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Freedom's Landing (Catteni #1)

Anne McCaffrey

3.93 · Rating details · 9,187 Ratings · 248 Reviews

Kristin Bjornsen lived a normal life, right up until the day the spaceships floated into view above Denver. As human slaves were herded into the maw of a massive vessel, Kristin realized her normal life was over and her fight for freedom was just beginning…

The alien Catteni value strength and intelligence in their slaves—and Kristin has managed to survive her enslavement w ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, Ace Mass Market Edition, 324 pages

Published June 1st 1996 by Ace (first published 1995)

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Dec 28, 2011 Jan rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, speculative, z-2011

I bumped into this by accident in the library, and since McCaffrey died I’d been meaning to read something by her, and the blurb looked to be promising SF with a dash of romance I decided to take the entire series with me on Christmas break. I’m so glad I did, because I really liked this first book.
It dives right in when Kris an escaped human slave on a strange planet, encounters Zainal, a Catteni (the aliens who invaded Earth and took a bunch of humans off-planet as slaves), who is on the run I bumped into this by accident in the library, and since McCaffrey died I’d been meaning to read something by her, and the blurb looked to be promising SF with a dash of romance I decided to take the entire series with me on Christmas break. I’m so glad I did, because I really liked this first book.
It dives right in when Kris an escaped human slave on a strange planet, encounters Zainal, a Catteni (the aliens who invaded Earth and took a bunch of humans off-planet as slaves), who is on the run himself. Figuring that a common enemy makes them some sort of allies, she saves his hide, which gets her captured again and dropped on Botany, a planet version of penitary colony. Thus commences a tale of settling a new planet, organizing the humans and various kinds of other aliens, and figuring out who the original owners of the planet were.
I like planet settling stories, and I’m definitely planning on reading more. There’s something about surviving under harsh circumstances that’s really interesting and intriguing. I really liked that we got to see the settling and organizing through the eyes of Kris, who isn’t a leader. She’s very capable and definitely an important member of the original droppers, but she doesn’t have a position of power.
I liked how very unbigoted Kris was, and how ready to defend Zainal and the other non-humans. I loved that she kept chastising herself for her horniness. I liked the pace of the romance as well , and found it very fitting that it didn’t take the forefront for a long time.
There were a lot of touches that seemed very realistic to me, like the dietary problems of the Deski’s, the few untasteful troublemakers, the threat of abuse towards women when there were only few of them. I did think that the settling seemed to go almost too easy, and that the few troubles they had didn’t seem all that unsettling. But then the fact that they are dropped with materials is part of the Catteni plot, and the fact that they aren’t the first settlers is part of the Botany plot, so at least the easiness of it all is explained.
All in all I was pleasantly surprised, and definitely want to read the second installment right away. There’s about a million ways this can go, and currently all of them seem interesting.
...more

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Aug 09, 2008 Amanda rated it it was amazing

This was really good...nice hard sci-fi with a lead female who isn't an idiot. All kinds of neat robots that groom a prison planet and a lot of discussion among mixed-species prisoners on who and how should labor be divided and such. Very cool hard science fiction with all the robots and stuff with a female lead.

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Oct 07, 2016 Sara J. (kefuwa) rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, sabah-state-library

Yeahhh. So decided to spend the afternoon doing a little window shopping (viz. going online, checking out book covers (viz. specifically Michael Whelan galleries - yes one of my favourite ways to get recs lol) and series lists and author bibliographies and reading all dem reviews...) and I stumble upon this cover. There are two things things I remember when I see it: i) The year I read this book (I borrowed it from the library); and, ii) (that after I finished it) feeling sad that I would probab ...more

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Sep 28, 2016 Mandapanda rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, scifi-romance

I had high hopes for the premise -kidnapped outworlders abandoned on strange new planet and they have to learn to survive. I just don't think it reached its potential. The MC's were appealing but one dimensional and the dangers of the new planet were never dangerous enough. Reviews of book 2 have persuaded me that things get worse in terms of characterisation and plot so I will stop here.

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Apr 05, 2011 Christine rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

This is a survivalist story, about a group of humans and aliens working together to establish civilization. They fight natives, not in the form of primitive aliens, but in the form of mechanized robots that seem to farm the planet on autopilot. Who owns these machines? They don't know, but they'd love to find out.

