Sandworms of Dune
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
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Book Reviews of Sandworms of Dune
Book Review: Not nearly as compelling as its predecesor, but still finishes strong.
Summary: 3 Stars
Hunters of Dune was a much better read than Sandworms of Dune. Sandworms picks up shortly after Hunters of Dune and the novel starts out very slow. The mid-section is not that much more exciting and plods along with very little steam. I have to admit though, that the ending (last 125 pages) was excellent and literally saved this novel. It finishes very strong, all the plot lines come together in the last 125 pages, and it was even difficult for me to put down at this point. It's too bad the beginning and middle sections weren't nearly as good or compelling as the ending.
With the Ithaca captured on the Machine home world of "Synchrony," it's crew imprisoned and its weaponry dismantled, face dancers loyal to and created by the robots infesting Chapterhouse and all of their warships, Omnious and Erasmus figure they've got this one in the bag. The extermination of Humanity and Chapterhouse are virtually certain as their weapons have no effect against the advancing robots. What the robots completely forgot about, not to mention never even considered the possibility of, were the Sandworms locked inside the Ithaca's storage facility. And when they're let loose on the Machine's home world of Synchrony, they literally bring the robots to their knees, destroying their entire society, hence the name of the novel. There are plenty of other surprizes in the ending as well, which makes this Dune novel a worthy read.
Book Review: Is that a sandworm in your pocket? Or is it DOON III?
Summary: 2 Stars
Or just another B. Herbert- KJA bomb? I have to give them props, they really tried hard...to make the longest most dragging high expectations in two books that I almost thought this book was going somewhere. It almost does. Where it fails miserably, is that the lucky charms leprechaun comes in at the end, saves the day, and everybody lives happily ever after. Of course, I'm being facetious, but the climax was almost that simple. There I was, eagerly anticipating a real battle, only for a POOF magical solution in the end. A lot of this book seems like a Dune parody, especially as the Baron H seems more like a villain out of Scooby Doo than the wickedly evil persona we all know and hate. Some questions are answered in here, like what Leto II's golden path was, although not very clearly. Neither is the purpose of bringing the Jews out of hiding, there really isn't a reason to put them in the story. Weaker yet, is Murbella's role, especially in her thinking that she is solely responsible for saving the human race, her character was completely destroyed by these guys. The issue with axlotl tanks, never resolved.Thanks for wasting my time and money. Even after lowering my expectations as much as possible, I still found disappointment. I don't hold the original Dune series sacred, but the climax of this book is its lowpoint. I'll be sure never to read another one of the Herbert-Anderson DOON collaborations.Book Review: As Enraged as an Honored Matre
Summary: 1 Stars
Wow. This novel (along with Hunters) was simply awful, plagued by a childish writing style and uninteresting plot developments. I was very disappointed with this work.
Seaworms? Honestly? You mean to tell me that after thousands of years of experimentation in sandworm propagation, that a half-baked Tlielaxu was the first to think of such a thing? What was the point in doing this? the seaworm plotline was unnecessary for this tale, and does much to diminish the worm mythology.
The rest of the story reads like an unbearably protracted curtain call for all the most famous characters of the Dune universe. The re-introduction of many of these characters was pointless, and contributed little to the development of the story. Such extreme disappointment. I would have preferred a beautifully illustrated coffee table book, containing prints of Herbert's actual notes. Harumph. I would wager that they wouldn't have much in common with this novel as it was published.
Stop milking the cash cow, at let the beauty of the original Dune novels stand on their own. Fellow readers, avoid the temptation to buy this book just to satisfy your craving for a hint of melange. Instead, find an old, beat-up copy of God-Emperor somewhere, and reacquaint yourself with the real deal.
Book Review: Misunderstand Frank Herbert's originals
Summary: 1 Stars
The book directly contradicts facts established in Frank Herberts originals. Not trivial bits, but major plot points such as who and what important characters are, rewriting the background for the universe, etc.
What is worse is that it makes a mockery of the themes Frank Herbert explored in his originals: Where they discussed the problems of handing over decision-making to mechanical things and power structures, the new books talk of an evil robot trying to eradicate mankind for no apparent reason.
After Frank spent 6 books demolishing the hero archetype, charismatic leaders and our dependency on them and warning us about 'putting all our eggs in one basket' as a species, this book applauds religious fervor to incite mankind to band together under a single leader.
If you liked Frank Herbert's work for the multilayered plotting, believable characters, well crafted universe and themes of humanity, politics and overall philosophical approach to science fiction - you will feel your fond memories violated.
If you thought Dune was an action novel with a few draggy bits but a lot of lasers, giant worms and über-cool heroes and villains - then you might enjoy this and other KJA&BH work. You would also be wrong...
Book Review: I wonder at how much Frank Herbert outlined.
Summary: 2 Stars
Brian Herbert, supposedly, was asked by his father to continue the series and, according to Kevin Anderson, to flush out the Butlerian Jihad story with some prequels, so they did. However, when it came time to complete the actual series (Hunters and Sandworms)they clearly were still stuck on the Butlerian Jihad storyline they had created. They use the characters and plots they created in the prequel and superimpose them into the storyline here. The mysterious Daniel and Marty become Omnius and Erasmus, characters created by BH and KA in the prequels, and the storyline becomes saturated with the Butlerian Jihad. Plus all the gholas! A Paul ghola? Seems unlikely since he died millenia ago and you need the person's cells but ok. But Yueh, Hawat, Gurney, Chani, Alia, Stilgar, Leto II, Liet (died in a spice blow how'd they get his cells?) Baron Harkonnen?!, Serena Butler?! etc. It just seems silly and unnecessary. Did the authors ever ask themselves, "is this getting out of hand? We're just reviving everyone for little real reason." The whole work seems like a silly mess that is transparent in it's flaws.