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Dune #7
Hunters of Dune
Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of the Butlerian Jihad to the original Dune series and beyond. Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in a safe-deposit box for a decade, these two volumes will finally answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades.
At the end of Chapterhouse: Dune-- Frank Herbert's final novel--a ship carrying the ghola of Duncan Idaho, Sheeana (a young woman who can control sandworms), and a crew of various refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from the monstrous Honored Matres, dark counterparts to the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. The nearly invincible Honored Matres have swarmed into the known universe, driven from their home by a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. As designed by the creative genius of Frank Herbert, the primary story of Hunters and Sandworms is the exotic odyssey of Duncan's no-ship as it is forced to elude the diabolical traps set by the ferocious, unknown Enemy. To strengthen their forces, the fugitives have used genetic technology from Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, to revive key figures from Dune's past--including Paul Muad'Dib and his beloved Chani, Lady Jessica, Stilgar, Thufir Hawat, and even Dr. Wellington Yueh. Each of these characters will use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them.
Failure is unthinkable--not only is their survival at stake, but they hold the fate of the entire human race in their hands.
At the end of Chapterhouse: Dune-- Frank Herbert's final novel--a ship carrying the ghola of Duncan Idaho, Sheeana (a young woman who can control sandworms), and a crew of various refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from the monstrous Honored Matres, dark counterparts to the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. The nearly invincible Honored Matres have swarmed into the known universe, driven from their home by a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. As designed by the creative genius of Frank Herbert, the primary story of Hunters and Sandworms is the exotic odyssey of Duncan's no-ship as it is forced to elude the diabolical traps set by the ferocious, unknown Enemy. To strengthen their forces, the fugitives have used genetic technology from Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, to revive key figures from Dune's past--including Paul Muad'Dib and his beloved Chani, Lady Jessica, Stilgar, Thufir Hawat, and even Dr. Wellington Yueh. Each of these characters will use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them.
Failure is unthinkable--not only is their survival at stake, but they hold the fate of the entire human race in their hands.
524 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2006
About the author
Brian Herbert
177 books1,934 followersBrian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Patrick Herbert.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 727 reviews
April 21, 2009
I hope I live a very long time, but I know that someday, like all human beings, I must die. Nobody knows what happens next. I hope there's an afterlife. If there is, and if, in the afterlife, you get to meet all the people who have lived before, throughout human history, then I hope I get to meet Frank Herbert. When I do, I will fall on my knees and beg Frank for his forgiveness, for having wasted any amount of my life reading this ridiculous, insipid trash posing as a Dune book.
I think Frank will forgive me. I think he'll say, "Hey, I know. It sucks. But I'm a father, and what father doesn't want to provide for his family. Brian, bless his heart, if he could make a few bucks off of the family name and this crazy Dune thing I created, then so be it. The thousands of rubes who read this shit thinking it's in any way part of the real Dune series, and not just third-rate fanfic, well, they had no real appreciation for my work anyway. The real Dune fans know the score."
And I'll be like, "Frank...you are the man." And Frank will say, "No no...it is you who are the man." And we'll share a manly terrorist fist jab and walk off into the clouds.
I think Frank will forgive me. I think he'll say, "Hey, I know. It sucks. But I'm a father, and what father doesn't want to provide for his family. Brian, bless his heart, if he could make a few bucks off of the family name and this crazy Dune thing I created, then so be it. The thousands of rubes who read this shit thinking it's in any way part of the real Dune series, and not just third-rate fanfic, well, they had no real appreciation for my work anyway. The real Dune fans know the score."
And I'll be like, "Frank...you are the man." And Frank will say, "No no...it is you who are the man." And we'll share a manly terrorist fist jab and walk off into the clouds.
March 21, 2011
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Marketed and hyped as part one of the long lost Dune 7, which was to be Frank Herbert's conclusion to his incredible and essential Dune saga, Hunters of Dune is neither essential nor overall faithful to Frank's vision. When he died in 1986 after the publication of Chapterhouse:Dune (the 6th book in the series), fans were left with an open/cliffhanger ending that left us asking so many questions as to the identities of the mysterious watchers Marty and Daniel, as well as the fate of the small party aboard the fugitive no-ship and the fate of the Bene Gesserit after defeating the Honored Matres and beginning the task of assimilating them into their order. In the late 1990s, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found two safety deposit boxes in his father's name that contained notes and an outline for Dune 7, as well as thousands of pages of other notes, drafts, outlines, etc from all of his father's work. Intending to complete the Dune saga, inexplicably he teamed up with Kevin J. Anderson, a writer of rather poor talent who is almost solely known for churning out pulp-style fluff in the Star Wars, X-Files, and comic-book novel franchises, as well as some rather underwhelming original works. Even more astounding was that they announced that, instead of attempting to write Dune 7 by Frank's outline and notes, they were first going to write and publish *TWO* prequel trilogies to "lay the groundwork and reintroduce the book-buying public to Dune." (First, notice they said book *buying* and not book *reading* public...). The other thing that beggars belief is that they felt they *HAD* to write the prequels...wouldn't the normal thing be for people to simply read or re-read Frank's books #1-6 in preparation for Dune 7? It becomes apparent later on why they decided to do this, and it's really shameful why.
One more thing needs to be said, and that is the fact that it is well-known and pretty much accepted by most Dune fans that Kevin J. Anderson does the bulk, if not all, of the writing in all of these non-Frank Dune books. He's well-known for his prolific rate (he is certainly an adherent of quantity over quality and doesn't even write books, he "dictahikes" them...that is, he dictates into a tape recorder while he hikes, and then pays someone to transcribe them...I couldn't even make something that ludicrous up, but he proudly details and describes this process incessantly on his blog and in interviews) and the stilted style and unoriginal/cliched ideas in the Dune books reads like anything out of any of his books. Brian Herbert has stated himself he is a very slow writer, so coupled with the fact that they've been churning these books out at roughly 1 per year and it becomes clear that Brian's name is first on the covers mainly to attempt and give them some credibility among Dune and Frank Herbert fans. Most fans accept that Brian probably acts more as an editor and idea contributor. It's also suspected that Kevin J. Anderson initiated these projects since Brian has been on record for years as stating he didn't want to tamper with his father's work, and in recent years Anderson has been the main, if not only, public face of these Dune books.
Anyway, on to the story. I won't give too much away, but this is supposed to be part one of Dune 7 and in reality, it's incredibly boring and could have been cut in half. Where Frank Herbert would not waste time detailing every minute and inconsequential thing and leave the reader to fill in the gaps for themselves, BH and KJA feel the need to spell out every meaningless thing; for example, the New Sisterhood hops around the galaxy fighting the Honored Matres holdouts...do we really need multiple chapters for EACH fight when it's all the same thing? "They went, they fought, they won, the end." It's silly. As is their habit of writing multiple short chapters...the longest tops out at 8-10 pages.
I could go on and on, but it's pretty annoying to have to think about it all again after reading it. The characters are wooden, two-dimensional, and don't act or speak anything like they did in the previous books. The dialogue is very lame and simplistic, and when it tries to get deep and meaningful, it fails miserably. (How many bloody times can they use the word "esoteric" in this book? Do they even know what it means?). The plot goes nowhere and when it tries to progress, it's so cliched and predictable that the "surprises" are not really that at all. There's no explanation for *why* Baron Harkonnen's ghola is so evil and depraved...he just *is* (and again, very out of character and 2-D). The good guys are good "just because," and again, they have none of the depth or complexity from the previous books. KJA and BH also rely heavily on scatalogical and gross-out humor or prose, which again is completely out of character with how Frank Herbert wrote. One character tells another they'll end up as "excrement on the forest floor." The Baron Harkonnen is described as making disgusting body noises. Uxtal, a minor character who, for some reason, features in over half of this book, meets his end by being eaten by sligs and shit out after they're done. The renegade Honored Matres milk sperm out of comatose Tleilaxu and no reason is given other than "revenge." It's all so stupid, and I could go on and on with examples like this, but you get the picture.
Another stupid thing is the resurrection of nearly all of the characters from the original books who are dead: Paul, Chani, Jessica, Thufir, Yueh, Alia, Leto II, Stilgar, Liet-Kynes. It reeks of a sitcom finale where they "get the gang back together one more time." And at least it could make a TINY bit of sense to bring back Paul, Thufir, etc when they mention they'll need the skills from historical characters. What possible use could Yueh have? He was a rather minor character from the original Dune who....wait for it...BETRAYED THE ATREIDES and caused the death of Duke Leto and the destruction of House Atreides. What possible reason would anyone with half a brain have for bringing him back? They don't explain it at all, of course.
There's even a lame attempt at integrating one of KJA's (and mine) favorite rock bands, Rush, by using a line (and admittedly a great line from one of their greatest songs) as one of the introductory quotes to a chapter and attributing it to "Pearten," a none-too-subtle homage to Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart. Cool, I suppose, but totally out of character for the Dune books, as is having them use 20th/21st century slang like "rock the universe," for example, among others.
My biggest gripe with this book, if you can believe it, is that it's damn near impossible to take it and the authors claims serious that this was faithfully based on Frank's notes and outline when it has NUMEROUS references and tie-ins to their completely unnecessary prequels. Stupid characters and references to their books are thrown in left and right, and the worst part is the surprise "reveal" of the Unknown Enemy who turns out to be...the robots/machines from their prequels! So I'm supposed to believe Frank intended the villains of Dune 7 to be two characters KJA and BH would create 20 years later? I know Muad'Dib had prescience, but apparently Frank Herbert did, too...amazing.
It's especially galling for a number of reasons. Frank did all but spell out in Chapterhouse:Dune, and especially the final chapter, that Daniel and Marty were Independent Face Dancers. Also, in his books, the Butlerian Jihad (which was the topic of many of the prequels) was always described and discussed as a crusade against thinking machines, such that humanity was becoming too dependent on computers and automations and was losing their inherent creativity, talents, and abilities. KJA and BH turned this into a cheesy Terminator-esque fight between humans and robots who wanted to kill them for no reason other than, again, "just because." Apparently, reading beyond a 4th grade comprehension level is beyond these guys. They couldn't read between the lines in the original 6 Dune books, so they had to dumb it down so that they (and presumably and insultingly, we) could understand it. Stupid.
The reason I give this book two stars is because there were *SOME* plot points and scenes that actually did make sense and were enjoyable. Those are the ones that I attribute to Frank Herbert's outline and notes. Those are few and far between, however, and the rest no doubt came from KJA and to a much lesser extent, BH. It becomes clear after reading these "sequels" and the numerous "prequels" and "interquels" that, not only did they (but especially KJA) see this as a way to make some cash and notoriety off of Frank's name and the name "Dune," but it was never intended in good faith to be a true and faithful sequel...it was always intended to be a cash-cow tie-in/marketing ploy for their other books, which have turned a legendary and classic sci-fi series into, as many on the internet call it, a McDune or NuDune franchise of cheap garbage the likes of Star Wars, X-Files, Star Trek, etc (and I say this meaning everything relating to those franchises EXCEPT the original movies/TV shows, which *are* great). It's disgusting.
And I'm sure I'll write something equally scathing about Sandworms of Dune, which is part 2 of Dune 7. I'm 50 pages into that and it's already just as bad, if not worse.
Marketed and hyped as part one of the long lost Dune 7, which was to be Frank Herbert's conclusion to his incredible and essential Dune saga, Hunters of Dune is neither essential nor overall faithful to Frank's vision. When he died in 1986 after the publication of Chapterhouse:Dune (the 6th book in the series), fans were left with an open/cliffhanger ending that left us asking so many questions as to the identities of the mysterious watchers Marty and Daniel, as well as the fate of the small party aboard the fugitive no-ship and the fate of the Bene Gesserit after defeating the Honored Matres and beginning the task of assimilating them into their order. In the late 1990s, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found two safety deposit boxes in his father's name that contained notes and an outline for Dune 7, as well as thousands of pages of other notes, drafts, outlines, etc from all of his father's work. Intending to complete the Dune saga, inexplicably he teamed up with Kevin J. Anderson, a writer of rather poor talent who is almost solely known for churning out pulp-style fluff in the Star Wars, X-Files, and comic-book novel franchises, as well as some rather underwhelming original works. Even more astounding was that they announced that, instead of attempting to write Dune 7 by Frank's outline and notes, they were first going to write and publish *TWO* prequel trilogies to "lay the groundwork and reintroduce the book-buying public to Dune." (First, notice they said book *buying* and not book *reading* public...). The other thing that beggars belief is that they felt they *HAD* to write the prequels...wouldn't the normal thing be for people to simply read or re-read Frank's books #1-6 in preparation for Dune 7? It becomes apparent later on why they decided to do this, and it's really shameful why.