The group has to deal with plenty of normal concerns, as well as hostility toward the Catteni (the race that invaded Earth), Zainal, who is deposited with them. Kris, a survival expert, ...more

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May 31, 2012 Susan rated it it was ok

Literally everything I remember about this book (we're talking about ten years since I read it here) is that the aliens are "like human men, but more so." In that they have larger penises. Because WHY NOT. /o\

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Aug 31, 2008 Rachel rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy-fiction

more SiFi than fantasy to be honest. Good detail (as always) and characters are fantastic. The plot didn't really grab me, there was too much other content getting in the way (not exactly 'PG' if you know what I mean. She typically has very colorful series and characters so I have no doubt that the continuing books in this one are great, I just won't be reading them.

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Oct 09, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

interesting idea. Aliens abandon you on a planet where you have to survive. you find a giant mechinized farm... go from there.

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Aug 20, 2017 Rayyan Mikati rated it it was amazing

I'm a bit biased. I loved Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" novels as a kid. A year or so ago, I discovered that McCaffrey was not an obscure, one-series author hidden in the corner of the bookstore as I once thought. When I started reading her work again, I realized how much her books had influenced my tastes- all those wonderful new planets and creatures I had been craving were because of her!

Onto this one. I haven't finished this series yet but if this first book is anything to go on, it's looking to b I'm a bit biased. I loved Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" novels as a kid. A year or so ago, I discovered that McCaffrey was not an obscure, one-series author hidden in the corner of the bookstore as I once thought. When I started reading her work again, I realized how much her books had influenced my tastes- all those wonderful new planets and creatures I had been craving were because of her!

Onto this one. I haven't finished this series yet but if this first book is anything to go on, it's looking to become a regular favorite of mine. I loved, loved, loved this. I read it in less than a day, staying up until 6 in the morning with the voraciousness for the story I have rarely had since I was a child.
The protagonist, Kris, is incredibly likable and capable. She has strength, a sharp wit, an unironic and unannoying optimism, and a practicality that makes her incredibly enjoyable to read. McCaffrey has done a fantastic job writing a relatable and capable character, treating her with the respect I have for my strong female friends. So often authors write strong women to be bitter or hostile- or worse, write female protagonists who constantly run to their better and more developed male counterparts. But Kris is neither and I appreciate that.
Furthermore, as someone who 99% of the time can't stand romantic subplots, McCaffrey has written one that I was absolutely giddy about. It's slow and real hot and respectful and it makes SENSE. Genuinely- I mean, I have never been able to sit through Rom Coms and I can't stand the shallow, adolescent, codependence that most fantasy and sci-fi novels include in their romantic subplots. This book though? I was basically whooping and hollering as the romance developed. Somehow Anne has written my dream boyfriend and he's a six and a half foot tall gray alien. No wonder I'm not dating anyone right now. Who could measure up?
A small but delightful detail- McCaffrey's colloquialisms and folksy phrases are so fun to read. Many of them were unfamiliar to me (and I'm born and raised Midwestern, so where she picked these up I don't know!) and at times I felt like the aliens trying to pick up English- but it was all fun and I'm definitely going to be incorporating some of this weird ass slang into my lexicon. Hell's bells! I'd give my eyetooth to talk like this!

Anyways, I love this book and I can't wait to read the next one. I got this from the library but you best believe I'm going to be buying copies right and left. This is a book I'm going to read and reread until the binding breaks. ...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Nicole Jackson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, fantasy

One of my favorite books of all time. I’ve read it several times over the years. Love love love love love.

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Jan 22, 2017 David rated it liked it

Not bad, works ok when read in isolation although it is very much a part of a series. Leaves you on a slight cliffhanger at the end.

Reads fast. Reads a bit like a teen/YA book in its flow and simplicity, but some subject matter not appropriate for a teen book.

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Dec 17, 2009 kingshearte rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi, fiction, 2010

I've read most of what Anne McCaffrey has written, and find most of it thoroughly enjoyable fluff that I have re-read anywhere from several to many times, because it's quick, and it's like having a coffee with an old friend. I read the first three books of this series quite some time ago, and haven't touched them since. However, recently, I decided to read the fourth book, but if I was going to do that, I'd have to re-read the first three, since I barely remember them. And who knew? Maybe at thi I've read most of what Anne McCaffrey has written, and find most of it thoroughly enjoyable fluff that I have re-read anywhere from several to many times, because it's quick, and it's like having a coffee with an old friend. I read the first three books of this series quite some time ago, and haven't touched them since. However, recently, I decided to read the fourth book, but if I was going to do that, I'd have to re-read the first three, since I barely remember them. And who knew? Maybe at this later stage in my life, I'd get more out of them.

