Hunters of Dune
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
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Book Reviews of Hunters of Dune
Book Review: Fan fiction at best...
Summary: 1 Stars
I barely made it through two of the prequels, I think. KA and BH reduced one of the greatest universes ever created down to a trivial space opera with flat characters and trivial plot points so I gave up early on. But like many here I found Hunters cheap and thought it worth the risk.
A bit of advice: You can find the plot summaries on Wikipedia. Save yourself the time and aggravation and just hit the high points, ponder what FH could have done and let the man rest in peace.
I did slog through the entire book, constantly annoyed and it was only at the end that I realized why stylistically, it just doesn't work. It reads like fan fiction. Like some uber-nerd living in his mother's basement just had to finish the story so he was going to give it his best shot. Sad, sad stuff. Especially when you can re-read Dune and it still holds up even after 40 years.
Much of what is missing is FH's subtly and timing. So much was delivered with so few words that it would sometimes take days for the more minute points to filter into the consciousness. These boys are as subtle as hammers beating dead dirt. Lots of dust in the air but nothing really happening.
Wikipedia, people. Satisfy your curiosity but do not tarnish your memories the Duniverse with this tripe.
Book Review: Hunters of Dune
Summary: 1 Stars
First, I read Battle of Corrino by curiosity, a very bad book, the feud Atreides-Corrino very weak, the war machines and humans very long, and finaly , when the ship leaves the planet with a copy of Omnius, it was clear the link to the 7th Dune Book.
It was very convenient for the authors to "find" the manuscript of Dune 7, and wait several years to increase the curiosity of Dune fans.
I waited one year to decide to read Hunters of Dune, very disappointing, a lot of violence, planetary genocide, for Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit alike.
It is absurd to kill a 100 000 Honored Matres for 20 new members to the New Sisterhood. Destroying the Matres to fought the Enemy, what is the reason?.
The Symek empire waiting for the attack of the Matres to retaliate against the humanity?. They did'nt need a reason.
The authors are using Dune 7 to introduce as many of their own
creations as possible, like Omnius and Erasmus in the new novels.
Now is the season for Paul gholas, every one can have their own. How many Pauls are going to be created simultaneously?. The gholas acting and reasoning as adults?. It is not possible
Don't lost your money and time reading this book, the next, Sandworms of Dune, or any of the Dune books of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson.
Book Review: Gholas (we're all)
Summary: 2 Stars
This was a very challenging project for the duo that has been churning out Dune books annually for the past 6 years (Paul of Dune expected this year)...and it shows. After reading this, I can't believe that Anderson came to the conclusion that Dune 7 would be 1300 pages. While I enjoyed the first 75% of this book, well aware that the writing (even with 2 guys) wasn't up to par with Frank's, I gave these guys a chance. There is so much repetitive and superfluous detail, cookie cutter conversations, and cheesiness that I have to wonder why Anderson was asked to assist in this project. Is Kevin J. Anderson the Michael Bolton or Kenny G of science fiction? Was Ursula K LeGuin unavailable? You know if it says DUNE on the front cover it's going to be a bestseller -- why him? Truth be told, Chapterhouse was a trainwreck compared to its predecessors, thereby making it even harder to write the follow up. I think these guys should've shunned deadlines and made the best single novel they could. Let me do some thinking, please! I don't want to be spoonfed Dune. You can get away with cheesy stuff like this with star wars fans, but the original Dune novels were very well thought out and deserve better. Two generous stars for two writers who know better.Book Review: First Lesson
Summary: 2 Stars
The first lesson in writing sequels is to read the original work carefully. I get no sense that Herbert and Anderson understood what Frank Herbert said and so his notebooks didn't do them much good.
I am glad I borrowed Hunters and Sandworms from the library instead of buying them. That's mostly because in God Emperor of Dune, Heretics and Chapterhouse, Frank Herbert emphasized lessons to learn, one of which was interdependence and another of which, in Odrade's time, was that the Bene Gesserit had much left to learn. Plus the message that she found about alliances. There is no sense of that in the Brian Herbert books, in fact, Odrade is painfully missing from Murbella's consciousness when in Chapterhouse she was so important. The Bellonda/Doria thing could have expressed the interdependence issue but failed to do so. So could the Sheeana/Idaho connection. So could the Handlers/Futars. And so on.
The other problem was definitely the language. OK I write and I tend to try to find the "mot juste" and so I have a different style. But sometimes the wording was just painful in its wrongness in these two books.
So I definitely won't read the prequels at all.
Book Review: Absorbing, Answers Many Questions And It Is OK
Summary: 3 Stars
.....This is not Frank Herberts writing style and I can think of several who could have done better but few who would have been commited to all the prequals and sequals to lay the "foundation" for all of this. Even if you had your wish list fulfilled on substitute writers how many of them would have even dared to face the inevitible kvetching that would come with even just doing hunters and sandworms of dune?
.....That said, I have waited for years for answers to the mysterious new face dancers, the Honored Matre and why they were running as well as to whom those two old people were who are trying to catch duncan Idaho and now I have a answers to those questions.
.....I like the reason the Honored Matres have no real other memory and why they are so damned brutal.
.....EVEN IF IT IS BASED ON DAD'S NOTES, ITS BEEN TWEAKED SO THAT ALL THE PREQUELS ARE SOMEWHAT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. ITS KIND OF A CHEAT THAT ALL OF THAT HAD TO BE BUILT IN WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE REWORKED HUNTERS TO NOT NEED THAT.
.....In the end its a let down from Frank but Kevin is a servicable writer and things are getting toward being tied up by this next to last novel.