One more thing needs to be said, and that is the fact that it is well-known and pretty much accepted by most Dune fans that Kevin J. Anderson does the bulk, if not all, of the writing in all of these non-Frank Dune books. He's well-known for his prolific rate (he is certainly an adherent of quantity over quality and doesn't even write books, he "dictahikes" them...that is, he dictates into a tape recorder while he hikes, and then pays someone to transcribe them...I couldn't even make something that ludicrous up, but he proudly details and describes this process incessantly on his blog and in interviews) and the stilted style and unoriginal/cliched ideas in the Dune books reads like anything out of any of his books. Brian Herbert has stated himself he is a very slow writer, so coupled with the fact that they've been churning these books out at roughly 1 per year and it becomes clear that Brian's name is first on the covers mainly to attempt and give them some credibility among Dune and Frank Herbert fans. Most fans accept that Brian probably acts more as an editor and idea contributor. It's also suspected that Kevin J. Anderson initiated these projects since Brian has been on record for years as stating he didn't want to tamper with his father's work, and in recent years Anderson has been the main, if not only, public face of these Dune books.
Anyway, on to the story. I won't give too much away, but this is supposed to be part one of Dune 7 and in reality, it's incredibly boring and could have been cut in half. Where Frank Herbert would not waste time detailing every minute and inconsequential thing and leave the reader to fill in the gaps for themselves, BH and KJA feel the need to spell out every meaningless thing; for example, the New Sisterhood hops around the galaxy fighting the Honored Matres holdouts...do we really need multiple chapters for EACH fight when it's all the same thing? "They went, they fought, they won, the end." It's silly. As is their habit of writing multiple short chapters...the longest tops out at 8-10 pages.
I could go on and on, but it's pretty annoying to have to think about it all again after reading it. The characters are wooden, two-dimensional, and don't act or speak anything like they did in the previous books. The dialogue is very lame and simplistic, and when it tries to get deep and meaningful, it fails miserably. (How many bloody times can they use the word "esoteric" in this book? Do they even know what it means?). The plot goes nowhere and when it tries to progress, it's so cliched and predictable that the "surprises" are not really that at all. There's no explanation for *why* Baron Harkonnen's ghola is so evil and depraved...he just *is* (and again, very out of character and 2-D). The good guys are good "just because," and again, they have none of the depth or complexity from the previous books. KJA and BH also rely heavily on scatalogical and gross-out humor or prose, which again is completely out of character with how Frank Herbert wrote. One character tells another they'll end up as "excrement on the forest floor." The Baron Harkonnen is described as making disgusting body noises. Uxtal, a minor character who, for some reason, features in over half of this book, meets his end by being eaten by sligs and shit out after they're done. The renegade Honored Matres milk sperm out of comatose Tleilaxu and no reason is given other than "revenge." It's all so stupid, and I could go on and on with examples like this, but you get the picture.
Another stupid thing is the resurrection of nearly all of the characters from the original books who are dead: Paul, Chani, Jessica, Thufir, Yueh, Alia, Leto II, Stilgar, Liet-Kynes. It reeks of a sitcom finale where they "get the gang back together one more time." And at least it could make a TINY bit of sense to bring back Paul, Thufir, etc when they mention they'll need the skills from historical characters. What possible use could Yueh have? He was a rather minor character from the original Dune who....wait for it...BETRAYED THE ATREIDES and caused the death of Duke Leto and the destruction of House Atreides. What possible reason would anyone with half a brain have for bringing him back? They don't explain it at all, of course.
There's even a lame attempt at integrating one of KJA's (and mine) favorite rock bands, Rush, by using a line (and admittedly a great line from one of their greatest songs) as one of the introductory quotes to a chapter and attributing it to "Pearten," a none-too-subtle homage to Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart. Cool, I suppose, but totally out of character for the Dune books, as is having them use 20th/21st century slang like "rock the universe," for example, among others.
My biggest gripe with this book, if you can believe it, is that it's damn near impossible to take it and the authors claims serious that this was faithfully based on Frank's notes and outline when it has NUMEROUS references and tie-ins to their completely unnecessary prequels. Stupid characters and references to their books are thrown in left and right, and the worst part is the surprise "reveal" of the Unknown Enemy who turns out to be...the robots/machines from their prequels! So I'm supposed to believe Frank intended the villains of Dune 7 to be two characters KJA and BH would create 20 years later? I know Muad'Dib had prescience, but apparently Frank Herbert did, too...amazing.
It's especially galling for a number of reasons. Frank did all but spell out in Chapterhouse:Dune, and especially the final chapter, that Daniel and Marty were Independent Face Dancers. Also, in his books, the Butlerian Jihad (which was the topic of many of the prequels) was always described and discussed as a crusade against thinking machines, such that humanity was becoming too dependent on computers and automations and was losing their inherent creativity, talents, and abilities. KJA and BH turned this into a cheesy Terminator-esque fight between humans and robots who wanted to kill them for no reason other than, again, "just because." Apparently, reading beyond a 4th grade comprehension level is beyond these guys. They couldn't read between the lines in the original 6 Dune books, so they had to dumb it down so that they (and presumably and insultingly, we) could understand it. Stupid.
The reason I give this book two stars is because there were *SOME* plot points and scenes that actually did make sense and were enjoyable. Those are the ones that I attribute to Frank Herbert's outline and notes. Those are few and far between, however, and the rest no doubt came from KJA and to a much lesser extent, BH. It becomes clear after reading these "sequels" and the numerous "prequels" and "interquels" that, not only did they (but especially KJA) see this as a way to make some cash and notoriety off of Frank's name and the name "Dune," but it was never intended in good faith to be a true and faithful sequel...it was always intended to be a cash-cow tie-in/marketing ploy for their other books, which have turned a legendary and classic sci-fi series into, as many on the internet call it, a McDune or NuDune franchise of cheap garbage the likes of Star Wars, X-Files, Star Trek, etc (and I say this meaning everything relating to those franchises EXCEPT the original movies/TV shows, which *are* great). It's disgusting.
And I'm sure I'll write something equally scathing about Sandworms of Dune, which is part 2 of Dune 7. I'm 50 pages into that and it's already just as bad, if not worse.
March 17, 2022
“So I'm back, to the velvet underground”
so sang Stevie Nicks. Me, I sing:
“So I’m back to Dune”
And I’m not a gypsy but a nerd, a Frank Herbert Dune geek back to a storyline I know and love. I reread Dune last year and came away loving it even more, appreciating and being in awe of Herbert’s savage genius all over again.
And so we come to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2006 "Dune 7" Hunters of Dune. I have seen this on the shelf and walked away from it for years. Years. It was also years between God Emperor and Heretics. But looking back, I had read the first four in a binge, back to back to back and as heavy as Leto II was I was overwhelmed as well.
Heretics and Chapterhouse renewed my faith in the vision. But they were Herbert’s last. Chapterhouse was published in 1985 and Frank died in 1986. (just 2 years after David Lynch’s film).
Brian and Kevin had produced a series of prequels about the great houses and had been successful expanding the Dune universe. As the story goes, they found a dot matrix file labeled “Dune 7” and it was a general 2-3 page rough outline and off they went.
Pundits will say they sold out or are mercenary trollers after a few bucks, dredging up every last penny they can from Herbert’s great legacy.
AC/DC’s guitarist Angus Young was famously asked, “haven’t you produced 12 albums that sound alike?” To which Angus corrected, “No, we’ve produced 13 albums that sound exactly alike". Metallica front man James Hetfield was asked if they had sold out. His reply: “Yep, every night.”
There is some value (pun intended) in giving the people what they want. They idea of gholas, artificially created humans from the cells of dead people, came from Herbert’s receipt of scores of fan letters asking why he had killed off Duncan Idaho and entreaties to somehow bring him back. Idaho and a morgue full of later gholas have been a ubiquitous character in the entire series.
In Hunters Brian and Kevin have expanded the original six, but more than that, they have resurrected (pun again intended) the concept of Dune as an epic science fiction experience. We have all the old characters, Bene Gesserit, Bene Tleilax, sandworms, honored matres, mélange, guild navigators, Suk doctors, the great houses, and even a Kris knife.
Some will say this is Herbert Lite, but I thought the pace and style were good. Honestly, Frank Herbert’s writing can be thick. I love his work, but he can say in a sentence what it takes another writer a page to say. So heavy with fecund thought is his writing that it leads to a slow reading (Poul Anderson is the same way). Brian and Kevin have stated that they did not try to replicate Frank’s syntax or grammatical structures, they wrote his notes with their voices and style and I thought it worked. I was pleasantly flabbergasted: I liked this WAY more than I thought I would.
They tell a solid story and the ending is GREAT!
I’m going the distance, gonna read ‘em all.
*** 2022 reread
“I’m going to read all of these Dune books.”
- Lyn, My Dune Journey
“Only the original six are Dune! Frank Herbert only wrote six!”
- Saying of the Purist Jihad
“After hundreds of lifetimes and having made love to tens of thousands of women, I think it’s fair to say that I am after all a Bene Gesserit stud”
- Duncan Idaho, Swordsman and Sex God
“I was the woman who finally tamed the great Duncan Idaho”
- Murbella, You Ain’t Woman Enough to take my Man
“I was the woman who finally broke the whorish spell over Duncan Idaho”
- Reverend Mother Sheanna, As Bad As I Want to Be
“Looking back, I think the Muppet Babies was my favorite cartoon”
- Brian Herbert, Ghola! Ghola! Ghola!
“Write more books, these things will sell like hotcakes!”
- Frank Herbert, The Lost Notes
so sang Stevie Nicks. Me, I sing:
“So I’m back to Dune”
And I’m not a gypsy but a nerd, a Frank Herbert Dune geek back to a storyline I know and love. I reread Dune last year and came away loving it even more, appreciating and being in awe of Herbert’s savage genius all over again.
And so we come to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2006 "Dune 7" Hunters of Dune. I have seen this on the shelf and walked away from it for years. Years. It was also years between God Emperor and Heretics. But looking back, I had read the first four in a binge, back to back to back and as heavy as Leto II was I was overwhelmed as well.
Heretics and Chapterhouse renewed my faith in the vision. But they were Herbert’s last. Chapterhouse was published in 1985 and Frank died in 1986. (just 2 years after David Lynch’s film).
Brian and Kevin had produced a series of prequels about the great houses and had been successful expanding the Dune universe. As the story goes, they found a dot matrix file labeled “Dune 7” and it was a general 2-3 page rough outline and off they went.
Pundits will say they sold out or are mercenary trollers after a few bucks, dredging up every last penny they can from Herbert’s great legacy.
AC/DC’s guitarist Angus Young was famously asked, “haven’t you produced 12 albums that sound alike?” To which Angus corrected, “No, we’ve produced 13 albums that sound exactly alike". Metallica front man James Hetfield was asked if they had sold out. His reply: “Yep, every night.”
There is some value (pun intended) in giving the people what they want. They idea of gholas, artificially created humans from the cells of dead people, came from Herbert’s receipt of scores of fan letters asking why he had killed off Duncan Idaho and entreaties to somehow bring him back. Idaho and a morgue full of later gholas have been a ubiquitous character in the entire series.
In Hunters Brian and Kevin have expanded the original six, but more than that, they have resurrected (pun again intended) the concept of Dune as an epic science fiction experience. We have all the old characters, Bene Gesserit, Bene Tleilax, sandworms, honored matres, mélange, guild navigators, Suk doctors, the great houses, and even a Kris knife.
