Freedom's Challenge

Catteni #3

by Anne McCaffrey

In a new adventure in the Freedom series, the colonists of Freedom's Landing return to the planet where they were abandoned, carrying the technology to battle the deadly Eosi and unleash a surprise attack on the enslaved planet Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Romance, Aliens, Ebooks

303 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.

Reviews

[kingshearte · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, I really would like to talk more about the story, but I'm just so distracted by what McCaffrey has made Kris into, which is truly appalling. In the last book, I was incensed because Kris was, in effect, raped while drunk. Bad enough that McCaffrey trivialized the fact that that does happen to women by treating it as no big deal, and even making it into an "oopsie!" that Kris just accidentally cheated on her man. But would you believe that it happens again in book 3? This time I definitely wouldn't call it rape, because in this instance, they were clearly both way far gone. But it still further trivializes what happened to her in book 2, and frankly makes me despise her as a character. I mean, I know I said in book 1 that I wanted her to have flaws, but come on. Such an utter lack of self-respect, or self-restraint, or I don't even know, that you'll sleep with anyone handy every time you have a bit too much to drink? Especially when you claim to be in a committed relationship already? That's mind-bogglingly appalling, in my opinion. She's bloody lucky that Zainal seems to have no problems with any of this, and just appears thrilled that there are babies (Oh, I didn't mention that part? Yeah, she gets knocked up while drunk again.), but seriously? I would kind of love for him to start sleeping with other people, and when she objects, be all "Oh, are we not in an open relationship? I'm sorry, baby, I must have gotten the wrong idea from your willingness to give it up to anyone handy whenever you get drunk." I mean, seriously? WTF? I truly cannot fathom why McCaffrey turned this character into this? The only thing I can think is that, in order to not anger the feminists too much by having Kris just capitulate to the demand for her to bear children more or less against her will, McCaffrey thought she'd get around it by having her have the babies, but their conception is totally not her fault. Except that making her the kind of woman who basically makes herself helpless and available after a few drinks is so unbelievably anti-feminist that that couldn't possibly be the reason. But what other explanation is there? It's truly baffling.

I'm probably taking this too seriously; after all, it's really just a piece of fluff sci-fi. But I just find the whole situation so repulsive, and it makes me pretty much despise Kris. I wasn't fond of her before, because she was too perfect, but this? It's gross, and I can't stand her anymore. Which is really unfortunate, because McCaffrey normally really is so good at creating likable, strong female leads. I really like almost all of them, and if they dropped into my universe, I would love to be friends with them. But Kris? I don't think I'd want to have anything to do with her.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The upward trend started in the second book continued here. Let's hope the finale improves the series even more.

[JPT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook
Personal thoughts

Things are really going to hell in a handbasket with this series. I'm determined to finish listening to the series, but it's getting excruciating.

The Botanicals have miraculously stolen more ships than you can shake a stick at, and continue to go off-world getting supplies, gathering intel and support for the overthrow of the eosi, rescuing other imprisoned people, giving sanctuary to family members of rebel Cateni (including Zainel's two sons), etc. Primary storyline is the discovery that Cateni can have lethal allergic reactions to a compound derived from acacia, which they use to destroy the eosi. To do so, Zainel pretend to be taken prisoner by rogue Cateni--allows himself to be beaten, starved, abused for realism--so he can be brought before an eosi council. While in the closed chamber, the allergen/poison is released, killing all the Cateni and eosi who haven't taken precautions. Only the few eosi not physically present remain alive. The Cateni are free and annoint new leaders from among the rebels. Yay.

So many things, big and little, bothered me about this book. The main thing being that, while on a mission, Kris once again gets drunk and sleeps with a human man who is a friend to her and Zainel. Again, they were both drunk and, you know, these things just happen. La di da. Really? Once was bad enough. I can't believe McCaffrey wrote this set-up twice. And, yep, Kris gets pregnant and hides it from both Zainel and the father. Everything about how this situation was handled was so distasteful. I can't even.

