Customer Reviews

Freedom's Choice (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I found the characterization weak with little link to real people and the obstacles were overcome with barely a ripple, what conflict there was was dealt with too easily. The whole book left me feeling "so what". No conflict, many issues with no resolution (mixed race, forced breeding, alien captors, leadership battles etc), no drama. This was a real dissapointment as I am a fan of McCaffreys and was looking forward to a new title.

If you read Ann McCaffrey for her high level of character development, dialogue and plotting, you will be disappointed with this one. This is a story that seems to have been written for a younger audience, an audience that has not been exposed to the cliche's of the genre. Take for instance, the capture of the ships. One ship was believable, two, barely, but not three. Add on the successful trip to the other planet, and now you have something you might see on tv. The characterization is extremely sketchy, so sketchy in fact, that the reader is left wondering why Kris is in love with Zainal, the dumped Catteni. Another point is the way everybody fits in with the program. There is no angry feminist furiously protesting her new role in society; that is; as being an empty womb needing filling. There are no slightly psychotic women clutching a pillow, weeping for a lost baby on another world. And there are no men wishing for a lost wife or loved children. These people were ripped from their homes and no one weeps? And who are these aliens that were dumped with them? How do they fit in with the humans so easily? What about cultural differences? Oh, the Turs are so anti-social that they are immediatly ex-communicated. The "why" is never discussed. I laughed out loud when the Farmers showed up. Their physical appearance was steriotypically godlike alien. And the Mentats seem more spoiled brats than actual threats. This is definatly not one of McCaffrey's best works. I wonder how it passed by her editors in its present form. Bypass this one, unless you are looking for something light and somewhat brainless.

I have been one of those who mourned Anne McCaffeys' decison to MERGE with other writers....supplying the plot while others tell the tale. This book, with her name alone on the spine, should be the real thing, I thought!...on the a par with the best of the Dragonriders ansd Crystal-Singers! WRONG! This novel does have a story underneath all, possibly even a story worthy of McCaffrey, but it loses itself in the banality of the taletelling!

The novel, the second part of a series, is set on a planet to which recaltricants are sent by a superior race who have conquered and colonized Earth, along with many other planets. They have a surefire way of working out which planets are suitable for further development....dump the troublemakers on it, with minumum survival-supplies. If there are lots of survivors at check-time, send more `colonists' and put in an overlord; if there are few or no survivors, write off that planet!
McCaffrey has obviously read Australian history....the planet is named Botany, a main settlement is Sydney, and the colonists use crossbows...and boomerangs!! The basic construct of the novel is actually worthy of better than the `Boys Own 'treatment it gets. I mean, these are thinking, breathing, argumentative Earth people,transported , unconscious and against their will, to other planets where they will be slaves, or fodder, or worse...torn from careers, family, friends, heritage.... yet we are expected to believe that they settle into a mixed-race-planet with no backward glances, no arguments, no established governments, no TRAUMAS! And how INVENTIVE they are, and how uncomplicated their lives as the sandwiches keep coming form the kitchen even as they face interstellar hazards quite unthought of...SORRY, it's all a bit BANAL for this reviewer, who is mourning the loss of confidence in an author previously held in high esteem! This isn't the last volume in the series, of course. It is left quite up in the air, waiting for at least volume 3....but I wouldn't bother, honestly, unless you haven't anything better to do!
Anne McCaffrey, you have just left an ardent admirer sadly disillusioned!

Robin Knight

I began this series and fairly enjoyed the first book - not the best, not the worst, interesting ideas. However, this book completely bewildered me. The female protagonist is supposed to be smart, strong, and independent. She and others have been cast away on an unpopulated planet to colonize. Now in book two, only nine months after landing on the planet, every colonist is obsessed with the women of child-bearing years becoming pregnant. The heroine is told she must get pregnant and can choose any man, but she has to further the population. Mind you, she's only 22 - plenty of time to have babies. She has already chosen an alien lover, and does not want to taint their relationship, nor does she want children at this time. Plot breaker: she breaks her arm, a co-colonist male friend gets her drunk on medicinal whisky, and has sex with her. Tada! She's pregnant. And everyone, including the protagonist AND her lover, seems to be okay with this. She isn't even the slightest bit disturbed that another man took advantage of her. How in the world do you expect me to believe she is a strong female character?
I have other beefs, such as the flatness of all the characters and the sometimes grating dialogue. But I kept hoping it would get better. No, it doesn't. As such, I am done with this book and this series. Shame. I rarely drop books in the middle of my reading.

I purchased the audio version of this book.

I can't believe the high rating for this series. Its sexist, racist and BORING.

