfortuanatley for the rest of the Quozl contact is made early when Runs Red Rising runs into a boy, whom he forms a friendship with.

The concept of this book intrigued me - I mean, what scifi loving nature nerd doesn't want to read about space rabbits? The book gets off to a bit of a slow start, but I started to really enjoy it once the world/community building aspect had been somewhat established. I loved learning about the Quozl and their culture, although I wasn't a big fan of their constant insistence that humans would be less violent and stop warring if only they had more sex. I completely disagree with the premise (I mean, look at all the violence DRIVEN by sex. I do wonder if the fact I'm asexual made it hit harder but I don't think it's that important.) The Quozl were delightful characters and I enjoyed their curiosity and intelligence. I would love to learn more about them. The humans on the other hand... Let's just say I don't think that the reaction to discovering an alien species was particularly accurate. They also felt less developed than the Quozl and the main human characters kind of felt like their sole purpose was to facilitate the discovery of the Quozl. But I do think that the Quozl do largely make up for this. The parts that focussed on the Quozl were the strongest in my opinion, and the story unfortunately no longer felt as strong when humans became fully involved. And if you enjoy audiobooks, I can definitely recommend the version narrated by Paul Bellantoni. I feel like his talented narration enhanced the experience.

I think you will probably have a good time with this one if you are looking for a fun first contact story and/or you love rabbits. I did have to suspend my disbelief a bit at times and it had a few moments I didn't like as much, but overall I had a great time with this book!

I was unsure about this book but it looked fun & didn’t disappoint! For me it felt like a cross between Agent to the Stars & Galaxy Quest. SO! MUCH! FUN! A quick fun read! The narrator was perfect, it felt like an instant classic.

Space rabbits land during the commotion of WWII and go into hiding but they multiply like … rabbits & soon due to their growing numbers, they will be revealed, but how? HA!

Quozyl is a sci-fi fantasy story about a gentle race of giant, walking, and talking extraterrestrial rabbits who journey through the galaxy in search of a new planet since their home planet has become overpopulated (rabbits will be rabbits, after all). They land on Earth and burrow into the hills of Idaho, where they observe and study humans before making contact. When they finally do make contact, it is exactly the chaotic and hilarious mess you expect it to be!

The story is clever, funny and original. The audiobook narration is exceptional, and I would have gladly listened to another ten hours of the Quozl's escapades.

I remember reading part of this book when I was a kid & it was promptly taken from me. Girls weren't supposed to like these sorts of things back then. I was thrilled when I saw this as an audio version & up on NetGalley. I asked to listen to it & was happy I got to do so!

The audiobook version of this book gave me feelings of nostalgia & I finally got to finish the book. While I didn't like every part of this book as usual for any book I read, the narrator Paul Bellantoni was spectacular. They have a voice that makes you feel like you're listening to someone around a bonfire telling you stories about the past. Their voice makes things stick, which is a rarity for me with my memory issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for an audiobook to voluntarily listen to and review honestly.

The narration is excellent. Easy to listen to and keep track of details, even at a fast speed.

I can't believe I've never heard of this book as it's been around for a while! it's a quirky alien sci-fi+fantasy story about clashing cultures. While I disagree with some of the messaging, it's still a fascinating read. The characters were neat. I loved reading about the Quozls. It's funny, meaningful and thoughtful, and romantic in its way. Most of all, it's very creative!

4 star narration, 5 star creativity, but 3 stars overall because I certainly don't think sex is the answer to humankind's problems, and I therefore can't and don't broadly recommend it.

This entertaining and philosophically engaging first contact story started slowly but gained momentum and was surprisingly suspenseful at times. Although the story frequently discusses sex and violence, it’s a remarkably sweet, hopeful, humorous story. I loved the characters, both Quozl and human, and enjoyed watching their relationships develop. The ending caught me by surprise but made sense.

The audiobook production was good, and the narration by Paul Bellantoni enhanced my enjoyment of the story. He is pleasant to listen to, with good pacing and pronunciation, distinctive voices and speech patterns to suit all of the characters, and the ability to convey mood and emotion effectively. The story works well as an audiobook, and I suspect some of the lines are much funnier with Mr. Bellantoni’s delivery.

I purchased the ebook, but I received a free advanced listening copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I enjoyed this book for the first two thirds of it, but didn’t enjoy the last third and especially hated the ending. The integration into society and then the end result did not jive with the vibe of the rest of the book to me and in some ways felt jarring. The frustration and annoyance of the end puts a shadow on the enjoyment of the beginning for me.

I did love the audiobook narrator. He did an amazing job of bringing the book and characters to life.

I wasn't familiar with this book before I saw an offer for what I thought was an ARC audiobook. Looks like this might be a 35th anniversary celebration of its release.

It sounded like an intriguing plot. Rabbit-like aliens come to Earth for a new home. However, I couldn't finish this book. It was a reminder why I've gone away from reading science fiction books, but others are drawn to them. Too much technology and military terminology and culture. I also found it very tedious with the "rabbits" always copulating or thinking about copulating. This book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The minute I saw this audiobook was written by Alan Dean Foster, I jumped on it! A master of the sci-fi genre, he is well known for being George Lucas' ghost writer, BUT is a phenomenal author in his own right. (I will acknowledge his contribution to Star Wars all day long)

The Qozl have overrun and outgrown their planet and as such, they need to seek new pastures to call home. I will admit that as much as I enjoyed the world building and character building in the first few chapters, (the impromptu fight scene was absolutely hilarious to me) There was so much focus on the proliferation of the species and the control/ prevention thereof, that it almost, almost put me off. Not the necessity and the context, but because of the current overuse of certain terminolgy in contempporary soceity, dehumanising the act of procreation. lovemaking. But As I was enjoying the audiobook otherwise, I continued on and I am so glad that I did!

The Quozl land on Earth smack bang in the middle of WWII (but the Quozl call this Shiraz and the inflections on the "z" are a scream") However, you can't keep a good space-bunny down and they are procreating again, well, like rabbits. Soon, their numbers can no longer be ignored and they venture forth to claim their new home

I must, must celebrate the narration of Paul Bellantoni as not only did he create incredible vocal nuances for each species, but the characters within too and this is no mean feat! He excelled at his narration and did not skip a beat, flipping stunning

I am well acquainted with the writing of Alan Dean Foster and if you don't get to read his Star Wars novels, then certainly, certainly listen to this. Cerebral, insightful, hilarious and well, all round awesome!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore, the incredible Alan Dean Foster and immensely talented Paul Bellantoni for this fantastic ALC! My review is left of my own volition and all opinions are my own

I didn't realize this was an old story when I asked to listen to this audiobook on Netgalley. I did see that the author is Alan Dean Foster, an author I have enjoyed since my first book by him decades ago (a Star Wars book) and that it's a first contact story -- with rabbits.
The story is interesting and the aliens are fully described. The way people react when they find out is totally believable. The story is amusing and there is also some tension. I thought the narrator was great and creative with the different voices.
Thanks to NetGalley