Some will say this is Herbert Lite, but I thought the pace and style were good. Honestly, Frank Herbert’s writing can be thick. I love his work, but he can say in a sentence what it takes another writer a page to say. So heavy with fecund thought is his writing that it leads to a slow reading (Poul Anderson is the same way). Brian and Kevin have stated that they did not try to replicate Frank’s syntax or grammatical structures, they wrote his notes with their voices and style and I thought it worked. I was pleasantly flabbergasted: I liked this WAY more than I thought I would.
They tell a solid story and the ending is GREAT!
I’m going the distance, gonna read ‘em all.
*** 2022 reread
“I’m going to read all of these Dune books.”
- Lyn, My Dune Journey
“Only the original six are Dune! Frank Herbert only wrote six!”
- Saying of the Purist Jihad
“After hundreds of lifetimes and having made love to tens of thousands of women, I think it’s fair to say that I am after all a Bene Gesserit stud”
- Duncan Idaho, Swordsman and Sex God
“I was the woman who finally tamed the great Duncan Idaho”
- Murbella, You Ain’t Woman Enough to take my Man
“I was the woman who finally broke the whorish spell over Duncan Idaho”
- Reverend Mother Sheanna, As Bad As I Want to Be
“Looking back, I think the Muppet Babies was my favorite cartoon”
- Brian Herbert, Ghola! Ghola! Ghola!
“Write more books, these things will sell like hotcakes!”
- Frank Herbert, The Lost Notes
August 27, 2015
The penultimate chronicle of Dune can be described in four words. The premise of the book, the setting, the whole storyline, the motivations and development of every single character; it all stems from this short sentence:
The Enemy is coming.
Mother Commander Murbella is preparing the New Sisterhood for war against an unknown foe from the far reaches of space. Mysterious hunters are chasing the escaped no-ship containing the prophet Sheeana and her allies. And in desperation to save his own skin, Scytale, last of the great Tleilaxu Masters of old, comes up with an impossible plan…
Hunters of Dune is defined by two things. First by one of the most daring twists in the history of science fiction. Scytale’s plan. It has the potential to be the most utterly ridiculous concept I have ever read, but also the complete opposite. Time will tell.
And second, by a chain of important revelations at the end leading up to the answering of the ultimate question:
Who is the Enemy?
The interesting thing is that most readers familiar with this series will not have heard of the Enemy at all. It was introduced by Frank Herbert in the very last book he wrote before he passed away. And Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have taken the whole thing to a new level, connecting everything so brilliantly I am almost getting angry at the amount of criticism they have received.
A Dune book this good hasn’t been published since before Star Wars came into existence.
Pre-review:
The Enemy is coming.
Mother Commander Murbella is preparing the New Sisterhood for war against an unknown foe from the far reaches of space. Mysterious hunters are chasing the escaped no-ship containing the prophet Sheeana and her allies. And in desperation to save his own skin, Scytale, last of the great Tleilaxu Masters of old, comes up with an impossible plan…
Hunters of Dune is defined by two things. First by one of the most daring twists in the history of science fiction. Scytale’s plan. It has the potential to be the most utterly ridiculous concept I have ever read, but also the complete opposite. Time will tell.
And second, by a chain of important revelations at the end leading up to the answering of the ultimate question:
Who is the Enemy?
The interesting thing is that most readers familiar with this series will not have heard of the Enemy at all. It was introduced by Frank Herbert in the very last book he wrote before he passed away. And Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have taken the whole thing to a new level, connecting everything so brilliantly I am almost getting angry at the amount of criticism they have received.
A Dune book this good hasn’t been published since before Star Wars came into existence.
Pre-review:
February 6, 2017
This is part one of a two part conclusion to the main Dune series based on notes and an outline by Frank Herbert. I've heard and experienced much trepidation regarding this, but thankfully, as long as I'm mostly focused on the ideas rather than the writing, I got through it without any wounds. :)
This is the continuation of the epic struggle between the Honored Matres and the Face Dancers and the Bene Gesserit and an even greater foe that implacably hunts all of them down. And when I mean "They", I mean all of humanity.
I have to admit that the reveal of the great foe of us all is a rather cool surprise and brings the whole series full circle in chronology in a very nice way. For those of you in the know, I know I just gave it away, and for the rest of you, you'll probably never know what I mean, but tough. :) It's a really exciting time for Dune Fans and perhaps a little info will get you guys back in the groove and taste this melange-laden treat.
There's also another tidbit that takes up a huge portion of the text that is pretty much awesome, especially for some fanboy who has, at the time of this writing, read the original Dune 14 times.
Oh, crap. Did I just do it again? It's so hard to say what I love about this novel and what I'm already going to love about the one that completes it because the "big secret" is also an ENORMOUS part of everything in the books. Think Gholas. Think a lot of Gholas. Think about awakening a lot of Gholas from a secret cache of genetic materials stashed away by a Master. And think about using these peeps as the last ditch effort to save the faltering and fractured humanity.
Woah. Serious Woah.
Good conflict, great characters, delicious ideas that tie together the entire franchise in a really big way. That's where this book is.
Now, I do miss Frank's way of writing. It's much denser, much more clever, full of unique insights and wisdoms, and thousands of wonderful idea-laden easter eggs that sometimes never get explored but still make us pause and wonder.
On the other hand, Brian and Kevin do have the whole clarity and pacing thing down pretty good. I can appreciate what they do well even when I miss the old master who did NOT do the whole pacing thing well at all. :) He sacrificed pacing for ideas and I was pretty good with that. :) Alas.
However, this book isn't that much of a stinker if you're focused heavily on getting to the idea reveals and you like good characters and love to see old classic characters interact in fantastic new ways. :)
I do recommend this for all old fans. It's also closure. :)
This is the continuation of the epic struggle between the Honored Matres and the Face Dancers and the Bene Gesserit and an even greater foe that implacably hunts all of them down. And when I mean "They", I mean all of humanity.
I have to admit that the reveal of the great foe of us all is a rather cool surprise and brings the whole series full circle in chronology in a very nice way. For those of you in the know, I know I just gave it away, and for the rest of you, you'll probably never know what I mean, but tough. :) It's a really exciting time for Dune Fans and perhaps a little info will get you guys back in the groove and taste this melange-laden treat.
There's also another tidbit that takes up a huge portion of the text that is pretty much awesome, especially for some fanboy who has, at the time of this writing, read the original Dune 14 times.
Oh, crap. Did I just do it again? It's so hard to say what I love about this novel and what I'm already going to love about the one that completes it because the "big secret" is also an ENORMOUS part of everything in the books. Think Gholas. Think a lot of Gholas. Think about awakening a lot of Gholas from a secret cache of genetic materials stashed away by a Master. And think about using these peeps as the last ditch effort to save the faltering and fractured humanity.
Woah. Serious Woah.
Good conflict, great characters, delicious ideas that tie together the entire franchise in a really big way. That's where this book is.
Now, I do miss Frank's way of writing. It's much denser, much more clever, full of unique insights and wisdoms, and thousands of wonderful idea-laden easter eggs that sometimes never get explored but still make us pause and wonder.
On the other hand, Brian and Kevin do have the whole clarity and pacing thing down pretty good. I can appreciate what they do well even when I miss the old master who did NOT do the whole pacing thing well at all. :) He sacrificed pacing for ideas and I was pretty good with that. :) Alas.
However, this book isn't that much of a stinker if you're focused heavily on getting to the idea reveals and you like good characters and love to see old classic characters interact in fantastic new ways. :)
I do recommend this for all old fans. It's also closure. :)
August 14, 2008
Jesus! Does the writing suck! So much annoying exposition, plot lines that go nowhere, and a predictable ending. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are very far from the caliber of writer that Frank was. But the most annoying part is that they hardly impart any terror or horror in their representation of the 'Enemy'. Unfortunately, I can't help but read it because it's Dune and I have an obsessive need to know what happens next.
March 2, 2015
To paraphrase Roger Ebert: I hated this book. Hated hated hated hated hated this book. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant reader-insulting moment of it.
Not just this book, but the entirety of the Brian Herbert body of work that relates to Dune. You may assume this is simply because Brian's writing style does absolutely no justice to his father's work. It doesn't of course -- accusing his writing of being "amateur grade" would be an undeserved insult to many talented amateur writers. Or maybe it's just because the series makes for a flat and unsatisfying ending, which is also the case.
But these are all failings that would simply leave me, at worse, very disappointed. Surely "hate" is too strong an emotion to direct towards a weak pulp sci-fi series. Surely we can be adults about this and simply try and forget about this whole business, without having our experience of the original Dune works diminished, because, surely, such a thing isn't really possible, at least not beyond some sort of petulant yet temporary displeasure stemming from the aforementioned disappointment.
As it happens, against all reasonable expectations, the Brian Herbert series of books have succeeded in doing exactly that. They have actually managed to ruin the original works retroactively. All the intricate social, political and religious machinations of Dune have been exposed as being driven by trivial, utterly tired science fiction tropes all along. Everything that was magic and mysterious about the universe turned into cheap parlor tricks.
The truly unforgivable aspect of it all is that these ridiculous story lines are, undeniably, based on Frank Herbert's own notes and long-term plans for the series. It really was there all along - you can go and re-read the original books and there is no avoiding the fact that yes, all this Micky Mouse shit was in the background all along, just wisely kept out of the foreground by a much more competent author. It is possible Frank would have revealed everything in due time without making the concept insufferable. It is more likely however, that the reason he had so much trouble with "Dune 7" was exactly because he found no way out of the corner he wrote himself into.
Hunters/Sandworms of Dune as well the House-prequels and (probably the worst of the bunch) the Bhutlerian Jihad series are awful books written by an awful writer which have the uncanny ability to turn a beloved science fiction classic into hateful garbage. Nobody should ever read these books under any circumstances.
Not just this book, but the entirety of the Brian Herbert body of work that relates to Dune. You may assume this is simply because Brian's writing style does absolutely no justice to his father's work. It doesn't of course -- accusing his writing of being "amateur grade" would be an undeserved insult to many talented amateur writers. Or maybe it's just because the series makes for a flat and unsatisfying ending, which is also the case.
But these are all failings that would simply leave me, at worse, very disappointed. Surely "hate" is too strong an emotion to direct towards a weak pulp sci-fi series. Surely we can be adults about this and simply try and forget about this whole business, without having our experience of the original Dune works diminished, because, surely, such a thing isn't really possible, at least not beyond some sort of petulant yet temporary displeasure stemming from the aforementioned disappointment.
As it happens, against all reasonable expectations, the Brian Herbert series of books have succeeded in doing exactly that. They have actually managed to ruin the original works retroactively. All the intricate social, political and religious machinations of Dune have been exposed as being driven by trivial, utterly tired science fiction tropes all along. Everything that was magic and mysterious about the universe turned into cheap parlor tricks.
The truly unforgivable aspect of it all is that these ridiculous story lines are, undeniably, based on Frank Herbert's own notes and long-term plans for the series. It really was there all along - you can go and re-read the original books and there is no avoiding the fact that yes, all this Micky Mouse shit was in the background all along, just wisely kept out of the foreground by a much more competent author. It is possible Frank would have revealed everything in due time without making the concept insufferable. It is more likely however, that the reason he had so much trouble with "Dune 7" was exactly because he found no way out of the corner he wrote himself into.
Hunters/Sandworms of Dune as well the House-prequels and (probably the worst of the bunch) the Bhutlerian Jihad series are awful books written by an awful writer which have the uncanny ability to turn a beloved science fiction classic into hateful garbage. Nobody should ever read these books under any circumstances.
September 8, 2015
Those who think they see most clearly are often more blind than the rest.
-Bene Gesserit aphorism
April 9, 2007
What a waste of perfectly good hours. Only herculean effort can make Frank Herbert's Dune universe this mundane and banal. It's like somebody stole the Mona Lisa and drew over it in crayon.
September 8, 2007
I volunteered to be a pre-reader for the Endeavor Awards this year. This was one of the books I was assigned. I hadn't read any Dune since the first two books back in college--so 20 years ago or so.