The aliens are "human" and are even described as getting more "human" as if it would be likely let alone possible. The Heroine Kris is still in a relationship with the alien slaver who tried to rape her and is part of the alien race who invaded earth and enslaved all of humankind. The human colonists dumped on a plant, still (supposedly) struggle for survival though they have found a cave full of stores of food and other necessiaties, have stolen alien space ships and sabotaged "farmer" mechanical equipment. There is references to hostile/deadly beasts that never make an appearance. Communicators and other electronics are created from the stores and from the alien technology (those aliens sure were kind to use compatible electronics).

Heroine Kris is supposed to be storng and independant, but her alien partner protects her, "includes" her in the meetings with the men (where her only role is apparently to translate for him), and tell her she WILL have children and even tells who she shall have them with. All the characters are white, scottish or nordic mostly.

And the only non-white character I remeber seeing was in the first book and he was a cook of apparently low class and sparse education if his speach pattern was any indication. The sargent /govern even makes the comment that staying on this new planet would be preferable to going back to earth where the "damn minorities . . . are mssing up their own landscapes" . . .

Also, there are "Mentats" (intellectual beings of calculation and supirior mental capacity) refered to as "Ix Mentats" - sound familiar? Not terms or definitions original to McCaffrey . . .

In addition, the narration is really annoying - the men are read by a male reader rather than the main female main. He reads in a very nasal voice, and only says the diologue, leaving the "he saids" to the female narrator. And people talking by communicator are read with a strange and very annoying metalic echoing effect.

Novel is a series of meetings interspersed with meals. The setting is science fiction, former dissidents are creating their own civilization after being dumped on a hostile planet, and they must overcome natural and alien challenges. Not exciting. Not written that way. One dimensional characters who are only names talk endlessly about what they are going to do. Then they do it and it works, so we get to read it twice. (Three times if you include the party afterwards!) That mysterious alien race is coming? Let's have a short inscrutable meeting with them too. La-La-La... let's congratulate ourselves for that plan we talked about earlier working again, and end the book with no resolution. It's a four book contract!

Character drama? This is like two paragraphs mid-book -- "By the way, I got drunk, may have been raped, and I'm preggers!" 'Don't worry, I'll raise your baby! I'm dropped, I stay!'

There are no good descriptions of the aliens. The Catteni are basically humans with grayish skin, and are suddenly stupid and victims of the Eosi (except our Catteni). Cookie cutter good and evil, with no middle ground.

If you read science fiction for the science, you'll hate the book too. Major plot points hinge on supra-advanced tech races having no voice recognition, no long range/high resolution scans, no intelligent machines, and aliens being stupidly bureaucratic.

My opinion of this series is McCaffery had a great 350 page idea, but stretched it into four 400+ page volumes, totally ruining the interesting parts under a flood of irrelevancy. Not sure if I'll bother with Freedom's Challenge or finish the series, as the featured reviews are all low star, even if I did get all four books for a buck at a garage sale.

The whole concept of this series is exciting. What would it be like if humans were enslaved on another planet and had to start over with other races of aliens? It could have been an interesting book if it was better executed. Some readers like plot driven novels with excitement, mystery, and adventure. Some readers like novel that focus on the individual characters and their relationships. There is none of that in this book.

-"Look there is a windstorm!"
-"Yes, I see the storm."
-"Should we explore the caves now? We had better call a meeting about the storm."
-"Oh, I am pregnant and may have been raped."
-"Ok, what about the reflectors on the ship? When will the windstorm hit them?"
-"I don't know. I'm hungry"
-"Me too, let's eat then we can go to the windstorm meeting."
-"We are lovers. I think that is great. I will raise your baby"
-"Thanks. What are you going to have for lunch?"

When I first read Freedom's Landing, I instantly fell in love with the book, comepletely hooked. I was overjoyed when McCaffrey finally wrote a sequal to it. I was in for a disappointment. The book lacks the originality of the first. It's a good book to read when one has some time and patience. I know I would have enjoyed this book more if I had never read the first book, so I can't really say there was anything wrong with it. The point is that it's a shame McCaffrey settled for mediocre when we all know she can reach excellance.

Good "hard science fiction" book, not as good as her Pern series. She seems to be doing some real cliche character development and there's quite a "deus ex machina" dependence on the "Farmers" and their technology. The Catteni are not believable at all. Seems to be losing its focus. The first book was better.

I loved freedom's choice and anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. read it all in one day. that says something about it. not just for the young as i'm 61 and still haven't lost my imagination anymore than the author. a book for all ages. can see where people when they think they have no hope and have lost everything and must start again, especially when that is the only choice and you look to help everyone else survive. that is what makes humans survivors. that is what made the prisoners in concentration camps survive. thanks anne for a delightful afternoon. hope to read the next one soon.