Not so much. And initially, I couldn't put my finger on why not. Kris, as a heroine, is pretty awesome. She's everything we'd all like to hope/pretend we'd be if we too were captured, enslaved, and then dumped unceremoniously on a foreign planet -- she's smart, resourceful, self-sufficient, cool under pressure and unfazed by the sight of dreadful injuries, she's generous and considerate of others, she's physically strong, and brave, and to top all that off, she looks like a supermodel. And then I realized that's kind of the problem. McCaffrey's other heroines are also fairly awesome, but they're flawed. Lessa is awesome, with many of those same characteristics, but she has a hell of a temper, and, for the first while, at least, carries a chip on her shoulder bigger than she is about her family's ancestral holding. Killashandra is pretty awesome, but is a little impulsive, and as a result of the crystal singing, can be a bit of a bit, and suffers memory loss. The Rowan is pretty awesome, but is rather haughty and has phobias. Kris is... pretty much a Norse goddess of perfection. OK, not strictly true. She has some irritating quirks, like her constant correction of Zainal's grammar, and her irritating modesty. (Seriously. It bugs me to compare anything unfavourably to Twilight, but at least there, Stephenie Meyer managed to create a character who is obviously hot, and obviously attracting a lot of male attention, but who is believably unaware of that until pretty much actually beaten over the head with it. Mainly because she's stupidly oblivious, but whatever. Kris, on the other hand, is well aware of the male attention. She full-knowingly rebuffs the advances of at least three men, gets comments from others, and is generally presented as being perfectly aware of the effect she has on men. And yet later, we're expected to believe that she's "never thought of herself as sexy, or particularly attractive," or whatever the exact words are. Please.) Anyway, these aren't really character traits that make her more human; they're just little behaviours that make her annoying. And Zainal too, awesome as he is (who doesn't love a gentle giant?), is also pretty much just a caricature of perfection. It just makes their whole story less than engaging.

And not really much actually happens in this book, to take attention away from the less-than-stellar characters. You would think stuff would happen, but things mostly progress fairly smoothly. They have to contend with the scavenger beasties, but figure out quite quickly how to avoid/dissuade them. They have a brief encounter with an abattoir, but they get out of that fairly easily, and effect a not-very-dramatic rescue of some other people there while they're at it. They find this mystery of who made all the machines on this planet, but thus far, there's not much threat from them, and they don't solve the mystery in this installment. The closest thing they have to a real, life-threatening challenge is the nutritional requirements of one of the alien races, and frankly, watching them try various plants to try and fix the lack is just not that exciting. The solution to it is slightly deus ex machina, too.

I have other minor complaints about grammatical issues, consistency issues, and the like, but I'm not even going to bother getting into those. Basically, the whole thing is just set up for the following books, but I'm a little surprised anyone was interested enough to publish the subsequent ones. Although I will finish the series, thus far, I remain as uncaptivated by this story as I did the first time I read it. ...more

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Jul 09, 2015 Randal rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Folk who like books with short words and no big ideas.

Shelves: female-perspective-spec-fiction, parts-of-series-disguised-as-comple, sci-fi

