What is a Hoka? It is a furry creature living on an earthlike planet called Toka on the edge of the known universe. They are a race unlike any other yet discovered, for although they resemble bears they can change their appearance. This book is a compilation of some of the stories about these creatures written by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson.

In the prologue to the collected tales we learn that Toka, which means "Earth", has two intelligent species who have evolved into the Hokas and the Slissii. The former are mammalian while the latter are reptiloid. Conflict was endemic until the arrival of the "Interplanetary League" at which time the Slissii were persuaded to abandon the planet for other territories (this apparently led to problems elsewhere). The Hokas on the other hand welcomed the tutelage of the League and in their own unique way adopted the culture and mores of their visitors in an all too literal way.

The stories included in this volume provide evidence of the comedy (mostly) resulting from the literal adoption of the milieus of Baseball (think "Casey at the Bat"), Kipling's Jungle Books, the Napoleonic era, and more. I found the stories quirky enough for smiles and a chuckle or two, but some might find them "laugh out loud" funny. This volume provides an view of what might happen if in the distant future we explore and fail to obey "the Prime Directive". ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer   Synopsis The Human Federation has The Human Burden of guiding the less fortunate species of the universe towards a more enlightened existence. So when they discover a world of hyper intelligent small bearlike creatures [think intelligent Ewoks], a young plenipotentiary is sent to bring them into the warm brotherhood of the Federation.   My Thoughts This was JUST what I needed to read. It was so funny and obviously tongue-in-cheek that I was chortling the whole way through. My wife finally gave up asking me what was so funny.   Basically, the Hokas take whatever stories from Earth culture and live it out. It makes for some hilarious situations. Wild West, Space Patrols, Pirates, Sherlock Holmes, Casey at the Bat, etc. Oh, it was so funny.   Alexander, the poor pleni, has his hands full dealing with situations that keep threatening to run out of control. And if even one situation gets away from him, Alexander will be sent back to the base level of the Corp, lose his livelihood and force his wife and kiddies into Grade A poverty.   Anderson and Dickson do a fantastic job of writing over the top,  keeping me amused and telling a ripping good yarn. I am really looking forward to the next book; I just hope it will be as funny.   Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Author: Poul Anderson & Gordon Dickson " ( )

Thoughts on reading this in 1990.

An ok continuation of the Hoka series started in Earthman's Burden. I didn't, with the exception of "Joy in Mudville", find the stories as funny as in the first volume. (I liked the legal and physical intricacies -- and humor -- of multi-species baseball.) Perhaps the joke was wearing a bit fun. I didn't find "Full Pack (Hokas Wild)" (a Kipling takeoff) very fun at all. One of the best pieces in the book is an oddity not even by Anderson and Dickson. It's called "'The Bear that Walks Like a Man': Ursinaid Stereotype in Early Interbeing Era Popular Culture" by Sandra Miesel. It's an hilarious parody of leftist, Marxist intellectual thought that draws all sorts of wrong conclusions from scant evidence, erroneous assumptions, and the belief that imperialist ambitions are afoot. ( )