Freedom's Landing: Freedom Series, Book 1 by Anne McCaffrey

 Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey

Intro

Originally narrated to audiobooks in 2007, this classic series has entertained in book form since 1995. My current stable of books is in the LITRPG genre but I thought this might fit the narrow definition of a gaming book considering the protagonists were snatched up by aliens from another world. The story opens in the middle of an escaped slave's first attempt at escaping captors. The planet is unimportant except to know this is a far cry from Earth. I actually find the narrator a little bit annoying at first since the microphone sounds like a pop guard is not installed. Gets easier at about Chapter 4.

Words to know: Eosi, Rulers of the Catteni galaxy. Tudo, ground officer. Drassi, space navy. Emassi, special officer or agent. Perhaps Emassi is more of an over-sight officer or political officer.

Review (3 of 5 due to meandering story)

Kritin is captured outside of Denver, taken to a far flung colony world of Berevny, escapes, gets recaptured, knocked out and dumped on a new world, named it Botany from all the plant life found.  Slave masters leave no instructions to the 582 mixed race complement must learn to work together, survive and conquer this world. The races are not by skin color but due to origins from other planets. Deski, Tur, Catteni, Rugarian, Human.

However, after this event, the story meanders through a soap opera style of story telling. Never really goes anywhere. The only excitement is an encounter with mechanical hunters which the protagonists are able to defeat in a matter of fact way. Good for survival genre followers.

Antagonists

• Automatic Harvesters - Seemingly on an automated program. Farm crops, hunt and slaughter meat without knowing good from bad. Just machines following a set program.
• Catteni race in general. Invaded Earth.

Protagonists

• Kris Bjornsen (MC)
• Patty Sue - Paranoid red headed southern girl.
• Zainal (Catteni One-Off)
• Mitford (human) - Marine who was active duty when taken. Takes over command of this misbegotten and unplanned colony of mixed body types.