I don't know if this is crap McCaffrey or if McCaffrey is crap.
Let's see if I can sum up in 10 points:
10. The characters are stereotypes (Sarge, who lacked only a cigar to chew on; strong silent male love interest; attractive, outgoing female lead; wince-worthy black character (the happy cook who talks like he's about whip on a do-rag and call all the white folks "massa baas"); helpless, eye-batting female sidekick; male creeper (helpfully named "Dick"). This is more or less the cast of characte I don't know if this is crap McCaffrey or if McCaffrey is crap.
Let's see if I can sum up in 10 points:
10. The characters are stereotypes (Sarge, who lacked only a cigar to chew on; strong silent male love interest; attractive, outgoing female lead; wince-worthy black character (the happy cook who talks like he's about whip on a do-rag and call all the white folks "massa baas"); helpless, eye-batting female sidekick; male creeper (helpfully named "Dick"). This is more or less the cast of characters for The Poseidon Adventure or Towering Inferno. I kept expecting Troy McClure to pop up.
9. Crazily competent survivors ... cast out with a hatchet, cup, blanket and knife each and within a couple of weeks they are smelting ore. There's an internal conflict here for the author, who apparently wanted to write an up-from-the-ashes tale without really considering what it might entail. And if you accept it, it makes more "believable" the concept that the survivors could actually challenge a species with terraformed planets and spaceships the size of a small city.
8. Boring aliens. Turns out that almost all alien species are more or less humanoid. Handy. And the exceptions (six-legged cows, bird-things and Not-Sandworms) are dull and nonsentient.
7. Derivative aliens. The spacefaring cat-people from Wing Commander (a huge hit videogame when McCaffery was writing this) and the Not-Sandworms. Hmm, sandworms are attracted to vibration and hate water. The underground species in this book are repelled by vibration and love water. How original. Even the faceless overlords are a cliche.
6. Packaged as a novel, but ends with none of the major plot lines close to resolution. I picked this up to see if I liked McCaffery w/out committing to the Dragonrider series, so at least I don't have to worry about reading that now.
5. Plot holes you could drive one of those big spaceships through. Like the idea a master race would survey an entirely terraformed farming planet with geometrically regular fields, enormous supply and harvesting operations and never notice.
4. Everything about the novel, from the military hierarchy to ~~Aunt Jemima~~ Bert the Cook, had been explored to death in sci-fi by 1955. This book was 40 years behind the times when it was written.
3. McCaffrey's ludicrous obsession w/ the size of Catman's member. A male author spending equal time on the size of the female love interest's chest would get (rightfully) shouted down. Overall the romance had all the sophistication of a cheap bodice-ripper.
2. Ham-handed foreshadowing. (view spoiler)
1. The ending.(view spoiler) Hahahahaha! I saw that one on the BCTV late-late show in 1973! ...more

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May 07, 2016 Kickarse Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, romance

Kris Bjornsen was stolen from Earth and used as a slave to the ruthless Catteni, an alien race only interested in subjugating everyone under their rule. Maltreated and abused as she was, she drew the line at being a bedmate for her master so she ran away, flying the air ship and hiding out in the jungles of the alien planet, far away from starvation and the metal whips the overlords used on their slaves. She spent six months minding her own business, learning to survive on what the local fauna a Kris Bjornsen was stolen from Earth and used as a slave to the ruthless Catteni, an alien race only interested in subjugating everyone under their rule. Maltreated and abused as she was, she drew the line at being a bedmate for her master so she ran away, flying the air ship and hiding out in the jungles of the alien planet, far away from starvation and the metal whips the overlords used on their slaves. She spent six months minding her own business, learning to survive on what the local fauna ate and drinking fresh water straight from the river that split the valley in half. She was alone, but she was free.

Until the day an air craft, chased by other Catteni, crashed into her jungle and blew her solitude all to bits. When she found the survivor of the attack and subsequent crash, she discovered he was as Catteni as they come, but her sense of right and wrong wouldn't let him die in the jungle or get captured by those who were pursuing him. She took him in, cared for his cuts and bruises as best she could and would have been happy to let him go, until he decided he wanted take more than she was willing to offer. Catteni or not, she didn't want him in her jungle and decided to dump him back in the city they had both escaped from. It was a good plan too, until they both got caught up in the gassed riots and ended up on an interstellar ship to the back end of nowhere with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Now stranded on a penal planet, dumped along with thousands of other humans and aliens alike, Kris decides she had better keep an eye out for the Catteni named Zainal, for he was certain to end up killed by any number of human or alien who hated his Catteni guts. As the survivors gather together, they learn pretty quickly that the planet that their overlords believed to be empty is in fact full of many deadly dangers, and many from mechanical farmers that harvest the planet for an even greater, unknown alien race, more technically advanced and possibly more powerful than any of the known alien races combined.

And Kris and Zainal end up smack bang in the middle of it all.

I enjoyed Freedom's Landing, although it was a little slow in placed. The first The Catteni Sequence, a series of four books by Anne McCaffrey, it tells a story of how a race of beings have to work together to survive on a planet with only meager equipment the resources the planet has to offer.

Perfect for the boy scout or the girl guide who love action and adventure with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

I gave the book four stars out of five as I think it was a little slow in places and I found the main character needed a bit more depth to her life and emotions.