This was one of the most disgusting and badly written books I've ever read. From the complete lack of emotional impact as an entire planet is turned to slag, to the shallow "Sex Wars" theme that didn't do well by either women or men. The pace was stilted, the characters cartoonish. I found it so painful to read I ended up slogging through it by timing myself and keeping track in my head how much time I had to spend in hell. My suspicion (unvoiced to those running the awards--so I don't know for sure) was that I was given the book because I was a late addition to the reading team, and they needed one more victim to read it to abide by the rules of the prize. So I persevered.
Don't sully your brain.
This was one of the most disgusting and badly written books I've ever read. From the complete lack of emotional impact as an entire planet is turned to slag, to the shallow "Sex Wars" theme that didn't do well by either women or men. The pace was stilted, the characters cartoonish. I found it so painful to read I ended up slogging through it by timing myself and keeping track in my head how much time I had to spend in hell. My suspicion (unvoiced to those running the awards--so I don't know for sure) was that I was given the book because I was a late addition to the reading team, and they needed one more victim to read it to abide by the rules of the prize. So I persevered.
Don't sully your brain.
April 14, 2023
Questo romanzo e il successivo non sono mai stati scritti. E' solo uno scherzo mal riuscito.
Il finale di "Rifondazione di Dune", sesto ed ultimo romanzo del ciclo di Dune scritto da Frank Herbert ha lasciato il mondo in attesa, affascinato e pieno di domande.
A distanza di 20 anni, suo figlio Brian tenta la folle impresa provando a terminare l'opera del padre. Immaginate di veder ritoccare la Gioconda o la Cappella Sistina con una bomboletta spray.
La differenza di stile è palese, lineare e semplice. Dove Frank spingeva il lettore a porsi domande e fare congetture qui viene spiegato tutto con una semplicità disarmante. Una lettura in fin dei conti piacevole ma solo se presa superficialmente. E qui finiscono le cose positive.
E' un po' come perdere le ali e tornare a camminare, o meglio zoppicare.
Questo primo romanzo segue le vicissitudini dei fuggiaschi sulla non-nave e la risoluzione del conflitto tra Bene Gesserit e Matres Onorate, ma a sconvolgere il lettore sono ben altre situazioni in attesa di sviluppo: il folle piano di Scytale con i ghola e la rivelazione del Nemico.
Sebbene la prima avrà pieno compimento nel secondo romanzo "i vermi delle sabbie di Dune", la rivelazione del Nemico a fine romanzo è assolutamente fuori tema. Dimenticate la profondità dei romanzi precedenti e aspettatevi una storiella da quattro soldi piena di clichè e scene discutibili.
Evito di fare spoilers, me li tengo per il finale.
Lo ammetto, la paura era tanta, avrei preferito una rivelazione del Nemico ben diversa e che fosse più consona al tema e allo stile di Dune e meno, permettetemi, "banale".
Aspetto di finire anche "I vermi della sabbia di Dune" per giudicare il lavoro svolto e fondamentale sarà vedere come verrà gestito il piano di Scytale con i ghola e il collegamento al "Sentiero Dorato" del Tiranno, vero motore alla base del ciclo.
Il finale di "Rifondazione di Dune", sesto ed ultimo romanzo del ciclo di Dune scritto da Frank Herbert ha lasciato il mondo in attesa, affascinato e pieno di domande.
A distanza di 20 anni, suo figlio Brian tenta la folle impresa provando a terminare l'opera del padre. Immaginate di veder ritoccare la Gioconda o la Cappella Sistina con una bomboletta spray.
La differenza di stile è palese, lineare e semplice. Dove Frank spingeva il lettore a porsi domande e fare congetture qui viene spiegato tutto con una semplicità disarmante. Una lettura in fin dei conti piacevole ma solo se presa superficialmente. E qui finiscono le cose positive.
E' un po' come perdere le ali e tornare a camminare, o meglio zoppicare.
Questo primo romanzo segue le vicissitudini dei fuggiaschi sulla non-nave e la risoluzione del conflitto tra Bene Gesserit e Matres Onorate, ma a sconvolgere il lettore sono ben altre situazioni in attesa di sviluppo: il folle piano di Scytale con i ghola e la rivelazione del Nemico.
Sebbene la prima avrà pieno compimento nel secondo romanzo "i vermi delle sabbie di Dune", la rivelazione del Nemico a fine romanzo è assolutamente fuori tema. Dimenticate la profondità dei romanzi precedenti e aspettatevi una storiella da quattro soldi piena di clichè e scene discutibili.
Evito di fare spoilers, me li tengo per il finale.
Lo ammetto, la paura era tanta, avrei preferito una rivelazione del Nemico ben diversa e che fosse più consona al tema e allo stile di Dune e meno, permettetemi, "banale".
Aspetto di finire anche "I vermi della sabbia di Dune" per giudicare il lavoro svolto e fondamentale sarà vedere come verrà gestito il piano di Scytale con i ghola e il collegamento al "Sentiero Dorato" del Tiranno, vero motore alla base del ciclo.
February 1, 2020
Hunters of Dune (Dune Chronicles #7), Brian Herbert
For three years, the no-ship (named the Ithaca by its passengers) has been in an alternate universe, carrying the gholas of Duncan Idaho and the famous military commander Miles Teg as well as the Bene Gesserit Sheeana, who has the mysterious power to control sandworms. Other passengers include the last Bene Tleilax Master Scytale, some Bene Gesserits, a group of Jews saved from Honored Matre oppression on the planet Gammu, seven small sandworms that can produce spice, and four captive Futars, fierce half-man/half-cat creatures bred to hunt Honored Matres. The mysterious Oracle of Time speaks to Duncan and brings the no-ship back into the 'regular' universe. However, it is soon discovered by the mysterious "old man and old woman", Daniel and Marty, first mentioned at the end of Chapterhouse Dune, who have unknown designs on the Ithaca and its passengers. The no-ship is nearly caught in their tachyon net, but escapes using the space-folding Holtzman engines. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دهم ماه آوریل سال 2019 میلادی
ا. شربیانی
For three years, the no-ship (named the Ithaca by its passengers) has been in an alternate universe, carrying the gholas of Duncan Idaho and the famous military commander Miles Teg as well as the Bene Gesserit Sheeana, who has the mysterious power to control sandworms. Other passengers include the last Bene Tleilax Master Scytale, some Bene Gesserits, a group of Jews saved from Honored Matre oppression on the planet Gammu, seven small sandworms that can produce spice, and four captive Futars, fierce half-man/half-cat creatures bred to hunt Honored Matres. The mysterious Oracle of Time speaks to Duncan and brings the no-ship back into the 'regular' universe. However, it is soon discovered by the mysterious "old man and old woman", Daniel and Marty, first mentioned at the end of Chapterhouse Dune, who have unknown designs on the Ithaca and its passengers. The no-ship is nearly caught in their tachyon net, but escapes using the space-folding Holtzman engines. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دهم ماه آوریل سال 2019 میلادی
ا. شربیانی
May 27, 2015
The entire exercise is a bait and switch: Chapterhouse ends famously with Marty & Daniel reflecting:
That and lesser passages tend to suggest that the pair are Evil Shapechangers.
Not so fast, however--this new installment doesn't bother to revise that langauge, but simply ignores it in making Marty & Daniel into Evil Robots from the authors' prequels. It's actually extremely annoying. Sure, the Evil Shapechangers are still there, but it's not quite the same.
The text at times reads almost like YA, to the extent that too much is explained. Consider the first example from my marginalia: we know that the Chapterhouse no-ship is the Ithaca, and yet we are told what Ithaca is geographically and mythologically, and then: "Similarly, Duncan and his companions needed a place to call home, a safe haven. These people were on their own great odyssey, and without so much as a map or a star chart" (25). Okay, yeah? Numerous other examples might be cited, rapidly moving from merely tedious to somewhat insulting
The real problem is revealed in the selection of narrators. A number of narrators are deployed once or twice, and then die, seemingly for no purpose. The Ithaca ends up with eight perspectives, all major persons in the setting, but virtually no intrigue. It is merely cumulation of narrators for its own sake, or perhaps also for the sake of "Cool! Bashar Teg!!!" Sure, there's factional debates among the passengers, but it's undeveloped.
We also get a new Lost Tleilaxu perspective, not on the no-ship, who functions as a breeder until he gets fed to the sligs (and whose chapter is thereafter narrated from the perspective of a deliberately indifferent slig farmer--reckless POV discipline, that). There was no need for this breeder's perspective, as we already had a rogue Evil Shapechanger perspective who interacted closely with the Tleilaxu guy and who actually advances the narrative; the Lost Tleilaxu is merely a set of eyes to let the audience know about developments in the setting (usually redundant) and in the action away from the main part of the story--developments that presumably are important for the finale, but not obviously here.
Events certainly happen--genocides, battles, transactions, alliances, betrayals, tortures, sex, drugs, haughty speech, candid introspections, mentat projections, eugenics, worms eating the shit out of idiot characters, weirdnesses, beauty, subversive ethical dilemmas, hypertechnology simultaneous to swordfighting, &c.--it's a friggin' Dune novel, so the normal roster of inventory is present--but the theology, the philosophy, the macro-ecology are not manifest, except as caricature. This is accordingly a platform to bring back all of the original characters as gholas, merge them with the existing post-Leto II cast, and then introduce a new group of power players (including the extremely silly "Oracle of Time").
There are definitely some good bits. Some of the chapter epigraphs are more than competent (unevenly so, however), and there's a great scene where some characters are reading about the life of Paul Atreides, which is described as the "stuff of legend" (327). Very plainly, those readers are reading the same books that we had read already, the original novels of Frank Herbert, which are referred to as epic, genius, fabled, saga, and so on in the Acknowledgments (7) and the Author's Note (9-11), which explains how this installment is based on a secret outline found in a safety deposit box after the father's decease--like Leto II's secret writings, kinda, I guess--stolen by his descendent, Siona, and used by her to assassinate him. Thus this text is part of the proof for both the existence of the self-deconstructing edifice and the freudian desire to kill one's father. Good job?
The revelation about the identity of the Honored Matres is definitely kickass--one can certainly see how that concept grows directly out of the fifth and sixth novels of the father. And there's certainly something nifty going on with the copying of persons in this volume.
Another annoying bit, though I may be dead wrong, is that the interstellar travel is expressly described numerous times as folding space, which requires spice to accomplish, unless we have fancy & forbidden Ixian machinery or stuff from Beyond the Scattering. IIRC, however, Dune did not deploy folding space at all, but rather explained that the the navigators needed the spice for the purpose of developing sufficiently prescient awareness that they might pilot the Guild ships at FTL speeds. It's an irritating revision that essentially adopts David Lynch's ultra vires film.
Recommended only for deliberately indifferent slig farmers, ambulatory axlotl tanks, and cherubic boys with an amazing repertoire of scatological talents.
"That would've been funny. They have such a hard time accepting that Face Dancers can be independent of them."
"I don't see why. It's a natural consequence. They gave us the power to absorb the memories and experiences of other people. Gather enough of those and..."
"It's personas we take, Marty."
"Whatever. The Masters should've known we would gather enough of them one day to make our own decisions about our own future." (loc. cit. at 432)
That and lesser passages tend to suggest that the pair are Evil Shapechangers.
Not so fast, however--this new installment doesn't bother to revise that langauge, but simply ignores it in making Marty & Daniel into Evil Robots from the authors' prequels. It's actually extremely annoying. Sure, the Evil Shapechangers are still there, but it's not quite the same.
The text at times reads almost like YA, to the extent that too much is explained. Consider the first example from my marginalia: we know that the Chapterhouse no-ship is the Ithaca, and yet we are told what Ithaca is geographically and mythologically, and then: "Similarly, Duncan and his companions needed a place to call home, a safe haven. These people were on their own great odyssey, and without so much as a map or a star chart" (25). Okay, yeah? Numerous other examples might be cited, rapidly moving from merely tedious to somewhat insulting
The real problem is revealed in the selection of narrators. A number of narrators are deployed once or twice, and then die, seemingly for no purpose. The Ithaca ends up with eight perspectives, all major persons in the setting, but virtually no intrigue. It is merely cumulation of narrators for its own sake, or perhaps also for the sake of "Cool! Bashar Teg!!!" Sure, there's factional debates among the passengers, but it's undeveloped.
