Paul of Dune (Heroes of Dune) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Paul of Dune (Heroes of Dune)
Book Review: Another attempt to make money from Frank Herbert's Legacy
Summary: 2 Stars
The original Dune novels are a great series. The got odd towards the end and then with Herbert's death cut off without a conclusion. Many fans wondered what that conclusion would be.
Frank Herbert's son decided, many years later, to create that conclusion using notes he found.
However, he decided to milk as much money as possible to do it. While it was great to see some conclusion to the series I think this book is just one more step in ruining his father's legacy.
Paul of Dune seems slow paced and shallow. The characters just feel resigned and poorly written. I rarely give up on books, but I know I will not be reading any more of the Dune books after this. This book isn't as bad as some I have seen, and I will probably finish it at some point, but I do think it is wasting my time.
Book Review: Anxious to finish the novel
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the Amazon preview and spent a little more time today leafing through Paul of Dune at a local bookstore before making the investment. I must say, I am very intrigued by what I read and am anxious to finish the novel. I expect I'll find "tasty nuggets" from Frank Herbert's old notes mixed into this appetizing dessert Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have served up! (FYI - For the Dune saga, I'd rate Dune a 5, and Dune Messiah a 4... this looks like an interesting fit between them.)Book Review: Authors forget the lessons of Dune.
Summary: 1 Stars
'Paul of Dune' takes place just a year after Muad'Dib's forces seize control. The jihad is in full force and Muad'Dib has created many enemies. Muad'Dib's inner struggle of accepting the number of lives lost is chronicled in detail. Most of the plot centers around Count Fenring who schemes to overthrow Muad'Dib. Princess Irulan whose inner struggle with accepting the life as Muad'Dib's wife is detailed.
Paul laments that people view him as a monster bc the jihad has cost so many lives. However, in his view the jihad is necessary for the betterment of mankind. In fact rather than attempt to stem the violence, Paul encourages it. Allows no dissension and gives direct orders to annihilate whole worlds killing billions. This is where the authors are WRONG.
One of the primary lessons of Dune was to show the pitfalls of a Messiah or a religion built on a charismatic leader. Frank Herbert discuss this objective of Dune in the preamble of Heretics of Dune.
The jihad that was unleashed after Muad'Dib ascended to power was not something that Paul wanted or that he considered good for humankind. Instead he lived with the hope that he could control the jihad, that he could somehow stem the tide of the jihad and curb the violence.
Frank Herbert never intended for the jihad to be considered a good thing. Just the opposite. Frank would never have portrayed Paul as an unsympathetic figure.
Besides the obvious contradictions with Dune, what makes the story frustrating is the slow, plodding pace of events. Page after page is devoted to trivial matters such as the building of the giant Citadel. Then there is the transition to the chapters of the youth of Paul.
Who cares about the youth of Paul? Dune begins when Paul is 15 for a reason. Because, his life before than is of little importance. If anything, the life of the Fremen before Muad'Dib would have been far more interesting. Muad'Dib was only a tool Herbert used to tell the story of Dune. So Paul's life before Dune is of little interest. Instead the focus should have been on the Fremen.
So we are left with a book with a bunch of filler material, that doesn't go anywhere, that leaves an avid Dune reader very confused, and without any new revelations about the Dune universe.
Book Review: BRAVO!
Summary: 5 Stars
For the tenth year in a row Brian and Kevin have provided Dune fans
with a very satisfying novel that takes place in the wondrous universe
created by Frank Herbert. Keep'em comming!
Book Review: Because it's there!
Summary: 4 Stars
We all know why we bought this book in the first place: Because it's there.
We read Dune, and Dune Messiah, and all of Frank's books. And we liked 'em.
We liked them so much that we bought the prequels offered by these two authors so we could revisit the Universe of Dune.
In another series of books we traveled further back in time to events hinted at in Dune; the Butlerian Jihad.
Most recently, the two had the audacity to write scripture and 'complete' the Dune series.
They gave it an ending. With that complement: rest in peace.
Paul of Dune is less offensive than the previous two works. It is a nice little read bridging the events between Frank's first two books. If you are still interested in Dune, then this is the only game in town. I highly recommend it for that reason.
These authors have a way of getting under my skin sometimes. They get a little too intellectually 'cute' with names or scenes described.
If you took a shot of whiskey every time you read 'gossamer web' from the last book you would be too drunk to ever finish it.
In this book there is a character named Bludd. I'm sure it is pronounced the same as 'blood'. Not intended for a spoiler, but at one point in the book a crowd chants,
"Bad Bludd, Bad Bludd".
Immediately, I heard a flute playing a fruity tune in my mind. And then an image of Neil Sedaka playing a white grand piano wearing a watch given to him by Elton John on American Bandstand appeared.
"Bad (bad) blood (blood), the woman was born to lie,"
You remember the rest. When you read it in context in the chapter, you too will get that feeling of embarrassment (for the authors).
Buy the book.
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