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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Well, last week I watched the trailer for the upcoming Dune movie, so of course the following day instead of finishing the many many books I have on my TBR and "currently reading" lists, I went to my shelf and picked this up.
Speed up to today, and I've finished a 700page book in 5 days.
But not a great book, or a new book. A meh book I'd already read....
But since I am a geek and a DuneGeek (there has to be a noun for us. What would it be? A Bene Geek? A MuadGeek? leave your ideas in the comments.
After reading a couple of Frank Herbert's books this year, reading this one just seems silly. I love the world in this book, and the characters of course (but they are Frank's work), but the writing is just meh. He repeats himself sooooooooo much! At times I felt like throwing the book across the room, SilverLinings style. It is as if Brian thinks we are idiots. For example he explains, IN DETAIL, four times at least, that Leto's dad and mum didn't love each other. That their marriage was an arranged political thing. FOUR TIMES! There's really no need for this. And this is not the only instance of this. I didn't feel like noting down other repetitions, perhaps at some point in the future when I'm old and grey I'll pick this baby apart, but for now let's leave it at this.
As always with Dune books, this is full of intrigue, plans, traps and blood. At times, certain actions are a little too much like caricatures only there to pain a clear black and white picture of everyone, which is really not the case in Frank's books.
But, since I am a MuadGeek, I'll keep reading everything Brian writes that takes place in this world. I will not be afraid of bad writing/editing. I will let this pass through me and after it is gone, only this universe will be left, and I'll be a happy Navigator in my cloud of spice.
Not as great as Frank Herbert's writing. It's a bit enjoyable if you have an open mind and just want to read more from the Dune universe.
I enjoyed visiting Arrakis and the universe it inhabits again! I enjoyed it immensely! And I can't wait to read more! Does it feel like Frank wrote it? No. But does it feel like the story takes place in that universe? Absolutely! I loved it!
My brother-in-law and friend is an avid reader, even more than myself. Our reading tastes overlap somewhere in the middle and go in two very different directions. For years he has been trying to convince me to read Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and other similar titles, but I have been stubborn, telling him that once I finish the 1,568 real books on my current to-read list, I will get around to one of those.
One of his favorite series, however, sounded promising. Seeing a crack in my resistance, he took full advantage and delivered two books in the series. Thus, I became a reader of Dune.
He thought it best I begin with the "House" books, three prequels written by Brian Herbert, son of original Dune author, and Kevin J. Anderson. He also felt it important to let me know that the titles written by these second generation Dune writers do not live up to the original Frank Herbert series. With this information, I set off for a very long adventure across the universe to a planet named Dune.
Initially, I was pleased with House Atreides. The plot didn't seem overly sci-fi. The plot was interesting. The plot grew. The plot, the plot, the plot; and soon I realized the plot is all there was. A major event happens every four pages, and then the reader is asked to skip to another part of the universe and read about another major event. Fifty pages later, the reader is taken back to the first plot, but five years have passed, just in time for another major event. How incredibly action/adventure.
For all its many characters, House Atreides has not one ounce of character development. This is not the future of mankind, it is a future of automatons. Further, there are the good guys and the bad guys and their every action is reflective of their respective stance in life. In the incredibly patriarchal society of the future, women have two roles as well: simpleton and manipulator. Apparently an additional ten thousands years of human evolution closely resembles our modern perception of the middle agescomplete with sword fights and castles.
Despite my mockery, I do see some potential for this Dune-thing. I don't foresee having an enamored love for it as my brother-in-law does, but I do recognize a backstory that might be really quite good. Unfortunately, Herbert the lesser and Anderson do not have it. I have heard many fans of Frank Herbert's Dune bash on Herbert/Anderson's. I am one of the few who has a different perspective having read the newer books first; nonetheless, I agree with these "fanatics": this is not a good book.
I have little hope that the next two will be much better; regardless, I will trudge on down the road to Dune.
They didn't feel like Dune books, the majesty just wasn't there