We also get a new Lost Tleilaxu perspective, not on the no-ship, who functions as a breeder until he gets fed to the sligs (and whose chapter is thereafter narrated from the perspective of a deliberately indifferent slig farmer--reckless POV discipline, that). There was no need for this breeder's perspective, as we already had a rogue Evil Shapechanger perspective who interacted closely with the Tleilaxu guy and who actually advances the narrative; the Lost Tleilaxu is merely a set of eyes to let the audience know about developments in the setting (usually redundant) and in the action away from the main part of the story--developments that presumably are important for the finale, but not obviously here.
Events certainly happen--genocides, battles, transactions, alliances, betrayals, tortures, sex, drugs, haughty speech, candid introspections, mentat projections, eugenics, worms eating the shit out of idiot characters, weirdnesses, beauty, subversive ethical dilemmas, hypertechnology simultaneous to swordfighting, &c.--it's a friggin' Dune novel, so the normal roster of inventory is present--but the theology, the philosophy, the macro-ecology are not manifest, except as caricature. This is accordingly a platform to bring back all of the original characters as gholas, merge them with the existing post-Leto II cast, and then introduce a new group of power players (including the extremely silly "Oracle of Time").
There are definitely some good bits. Some of the chapter epigraphs are more than competent (unevenly so, however), and there's a great scene where some characters are reading about the life of Paul Atreides, which is described as the "stuff of legend" (327). Very plainly, those readers are reading the same books that we had read already, the original novels of Frank Herbert, which are referred to as epic, genius, fabled, saga, and so on in the Acknowledgments (7) and the Author's Note (9-11), which explains how this installment is based on a secret outline found in a safety deposit box after the father's decease--like Leto II's secret writings, kinda, I guess--stolen by his descendent, Siona, and used by her to assassinate him. Thus this text is part of the proof for both the existence of the self-deconstructing edifice and the freudian desire to kill one's father. Good job?
The revelation about the identity of the Honored Matres is definitely kickass--one can certainly see how that concept grows directly out of the fifth and sixth novels of the father. And there's certainly something nifty going on with the copying of persons in this volume.
Another annoying bit, though I may be dead wrong, is that the interstellar travel is expressly described numerous times as folding space, which requires spice to accomplish, unless we have fancy & forbidden Ixian machinery or stuff from Beyond the Scattering. IIRC, however, Dune did not deploy folding space at all, but rather explained that the the navigators needed the spice for the purpose of developing sufficiently prescient awareness that they might pilot the Guild ships at FTL speeds. It's an irritating revision that essentially adopts David Lynch's ultra vires film.
Recommended only for deliberately indifferent slig farmers, ambulatory axlotl tanks, and cherubic boys with an amazing repertoire of scatological talents.
June 30, 2024
I’ve been working on rereading the original Dune books, again... and this time decided to continue through book 7 and 8 even though they’re not written by Frank Herbert. You can definitely tell the difference in the writing style and the fact that all the philosophical parts aren’t there. But you still get the continuation of the storyline which I did really enjoy.
This time I decided to reread this book by audiobook as I love Scott Brick’s narration. It’s been years since I read this book and, to be honest, I remembered almost nothing. So the last 5% was a complete surprise which made me sit up in astonishment.
I’ll be continuing my reread of this series with Sandworms of Dune along with Scott Brick’s brilliant audiobook performance.
This time I decided to reread this book by audiobook as I love Scott Brick’s narration. It’s been years since I read this book and, to be honest, I remembered almost nothing. So the last 5% was a complete surprise which made me sit up in astonishment.
I’ll be continuing my reread of this series with Sandworms of Dune along with Scott Brick’s brilliant audiobook performance.
August 10, 2010
sigh.
Debated whether or not this book deserves even a star, but decided otherwise people will think i forgot to rate it.
The characters in this display none of the intelligence or subtlety of the original characters, and the book reads almost like a giant ad for the other Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson books - if you read this having only read the original Dune series you might find yourself a bit lost.
Sometimes I wish that I was still tortured with the Chapterhouse cliffhanger instead of being subjected to these sequels.
Debated whether or not this book deserves even a star, but decided otherwise people will think i forgot to rate it.
The characters in this display none of the intelligence or subtlety of the original characters, and the book reads almost like a giant ad for the other Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson books - if you read this having only read the original Dune series you might find yourself a bit lost.
Sometimes I wish that I was still tortured with the Chapterhouse cliffhanger instead of being subjected to these sequels.
September 19, 2008
Oh god.
Anyone who has read any of the books of the original series--the ones that Frank Herbert wrote--will know what travesties of supposed science fiction are Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's contributions to the Dune universe.
One of the many things which greatly endeared me to all of Frank Herbert's writing, and not just the Dune chronicles, was the absolute skill and efficiency with which he wrote his prose. What truly struck me was how he wielded his pen like a master swordsman; there were no unnecessary flourishes of purple prose, no scenes which did not intimately contribute to the plot or necessary characterization of the principle figures. Every word seemed to have at least one meaning. Furthermore, Herbert treated the reader as an intellectual equal; there was none of the spoon-feeding of character's traits and feelings, wince-worthy amounts of exposition, and tell-not-show demeanor that seems to have drenched all of Brian Herbert's efforts.
While I support the completion of Frank Herbert's absolute masterpiece, its execution falls woefully short of the standards we have been given to expect from the original six books. It would be kinder far to publish and release the manuscript, outline, and assorted materials that Frank Herbert left behind than to cover the beautifully articulated skeleton of a novel with such gross, bulbous obese flesh such as Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have done.
Anyone who has read any of the books of the original series--the ones that Frank Herbert wrote--will know what travesties of supposed science fiction are Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's contributions to the Dune universe.
One of the many things which greatly endeared me to all of Frank Herbert's writing, and not just the Dune chronicles, was the absolute skill and efficiency with which he wrote his prose. What truly struck me was how he wielded his pen like a master swordsman; there were no unnecessary flourishes of purple prose, no scenes which did not intimately contribute to the plot or necessary characterization of the principle figures. Every word seemed to have at least one meaning. Furthermore, Herbert treated the reader as an intellectual equal; there was none of the spoon-feeding of character's traits and feelings, wince-worthy amounts of exposition, and tell-not-show demeanor that seems to have drenched all of Brian Herbert's efforts.
While I support the completion of Frank Herbert's absolute masterpiece, its execution falls woefully short of the standards we have been given to expect from the original six books. It would be kinder far to publish and release the manuscript, outline, and assorted materials that Frank Herbert left behind than to cover the beautifully articulated skeleton of a novel with such gross, bulbous obese flesh such as Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have done.
May 20, 2016
Crap.
January 11, 2008
*wails in frustration* I'M NOT AN IDIOT. YOUR FATHER DIDN'T TREAT ME LIKE AN IDIOT. I got 3 chapters in and returned it in disgust. Don't bother.
August 4, 2022
WHY WOULD YOU BRING BACK EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER AS A GHOLA BUT NOT FEYD RAUTHA??? COME ONNN, HE'S PRIME GHOLA MATERIAL!!!
That's really all that happened here, just new gholas being born, growing up, studying who they were in their original lives and getting ready to put plans into motion.
But the thing is, WHY would you bring so many of them back when quite a few of them are useless to the storyline? Another review said it felt like a sitcom where they get the whole gang together for the ending and yes, that's exactly it. But still no Feyd Rautha. No, I will not let that go.
What I like is that we at least know the current number of Duncan Idahos, although I wish we had a proper number for every single life they brought him back to live. I just wanna know okay?
I'd also like to know how much of this was actually in Frank's notes and how much made up by Brian and Kevin...will we ever know? Hard to say.
That's really all that happened here, just new gholas being born, growing up, studying who they were in their original lives and getting ready to put plans into motion.
But the thing is, WHY would you bring so many of them back when quite a few of them are useless to the storyline? Another review said it felt like a sitcom where they get the whole gang together for the ending and yes, that's exactly it. But still no Feyd Rautha. No, I will not let that go.
What I like is that we at least know the current number of Duncan Idahos, although I wish we had a proper number for every single life they brought him back to live. I just wanna know okay?
I'd also like to know how much of this was actually in Frank's notes and how much made up by Brian and Kevin...will we ever know? Hard to say.
March 24, 2024
"I KNOW."
This is what I repeated to myself throughout my entire read of this boring schlock.
You know those cheesy cartoons from your childhood that have characters constantly monologuing every decision they make? Even the supporting cast will do it and before long you feel like someone just cut and paste the same lines just to keep the kiddies entertained for 20 minutes. That is what this book does, except for 20 hours... Jesus. This book is the perfect example of things "happening" without actually doing anything.
SO MUCH repeated expositi- *ahem* I mean.... "information". Do the writers think I have short term memory loss?! I don't know how many times I would read the same sentence as to why someone did this, why someone said that, why this was happening. Sometimes, it would say the same thing two different ways! Stop spoon feeding me, I get tired of having the same baby food people! Some would argue that this was to inform new readers of certain details that they otherwise missed from not reading previous novels but seriously, I don't think anyone could have missed anything from how many times these "important details" were mentioned!!!
Also, it's amazing how /SUBTLE/ Brian and Kevin are with their references to their previous works..... NOT. Good god I don't even think the word subtle exists in their dictionary. That is the one advantage with Frank's style; he was extremely subtle with the tracks laid out for his later works and the world of Dune. I have yet to read the prequels (that is torture for another day), but it was extremely distracting how much this story relied on THEIR prequels, not on the story that FRANK STARTED and was unable to complete. I am reading the 7TH book of Dune, not a advertisement for the 11 other books.
Can't imagine how annoying the next one is going to be.
This is what I repeated to myself throughout my entire read of this boring schlock.
You know those cheesy cartoons from your childhood that have characters constantly monologuing every decision they make? Even the supporting cast will do it and before long you feel like someone just cut and paste the same lines just to keep the kiddies entertained for 20 minutes. That is what this book does, except for 20 hours... Jesus. This book is the perfect example of things "happening" without actually doing anything.
SO MUCH repeated expositi- *ahem* I mean.... "information". Do the writers think I have short term memory loss?! I don't know how many times I would read the same sentence as to why someone did this, why someone said that, why this was happening. Sometimes, it would say the same thing two different ways! Stop spoon feeding me, I get tired of having the same baby food people! Some would argue that this was to inform new readers of certain details that they otherwise missed from not reading previous novels but seriously, I don't think anyone could have missed anything from how many times these "important details" were mentioned!!!
Also, it's amazing how /SUBTLE/ Brian and Kevin are with their references to their previous works..... NOT. Good god I don't even think the word subtle exists in their dictionary. That is the one advantage with Frank's style; he was extremely subtle with the tracks laid out for his later works and the world of Dune. I have yet to read the prequels (that is torture for another day), but it was extremely distracting how much this story relied on THEIR prequels, not on the story that FRANK STARTED and was unable to complete. I am reading the 7TH book of Dune, not a advertisement for the 11 other books.
Can't imagine how annoying the next one is going to be.
June 25, 2013
Hunters of Dune
Book 7 of the Dune Saga (Dune 7 Book 1)
By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Based on an outline left by Frank Herbert
A Dune Retrospective by Eric Allen
Beginning with Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert set out to bring an end to his Dune saga with a trilogy of books detailing the end of times for the Dune Universe. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to complete the final volume. We were left with a cliffhanger ending in Chapterhouse Dune for quite a number of years. Unsatisfied with the open ending, his son Brian Herbert wanted to write an ending to the series, but as Frank Herbert had left little in the way of notes for the final book, he was hesitant. Anything that he wrote would be more what he thought should happen, and less what his father envisioned. Several years later, he discovered two safe deposit boxes that his father had left no reference to behind. Inside he found a twenty page outline for “Dune 7” along with a large gathering of notes having to do with the back story of Dune, things that happened between books, and character profiles, as well as a number of unused chapter epigraphs. Enlisting the help of his friend Kevin J. Anderson, a relatively well established and respected science fiction writer, they set to work on completing Frank Herbert’s Dune saga.