I was also mildly unhappy with the way McCaffrey handled the introduction of a group of Masai the Botanicals rescued. It seems they were viewed in some kind of noble savage way, especially in the beginning, with their grotesque misogyny being excused as just being their way. Zainel's young sons are sent to live with the tribe since he thinks their ways are more compatible with the Cateni warrior ethos. But, then it gets way worse when, later, a group of misbehaving human teenaged orphans are also sent there to have some discipline knocked into them. Kris has no problem with the one teenaged girl in the group being treated as chattel, a kind of drudge who is threatened with the FGM practiced by the tribe. The attitude is that the girl is a slut who needs to be reined it. Really, Kris? This from you? After the FGM discussion, Kris leaves the girl there without a backward glance or further thought. It was all so sickening. I barely like Kris the Magnificent anymore.

I also found Kris's behavior towards the Cateni women and children who are sent to Botany for safety to be unsatisfactory. Yes, the women were spoiled and arrogant as they were used to thinking of themselves as superior to other races and did nothing for themselves since that's what they had slaves for. That's offputting, but they didn't know better. Kris was tasked to be in charge of them and, because she didn't want to deal, had them all dumped in one of the enclosed valleys on their own to fend for themselves. They hadn't brought many useful items so they were given some basic supplies and ration bars, and that was it. Later on, someone else made the very valid point that most of the Botanicals themselves didn't have the skills necessary to survive on their own and had relied on others with better/different skills to show them the was. So, right before the were picked up for return, they finally showed the Cateni refugees a few helpful things. Oh, and they were very unattractive. Whereas some Cateni men were attractive to humans, there was no way a Cateni femail would be. Guess that means even less competition for Kris. Given that these women were the mates of Cateni men who were risking everything to overthrow the eosi and earn freedom for Canteni, humans, and all the other races, I think that Kris and the Botanicals should have made an effort to put themselves out a bit more rather than shunning and belittling them.

There's more but I'm just too fed up and exhausted to itemize it all. I've started the 4th--and last--book and can't wait for it to be over.

D

[Douglas Milewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freedom's Challenge (1998) by Anne McCaffrey brought an apparent trilogy to a close. Anne took three books to tell a story that any lesser or better author would have taken only one book to write.

I've spent a while trying to figure out why I care so little for the books, and so little for the characters these books. From my point of view, Anne skips over all the interesting bits, instead focusing on the uninteresting bits. Our lead character, Kris, is so forgettable that I had to look up her name. She does little worth talking about, is often left behind, and only later hears about all the interesting missions and development. We don't follow the story as it happens, we follow the story as it gets reported to Kris. This breaks any reader engagement.

Her best cat friend is Zainal, who I never built an affinity with. I don't care about him any more than Kris. So if I don't care about her, or him, or their relationship, then there isn't really very much to talk about with these books.

One bit about Anne's writing that drives me crazy is her childhood development gaffs. Perhaps her children were extraordinary, but most likely, she no longer has any idea of what children under 5 years old are like. These children have no relationship to reality. Don't base any of your ideas on childcare on anything that Anne has to say.

What aggravates me most is that there's a story in there, but she's not brave enough to tell that story. I see so much of what could be done with the setting merely by showing us the episodes that she tells us about. Show us the story, Anne. Show us. That's the interesting bit.

The entire series sails to easily through its own story. The characters rarely see any setbacks or plan complications. They make a plan, fret for a bit, then see the plan succeed. Anne shy's away from any moments of drama or doubt, which means that we don't see the characters tested to any large degree.

This book is no better or worse than the one before it. If you liked the last one, this one should work out fine for you. If you didn't like the last one, this book has nothing to offer.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transplanted human Kris's Catteni husband Zainal pushes through his program to rid the galaxy of Eosi domination, no matter what it might cost him. After listening to the 1st two of this series, it seems I have to go on and finish it. They make good bus and lunchtime reading. The Freedom series is especially notable for its strong sense of community.

Read 5 times, listened 9 times

[Al "Tank" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 in the series.

The story moves along, albeit slowly, but not boring. However, the ending is worth the wait.

The description is wrong. Kris isn't the planner for the effort to defeat the Eosi. Zainal is the ramrod.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I think sometimes we forget what a gift free thought is.”

"One day, Kris promised herself, they would learn to smile and use expressions instead of those awful alien deadpans."

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good conclusion of the first 3 books. There's a lot of flaws in it. (Everything still goes way to easy, more drunken baby-creating without any remorse thoughts about the cheating factor, and a whole bunch of in-consequent stuff like pacifist Zainal suddenly becoming way less pacifist).

