Freedom's Challenge

Written by Anne McCaffrey

Narrated by Susie Breck and Dick Hill

Kris Bjornsen has come a long way since alien slave ships scooped her up in Denver with thousands of others. Dropped off on an apparently uninhabited world with the rest, she has fallen in love with Zainal, a renegade Catteni, and made a comfortable life for herself and her new family. But she feels a soldier's duty to escape Botany and rejoin the struggle for freedom.

As the Eosi overlords continue to drop captives on Botany, the colonists learn that there are freedom fighters on every captured world, and Earth is full of pockets of resistance. There are even rebels among the warlike Catteni. Now the colonists have the technology they need to go back to war with the deadly Eosi—with a surprise strike at the enslaved planet Earth itself!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 25, 2007
• ISBN: 9781423330158

Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey, a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner, was one of the world's most beloved and bestselling science fiction and fantasy writers. She is known for her hugely successful Dragonriders of Pern books, as well as the fantasy series that she cowrote with Elizabeth A. Scarborough that began with Acorna: The Unicorn Girl.

Reviews for Freedom's Challenge

[starsister12 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this installment of the Catteni/Freedom series more than the previous one, although many of the same flaws still apply. There are still too many characters with proper names and not enough descriptors to keep track of, and events unfold with very little in the way of real drama. When things happen, even when they are supposedly fraught with danger, they always work out with no or minimal problems, which leeches the tension away. Still, it is a light, fun read with Zainel and the other residents of Botany deciding to take on the tyrannical Eosi and free the peoples of Earth and Catten. The language is easy, the characters (when you know who's who) are likeable, and the landscape interesting, sort of the sci-fi equivalent of a cozy mystery.

[Trish Phelps · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am thoroughly enjoying this series! A wonderful story and strong characters that holds your attention. The female narrator is fantastic with a variety of accents for the wide variety of characters, both human and alien. I loved her work in the first book, and was slightly thrown when they added a male narrator in the second book. But after a bit, he proved to be an excellent addition for the male characters and even adding subtle sound effects, like the static on a radio call. His ability with accents is impressive too. Narration can make or break even the best of stories. You will not be disappointed here, they truly are engaging. I’m thrilled to see there is another book to go. I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters!

[avoraciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5*Book source ~ Home libraryThe 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.

[puttocklibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[glenline · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story, language moderately readable, it would help to read earlier books in the series

[reading_fox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The third and probably originally intended as the last of the series, which does continue for another book. It's stil 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 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.

[maita_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As Earthlings, we know how to struggle and in the struggle, survive. The challenge is to eliminate the threat forever and live freely. Perhaps not all will return to Earth but we human are known to adapt.