They ran into some problems along the way, mostly that what the outline called for were events that had no explanation for in any of the previous books, and by this time, interest in the Dune Saga had fallen off and it was in danger of being forgotten. No one would have a chance to read the end if no one remembered. And so they wrote several prequel books to Dune to serve the dual purpose of reminding people that Dune exists and was unfinished, and to delve into the back story of the series to better set the stage for the final volume. The most notable of these is the House Trilogy, which was rather entertaining if you’ve got the time to sit down and read, but I will not be reviewing it in this retrospective. At last, with the stage set, and interest in the Dune series coming to an all-time high, they set to work on Dune 7. Unfortunately, the scope of the story was such that it could not be finished in a single volume, and so it was split into Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune.
At the end of Chapterhouse Dune, Duncan Idaho, sensing the trap of an unknown enemy tightening around him, destroyed the navigation computers of the ship that he and the Bene Gesserit refugees were fleeing the new unified sisterhood in, sending them out of control into the vast, unknown reaches of unexplored space.
With enemies on every side, unsure how to continue onward, and a looming threat to all of humanity on the horizon the refugees aboard the now dubbed Ithaca, set a plan into motion that they hope will bring options to a vague and hopeless future. They begin resurrecting figures from the past, in hopes that together these minds will be able to see the path through to the future.
Meanwhile Morbella, having united the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit into one sisterhood begins building an army the likes of which has never before been seen by humanity. First she crushes the remnants of rebel Honored Matres and then sets to the task of readying and unifying humanity against the coming threat of the unknown enemy. Ghosts from the past even older than the Kwisatz Haderach have been growing and festering beyond the reach of human occupied space for fifteen thousand years, awaiting the chance to strike and lay waste to those that cast them out, bringing many startling revelations with them out of the murky past of the old Empire.
The Good? Okay, at the risk of inviting nerd rage the likes of which even God has never seen (see what I did thar) I’m going to say that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are much better storytellers than Frank Herbert was. And before you start mailing me envelops of anthrax and setting bombs on my car let me explain. Frank Herbert was, generally, an excellent writer. He was good with words, and poetry. He had excellent prose and a vast and interesting imagination for coming up with great stories. He also sucked at telling them. There is a difference between being a good writer, and being a good storyteller. It’s a distinction that few people care to make, but it does exist. Let me give you an example. Throughout Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune Frank Herbert was building up the final epic confrontation at the end of the Dune Saga. By the end of the final book he was able to complete I still had no idea what was going on, who any of the characters were, what motivated any of them, or why I should care. Two books and I still couldn’t tell you what the story was about, or why any of the characters were doing anything that they did.
Within the first ten to fifteen pages Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson accomplished what Frank Herbert could not in two entire novels. Within the first chapter I knew what was going on, who the good guys were, what motivated them, who the bad guys were, what motivated them, and why I should give a crap about any of them. And honestly, that was really all I was looking for. I just wanted to know what was going on and who to care about. Frank Herbert never gave me these things. Frank Herbert was the better writer, the better visionary mind, but Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson were the better storytellers BY FAR. I like to think of it like this. George Lucas had great ideas with Star Wars, but the best films in the franchise were the ones where he gave the ideas over to others and stood back to supervise while they handled the scripting, direction and generally everything else story related.
This book may not be as well written as Herbert Senior would have given us had he lived to complete it, this is true, and the difference in prose is very noticeable, HOWEVER that does not mean that the book is badly written. In fact, it is really very well written. The narrative flows along at a good pace, and never feels as though it’s moving too slowly or too quickly. The events play out well, building to an excellent climax that leaves me wanting more, and desperate to grab the next and final book to see what happens.
The Bad? There’s just two things I’d like to address in the negative category for this book. The first is this. There are right reasons to finish a series after the original writer has died, and there are wrong reasons. For the most part, Brian Herbert seems genuinely interested in finishing his father’s work and nothing else. However, on the other hand, Frank Herbert’s name does not appear anywhere on the cover or copyright page of my copy of the book. Now, one could make the argument by that fact that he is simply trying to capitalize on his father’s name and work, however, I think the lack of Herbert Senior’s name on the cover was simply a stupid oversight by the publisher and nothing more. Brian Herbert really seems to have a passion and genuine desire to see his father’s epic series come to a satisfying conclusion for all of us fans that were left hanging by Chapterhouse. I’ll leave it to you to decide which it is. I for one, think that he was in it purely to tell the story that his father was unable to tell and for nothing more.
The other thing is not so much a bad thing in my opinion, however, I have seen quite a few fans bemoaning it so I will address it here. Without giving any spoilers, there were two characters introduced in the final chapter of Chapterhouse, an old man and an old woman, the leaders of the unknown enemy that threatens mankind. From the dialog that these characters give, it seems as though they are one thing, but they turn out to be something completely different. In my opinion what they REALLY turn out to be is incredibly epic and even better than what they appeared to be in the first place. It ties things in from the distant past of the Dune Saga, and was, in my opinion, a really mind-blowing plot twist that made the ending all the more awesome. However, a lot of people feel that Brian Herbert cheated them out of what Frank Herbert planned with these two characters, and changed the outline left by his father to make for a better story. I do not believe this is the case. Like I said before, he seems to genuinely want to finish his father’s unfinished work to the best of his abilities. However, just be aware, that where these two characters appeared to be going at the end of Chapterhouse is not where they actually go, and it might seem, to some, as though Brian Herbert meddled in the plotline and changed things around to put his own flair on things.
In conclusion, though this book is not exactly what I would have expected from the original author of the series, it is extraordinarily good. It is one of the best books in the series. Nothing will top the first two, in my opinion, but the two books making up Dune 7 are the next best thing to them. Hunters is perfectly paced, builds to an exciting climax and sets up for an epic conclusion for the series. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson succeeded in clarifying plot elements and character motivations where Frank Herbert left them far too muddled for me to even really care. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of the original six Dune books published by Frank Herbert. I understand the apprehension involved when picking up the end to the series as written by a different author, but the new authors do a very good job of tying things up and explaining things and setting up for a great conclusion. Don’t let the fact that the authors are different keep you from picking this book up, you’re cheating yourself out of an awesome conclusion to a pretty good series.
Check out my other reviews.
P.S. Sorry it took me so long to post this on Goodreads. I meant to get it up two weeks ago, but I completely forgot about it. I hope you enjoy.
Book 7 of the Dune Saga (Dune 7 Book 1)
By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Based on an outline left by Frank Herbert
A Dune Retrospective by Eric Allen
Beginning with Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert set out to bring an end to his Dune saga with a trilogy of books detailing the end of times for the Dune Universe. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to complete the final volume. We were left with a cliffhanger ending in Chapterhouse Dune for quite a number of years. Unsatisfied with the open ending, his son Brian Herbert wanted to write an ending to the series, but as Frank Herbert had left little in the way of notes for the final book, he was hesitant. Anything that he wrote would be more what he thought should happen, and less what his father envisioned. Several years later, he discovered two safe deposit boxes that his father had left no reference to behind. Inside he found a twenty page outline for “Dune 7” along with a large gathering of notes having to do with the back story of Dune, things that happened between books, and character profiles, as well as a number of unused chapter epigraphs. Enlisting the help of his friend Kevin J. Anderson, a relatively well established and respected science fiction writer, they set to work on completing Frank Herbert’s Dune saga.
They ran into some problems along the way, mostly that what the outline called for were events that had no explanation for in any of the previous books, and by this time, interest in the Dune Saga had fallen off and it was in danger of being forgotten. No one would have a chance to read the end if no one remembered. And so they wrote several prequel books to Dune to serve the dual purpose of reminding people that Dune exists and was unfinished, and to delve into the back story of the series to better set the stage for the final volume. The most notable of these is the House Trilogy, which was rather entertaining if you’ve got the time to sit down and read, but I will not be reviewing it in this retrospective. At last, with the stage set, and interest in the Dune series coming to an all-time high, they set to work on Dune 7. Unfortunately, the scope of the story was such that it could not be finished in a single volume, and so it was split into Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune.
At the end of Chapterhouse Dune, Duncan Idaho, sensing the trap of an unknown enemy tightening around him, destroyed the navigation computers of the ship that he and the Bene Gesserit refugees were fleeing the new unified sisterhood in, sending them out of control into the vast, unknown reaches of unexplored space.
With enemies on every side, unsure how to continue onward, and a looming threat to all of humanity on the horizon the refugees aboard the now dubbed Ithaca, set a plan into motion that they hope will bring options to a vague and hopeless future. They begin resurrecting figures from the past, in hopes that together these minds will be able to see the path through to the future.
Meanwhile Morbella, having united the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit into one sisterhood begins building an army the likes of which has never before been seen by humanity. First she crushes the remnants of rebel Honored Matres and then sets to the task of readying and unifying humanity against the coming threat of the unknown enemy. Ghosts from the past even older than the Kwisatz Haderach have been growing and festering beyond the reach of human occupied space for fifteen thousand years, awaiting the chance to strike and lay waste to those that cast them out, bringing many startling revelations with them out of the murky past of the old Empire.
The Good? Okay, at the risk of inviting nerd rage the likes of which even God has never seen (see what I did thar) I’m going to say that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are much better storytellers than Frank Herbert was. And before you start mailing me envelops of anthrax and setting bombs on my car let me explain. Frank Herbert was, generally, an excellent writer. He was good with words, and poetry. He had excellent prose and a vast and interesting imagination for coming up with great stories. He also sucked at telling them. There is a difference between being a good writer, and being a good storyteller. It’s a distinction that few people care to make, but it does exist. Let me give you an example. Throughout Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune Frank Herbert was building up the final epic confrontation at the end of the Dune Saga. By the end of the final book he was able to complete I still had no idea what was going on, who any of the characters were, what motivated any of them, or why I should care. Two books and I still couldn’t tell you what the story was about, or why any of the characters were doing anything that they did.
Within the first ten to fifteen pages Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson accomplished what Frank Herbert could not in two entire novels. Within the first chapter I knew what was going on, who the good guys were, what motivated them, who the bad guys were, what motivated them, and why I should give a crap about any of them. And honestly, that was really all I was looking for. I just wanted to know what was going on and who to care about. Frank Herbert never gave me these things. Frank Herbert was the better writer, the better visionary mind, but Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson were the better storytellers BY FAR. I like to think of it like this. George Lucas had great ideas with Star Wars, but the best films in the franchise were the ones where he gave the ideas over to others and stood back to supervise while they handled the scripting, direction and generally everything else story related.
This book may not be as well written as Herbert Senior would have given us had he lived to complete it, this is true, and the difference in prose is very noticeable, HOWEVER that does not mean that the book is badly written. In fact, it is really very well written. The narrative flows along at a good pace, and never feels as though it’s moving too slowly or too quickly. The events play out well, building to an excellent climax that leaves me wanting more, and desperate to grab the next and final book to see what happens.
The Bad? There’s just two things I’d like to address in the negative category for this book. The first is this. There are right reasons to finish a series after the original writer has died, and there are wrong reasons. For the most part, Brian Herbert seems genuinely interested in finishing his father’s work and nothing else. However, on the other hand, Frank Herbert’s name does not appear anywhere on the cover or copyright page of my copy of the book. Now, one could make the argument by that fact that he is simply trying to capitalize on his father’s name and work, however, I think the lack of Herbert Senior’s name on the cover was simply a stupid oversight by the publisher and nothing more. Brian Herbert really seems to have a passion and genuine desire to see his father’s epic series come to a satisfying conclusion for all of us fans that were left hanging by Chapterhouse. I’ll leave it to you to decide which it is. I for one, think that he was in it purely to tell the story that his father was unable to tell and for nothing more.
