On This Page
Description
The alien Catteni invaded Earth and enslaved thousands of humans on the planet Botany, where they struggle to survive while colonizing the world for their overseers. Now that they’ve proved Botany is capable of sustaining life, Kris Bjornsen and her fellow settlers have no intention of surrendering the home they’ve created for themselves…Armed with the knowledge that the true enemy behind the Catteni is the Eosi race, Kris has begun a campaign to free Botany’s settlers by raising show more a rebellion among her people against their parasitic oppressors.
Aided by her Catteni lover, Zainal, Kris and the colonists manage to steal warships—and discover dissidents on other Eosi-controlled worlds. If all of the subjugated races join forces, they will have an army large enough to win their freedom and their worlds.
The war of liberation has begun. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
4.5
*Book source ~ Home library
The dropped survivors on Botany have come a long way from those first days when they had virtually nothing. They are living very well with many comforts of home and they are at the brink of ending the Eosi domination of several species and many planets and Kris Bjornson and Zainal are at the center of things. Making a good life on Botany isn't enough for Zainal though. He intends to destroy the Eosi for enslaving his people for two thousand years and for enslaving other worlds as well. However, the final piece of the plan will only work at great sacrifice to himself. Will his plan work and, more importantly, will he survive it?
Once again I'm plunged into the fight for survival, the fight to free Earth, show more Botany and many other planets and how everyone works together for the greater good of the community. It's an awesome ride. All of the pieces of the puzzle come together and if they do so a little too neatly I'm not going to argue. I love this series and I love watching how everyone handles their part of the Great Plan despite overwhelming odds. A fast-flowing plot, great writing and wonderful characters keep me engaged from beginning to end. Anne McCaffrey always has so much going on and yet manages to keep the books to a reasonable length. There's just no way to summarize her stories without going on and on about everything that's happening. All I can say is this; open to the first page and hang onto your britches. It's going to be a wild ride. show less
*Book source ~ Home library
The dropped survivors on Botany have come a long way from those first days when they had virtually nothing. They are living very well with many comforts of home and they are at the brink of ending the Eosi domination of several species and many planets and Kris Bjornson and Zainal are at the center of things. Making a good life on Botany isn't enough for Zainal though. He intends to destroy the Eosi for enslaving his people for two thousand years and for enslaving other worlds as well. However, the final piece of the plan will only work at great sacrifice to himself. Will his plan work and, more importantly, will he survive it?
Once again I'm plunged into the fight for survival, the fight to free Earth, show more Botany and many other planets and how everyone works together for the greater good of the community. It's an awesome ride. All of the pieces of the puzzle come together and if they do so a little too neatly I'm not going to argue. I love this series and I love watching how everyone handles their part of the Great Plan despite overwhelming odds. A fast-flowing plot, great writing and wonderful characters keep me engaged from beginning to end. Anne McCaffrey always has so much going on and yet manages to keep the books to a reasonable length. There's just no way to summarize her stories without going on and on about everything that's happening. All I can say is this; open to the first page and hang onto your britches. It's going to be a wild ride. show less
I think I enjoyed this a bit more than the second but not as much as the first.
At least in this book, the main plan was unknown to the reader until it happened.
It's one thing I find frustrating about McCaffrey's books is that the heroes' plans generally work perfectly without a hitch. If the plan is shared with the reader, then the book loses it's excitement as you read through the plan being perfectly executed.
Another thing I find interesting is the author's way of getting the heroine pregnant, since she is not able to reproduce with her partner.
Have an affair with someone? Too out of character for her loyal and faithful nature.
Artificial insemination? It was mentioned in an earlier book but for some reason was dismissed as an option.
A show more non-consensual rape, hence retaining faithfulness?
In the end went with drunk blackout sex between both parties (not just the once, but twice with different people). Interesting enough that Ms McCaffrey seems to consider this is not viewed as rape if both are drunk and consensual and that your faithfulness is not questioned if you only have sex with someone else when you are too drunk to remember the details.
Not sure my wife would be as understanding if I claimed to be too drunk to remember anything. show less
At least in this book, the main plan was unknown to the reader until it happened.
It's one thing I find frustrating about McCaffrey's books is that the heroes' plans generally work perfectly without a hitch. If the plan is shared with the reader, then the book loses it's excitement as you read through the plan being perfectly executed.
