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sprit's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
You can see the influence WWII and the Cold War had on Herbert in this novel, with the nations of the world creating small pacts and the concerns that any other nation finding the cure first would the weaponize this plague against everyone else. Boy am I glad that that is not how things went down with Covid lol
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
2.0
Frank Herbert went a little off the deep end in this one in a bizarre and somewhat disturbing way. Put it this way; he has a character release a virus designed to kill all Irish females. Seriously. If you have a lot of free time and read very quickly, it's worth reading for the strangeness factor, but not worth a serious investment.
cadillaceazy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
bushbabyninja's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lzebarah's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The very worst thing about this book is that it reminds you of just how much damage one person can do to the world when given the right (or wrong) motivation. (Yeah, really, that’s all I can come up with… Sorry.)
The very best thing about this book is Herbert’s genius. The science is believable and so are the politics; it’s all wound together into an amazing story that is even more terrifying considering the scientific advances in the three decades since the story was written.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The very worst thing about this book is that it reminds you of just how much damage one person can do to the world when given the right (or wrong) motivation. (Yeah, really, that’s all I can come up with… Sorry.)
The very best thing about this book is Herbert’s genius. The science is believable and so are the politics; it’s all wound together into an amazing story that is even more terrifying considering the scientific advances in the three decades since the story was written.
cameronkobesauthor's review against another edition
4.0
It has a weak start, but once Frank Herbert gets his grand plan going, once the societal effects of the premise set in, it gets to be pretty good.
erika_is_reading's review against another edition
3.0
This reminded me of early Le Carrie . . . and it had all the right ingredients for a good winter read, some apocalyptic bioterror-ish fantasy, psychological manipulation and dueling, political intrigue and machinations, cloak-and-dagger, and Ireland, lots of Ireland. It gets three stars only, not because the science is dated (which after all is not his fault), but because he gets a bit heavy handed on the IRA and on the Church in the last 100 pages, because Father Flannery could have been drawn more robustly, because his female characters (understandably few given the premise) are disappointingly vapid, and because he simply mailed it in at the end with O'Neill's (psychological) resurfacing and breakdown.
I would have liked more at the end on the look and feel (and dynamics) of the new world where men outnumber women 8 to 1, but he made a reasonable choice that this was not part of his story.
I would have liked more at the end on the look and feel (and dynamics) of the new world where men outnumber women 8 to 1, but he made a reasonable choice that this was not part of his story.