Hunters of Dune (Sci Fi Essential Books) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hunters of Dune (Sci Fi Essential Books)
Book Review: 539 pages for what
Summary: 2 Stars
I waited until Sandworms came out to read this book so I wouldn't have too long to wait for the end.
In the end did it matter, no.
At 539 pages this book was about 480 pages too long. In the end nothing of benefit happened. How can they write a book this long without any sort of conclusion?
There is nothing in this book that couldn't have been covered by a prologue in the next book. In the last 5 pages they summed up 15000 years of the enemy, had they done this with the other plotlines we would have had a lot more time on our hands to read something with a point, or maybe that was refreshing.
Skip and hope Sandworms references this book, just as this referenced the other 12 at great length.
Book Review: A Double-Dose of "Less-Than-Expected"
Summary: 2 Stars
I have been a longtime fan of the Dune universe for over 15 years now. Frank Herbert's writing was best described by a reviewer as "heady stuff," itself an understatement. Anyone not possessing an IQ above 180 had better have carefully and slowly read his last three "Dune" novels in order to truly understand what was happening. Prior to reading "God Emperor of Dune" and beyond, I confess that I tended towards rapid-fire "eat-the-book-fast" type of reading. Frank Herbert later books cured this habit and turned reading into a comtemplative and relaxing exercise, instead of a flat-out sprint.
I use the above introduction as context for my review. Anyone not naive to the Dune universe expecting more of Frank's writing style and atmosphere is a fool. Brian Herbert is not his father, which is not unique, as I estimate that perhaps 1 in 10,000 authors could write with the depth and thought of Frank. The novels of the Prequel Trilogy, excepting perhaps the last book ("Battle for Corrin"), were fast-paced, enjoyable, and interesting stories within the Dune universe for die-hard fans to gnaw upon. At the same time, the prequels never really satisfied, showing limited vocabulary, cardboard characters, and laughable attempts to connect themselves to later "Dune" books. The books retained worth, however, in regards to sheer action, interesting events, and simply more "Dune-stuff" which is the cocaine of any true fan. To summarize, the prequels were a great-tasting chocolatety treat, quickly eaten and forgotten. Frank Herbert's magnum opus of the six books beginning with "Dune" was a grand three-day feast, complete with fanfare, entertainers, and a sense of satisfaction which lingers long after the last morsel is ingested.
"Hunter's of Dune" fails to even live up to the "space opera" style seen in the prequels. The book struggles to lift the heavy gauntlet cast by Herbert the elder when he finished "Chapterhouse: Dune" in the 1980's. Duncan Idaho, Miles Teg, the Jewish remnant population, the Face Dancer master Scytale, and many others drift through the cosmos in a gigantic no-ship after having had escaped the Honored Matres and a new, unknown foe. Meanwhile, Duncan's former companion Murbella remains in the Old Empire, struggling to truly unite the Bene Gesserit sisterhood with the wild, barbaric Honored Matre clans. The story of those on the no-ship is essentially a chase scene, with many close calls and frantic escapes. Murbella eventually goes to war with the remnants of the Honored Matres, with many attacks and reprisals occuring on both sides.
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson do have a talent in bringing to the fore truly unique and interesting plot devices...and then utterly failing to implement them in any way integral to the story.
*spoiler*
For example, in the Prequel Trilogy: the unexpected and ridiculous demise of Hecate, coupled with the death of the SwordMaster to whom the authors had divested 200+ pages of prose, AND the deaths of two other integral characters seemed like, at best, filler and at worst, an inability to integrate ideas into a flowing story. In "Hunter's of Dune", an imaginative author could have found a veritable fountain of stories from the idea of the just-vanquished Bene Gesserit Sister living again within her conqueror's brain. Instead, the next time Doria appears in a scene, she is killed off by a sand worm.
*end spoiler*
I don't have an issue with character death, per se, but let there be a reason, at least.
These two authors, unfortunately, also have great skill in concocting truly useless plot ideas
*spoiler*
An act of supreme idiocy is the concept of resurrecting nearly every protagonist and antagonist from previous books via ghola rebirth. The move smacks of desperation, and is an unsubtle attempt to milk this book for all of Frank Herbert's books' worth. The real unforgiveable sin committed by these authors is their absolute failure to believable write Paul Muad'dib, perhaps one of science fiction's most iconic characters. Guys! You did a nice job writing the erstwhile sadist, Erasmus, so we already know real characterization is within your skill set. Please! Stick to your own characters!
