Freedom’s Choice, By Anne McCaffrey

Much has happened on the planet of Botany since the first unwilling colonists were dropped. There is the makings of a true civilization, as well as resistance to their true enemies, the Eosi. But the ever present question of the Farmers (as they are so dubbed) troubles the colonists. Who are these absent landlords? How complex is their technological skill if they can run an entire planet entirely by machine? Are they friendly to their new tenants, or will they be hostile? But this is pushed to the back of the colonist’s minds as other problems come to the fore. The Catteni are speeding up drops, increasing the population rapidly. Apparently Earth is putting up quite a resistance. But Zainal’s presence on Botany attracts the attentions of some High Emassi, who apparently want him for some duty that he is now anxious to avoid. But all this confusion can be put the colonist’s advantage, for with a higher technology level they can aspire to capturing some Catteni ships, and perhaps eventually win freedom for them all.

Despite all the changes to the scene on Botany, we still get to deal with our familiar friends and characters. Zainal is still at the fore, along with Kris, Mitford, and others. Mere subsistence is not enough, and when you dream big, who knows what will happen? But there are some large differences to the storyline. No longer is it just an adventure story—that phase is over. That saddens me, because that is what made the first book so much fun to read. It’s almost like she’s changing the type of series that it was, from a sci/fi adventure, to a sci/fi epic/drama. Very different in both the way characters are presented, and the story. I find myself not liking Kris as much as I did. In Freedom’s Landing she was a pretty self-reliant person who occasionally annoyed me with her personality, but now she’s worse than ever. Ever since she really got involved with Zainal her whole personality is different. She’s more worrisome, more jealous, more touchy. I just don’t like the direction Anne McCaffrey took with her.

I don’t think that Freedom’s Choice was as good as Freedom’s Landing. Maybe it’s the way some of the characters have changed, or the way the story has changed, but it is very different than the first book. It’s not bad, but it feels like a nasty switch to pull on a reader. I enjoy reading about the ingenuity of the colonists, and their exploits on and offworld, etc. But I wish…ah, well. I’m just grateful it’s a good book and a fun read, still.