...more

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Apr 30, 2014 Villate rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the first Anne McCaffrey book I've ever read, and I'm sorry to say that based just on this one, I don't think she is a very good writer. I am interested in the story and want to know what happens, but some of the dialogue and writing made me cringe. For example, some of Kris' interior dialogue seems phony - "Whoa Kris girl" and things like that. I was also annoyed by how everything is great on Botany except for the easily avoided dangers: the animals are all delicious, the plants "tasty, ...more

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Apr 03, 2008 Ami Hoe rated it really liked it

Shelves: si-fi-fantasy

I enjoyed this the first time I read it. I like the plot and the characters. However when I read it again recently I paid more attention to the details of how they go about setting up thier new society and i find a lot of improbable aspects. For example they have a shortage for wood even for cooking but they manage to start smithing and a kiln. Where do they get the wood for that let alone makeing steel from iron ore which requires charcoal if you havn't got coal to "cook" carbon into the ore. a ...more

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May 31, 2010 Joy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished, fiction-scifi

So, I've gotten 60 pages into this book and....I don't think I'll continue. I tried. Really I did.

I had high hopes for this book since I like The Dragonriders of Pern but this book falls far short.

The basic premise is that humans have been enslaved by a race called the Cattani. The first human we meet is Kris who has escaped and is living in a jungle. A crashed ship draws her attention and she finds a Cattani injured. She helps him but he tries to attack her so she knocks him out and tries to l ...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Glee rated it liked it

Nice, simple. Good guys (mostly) win, some aliens are good guys, pioneering on a new planet. And if you are going to be pioneering on a new planet, the kinds of humans you want to have along are Americans, Aussies, and the Irish. That is, McCaffrey isn't afraid of being politically incorrect and uses stereotypes liberally... The only really interesting character is the alien, natch. But I like McCaffrey's story-telling, and she never hurts my brain.

This turns out to be the first of four, not sur ...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Martha rated it it was ok

I liked this first book enough to check out the next three from the library. The series feels hollow. Many major events are not written about just spoken about in conversation and not covered well. An okay story line but not delivered well or filled out. Too many things introduced but never talked about again or developed. For such horrible events like the invasion of earth, forced pregnancy, slavery and others it was really too much Pollyanna style. Could have been a really thought provoking se ...more

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Nov 26, 2016 Gena rated it liked it

Shelves: alien, sci-fi

It's taken me awhile to finish book one. The problem is I enjoyed the first part of the story and then I was expecting romance and to connect with the characters more. What I got was an engaging sci fi story focussed more on survival and building a new society on a new planet. So I skipped ahead to book two and that was an easier read. Overall I did enjoy it and it was a 3.5* for me.

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Jan 24, 2017 Emilee Powell rated it it was ok · review of another edition

On further reflection, I realized that I had given this book an extra star with the expectation that the series would continue to be the same caliber or improve. My love of the Pern series gave me undue optimism. Since the second book was so dreadful that I don't intend to continue the series, I have removed the star and my original comments.

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Oct 18, 2016 Natasha rated it did not like it

What the blinking crap was that? From the weak world-building (that I was secretly hoping would be resolved somehow) to every convenience character (we just happen to have someone who knows how to do that!) to the incredible stereotypes (ewh), I just couldn't stomach this story.

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Jun 06, 2011 Caralee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, science-fiction

I've lost track of the number of times I've re-read this book. The spine is starting to fall apart and I'm seriously looking into finding a hardcover edition. I bought the book brand new 8 years ago and have re-read the series at least once a year since.

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Mar 05, 2009 Laramort rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, series, adult

Another great Anne McCaffrey book, but it has a part that I felt was unnecessary and trashy. I just skipped a few pages and everything was fine fater that.

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Mar 20, 2017 JPT rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Personal memory jogs:

Aliens (Catteni or Cats) invade Earth, take large numbers of humans from various cities prisoner and relocate them to other worlds as slaves. On one such planet (Barevi), Kris Bjornsen escapes her captors and is hiding out when she meets up with a Catteni named Zainal, who is himself on the run. Both are recaptured and shipped out with another group of troublemakers of many races to an uninhabited world as part of an experiment to see if it is suitable for colonization.

Initi Personal memory jogs:

Aliens (Catteni or Cats) invade Earth, take large numbers of humans from various cities prisoner and relocate them to other worlds as slaves. On one such planet (Barevi), Kris Bjornsen escapes her captors and is hiding out when she meets up with a Catteni named Zainal, who is himself on the run. Both are recaptured and shipped out with another group of troublemakers of many races to an uninhabited world as part of an experiment to see if it is suitable for colonization.