Another thing I find interesting is the author's way of getting the heroine pregnant, since she is not able to reproduce with her partner.
Have an affair with someone? Too out of character for her loyal and faithful nature.
Artificial insemination? It was mentioned in an earlier book but for some reason was dismissed as an option.
A show more non-consensual rape, hence retaining faithfulness?
In the end went with drunk blackout sex between both parties (not just the once, but twice with different people). Interesting enough that Ms McCaffrey seems to consider this is not viewed as rape if both are drunk and consensual and that your faithfulness is not questioned if you only have sex with someone else when you are too drunk to remember the details.
Not sure my wife would be as understanding if I claimed to be too drunk to remember anything. show less
Anne McCaffrey is one of my all time favorite authors and was one of the first fantasy authors I ever read. Her books can come across as a bit dated now but on the whole I quite enjoy them. Her world building is wonderful and I always find her characters engaging. The Catteni series is one of my favorites by her.
Hmmmph. Getting annoying. Well, this one does wrap up the main story arc (leaves a lot of loose ends, though - Zainal's sons, for one). There are a _lot_ of deus ex machinae popping up here - the dust, for one. And...I can't remember the details, but there are a lot of convenient schedulings of flights and things. The setup for the climax is also very clumsily written - nothing as simple as a flashback, it's three or four different scenes written totally out of order. Kris not realizing Zainal et al are gone for a day or two, followed by the other group of - rebels? They are, but I'm not sure that's the right term. The other action team, the one Zainal's not on - over several days, but it must be well after Kris's realization because of show more transit time. Then Zainal, back before the teams split. Then the other team. Then Kris, starting to worry. Then Zainal's team and the climax. Then them escaping, changing ships, deciding who's to travel where - a day or so of that. Then Botany, at the moment of the climax. Then some time later on Botany - no clear idea of how long, is Kris being hysterical or has Zainal really been gone too long? Then he shows up...bah. Highly convoluted, so that I was spending more time figuring out where in the timeline this bit was than in reading the story - definitely detracted. Well, as I said, it does close the main arc. Unsatisfying, though. show less
What a Ride!
Save the whole universe? No problem. The Freedom crew continues their winning ways and it was quite fun to see grownups dress up and get drunk on foreign booze when they out to know better. As always McCaffrey does alien races as well as variant earth cultures quite well.
Save the whole universe? No problem. The Freedom crew continues their winning ways and it was quite fun to see grownups dress up and get drunk on foreign booze when they out to know better. As always McCaffrey does alien races as well as variant earth cultures quite well.
The planet of Botany is protected by an impenetrable "bubble" (a gift of from the benevolent "Farmers"), but it is not free. Nor Earth (home of many of Botany's current residents), nor is Catteni itself. They are all dominated by the Eosi overlords, and the Catteni more than any species, wish to be free of them, for they are the ones the Eosi use to continue their existence, by subsuming the body and personality of the elite of Catten.
Zainal narrowly escaped that horrible fate, and wishes nothing more than free himself and his fellow species, of their domination. So with the help of the humans of Botany, he concocts a dangerous plan, one which, if it succeeds, he may not return from...
This is a good story, and I really enjoyed getting show more to see how the people of Botany are really taking their own fate in their hands, rather than just sitting back and trying to survive their circumstances. While it doesn't have the edge-of-your-seat power of the first book, it does provide a satisfying resolution to story. show less
Zainal narrowly escaped that horrible fate, and wishes nothing more than free himself and his fellow species, of their domination. So with the help of the humans of Botany, he concocts a dangerous plan, one which, if it succeeds, he may not return from...
This is a good story, and I really enjoyed getting show more to see how the people of Botany are really taking their own fate in their hands, rather than just sitting back and trying to survive their circumstances. While it doesn't have the edge-of-your-seat power of the first book, it does provide a satisfying resolution to story. show less
The third and probably originally intended as the last of the series, which does continue for another book. It's still frankly a real problem to maintain sufficient disbelief required to skip the plotting problems, but when you do it is fast and fun SF fluff.
More outrageous heists under the banner of protection from the Farmers, and even with a population of MindWiped humans to cope with, the colonists on Botany have no problems. Menawhile Zaniel has hooked up with a few dissident Catteni who immidiately accept the Terran's abilities and plan the final overthrow of the Eosi. Slipping away from his girl whom he loves desite a biological impossability of him feeling this emotion, Zaniel places himself at the lynch pin of the plans. This show more is the only time in the entire series we get any viewpoint away from Kris, and it works quite well.
