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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pleasantly surprised with this one considering all the hate Brian Herbert’s Dune books receive. Most certainly it’s not as introspective or insightful as Frank’s writing, but a fascinating expansion upon the Dune universe and its characters nonetheless.
A much better sci-fi read than I was expecting. It's not Frank Herbert perhaps, but it does have the richest universe to draw upon and a competent writing team, so this engaged my imagination and filled out a great deal of the backstory to Dune. Well worth the time, even if it is not at the same level as the original masterwork. 7/10
Reading to Kenneth. Slow going due to rehearsals for Christmas show.
Having gone back and re-read Dune made me realize just how bad Brian Herbert's "House" books are. And it's not just a matter of writing style. Even the characterizations are off compared to Dune. And frankly, this prequel trilogy adds nothing to the Dune series.
If I could make a recommendation to someone new to Dune, read the original novels by Frank Herbert. Read the concluding novels Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune (Even though they were written by Brian, they're based on Frank's notes, and if you get that far in the series, you'll want to know the ending.) Then, if you're curious, read The Butlerian Jihad and the books in that trilogy. Though they all would have been better as an encyclopedia to Dune rather than as novels, they do provide some interesting information about the Dune universe (information that wouldn't make any sense or be at all relevant to you unless you've finished the Dune series). But I wouldn't bother with the House books or the new Heroes of Dune the son has been writing to insert between the events in each book of the original series. I may someday read the Sisterhood of Dune and the othe books in that trilogy if they're ever written; I suspect they will be akin to The Butlerian Jihad novels.
If I could make a recommendation to someone new to Dune, read the original novels by Frank Herbert. Read the concluding novels Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune (Even though they were written by Brian, they're based on Frank's notes, and if you get that far in the series, you'll want to know the ending.) Then, if you're curious, read The Butlerian Jihad and the books in that trilogy. Though they all would have been better as an encyclopedia to Dune rather than as novels, they do provide some interesting information about the Dune universe (information that wouldn't make any sense or be at all relevant to you unless you've finished the Dune series). But I wouldn't bother with the House books or the new Heroes of Dune the son has been writing to insert between the events in each book of the original series. I may someday read the Sisterhood of Dune and the othe books in that trilogy if they're ever written; I suspect they will be akin to The Butlerian Jihad novels.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hmmm. I think the original Dune by Frank Herbert is a masterpiece. It is not only a great piece of science fiction, but high quality literature as well. I didn't like his sequels as much but waded through a couple. His son has taken the mantle from father, a la Jeffrey Shaara, and written a couple of series of prequels to Dune. And much like Shaara, he could not quite achieve that same level of writing as the father. This book is good because of the massively complex world Frank Herbert created and because it gives us backstory to his epic work. In all other regards it is not good--whether this is due to Brian Herbert or Kevin J. Anderson, I am not experienced enough with them as authors to say. The writing is chock full of sci-fi cliches, awkward dialogue, poorly spun romances, and painfully predictable "twists". Whereas the characters have such depth in the original classic, the characters here are archetypes lacking in texture. Keep in mind that my disappointment is relative to my euphoria for the original Dune. Which is to say I will finish this particular prequel trilogy, because it's not so bad I don't want to finish it. Three stars, but for Heaven's Sake whatever you do, don't start the Dune books here--read Frank Herbert's Dune first!