Initially, things are rough for the prisoners because the are provided with minimal supplies, must seek food and shelter, and stay alert for both nighttime and daylight predators. They also discover that the supposedly uninhabited planet is home to advances farming machinery that doesn't differentiate between humans and other forms of edible cattle. As a result, large numbers of prisoners, including Kris and Zainal, are swept up into abattoirs before they can escape yet again.

The colonists settle into a cave system and begin to make it into their new home with astonishing ease. This part reminded me of The Clan of the Cave Bear where Ayla came up with invention after invention in primitive circumstances, all but splitting the atom on her own. Granted that many of the colonists had specialized skills, it still struck me as ridiculous. Kris herself was a bit too Mary Sue for my liking, as well. Such amazing skills and so attractive that humans and aliens couldn't help falling for her.

Most of this book involved rescuing other newly dropped prisoners, either from the fields where they were dropped or from the abattoirs, pilfering from the machinery and rendering them less harmful, accidentally shooting off a homing beacon to the people who set up the machines (the Farmers), etc.

Kris and Zainal spend a lot of time together on recon missions, in part to keep Zainal out of the home base, where he is still treated with some suspicion. Become lovers.

Message sent to Cattani that additional food supplies needed for one of the races who are having difficulty finding adequate nutrition on Botany (their name for the planet). Two Catteni ships highjacked? Meeting with Zainal's brother? (Or maybe that was in next book.)

Did enjoy the book. Liked the general premise of people trying to start over from scratch on an alien world. It was kind of like the Pern books, with some changes, of course. But, as noted, was very unrealistic at times.

B-/C+
audiobook
Narrator did a decent job except for the accents. People from different area of Earth so a variety of accents required. Recognize the difficulty, but the performance was lacking. (I don't think people from Australia sound like Dick van Dyke as Bert in Mary Poppins.)
...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Douglas Milewski rated it liked it

Freedom's Landing (1995) by Anne McCaffey is an SF beach read. Give yourself enough alcohol to make anything entertaining, and you too will be entertained. Skip the alcohol, and you'll have to face the unavoidable fact that this book has almost no plot, the characters are mostly forgettable, it centers around a romance with zero spark, and the science part tops out at "solar power." Aside from that, it's a well written beach read, with a perky heroine, quippy dialog, and copious fluff. Subtract ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 Chip Hunter rated it it was amazing

I didn't really expect too much when I picked this book up (after hearing some less than encouraging remarks reguarding other works of McCaffrey), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I almost immediately got caught up in this one and ejoyed it the whole way through. While its true that the editing job was insufficient (or maybe it wasn't even proof-read after the type-setting?), I didn't think that it really took too much away from the overall story. The characters were great (I especial ...more

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May 21, 2017 Sara G rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-kindle

I'm sorry to say this, since Anne McCaffrey was one of my favorite writers as a young teenager, but this book is really boring and such a 90s cliche. The premise is pretty interesting - Earth is invaded and people are hauled off to serve as slaves on another planet. The heroine, Kris, behaved badly as a slave, so she was dumped on a supposedly uninhabited planet to help colonize it, with some other rebellious types. This in itself makes no sense. Why does the alien race just dump a bunch of slav ...more

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Apr 12, 2018 Natille rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Pleasantly surprised

This was a little bit outside what I normally read but I enjoyed it. The story has a nice blend of different species while remaining connected to humans and humanoid forms that it was easy to form appearances in one's minds eye. The plot is steady and has direction. Enough to know where the story might be heading. There is a lot of detail into these worlds and experiences to make it believable enough to comprehend easily. Good humor and opposition to make things interestingly ...more

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Aug 02, 2016 Ria Potter rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: People who like Doctor Who, Star Trek

Shelves: fantasy, survival

As I'm writing this, I'm only about half-way through with "Freedom's Choice", but it's good enough that I want to write a review now!

Anne McCaffrey's book is set (I think) sometime in the distant future, when our world is overrun by aliens without any warning. Fast, efficient, and determined-they snag a bunch of humans, as well as other aliens from various other planets, and deposite them to live together for a time on an alien world. I don't think that this snippet is really all that spoilery ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Tuuli rated it liked it

This was a solid enough book. The setup was interesting, the set of characters intriguing at first. But then it just went nowhere. I felt like I was watching everything from the sidelines. I was told stuff happened but since I didn't get to see it, feel the tension, or even be told the details, I didn't much give a crap. The "bad guys" were all talk, they never did anything and, actually, they didn't even talk that much after a while. Interaction between the main character and everybody else was ...more

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Feb 07, 2015 Kym rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, sci-fi, romance