In many places it's daft, almost a farce. It's insulting/ignorant to the Massai, while trying hard not to be. Has exceptionally stupid aliens who have managed to overcme most of a galaxy but can't see a nose on their face, and generally unbelivable all round. However the quick actions, almost deft characters and general light-heartedness make it fun and easy reading. show less
More outrageous heists under the banner of protection from the Farmers, and even with a population of MindWiped humans to cope with, the colonists on Botany have no problems. Menawhile Zaniel has hooked up with a few dissident Catteni who immidiately accept the Terran's abilities and plan the final overthrow of the Eosi. Slipping away from his girl whom he loves desite a biological impossability of him feeling this emotion, Zaniel places himself at the lynch pin of the plans. This show more is the only time in the entire series we get any viewpoint away from Kris, and it works quite well.
In many places it's daft, almost a farce. It's insulting/ignorant to the Massai, while trying hard not to be. Has exceptionally stupid aliens who have managed to overcme most of a galaxy but can't see a nose on their face, and generally unbelivable all round. However the quick actions, almost deft characters and general light-heartedness make it fun and easy reading. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Best reading order of Anne McCaffrey's non-Pern sci-fi
43 works; 2 members
Space Colonization
100 works; 26 members
Best Pern Books
79 works; 11 members
Author Information
260+ Works 208,128 Members
Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926. She received a degree in Slavonic languages from Radcliffe College. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952. Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967. She is a well-known show more author of over 100 books, mostly science fiction, including the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Crystal Singer series, Acorna's Children series, The Twins of Petaybee series, and Barque Cats series. She won numerous awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novella for the short story Weyr Search in 1968 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Dragonrider in 1969. In 2006, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. She died of a stroke on November 21, 2011 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Bastei Science Fiction-Special (24261)
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Freedom's Challenge
- Original publication date
- 1998-05
- People/Characters
- Kris Bjornsen; Zainal; Chuck Mitford; Ray Scott; Dorothy Dwardie; Kamiton (show all 63); Nitin; Zane Charles Bjornsen; Peggy Ihde; Marjorie Flax; Sarah McDouall; Mavis Belton; Norma Sophie Barrow; Kurt Langsteiner; Eosi Mentat Le; Thor Mayock; Dick Aarens; Hassan Moussa; Gino Marucci; Iri Bempchat; Geoffrey Ainger; Dr. Will Seissman; Peter Easley; Ben Bonvalan; Boris Slavinkovin; Ricky Farmer; Jeff Fawcett; John Beverly; Joe Latorre; Patti Sue Greene; Anna Bollinger; Jackie Bollinger; Leon Dane; "Worry" Worrell; Rig Kamei; Mack Dargle; Coo; Pess; Emassi Plovine; Ninety Doyle; Emassi Kivel; Emassi Yoltin; Bart Tomi; Jane O'Hanlon; Mpeti Ole Surum; Caleb Materu; Sikai Ole Sereb; Pakai Olonyoke; Tepilit Ole Saitoti; Peter Snyder; Parmitoro Kassiora; Tubelin; Kasturi; Bazil; Peran; Sibbo; Milista; High Emassi Captain Tiboud; Eosi Mentat Junior Pe; Captain Kabas; Wenger; Fred Gambino; Matt Su
- Important places
- Retreat Bay, Botany; Catteni; Houston, Texas, USA; Earth
- Dedication
- Dedicated to the memory of
Joe Mulcahy
1980-1997
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Than you shall hear the sullen surly bell
Give warning to the world tha I am fled...
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 71
Don't look back in anger , I hear you say. - First words
- When Zainal had organized the data he wanted to send to the Farmers via the homing capsule, he let Boris Slavinkovin and Dick Aarens fly it down to the Command Post for dispatch.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Chuck Mitford brought back two cousins, a scarecrow, and the repaired hammock that has been on his front porch the day the Catteni arrived.
- Publisher's editor
- Kennedy, Georgeanne
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,042
- Popularity
- 10,214
- Reviews
- 15
- Rating
- (3.72)
- Languages
- English, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 28
- ASINs
- 5