Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! [Mass Market Paperback]

Gordon Dickson (Author), Poul Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

The Interbeing League had been formed to make contact with new intelligent races in the galaxy and offer them membership. But when the League encountered the Hokas, furry creatures strongly resembling the teddy-bears of Earth, the League's agent, Alexander Jones, could have been excused for wishing he had a simpler assignment than making sense out of the Hokas - such as single-handedly stopping an interstellar war. Not that the fuzzy aliens were unfriendly. In fact, they loved everything about humans, and adopted various Terran cultures wholesale and in every little detail-but with a bit of confusion about the differences between fact and fiction. So if the Hokas suddenly started acting out the parts in a rip-roaring, shoot-em-up western, or brought to life the London of Sherlock Holmes, complete with a pipe-puffing, deerstalker-wearing Hoka, or suddenly decided to fly the Jolly Roger and lead a life of adventure and piracy on the high seas, matey, that was only to be expected. And as the Hokas threw themselves wholeheartedly into progressively wilder worlds from Terran history and fiction, Jones could be excused for feeling that his grip on reality was hanging by a single, thin, increasingly frayed thread...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the funniest s-f ever written".

-- A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671577743
• ISBN-13: 978-0671577742
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #994,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A hilarous look at the Insane, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! (Mass Market Paperback)

Submitted for your approval. A planet populated by teddy bears. Cute, Cuddly, and friendly. Tooo friendly! I'd give the book 5 stars if it wasn't for the fact that it is several short stories put together(don't like that format). I was rolling in the aisle during most of the book. The writers made one slight mistake though. No human being could live with the Hoka's for so long and not go permamently insane, or die of alcohol poisoning. :) Truely a unique book and the author(s) should be congratulated.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-buy, March 21, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! (Mass Market Paperback)

Orbiting the G2 star, Brackney's Star III, is the earthlike planet Toka. And, inhabiting the world of Toka are the Hoka, a small, teddy bear-looking race, who are surprisingly strong for their size. Unfortunately for their longsuffering human plenipotentiary, Alexander Jones, the Hoka are the most imaginative race in the galaxy, and as soon as they discover a new book of fiction, they adopt the roles and live the story...invariably with comedic results!

This book is a collection of short stories about the Hoka and the unfortunate Alexander Jones. Each story is literally laugh-out-loud funny, the authors having found a perfect medium for their talents! This book is a sequel to the hilarious book Hoka!, and like it is a must-buy.

In case you are curious, there are eight stories in this book. #1) The Sheriff of Canyon Gulch tells the story of Alexander Jones arrival on Toka, and his rescue of the cowboy Hokas from the dreaded greenskins. #2) In Don Jones, Jones's visit to Earth with a delegation of Hokas takes a nearly disastrous spin, when they are introduced to Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni! #3) In Hoka Signo Vinces, finds the Hokas in a new craze - space opera, and when they get word that a neighboring system is building a space-dreadnought, it's (the unwilling) Alexander Jones and Space Patrol to the rescue! #4) The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound is side-splittingly funny, telling the story of Alexander Jones and the Hoka Sherlock Holmes on the trail of a space dope smuggler...or the Hound of the Baskervilles (it's hard to tell which). #5) Yo Ho Hoka finds Jones trying to head off a planned attack on Bermuda by pirates, only to find himself press ganged into the British Navy! #6) When Jones's wife crash-lands on a nearby alien world, Jones needs some help to go rescue her, but who can he take? Why, the French Foreign Legion, of course! #7) Joy in Mudville tells the story of the Hoka baseball team (the Teddies), and their quest for the Sector Pennant. (No one can stand before the Mighty Casey, right?) #8) Undiplomatic Immunity finds Alexander Jones and a delegation of Hokas on Earth to request that Toka's status be upgraded. Unfortunately for Jones his Hokas have discovered the spy novel!

[Don't forget, if you like this book (and you will), get Hoka!, also by Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson.]

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Casey at the Bat" will never be the same!, November 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! (Mass Market Paperback)

This excellent book is about a space traveler from earth. His expedition to the planet Toka turns into a lifelong adventure filled with intrigue, humor, and suspense. The Hoka are indigenous to Toka and bear an amazing resemblance to big teddy bears. One of the scenarios put into play by the Hoka is an actual baseball loving town with a teddy bear "Casey". I liked Anderson's added lines to "Casey at the Bat" and I really liked this book.