Setting: the planets of Brerevi and Botany, I'm not sure of the time-line, but it was contemporary to the time it was written, I think.
Genre: Sci/fi, adventure, a touch of romance
Have you ever read a book by an author you spent your adolescence with and the "new" book turns out to be less than you expected? Yeah, this is like that. This was published in 1995 (though the origin was from a story written in the 70's). I couldn't find any reference that her son, Todd, collaborated on this, though a Setting: the planets of Brerevi and Botany, I'm not sure of the time-line, but it was contemporary to the time it was written, I think.
Genre: Sci/fi, adventure, a touch of romance
Have you ever read a book by an author you spent your adolescence with and the "new" book turns out to be less than you expected? Yeah, this is like that. This was published in 1995 (though the origin was from a story written in the 70's). I couldn't find any reference that her son, Todd, collaborated on this, though a number of her later titles were. At any rate, the quality of her writing diminished in the years between the Dragoniders of Pern, and this book, or I am misremembering. I just kept reminding myself that she was in her 70's, and I should cut her some slack.
An alien race called the Catenni invades earth. To show they mean business, they scoop up the inhabitants of several cities, including Denver, CO where Kris Bjornsen attends college. The people they grab are put to sleep and they end up on the planet of Berevi. Kris manages to escape and is living off the land up in the hills near the city and slave compound. She is living in a flitter (like a compact car, but it flies and is equipped with guns) she stole from the prison commandant. One day she sees a flitter being chased and fired on by two other flitters, and the former takes a major hit and goes down. Being stupid (no! I mean compassionate and brave) she goes to help the guy from the flitter that crashed. She takes him to her hide-out and tends his wounds. Then he says something she interprets as a threat of rape, so she hits him on the head and takes him back to the city where they get caught in a riot and she wakes up on another planet with over one hundred other people from different planets who had been at Berevi. The Catteni man is there too, and she keeps the mob from killing him because he's a good guy (What?). This book has an interesting plot, with enough action to keep one's interest. But...The main characters aren't really fleshed out. The "good " guys have no flaws, and bad people are 100% unlikable. It's almost lIke there's a neon sign hanging over them to identify their role. The book is basically a setup for the series, identifying the main characters, and giving a general idea of the cross-series conflict.
The audio production is a little strange, with echo-y vocal effects for internal self-talk. The narrator did a fair job, with accents, inflection, and pacing to differentiate the characters. It was only hard to tell them apart when two characters came from the same area, but that didn't occur very often. So, when it comes right down to it, if you don't mind change in the author's style, pick it up at the library or Half Price Books. ...more

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Aug 12, 2015 Anne Wright rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Si-Fi

Shelves: book-challane-2015, loved, adventure, book-sets, fiction, si-fi

Freedoms Landing by Anne McCaffrey

Almost 5 out of 5

An invasion on earth and the resistance to the aliens are creating havoc, out of a terrible need to show power and domination the aliens capture people who they feel are working to undermine there take over of the planet.

What they do with these captives once they have them is drop them on a planet that is unoccupied with a blanket, utensils and a few other items for there survival - what they don't know is the planet has a deadly creature that ...more

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Oct 14, 2014 Cheryl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi, favorites

Okay, I'm rating this high because this book was totally a favorite of mine... years and years ago. It was one of the first books on tape (yes, tape) that I ever owned (unabridged even). And I have the series in hardcover. I can't even begin to guess how many times I've read this book.

The story: Kris was abducted in Denver when Earth (Terra) was attacked by aliens. Later, in Barevi, she steals a ground ship (this isn't spoilers, it all happens in the first paragraph), but then... the story reall ...more

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Jul 01, 2016 Aik rated it it was ok

It has a good premise but I'm not really feeling it. Not sure how to explain but it just feels overall unsatisfying, both plot and characters.

I have some specific gripes though:
It's not alien enough. They've been dropped on an alien world but everything is just like home only slightly different. I don't have a clear idea of what the slightly different things like animals and whatnot look like, even. What does a Deski look like? I know it can climb and something about having thin limbs, but I hav ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Jen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, read-in-2015, science-fiction, romance, sexy-times

This was an okay book. I won't be reading further because I have problems with the next book in the series. (view spoiler)

Anyway, Other reviewers' comments that the survival stuff is pretty unrealistic. I kind of found ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Jon rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

This science fiction survival story has an interesting premise where a humanoid mercenary race called Catteni enslave the species that they conquer and drop them on seemingly inhabitable planets to see if the prisoners can survive. This occurred to the humans on Earth when the Catteni arrived and captured the inhabitants of fifty different cities over the planet, a method used to subdue any indigenous people the Catteni encountered in their space travels. Kristin Bjornsen was one such person tha ...more

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Jul 23, 2016 Megan rated it it was amazing

I first came across this book in a library when I was in middle school but I never finished reading it and with it being so long, it was pretty much new to me minus knowing Kris was stuck on a planet similar to Earth in being able to sustain life but different in most other ways.