The other thing is not so much a bad thing in my opinion, however, I have seen quite a few fans bemoaning it so I will address it here. Without giving any spoilers, there were two characters introduced in the final chapter of Chapterhouse, an old man and an old woman, the leaders of the unknown enemy that threatens mankind. From the dialog that these characters give, it seems as though they are one thing, but they turn out to be something completely different. In my opinion what they REALLY turn out to be is incredibly epic and even better than what they appeared to be in the first place. It ties things in from the distant past of the Dune Saga, and was, in my opinion, a really mind-blowing plot twist that made the ending all the more awesome. However, a lot of people feel that Brian Herbert cheated them out of what Frank Herbert planned with these two characters, and changed the outline left by his father to make for a better story. I do not believe this is the case. Like I said before, he seems to genuinely want to finish his father’s unfinished work to the best of his abilities. However, just be aware, that where these two characters appeared to be going at the end of Chapterhouse is not where they actually go, and it might seem, to some, as though Brian Herbert meddled in the plotline and changed things around to put his own flair on things.
In conclusion, though this book is not exactly what I would have expected from the original author of the series, it is extraordinarily good. It is one of the best books in the series. Nothing will top the first two, in my opinion, but the two books making up Dune 7 are the next best thing to them. Hunters is perfectly paced, builds to an exciting climax and sets up for an epic conclusion for the series. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson succeeded in clarifying plot elements and character motivations where Frank Herbert left them far too muddled for me to even really care. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of the original six Dune books published by Frank Herbert. I understand the apprehension involved when picking up the end to the series as written by a different author, but the new authors do a very good job of tying things up and explaining things and setting up for a great conclusion. Don’t let the fact that the authors are different keep you from picking this book up, you’re cheating yourself out of an awesome conclusion to a pretty good series.
Check out my other reviews.
P.S. Sorry it took me so long to post this on Goodreads. I meant to get it up two weeks ago, but I completely forgot about it. I hope you enjoy.
November 20, 2009
Recommended ONLY for Dune fanatics who MUST know how the saga ends. Oh this book is baaaaaaad. the writing is sub-par, but that is to be expected of these authors if you've read any prior works. The WORST, most inexcusable part of this book is...
...the way they ruin the bene gesserit.
These women are supposed to be the strongest, slyest, most intelligent creatures in the universe! This story depicts them as not being able to intuit things better than lower level non-BGs in the same room? I am offended. They also have the BGs showing emotions in front of strangers (would never happen) and being outsmarted by Tleilaxu?!!? I don't think so!! At least not in the elementary way they imagine.
Also, the way they spell everything out for the reader is irritating to say the least. Frank Herbert was so subtle, he let you figure things out on your own. I almost stopped reading after the first few chapters but I simply had to know what Frank Herbert intended with the story, even though he didn't get to execute it. Alas, I am a Dune nerd.
...the way they ruin the bene gesserit.
These women are supposed to be the strongest, slyest, most intelligent creatures in the universe! This story depicts them as not being able to intuit things better than lower level non-BGs in the same room? I am offended. They also have the BGs showing emotions in front of strangers (would never happen) and being outsmarted by Tleilaxu?!!? I don't think so!! At least not in the elementary way they imagine.
Also, the way they spell everything out for the reader is irritating to say the least. Frank Herbert was so subtle, he let you figure things out on your own. I almost stopped reading after the first few chapters but I simply had to know what Frank Herbert intended with the story, even though he didn't get to execute it. Alas, I am a Dune nerd.
February 16, 2024
I've been rereading the Dune series. I started with Frank Herbert's original six books. "Hunters of Dune" would be the 7th book of that story. Brian Herbert uses his father's copious notes to finish the story set out in the original series.
This story takes place directly after the events of "ChapterHouse Dune". The no-ship that left at the end of the novel becomes the focus of the story. Inside is Duncan Idaho and a Telilaxu Master named Scytale. Using Scytale's null-entropy cells they generate gholas of famous people from the past-including Bashar Miles Teg. Duncan and the renegade Bene Gesserit, Sheena, they will use these gholas to find out who and what the "Great Enemy" is.
Meanwhile, Murabella is now Mother Commander of the unified Bene Gesserit-Honored Matres organization now called The New Sisterhood, seeking to rally the human populations to fight against the hold-outs among the Honored Matres. The New Sisterhood is also trying to recreate Dune on Chapterhouse and once again have spice and sandworms.
This was a really interesting and good story. Perhaps not to the level of Frank Herbert's masterwork, this is still a really fun read. It not only answers a lot of questions but brings the story back in full circle to the Butlerian Jihad. The story was broken into two parts with this being the first and the second will be told in "Sandworms of Dune" or Book 8.
This story takes place directly after the events of "ChapterHouse Dune". The no-ship that left at the end of the novel becomes the focus of the story. Inside is Duncan Idaho and a Telilaxu Master named Scytale. Using Scytale's null-entropy cells they generate gholas of famous people from the past-including Bashar Miles Teg. Duncan and the renegade Bene Gesserit, Sheena, they will use these gholas to find out who and what the "Great Enemy" is.
Meanwhile, Murabella is now Mother Commander of the unified Bene Gesserit-Honored Matres organization now called The New Sisterhood, seeking to rally the human populations to fight against the hold-outs among the Honored Matres. The New Sisterhood is also trying to recreate Dune on Chapterhouse and once again have spice and sandworms.
This was a really interesting and good story. Perhaps not to the level of Frank Herbert's masterwork, this is still a really fun read. It not only answers a lot of questions but brings the story back in full circle to the Butlerian Jihad. The story was broken into two parts with this being the first and the second will be told in "Sandworms of Dune" or Book 8.
June 16, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but it has its flaws. I recommend this to anyone who loves the Original Dune Books by Frank Herbert but also enjoyed the Legends of Dune by his Son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson.
February 20, 2022
Was there really such a thing as the future, or was it just the past, returning over and over?
_______
Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.
I like this installment better than Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction this story took. Throughout the series, there is the ever-present idea of ancestors being a part of us. Very interesting ideas are explored. Up next, Book #8: Sandworms of Dune.
Favorite Passages:
The future demands your presence.
_______
Legend holds that a pearl of Leto II's awareness remains within each of the sandworms that arose from his divided body. The God Emperor himself said he would henceforth live in an endless dream. But what if he should waken? When he sees what we have done with ourselves, will the Tyrant laugh at us?
_______
Even after so many years, the Ithaca divulged its secrets like old bones rising to the surface of a battlefield after a drenching rain.
_______
Is there a more terrifying sensation than to stand on the brink and peer into the void of an empty future? Extinction not only of your life, but all that has been accomplished by your forefathers? If we Tleilaxu plunge into the abyss of nothingness, does our race's long history signify anything at all?
_______
Illusion, Miles. Illusion is their way. The fashioning of false impressions to achieve real goals, that is how the Tleilaxu work.
_______
The fabric of the universe is connected by threads of thought and tangled alliances. Others may glimpse parts of the pattern, but only we can decipher all of it. We can use that information to form a deadly net in which to trap our enemies.
_______
"He was a good child and a good man," Duncan insisted. "And while he shaped the map of history, Paul was himself shaped by the events around him. Even so, in the end he refused to follow the path that he knew led to so much pain and ruin."
_______
The origins of the Spacing Guild are shrouded in cosmic mists, not unlike the convoluted pathways a Navigator must travel.
_______
"Are you interested in explosives, hand weapons, projectile launchers? We have defensive space mines that can be hidden by no-fields. Please tell me, what is your particular need?"
Murbella met him with a hard gaze. "Everything. We're going to need the whole list."
_______
Muad'Dib could indeed see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so, Muad'Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. He tells us "The vision of time is broad, but when you pass through it, time becomes a narrow door." And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning "That path leads ever down into stagnation."
________
Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.
________
Tactile visions encompassed all of her senses, like reality. Had she taken a path to some other place . . . just as the no-ship had once slipped through into an alternative universe?
________
_______
The Scattering had broken many threads that bound a multigalactic civilization together, and since Caladan produced little of commercial value, no one wanted to bring the planet back into the overall tapestry.
_______
Simply because something is not seen does not mean it is not there.
_______
A dirty man clad in dirty clothes pushed a dirty cart along the sterile hall, his eyes cast down. "Your delivery of slig meat," called the downtrodden farmer. "Freshly slaughtered, still bloody!"
_______
I will die four deaths - the death of the flesh, the death of the soul, the death of the myth, and the death of reason. And all of these deaths contain the seeds of resurrection.
_______
"I am reluctant to call it Zion, but perhaps it is enough to call it home."
_______
________
The spice began to work within her. Closing her eyes, she dove inward, following the taste of melange. She could see the sweeping landscape of Bene Gesserit memories extending to an infinite horizon of human history. She seemed to be running down a kaleidoscopic corridor of mirrors, mother to mother to mother. Fear threatened to overwhelm her, but the Sisters within parted and drew her into their midst, absorbing her consciousness.
________
Then, like a traveler emerging from a narrow defile, she beheld a mental clearing, in which shadowy ghost-women helped her forward. They showed her where to look. A crack in the wall, a way through. Deeper shadows, cold . . . and then - I see! The answer made her reel.
________
A choice can be as dangerous as a weapon. Refusing to choose is in itself a choice.
________
The only thing I like better than the smell of spice is the smell of fresh blood.
________
To suspect your own mortality is to know the beginning of terror. To learn irrefutably that you are mortal is to know the end of terror.
_______
"Of all our enemies, secrets could be the most dangerous."
_______
Future history, when looked at from a broad enough perspective, was indeed predetermined.
Trillions of humans over tens of thousands of years had exhibited a latent racial prescient ability. In myths and legends, the same prediction kept cropping up - the End Times, titanic battles that signaled epic changes in history and society.
_______
The future is not for us to see as passive observers, but for us to create.
_______
Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.
I like this installment better than Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction this story took. Throughout the series, there is the ever-present idea of ancestors being a part of us. Very interesting ideas are explored. Up next, Book #8: Sandworms of Dune.
Favorite Passages:
The future demands your presence.
_______
Legend holds that a pearl of Leto II's awareness remains within each of the sandworms that arose from his divided body. The God Emperor himself said he would henceforth live in an endless dream. But what if he should waken? When he sees what we have done with ourselves, will the Tyrant laugh at us?
_______
Even after so many years, the Ithaca divulged its secrets like old bones rising to the surface of a battlefield after a drenching rain.
_______
Is there a more terrifying sensation than to stand on the brink and peer into the void of an empty future? Extinction not only of your life, but all that has been accomplished by your forefathers? If we Tleilaxu plunge into the abyss of nothingness, does our race's long history signify anything at all?
_______
Illusion, Miles. Illusion is their way. The fashioning of false impressions to achieve real goals, that is how the Tleilaxu work.
_______
The fabric of the universe is connected by threads of thought and tangled alliances. Others may glimpse parts of the pattern, but only we can decipher all of it. We can use that information to form a deadly net in which to trap our enemies.
_______
"He was a good child and a good man," Duncan insisted. "And while he shaped the map of history, Paul was himself shaped by the events around him. Even so, in the end he refused to follow the path that he knew led to so much pain and ruin."
_______
The origins of the Spacing Guild are shrouded in cosmic mists, not unlike the convoluted pathways a Navigator must travel.
_______
"Are you interested in explosives, hand weapons, projectile launchers? We have defensive space mines that can be hidden by no-fields. Please tell me, what is your particular need?"
Murbella met him with a hard gaze. "Everything. We're going to need the whole list."
_______
Muad'Dib could indeed see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so, Muad'Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. He tells us "The vision of time is broad, but when you pass through it, time becomes a narrow door." And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning "That path leads ever down into stagnation."
________
Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.
________
Tactile visions encompassed all of her senses, like reality. Had she taken a path to some other place . . . just as the no-ship had once slipped through into an alternative universe?
________
_______
The Scattering had broken many threads that bound a multigalactic civilization together, and since Caladan produced little of commercial value, no one wanted to bring the planet back into the overall tapestry.
_______
Simply because something is not seen does not mean it is not there.
_______
A dirty man clad in dirty clothes pushed a dirty cart along the sterile hall, his eyes cast down. "Your delivery of slig meat," called the downtrodden farmer. "Freshly slaughtered, still bloody!"
_______
I will die four deaths - the death of the flesh, the death of the soul, the death of the myth, and the death of reason. And all of these deaths contain the seeds of resurrection.