*end spoiler*
So, "Hunter's of Dune" has more of the same in regards to interesting ideas that go nowhere, characters that die in random ways, and action scene atop action scene. What makes it inferior to the prequels is a cosmic joke: the very reason the book is being written is the reason it fails as compelling pulp literature. The outline is Frank Herbert's story; the book, his son's craft. What we are seeing is the misgotten child of some freak synthesis of two diametrically opposed writing styles. You can't "fill in" a thoughtful and epic outline with dimestore romances and infantile dialogue. You just can't. This is why the prequels succeeded where this book fails; the prequels were what they were as the author's had a relatively free hand to design the earlier universe as they saw fit. With "Hunter's of Dune," we are shown that one should not play dice in Frank's universe.
For a true Dune purist: avoid at all costs.
For a Dune fan: read and take a shower afterwards.
For the Dune naive: avoid at all costs, but read the original series, and maybe the prequels.
I gave two stars rather than one simply because they tackled the job at all.
Book Review: A MUST for Dune fans; Disappointing, though
Summary: 3 Stars
As a long-time Dune fan I was waiting with baited breath -- ask my wife, it was pretty stinky -- for this book since I first heard about it a year or so ago. Well, I was happy to read about the further adventures of everyone, glad to hear about the way the Honered Matres were getting a great big dose of gosmic Karma -- literally -- shoved down their throats, and I was happy to hear that the story was still going on.
But ...
My biggest problem is that the book simply STOPS, it doesn't end. I know, I know, there will be another book, but some kind of conclusion in this book would have been nice!
And then the story line just kept going and going and going ...
We get it they're lost in space! Some kind of end -- maybe on an uninhabited world -- for the no-ship crew would have been nice, not just everybody just going on further into unknown space.
Also, I was very interested in hearing about the Honered Matres and the Guild working to find a substitute for Spice. Where do we go from here, though? After the last of the Honered Matres are destroyed, Murbella will just build up defenses to fight the 'Unknown Enemy' -- who, by the way, anyone with half a brain (and who had read the prequel novels) could tell would be the machine mind/Erasmus & Ominus.
I think it would have been more creative if it weren't the machines, but that's just me.
Overall I was happy I read it, but I was disappointed to have paid for the hardback.
Book Review: A Pleasant Surprise
Summary: 3 Stars
I was very pleased to discover this book and that it was based on an outline origininating from Frank Herbert.
I have read all of Frank Herbert's Dune novels, and nothing by his son Brian. Frankly, I didn't expect much; I just wanted closure. Heretics and Chapterhouse were by far my favorites from Dune.
As suggested by so many authors, it is at times painfully obvious that Frank didn't write this book. Still, it wasn't as bad as I might have expected. The quotations introducing each chapter were quite disappointing, but the story was entertaining. I almost expect to see a chapter introduced with "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"--Zensunni Aphorism. And for sure, the writing level is a few noches below the original books.
**SPOILER**
I do find it a bit much that the story revolves around a "class reunion" that reminds me of a "Superfriends" cartoon. Then again, in a universe of gholas why not? On the other hand, I don't mind all the robots and I can imagine that Frank Herbert had this enemy in mind.
Conclusion
If you were into Heretics and Chapterhouse, I'd read this to satisfy your curiosity.
Book Review: A Terrible, Wretched Book
Summary: 1 Stars
I only rate this book 1 star because there isn't an option for zero, or, better still, negative stars.
On its own, "Hunters of Dune" is a bad book. It's poorly paced; it's the litrary equivalent of ADHD with far too many 3 or 4 page chapters that bounce around without reason. It's repetetive - even accounting for the fact that Herbert and Anderson had to catch up readers who haven't recently (or at all) read "Chapterhouse: Dune", there's far too much recap and characters saying the same things over and over, and, worse, conversations where BOTH characters know something and yet must explain that thing to each other. And it is unsubtle; the book leaves absolutely nothing to the reader's imagination. Every point is driven home with a sledgehammer, and then driven home just a little bit more just in case.
As a conclusion to Frank Herbert's Dune saga, this book is appalling. The characters from "Heretics" and "Chapterhouse" are written as though they've lost 50 IQ points apiece in the hands of Anderson and Brian Herbert; for people who are, we're told, great military leaders, the most highly trained and skilled leaders of their civilization, these people are DUMB.
Tying the villains from the Butlerain Jihad prequel trilogy into this, making them the unknown Enemy here, is riduculous. And despite the protestations of Anderson and Brian Herbert, I refuse to believe that that's what Frank Herbert intended. And let's not even talk about all the "Dune babies" runing around; I can't imagine that Frank really meant to bring back basically every single important character from the previous books as a ghola as his conclusion to the saga.
This book is a travesty; the authors should be ashamed to have produced it, and I am very sorry that I spent money on it.