Anne had a way with telling stories and this book was just as enjoyable as the other books I've read of hers. It's an interesting concept of people being plucked from different planets, made to work under harsh condition ...more

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May 02, 2016 Sherrill Watson rated it liked it

Kristen was put into suspended animation and dumped on a planet that had water and little else. She learns that it was done by the Catani, a senior captain of sorts, one of whom is trapped there with her. Periodically there are others dumped there, some of which live, and together they learn that the planet is being cultivated for future colonization by the Catani. However the takeover on Earth isn't going well for them, Kristen and Zainal are learning more and more about this planet, and by the ...more

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Dec 25, 2014 Reyna rated it it was ok

So, why did I only give two starts to a story that I would normally have given three stars to?

The answer is simple: the second book.

Let this be a warning to all of you that are impressed by the relatively rare female protagonist in this book that is independent, proactive and smart, that is not reliant on a man and that can think for herself.

I repeat, let this be a warning.

If this is why you are interested in this book then stop right here. Do not continue to read the next book. Do not ruin i ...more

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Sep 30, 2017 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ Rabid Reads-no-more marked it as books-i-own-but-haven-t-read-yet · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

9/30/17 - ON SALE for $2.99:

http://amzn.to/2yON06T

Jessica Signature

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Oct 24, 2016 Valeria rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, romance

Esta es la primera parte de una aventura ínter-espacial donde los seres humanos aprenden de que no están solos en el espacio y que no sus armas no son efectivas para luchar contra seres que han decidido que los humanos son la nueva especie a convertir a la esclavitud.
Presentando esa premisa y a nuestros dos protagonistas principales: Kristin y Zainal sabemos que esta historia no será principalmente acerca de un romance entre dos culturas entre mundos distintos, sino de supervivencia, ingenio y ...more

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Feb 06, 2014 Kat rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

A light, enjoyable romp through a new world. Earth, along with countless other planets, has been invaded by an alien race known as the Catteni and citizens from various Earth cities have been plucked from their homes to be used as slave labor. Another fate lies in store for the resourceful woman Kris Bjorsen, the Catteni overlord Zainal whose she saves, and a motley crew of humans and aliens: colonization. Kris and her companions are dropped off and expected to tame a new world by their Catteni ...more

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Jan 24, 2016 The Heroine Bookstore rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, reviews

You can read our full review on our blog here: http://theheroinebookstore.com/blogs/...

Aliens have scooped up huge portions of Earth's population and made them slaves, Kristin (Kris) Bjornsen being one of them. Nine months later she's living out of her stolen flitter on an alien planet, with no intention of living as a slave again. Then a chance encounter with a Catteni noble, Zainal, gets her captured again. And the Catteni have a unique way of getting rid of troublesome slaves. They have disco ...more

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Jun 22, 2016 Ashley Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Anne McCaffrey has done it again, only this time there are no dragons. But there are alien races, slavery, falling in love, overcoming Mother Nature as it were, and making a place for yourself in a world not your own. Kris was taken from Denver, Colorado the day the Catteni attacked. She awoke on Braveri, where she was then taken to a planet with others to "colonize" said planet. Kris and her cohort have done more than colonize. They have made this planet their own, though there is signs the pla ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 LitProfSue rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

Kris, the main character, is determined, direct and self-reliant - a protagonist I tend to admire. She quickly makes friends and is admired by or lusted after by most she meets. There are few obstacles she can't overcome or skills she doesn't have, including martial arts and survival training. However, things go too smoothly to be realistic. As an escapist read, I enjoyed this book. It was diverting and easy to read on my phone. Most of the plot points were broadcasted early in the story - no sh ...more

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About Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey

5,684 followers

Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent. She had two brothers: Hugh McCaffrey (deceased 1988), Major US Army, and Kevin Richard McCaffrey, still living.

Anne was educated at Stuart Hall in Staunton Virginia, Montclair High Scho ...more

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