Rating: 
Summary: Did Anne McCaffrey really write this book??
Review: I found this book to be very inconsistent with McCaffrey's other writing. Not only was it a much more plodding book, with a ill-defined story line, but it did not continue the series well. Some characters just dropped out of sight. A couple of new characters were introduced for no apparent reason. The characters who continued from previous books didn't have the same voices and went from interesting, unique people to flat charicatures. References to the Eosi who plagued Botany in the first books suddenly had a different name -- an inconsistency that is rather unusual for McCaffrey. I was extremely disappointed and have a hard time believing that this was written by the talented author of the other Freedom books, the Dragonrider books, and all the other wonderful books she's written. She's never told a story so poorly, that I've read.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I had figured the series was done with the previous book. When I found this book at the book store, I was like "I must get it". Now, I could have easily waited, and so could have M[r]s. McCaffrey. In my oppinion, this book is only half done. When I reached the last page, I was still expecting more pages. Somewhat dissapointing, I hope she chooses to finish this book with the same attention and care she uses for her other books.
Rating:
Summary: The first disappoint from Ms. McCaffrey
Review: I have really enjoyed reading the series but number 4 is a disappointment. There are so many other ascepts of this series that need to be explored that reading about the principal characters going out on a trading expedition for several hundred pages was not enjoyable. Hopefully number 5 and beyond will deal with things like conquered races, humans included, dropped on other Catteni worlds, are all the Eosi really gone and who are the Farmers?
Rating:
Summary: Not Her Best
Review: I loved the first three in this series, Freedom's Landing, Freedom's Choice, and Freedom's Challenge. To be perfectly honest, Anne should have left it with those three. When I first learned there was another, I was like oh great. The Freedom series has been one of my four favorite series that Anne does. But it was a real chore to read the book. Unlike most of her work, this book dragged and reading it was literally like pulling teeth. I felt I was at the dentist have all my teeth pulled. I can highly recommened the first three in the Freedom series, but Freedom's Ransom, I would definately say skip it. Anne Mccaffrey was having an off day when she wrote this one.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read the first three books in the Freedom series and while they weren't on par with the Pern or Ship series, they were solid enough to keep me moving on to the next book...up until I came to Freedom's Ransom. It was dragging along so slow that I decided to check here and see whether it picked towards the end. Unfortunately, it appears most of the reviewers agree with me -- this is not a very good book.I've been reading all of Anne McCafferey's books for a good 15 years now, and I suppose that everyone has to eventually produce a dud. If I were to sum up the plot of the book after 204 of 287 pages, I would only need 2 words: Coffee and teeth. That's it. After everything that's happened so far in this series, that's an awful long plunge back into reality. Sure, there's going to be rebuilding, but this doesn't offer anything in the way of intrigue, excitement, interesting characters...nuthin. Thankfully I got this series at the library instead of spending money on it, but if there is a 5th book in the series I may be hard pressed to check that one out unless I hear glowing reviews first based on number four falling flat.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I was really looking forward to the 4th book in this series, having read and enjoyed the first three. I was very disappointed in this one. After all the troubles those who were dropped have faced, this book was terribly anticlimactic. Where were the challenges? Where was the tension? Coffee becoming the biggest item of trade? I expected much more from a somewhat triumphal return to Earth. I expected more of a gut or heartwrenching reaction for those who traveled. The Eosi are not gone completely, yet this book almost seemed like a holiday. Not at all her usual style. Count me one letdown reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Gobbled this up!
Review: I'd have to agree with previous reviewers who say this is mediocre but who cares? I gobbled this up faster than a Thanksgiving turkey. The book's 300 pages, reads fast. I finished it in one weekend. Was it worth the cost of hardcover? YEAH!
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I'm only half-way through this book, and I'm only continuing because I hate to quit a book once I've started it. I would never have thought I would write a luke-warm review for an Anne McCaffrey book; she's my favorite fantasy author. But this book is so mediocore. I was really happy to see her continue this series, as I enjoyed the original three books. But what happened? I agree with one reviewer that it doesn't even seem like McCaffrey's writing. Since I haven't reached the end of the book, I don't know how it ends. But I hope it ENDS. I don't want to finish this and be left holding on for more.
Rating: 
Summary: Truly exciting..
Review: Just read it, you just can't wait till the next book..
Rating:
Summary: Keep on going, Anne McCaffrey!
Review: She just keeps getting better. Ms. McCaffrey brings the series of Botany novels further along with this one, the fourth in the series. I won't go into the plot, except to say that it shows just how dangerous the mall really can be!
McCaffrey has written a volume of work over her career that nearly matches Asimov and Heinlein. I've read most of the series, although I never did get back into the Helva stories after the original Ship Who Sang. But the Tower series, Dinosaur Planet, Powers, and Doona series are all great. And we needn't even go into the Pern saga. That speaks for itself, whether we say anything or not.
This series, about the Botany colonists and Zainal, the Catteni who got dropped with them, is more of the same great writing, but in a decidedly different vein; more brachial than jugular. Read them.
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