However, I forgive it a lot because of the fairly exciting story-line (survivalism mixed with war is really good stuff). But mostly because of the consequent non-bigotry policy on Botany. I loved that they didn't want to save the colony planet where all non-humans were killed. They had truly become Botanists, and Botanists don't do the only human thing. That was easily the absolute best part of the series.

I totally recommend to stop the series here however, because book 4 makes abolutely no sense with the rest of the series, and isn't really an ending, where this one actually is.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty sure I'd read this book before, but nothing seemed familiar as I read it this time!

As the first two volumes in the series, it was entertaining and an ok read, without completely blowing your mind. The whole drunken sex thing was annoying - would Kris really have let that happen again? - and the Catteni's allergy to an African plant seemed just a little to convenient. But other than that, I really enjoyed the Botany refugees bringing the fight to the Eosi, even if it did seem a little bit too easy to achieve.

It kind of feels as if the trilogy should have finished here, so it will be interesting to see where the 4th book takes the story.

And why did the Farmers seal off those valleys?

[Darlene Karalash · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of any book that Anne McCaffrey has ever written about the Dragonriders of Pern! Although I can detect McCaffrey's distinctive 'voice' in Freedom's Challenge, I feel the messages portrayed in the characterization of the main female protagonist Kris Bjornson negatively impacted my enjoyment of the story arc. A scene from the movie The Holiday came to mind...
You're supposed to the the leading lady of your own life, for God's sake! Unfortunately, this is the most sidelined female protagonist that I've ever encountered. And, as I became less and less engaged as a reader, I started to skim and scan, the way one picks meat off a minuscule lamb chop...not a very satisfying meal. Now I understand why this book landed on the bargain bin shelf of a secondhand bookshop in Mexico.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual star score 4.5, my reason for half star cut from a 5 star score will be obvious in my review.

Kris and Zainal have been working hard, both as a couple and at community help when things get wild again. They have made runs to Brevari to get supplies, being able to slip out of the bubble the farmers put up to protect the people on the planet they named Botany. But one of the things that Zainal wants to do is rescue his sons from his home planet, where he knows they are being mistreated.
Many flights are done by stealing more transport ships from both Earth and Brevari and carefully leading them back to Botany, and through the bubble. A big problem is that the Eosi Ix wants to destroy Botany and everyone who lives on it.
Here starts my problem, you have people stealing spaceships right and left, but nobody figures it out. You have Zainal, Kamilton, and other Catteni doing many things against the Eosi and no one gets caught. But back to the book review.....
Back on Botany, Zainal has gotten his sons and decides to place them with the group of Masissi ( wrong spelling) warriors rescued from Africa. As at 5 and 7 they are too old to be cuddled. While down with them they have a allergic reaction to one of the herbs that are used during a warrior ceremony. After getting them back from almost dying Zainal and Kamilton realize that if they can get enough of this herb powder and get all the Eosi together, they just might be able to remove the Eosi forever.
Knowing the one thing that will get many of them together, especially Ix, is the capture of the Catteni that Ix wants the most, Zainal.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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, 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.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kris Bjornsen is one of many Earth inhabitants kidnapped by the humanoid alien Catteni and placed on a would-be colony with minimal supplies and a handful of aliens and even one Catteni. Organized by former Marine sergeant Chuck Mitford into a working group, they have thrived on the planet they have named Botany. They discovered soon after landing that another race had owned the planet and were farming it with machinery. Making use of the machinery they have created something like a technology of their own. Their Catteni ally Zainal aids them in acquiring a Catteni scout ship, then a transport ship that brought more involuntary colonists. On a visit to the waystation planet of Barevi, they acquire more ships and more colonists, both human and alien, mostly the spidery Deski, who have excellent hearing and make good sentinels listening for incoming ships.
The Catteni are actually mercenaries under command of the parasitical Eosi, and Zainal was chosen to be next in his family to be taken over. But, having been dropped, he chose to stay, and his brother Lenvec has to take his place. The Eosi Ix, who subsumed Lenvec, follows his host's hatred for the Chosen who refused and for the now impenetrable planet he inhabits.
Zainal has accomplished two of his 3-part plan to get rid of the Eosi. Now the challenge is how to finalize that third part. He enlists the aid of other Emassi who wish to overthrow the Eosi.
Interesting setup and characters. There's some focus in this episode on psychological treatment of trauma.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread 8/2024

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I'm disliking the writing in the series more as I reread it. Still like the characters enough to continue, plus my natural impulse is to finish a book once I've started!

