Introducing and following a pair of youths, a warm and fuzzy alien and an innocent human child, the story at first exudes a sunny and bright point of view that my cynical adult mind interpreted as, 'Oh, this is going to be just another 'lived happily ever after' story.' Additionally, the story's timeline did exhibit some jarring discontinuities. The Quozl, on the other hand, in a rejection of their own aggressive tendencies, have developed over many generations a peaceful culture that places great value upon exceptional politeness and courtesy with each other. It takes place as aliens, the Quozl, looking for a new homeworld, run out of fuel in their spaceship and decide they must settle on Earth, even though the natives appear dangerous and uncivilized, what with their constant warring. Quozl, by Alan Dean Foster, is a deceptively simple story of first human/alien contact. Once you meet the Quozl, you will never forget them.

One of the most admired and prolific authors in the science fiction arena, Alan Dean Foster will delight readers who hunger for something different with this funny, thoughtful, and wildly inventive novel of first contact and coexistence. But a secret like the Quozl can be concealed for only so long, especially when their numbers start to increase and certain rebellious members of the long-eared society decide the time is ripe to claim their place in a world they believe is rightfully theirs. In the midst of the brutal and helpfully distracting global conflict the Shirazians call World War II, the colony ship lands undetected, and the space rabbits immediately go into hiding. What they don't realize is that this world they call Shiraz is already inhabited by a species of violent sentient creatures known as humans. A gentle race of extraterrestrial rabbits, they have a propensity for reproduction that has left their home planet, Quozlene, dangerously overpopulated, and in their search for greener and less-crowded pastures, they have discovered the perfect place to start over: the third planet away from a healthy, warming sun.

Rabbitlike aliens from outer space colonize Earth during humankind's Second World War in a delightfully funny and thought-provoking science fiction adventure The Quozl just need somewhere to call home.

Alan dean foster quozl