_______
"I am reluctant to call it Zion, but perhaps it is enough to call it home."
_______
________
The spice began to work within her. Closing her eyes, she dove inward, following the taste of melange. She could see the sweeping landscape of Bene Gesserit memories extending to an infinite horizon of human history. She seemed to be running down a kaleidoscopic corridor of mirrors, mother to mother to mother. Fear threatened to overwhelm her, but the Sisters within parted and drew her into their midst, absorbing her consciousness.
________
Then, like a traveler emerging from a narrow defile, she beheld a mental clearing, in which shadowy ghost-women helped her forward. They showed her where to look. A crack in the wall, a way through. Deeper shadows, cold . . . and then - I see! The answer made her reel.
________
A choice can be as dangerous as a weapon. Refusing to choose is in itself a choice.
________
The only thing I like better than the smell of spice is the smell of fresh blood.
________
To suspect your own mortality is to know the beginning of terror. To learn irrefutably that you are mortal is to know the end of terror.
_______
"Of all our enemies, secrets could be the most dangerous."
_______
Future history, when looked at from a broad enough perspective, was indeed predetermined.
Trillions of humans over tens of thousands of years had exhibited a latent racial prescient ability. In myths and legends, the same prediction kept cropping up - the End Times, titanic battles that signaled epic changes in history and society.
_______
The future is not for us to see as passive observers, but for us to create.
February 2, 2008
After being very disappointed with Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's "Legends of Dune" series, I'm glad to say that this book is the truest to Frank Herbert's style and vision that I've seen yet out of BH&KA. Based on an outline by Frank Herbert for the seventh Dune novel found in a forgotten safe deposit box (how's that for life imitating fiction?), you can often forget that it isn't Frank Herbert at the typewriter. If you liked Dune, and especially if you liked the last two books of the Dune series (Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune) this is definitely worth looking at.
Edit: I spoke too soon. I just finished this. We're back to the !@#$ing war against the machines. Don't waste your solaris on this either....
Edit: I spoke too soon. I just finished this. We're back to the !@#$ing war against the machines. Don't waste your solaris on this either....
December 31, 2020
All of these things are true in my opinion: people are too hard on the Brian Herbert Dune books (aka, "McDune"), the books are nowhere near as good as Frank Herbert's originals, I enjoy the McDune books the same way that I sometimes enjoy McDonald's (or really Taco Bell for me) even though I know it's not good, and it's fun to learn what happened immediately after the last Frank Herbert book even if I know it's neither the same nor as good as what Frank would have written.
I'm not sure I can awaken my ghola memories enough to write a full review of the plot, but I will say that the more I think about this book, the less I like it. I still think it's fine for what it is. As long as you're not expecting Frank Herbert, you'll be fine. I always appreciate a trip to the Dune universe and there are some interesting ideas (the genesis of the Honored Matres, more clues about what happened in the Scattering, etc.), but it does drag on. How many gholas do they need, anyway?
The difference in writing style is even more noticeable when they're writing a direct continuation of Frank Herbert's story. Frank's writing is introspective in a way that gets the reader thinking, while Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson write in a more marketable, action-based style (yes, Frank worried about entertaining the reader, but he didn't prioritize selling books over his artistic and philosophical explorations). Imagine if someone tried to write Dune, but without any of the philosophical interrogations of politics, religion, ecology, mysticism, and human nature... and just sort of turned it into a mindless sci-fi action blockbuster. None of this is unique to this particular McDune book (they're all like this), but it's hard to imagine this is much like anything Frank would have written even if it's based on his notes. Of course, I wasn't expecting Frank, but it's just a bit more noticeable when it's the same characters directly following Frank's last book.
But I think my biggest disappointment requires a spoiler. Sorry.
In the end I think I agree with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson in their Authors' Note when they write, "We wish Frank Herbert could have been here to write this book."
Check out my blog review here: https://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/2...
I'm not sure I can awaken my ghola memories enough to write a full review of the plot, but I will say that the more I think about this book, the less I like it. I still think it's fine for what it is. As long as you're not expecting Frank Herbert, you'll be fine. I always appreciate a trip to the Dune universe and there are some interesting ideas (the genesis of the Honored Matres, more clues about what happened in the Scattering, etc.), but it does drag on. How many gholas do they need, anyway?
The difference in writing style is even more noticeable when they're writing a direct continuation of Frank Herbert's story. Frank's writing is introspective in a way that gets the reader thinking, while Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson write in a more marketable, action-based style (yes, Frank worried about entertaining the reader, but he didn't prioritize selling books over his artistic and philosophical explorations). Imagine if someone tried to write Dune, but without any of the philosophical interrogations of politics, religion, ecology, mysticism, and human nature... and just sort of turned it into a mindless sci-fi action blockbuster. None of this is unique to this particular McDune book (they're all like this), but it's hard to imagine this is much like anything Frank would have written even if it's based on his notes. Of course, I wasn't expecting Frank, but it's just a bit more noticeable when it's the same characters directly following Frank's last book.
But I think my biggest disappointment requires a spoiler. Sorry.
In the end I think I agree with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson in their Authors' Note when they write, "We wish Frank Herbert could have been here to write this book."
Check out my blog review here: https://examinedworlds.blogspot.com/2...
March 13, 2015
Četiri godine nakon objave i barem dvije kako mi leže na polici konačno pročitah.
Jako dugo sam ovo čekao, najave idu još davno prije objave knjiga kada je lansirana priča kako su pronađeni zapisi Franka Herberta u nekakvom sefu o kosturu i radnji finalnog dijela njegovog remek djela Dune
Zadnje rečenice zadnjeg tatinog dijela ("Kapitol Dina") završavaju izrazito intrigantno, pravi liffhanger no onda je Frank jednostavno umro i ničega ne bijaše više.
No godinama kasnije pojavio se njegov sin Brian u suradnji s još jednim piscem te počeo objavljivati još dvije serije, prethodnice prve knjige uopće (ukupno 2x3 knjige).
Prethodnica je prethodnica no svakog Duneljupca je najviše zanimalo kako priča završava i objava vijesti kako će se konačno pojaviti finalni, sedmi, dio Dine je silno obradovala svakog pravog fana.
Rezultat je više nego jadan. Apsolutno sam siguran da je cijela priča oko "sefa" notorna laž. Ovo je živi cušpajz svega i svačega gdje su sinek i komšo potopili sve ono što je tata pažljivo razvijao desetljećima.
Uz to su besramno reklamirali svojih 6 ranije objavljenih knjiga.
Ima ovdje zanimljivih dijelova no pročitavši sami kraj u kojem ima jedno 4 deus ex machina nepotrebnih rješenja pravi fan ostane zapanjen veličinom pohlepe sineka.
Dok su još 2x3 knjige prethodnice lijepo funkcionirale ovo je živo blato, mulj u koji smije ući samo zagiženi fan tek toliko da zadovolji znatiželju i brzo se ispere čitanjem stotinjak stranica prve tri knjige.
Samo za okorjele ljubitelje Herberta poput mene, ostali niti ne pomišljajte.
Jako dugo sam ovo čekao, najave idu još davno prije objave knjiga kada je lansirana priča kako su pronađeni zapisi Franka Herberta u nekakvom sefu o kosturu i radnji finalnog dijela njegovog remek djela Dune
Zadnje rečenice zadnjeg tatinog dijela ("Kapitol Dina") završavaju izrazito intrigantno, pravi liffhanger no onda je Frank jednostavno umro i ničega ne bijaše više.
No godinama kasnije pojavio se njegov sin Brian u suradnji s još jednim piscem te počeo objavljivati još dvije serije, prethodnice prve knjige uopće (ukupno 2x3 knjige).
Prethodnica je prethodnica no svakog Duneljupca je najviše zanimalo kako priča završava i objava vijesti kako će se konačno pojaviti finalni, sedmi, dio Dine je silno obradovala svakog pravog fana.
Rezultat je više nego jadan. Apsolutno sam siguran da je cijela priča oko "sefa" notorna laž. Ovo je živi cušpajz svega i svačega gdje su sinek i komšo potopili sve ono što je tata pažljivo razvijao desetljećima.
Uz to su besramno reklamirali svojih 6 ranije objavljenih knjiga.
Ima ovdje zanimljivih dijelova no pročitavši sami kraj u kojem ima jedno 4 deus ex machina nepotrebnih rješenja pravi fan ostane zapanjen veličinom pohlepe sineka.
Dok su još 2x3 knjige prethodnice lijepo funkcionirale ovo je živo blato, mulj u koji smije ući samo zagiženi fan tek toliko da zadovolji znatiželju i brzo se ispere čitanjem stotinjak stranica prve tri knjige.
Samo za okorjele ljubitelje Herberta poput mene, ostali niti ne pomišljajte.
May 6, 2011
If you are looking for a true sequel to Chapterhouse Dune....this isn't it.
Yes, it is technically a continuation of the original Dune Saga, and picks up where Chapterhouse left off. But Brian Herbert simply cannot fill his father's shoes. It isn't necessarily that he is a horrible writer...he's just a mediocre one. Almost any other writer would pale in comparison to Frank Herbert too.
So instead of feeling like something epic and deep, it feels like something interesting but shallow. Like a really good episode of Star Trek the Next Generation or Babylon 5. He supposedly based it off of his father's notes, so if you are just DYING to know how the Chapterhouse cliffhanger ends, then go ahead and try this book. Just be prepared for a lot of disappointment. Reading the Brian Herbert novels is like reading a cartoon-drama version of the "real" Dune. Its just not the same.
It does have some good spots...there is a point where Murbella confronts an Honored Matre and puts her in her place that literally gave me chills...that feels very much like the Murbella we know from Chapterhouse. But sadly these moments are few and far between. The magic died with Frank Herbert apparently.
Yes, it is technically a continuation of the original Dune Saga, and picks up where Chapterhouse left off. But Brian Herbert simply cannot fill his father's shoes. It isn't necessarily that he is a horrible writer...he's just a mediocre one. Almost any other writer would pale in comparison to Frank Herbert too.
So instead of feeling like something epic and deep, it feels like something interesting but shallow. Like a really good episode of Star Trek the Next Generation or Babylon 5. He supposedly based it off of his father's notes, so if you are just DYING to know how the Chapterhouse cliffhanger ends, then go ahead and try this book. Just be prepared for a lot of disappointment. Reading the Brian Herbert novels is like reading a cartoon-drama version of the "real" Dune. Its just not the same.
It does have some good spots...there is a point where Murbella confronts an Honored Matre and puts her in her place that literally gave me chills...that feels very much like the Murbella we know from Chapterhouse. But sadly these moments are few and far between. The magic died with Frank Herbert apparently.
May 29, 2015
PLEASE STOP! If you are considering reading this book after finishing Chapterhouse: Dune, please do yourself a favor and just walk away.
I can say without reservation that this book and its sequel are the worst books I have ever read. A bad author is one thing, but attempting to ride on the shoulders of a genius like Frank Herbert with this trash is despicable. Shame on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
So awful are they, not only will you feel heartbroken that such an amazing story has been destroyed by the two most unworthy writers imaginable, but also furious on Frank Herbert's behalf that his masterpiece has been brought so low.
Plenty of other reviews outline in intricate detail the many many failing of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, so I will not. I just hope someone considering this book, does what I so so wish I did, just walk away and be content with those six perfect gems. Six is enough my friend. Don't be greedy. If you are greedy you are going to get burned. You can't take it back. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK! You can't...
I can say without reservation that this book and its sequel are the worst books I have ever read. A bad author is one thing, but attempting to ride on the shoulders of a genius like Frank Herbert with this trash is despicable. Shame on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
So awful are they, not only will you feel heartbroken that such an amazing story has been destroyed by the two most unworthy writers imaginable, but also furious on Frank Herbert's behalf that his masterpiece has been brought so low.
Plenty of other reviews outline in intricate detail the many many failing of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, so I will not. I just hope someone considering this book, does what I so so wish I did, just walk away and be content with those six perfect gems. Six is enough my friend. Don't be greedy. If you are greedy you are going to get burned. You can't take it back. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK! You can't...
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