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A review by coyotesdaughter
Dune: House Atreides by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Unremarkable, fluff fiction. This particular book in the series isn't necessarily the worst, and I had high hopes when I started it. Given that I came in with few expectations, I would say that I was still underwhelmed.
My first main criticism is this: There is an undercurrent of misogyny that tends to run through Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert's writing that is offputting. In reading the Dune series from The Butlerian Jihad through to the end of the House series, it rears its head from time to time, and though this book is by no means its most egregious, it can still be apparent. Along with this is the criticism surrounding the portrayal of homosexuality being associated solely with the evil characters.
Next up, there are also whole chapters that could be entirely removed and it wouldn't affect the story or the characters at all. The book, and the series in general is in need of a better editor to make the story tighter.
My last criticism of this book and the series as a whole is that it goes for over-the-top villain characterization. Villains are EVIL without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. They're caricatures, and the authors go to great lengths to demonstrate it in the most over-the-top ways possible. Rape, and casual, gratuitous murder and destruction are the hallmarks of the evil characters, and they go so far to make sure that we know that they're evil and have no other driving motive than to be evil and powerful. The good characters have this same flaw as well, in that they tend to be overarchingly good.
My first main criticism is this: There is an undercurrent of misogyny that tends to run through Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert's writing that is offputting. In reading the Dune series from The Butlerian Jihad through to the end of the House series, it rears its head from time to time, and though this book is by no means its most egregious, it can still be apparent. Along with this is the criticism surrounding the portrayal of homosexuality being associated solely with the evil characters.
Next up, there are also whole chapters that could be entirely removed and it wouldn't affect the story or the characters at all. The book, and the series in general is in need of a better editor to make the story tighter.
My last criticism of this book and the series as a whole is that it goes for over-the-top villain characterization. Villains are EVIL without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. They're caricatures, and the authors go to great lengths to demonstrate it in the most over-the-top ways possible. Rape, and casual, gratuitous murder and destruction are the hallmarks of the evil characters, and they go so far to make sure that we know that they're evil and have no other driving motive than to be evil and powerful. The good characters have this same flaw as well, in that they tend to be overarchingly good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Moderate: Misogyny