[Savanah · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is cool, if you don't mind a alien book. a girl that falls in love with a cati. WOW. and goes on weird an awsome adventures! trust me if you like this than you should read it!

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Called a space opera...good word.

[Frode · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Eosi are mad at the folks on Botany. Ix Mentat, the Eosi who was to have subsumed Zainal, has a fit when the colonists pull of a raid on Barevi and not only get supplies and fuel but also liberate another space ship and grab a whole bunch of humans from the slave pens. These folks were high end people, scientists and political leaders and so forth, but they have been brain wiped and are in sad shape.

The Farmers, who never appear but seem to know what is going on, put a bubble around Botany. It lets in the colonists but no other ships. The mentat is obsessed with destroying it, but can’t. In the meantime, a trip is made back to earth by some of the Botanists. Earth is a mess and has caused the Eosi and Catteni way more headaches than any other world conquered thus far. Yeah for Humanity! Some are brought back to Botany.

A group of Maasai end up on Botany and are given a desert like area as their own. Zainal has rescued his two sons with the help of some dissident Catteni. The boys are placed with the Maasai temporarily. The trip to Catten allows Zainal to connect with a variety of the dissidents, and a plan is hatched. However, to protect loved ones, the dissidents want their wives and children safely stored on Botany when the revolt comes.

The big idea is to cause rebellions on other planets the Eosi and Catteni have conquered in this galaxy. Three other planets have had a bunch of humans dropped on them as well, so some contact is made. A swipe at Christians is taken when it is mentioned that on one of the planets the humans killed all the aliens because God didn’t mention them in the Bible.

Zainal has a plan, but he does not disclose it to Kris or to the leadership of the colony. He puts it into action with the help of Catteni friends, and at personal cost to him, they manage to pull it off. The Farmers take away the bubble protecting Botany at the end. More is yet to come.

[Romana Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kris and Zainal continue their efforts to make Botany a successful colony, raise a family, and free the galaxy from Eosi domination.

Botany now has several ships. Humans can pass as Cattani, given enough makeup, contact lenses, and language lessons. So they visit several planets picking up supplies, information, and more dissident Cattani. Zainal has a plan to rid the universe of the Eosi but lacks the means until he meets a group of rescued Massi.

In Freedom's Challenge, the third book in the Freedom series, the characters take charge of their destiny, contacting other planets, and directly challenging the bad guys.

The two previous books in this series had huge casts. Freedom's Challenge adds several more characters making it hard to remember everyone.

As the colony expands, and skilled people join the gang, the technology improves, sometimes in very logical ways, and sometimes a bit unrealistically. Although the glass blowers are unable to make perfect drinking glasses, they somehow make colored contact lenses. That's a bit of a stretch. They also invent gray hair die, which is a serious bit of chemistry.

Cattani eyes are black with yellow pupils. Having an opaque spot in the middle of the eye makes for a complex bending of light around that spot to get it to light receptive cells. I can accept that in an alien species. However, a human wearing a contact lens with a yellow spot covering the pupil would be blind. Perhaps the yellow spot could be such that it only looked opaque and the wearer could see through it, but that is a serious bit of technology.

Freedom's Challenge is a fun story full of interesting characters - well worth reading.

Reviewed by Romana Drew August 9, 2019

[STU · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was by far the worst of the whole series. Kris is basically useless and spends most of the book running around Botany doing domestic things. Zainal is pretty awesome but the book isn't really from his point of view so we miss a lot of what happens and just get told about it when Kris finds out.
The whole getting drunk and pregnant plot point is used again here, and it's really bad. Kris not only cheats on Zainal again and he doesn't care, but she also pretty much hides it from him. I felt like this happening a second time really takes away from her character, even more than the first time. Not only is Kris so stupid that this happens a second time, she doesn't even feel guilty about it. I have exponentially started disliking Kris since book two when she turns into Mommy Kriss. Book three was almost unreadable, I spent a lot of time skimming over the boring accounts of life on Botany and scenes with her kids and neighbors.
Overall 2.5/5, I only finished to see how it would end and I'm not sure I can be bothered to read the fourth book at all.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, one more in this series to read. I love McCaffrey's stories. In these she shows so much engineering and scientific knowledge and also has the ability to 'create' new science stuff to fit her stories. I feel so much regret that she passed away in 2011. It will not keep me from reading and re-reading her work.
This series is about social structures. (Science fiction is often about social issues :) Kris and the alien Zainal have developed a loving relationship and Botany has developed an accepting social structure that allows them to have family through surrogate parentage. The slavery system held by the Eosi 'people' has held the Catteni (Zainal) under their thumb for many centuries. Now Earth has been taken over, but the humans who were dropped on this planet which they now call Botany have such strong ideals and character that they can build a great society and they share there talents with the Catteni. Ergo this book in the series is working towards those ends.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I "really" liked this book, but I did enjoy it and I think it deserves more than 3 stars. Maybe more than 3.5, even. So I'm rating it as a 4.

I thought this book was pretty solidly entertaining and a good conclusion to the original trilogy. There isn't a whole lot of action and the prose still feels pretty dated, but at this point we're familiar enough with the main characters and the more important side characters to be invested in their fates. I don't think that this is an especially gripping or compelling read, and unlike McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series I doubt I'll ever feel inclined to reread it, but I do think that it developed well, with lots of improvement from where it started. I definitely don't regret reading it, and sometimes that's all I can ask for.

[SpentCello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have similar problems with this as the previous entry in the series. The drunk sex returning is one of these; it isn't enjoyable to read and it's a very weak way of moving the plot along. The tokenistic discussions of various ideologies are very superficial and clumsy - particularly the psychiatric discourse, that seemed like it was just an excuse to have a go at psychoanalysis and Freud. Again, I also had a problem with the cheap references to popular culture that are used in place of proper descriptions.

The plot was very repetitive and the tension building towards the end felt off as the rest of the book (and the other books in the series) didn't really have any tension, or at least not for long. A bit disappointing overall really... I don't think Anne McCaffrey's mix of positive human collaboration through sanitised colonialism and interspecies space warfare hits the mark here.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another great read.

I love this series as it has all the best elements that make up good Sci-fi.

Anne was always good at characterisation, making the people, whatever shape they came in, as human - or not - as I like, with great plots, and satisfying endings.

Freedom's Challenge was all of this, especially in the plot to overthrow the Eosi Mentats, and I've loved every minute of reading the series, so far.

So, now I'm going on to the fourth, and final, book: Freedom's Ransom - and I hope it gives the series the good ending it deserves.

[Terra · Rating 2 out of 5]

More to come.

The sloppiness of the author and editor is insane. In the prologue, she mentions there being members of the Morphin species on Botany. Morphins are never mentioned in the first two books that repeatedly catalogue the planet’s occupants. Also, the dock where they picked up the slaves in book #2 was 47, not 45 like book #3 says. In past books, it’s mixed up whether Sarah or Joe is the medic. Does she have so little respect for her plot and characters? I can overlook a couple errors but come on.

[Leslie Cates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Just rediscover Anne McCaffrey after many many years. I read the Dragon Rider series as a young and was looking for something different to read and found the Freedom's Landing series. As an adult it was just as good as the Dragon Rider series. Was well written storyline was interesting and fun and I highly recommend it. Good read nice suspense I wouldn't want to living on botany myself

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay story. I think Ms. McCaffrey's years of writing are begining to show as the story seemed rehashed from stories I have already read. The story moved along in a narrative sense, but the conflicts seemed a little contrived and the plot did not move the story, nor really did the characters. Maybe it was a story that she needed to tell, but it was only okay.

I did not care for the heroine very much either.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good and I was happy with the overall story but I was disappointed with the ending. I would have liked to have had a epilogue that jumped forward in time a bit to see how it all turned out. I guess there is the 4th book but I think I'm going to stop here. The author's confusion with characters continued in this book and it drove me nuts. The first book was the best. The other two were just ok and I'm ready to move on.

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catteni and humans work together with the other species they have been living with happily on Botany to release themselves from the domination of the Eosi who have been controlling the Catteni for a long time. Zainal the sole Catteni dropped on Botany who has become a key part of the community is a catalyst. Excellent story of co-operation and working agains the odds to release themselves and others from domination.