Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sandworms of Dune
Book Review: A Beautiful End
Summary: 5 Stars
Sure, it isn't Frank Herbert's prose -- something a lot of Dune fans can't get past -- but this story's finale was very touching, particularly the last few pages.
I don't know how someone can say this book is a whimper of any kind. It is action-packed from start to finish. In fact, one could say the action could have been toned back a bit in favor of some additional philosophical meandering. But that's Frank's arena and not Brian/Kevin's, and what the latter gave us is a conclusion that was a long time in coming. I was satisfied with it. In short, don't listen to the negative naysayers about this book -- their hangup is it's not Frank's writing. If you go into it knowing it isn't, you'll be happily surprised.
Book Review: A Great Read, Despite The Loser Reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great novel, despite what a few bumbling anti-Dune fans say. There appears to be a great divide between those that enjoy this book and those that don't. Fair enough. But belittling those that enjoy it is petty and not very open (e.g. having an agenda of some sort, whatever it may be).
Although I'm a bigger fan of Frank Herbert's original works, I'm giving credit where it is due. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have ended a highly successful series on a particular high note: the ghola returns, the battles within the guild, the discovery of Duncan's true purpose (no spoilers) and many other threads are finally put to rest in a satisfying conclusion.
This novel moves along at a break neck pace with short chapters and action galore. The differences in writing style between the elder Herbert and his son (and his co-author) are striking yet don't detract from reading enjoyment.
All in all, this was a fun and great read. Read it yourself and don't listen to those that have an obvious agenda against it or its authors. It's worth your time (whether you purchase your own or check it out at the local library).
Book Review: A Satisfying Read ... If You Like Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Writing
Summary: 3 Stars
Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Dune books have been the source of much controversy. Bringing a vastly different narrative style to the late Frank Herbert's sprawling saga has both introduced the series to new readers while simultaneously alienating fans of the original works. The result has been a schism among the fanbase that Herbert himself would have probably found interesting if not outright amusing. Sandworms is the final chapter which brings to a close the Dune saga and resolves events and situations first introduced in Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune. It also ties in directly to the authors' prequel Dune books that chronicled the human/machine conflict.
I've always been a casual fan of the Dune books. I've read them all and enjoyed them quite a bit but the elder Herbert's style never fully resonated with me (I'm more of an Arthur C. Clarke devotee myself). As such, I was able to view the Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson collaborations with a more neutral eye. I've found all of their books to be good reads yet not particularly memorable. Their style of prose often comes across more as an outline of a novel than an actual novel. Sandworms follows this particular pattern. For the most part, the prose lacked a dramatic edge and climactic and often cataclysmic events were conveyed with a clinical coldness that sometimes robbed them of their power. Many characters were introduced yet turned out to play minor roles given their seeming importance. Others underwent fundamental and sometimes odd shifts in their personality. Still, the whole outweighed the sum of its parts and when all was said and done I found the book to be sufficiently entertaining and the conclusion to be both hopeful and satisfying, even if it flies in the face of Herbert's oft-repeated mantra that we can't place our blind faith in the hands of one person.
Sandworms is allegedly based on a final outline prepared by Frank Herbert before his passing. I'm sure such an outline exists and I'm sure the authors mined what they could from it. I'm also sure they added a lot of their own original ideas that the elder Herbert would probably have never pursued. I have a sneaking feeling that the final revelation about Duncan Idaho was Herbert's idea. On the other hand, I doubt seriously he would have resurrected any characters from previous entries in the saga. I also doubt seriously that Omnius, Erasmus or their machine empire were a part of any such outline.
The controversial resurrection of key characters like Paul, Chani, Baron Harkonnen and Dr. Yueh (among others) was something of a mixed bag. Many turned out to be red herrings or poorly defined. But I thought the authors handled Dr. Yueh and Leto II, arguably two of the most tragic characters in the entire saga, very very well. Yueh's spiritual journey and attempts at redemption was probably the highlight of the book for me. Leto II's brief return to his full former self was also an entertaining section and one that I re-read several times. Less satisfying was Paul's contribution to the story. Given how little he had to do, it might have been better to simply leave him out of it. Still, the hopeful conclusion to the series and the restoration of so many characters to their former glory brought a smile to my face. For me each of Frank Herbert's Dune books was less satisfying than the last. The further he moved away from Arrakis, the Fremen and the Atreides family, the less I was able to relate with the universe. By Heretics, the series felt like a total stranger to me. As such, it did feel good to revisit some of those old characters again, like catching up with old friends after a long long time and realizing that they hadn't changed as much as you feared they would.
I'm a little dismayed and surprised at all the furious recriminations and the "disappointed" reactions of readers. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have been writing Dune books for almost a decade now. At this point, anyone even peripherally familiar with their style and previous works should already have a good clue as to what to expect from Sandworms. To have them suddenly adopt Frank Herbert's style and jettison their own storylines is simply an unrealistic expectation.
If you derived any enjoyment from Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's previous collaborations then you'll probably get some mileage out of Sandworms. If you've been disappointed by what you've read so far, then my advice would be to stay away. As for me, I read it all the way thru and am glad I did.
Book Review: A beautiful ending
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent every spare minute of the past week reading this book and now that I'm finished, I wish there was even more. If any of you have read any Dune novel, you know this is chronologically the final book. This book beautifully tied together both the previous books by the duo of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson as well as the original books by Frank Herbert. Having read and re-read every Dune novel before reading this book, I could tell what would happen before the end, and I still loved every page of it. I know some critics have argued that this ending is nothing like what Frank Herbert had intended and I have to disagree. I think Frank Herbert would have loved this book. The core of the orginal books is there, the insightful examinations of what it is to be human. The main thing missing from this novel that was a beautiful part of the Frank Herbert novels was the prose and songs. But I understand that you can't sing with another man's voice.
The ending, to me, is very much what I had imagined when I had read the first six Frank Herbert Dune books. I do believe that the intended ending was for the "enemy" to be the thinking machines, that this is the correct origin of the Honored Matres, and that Duncan was a key part of the "golden path". Granted, Brian and Kevin having added some things to it with their six prequels already written, they had to be tied together as well. Thus the ending was two books instead of one.
The characters were well-driven and most of them had a lot of depth. Leto II, Dr. Yueh, and Murbella were by far the most interesting, and also the most tragic. However, Duncan was my favorite character because he is exactly like he was in the original six books. He is one of the core themes of Dune, perfecting yourself to be the most honorable, loyal, kind, loving and just person you can be. That is what it is to be a superman. The Kwisatz Haderach.
So, to all of the harsh critics, this book is not written by Frank Herbert, so why would you expect it to be written like it was? There are some minor plot lines that may have not been imagined by Frank Herbert, but I think this book is the perfect ending to the Dune series.
Book Review: A decent book ... if it wasn't a Dune book.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me just say that living up to Frank Herbert's legacy would be a daunting and impossible task for anyone. The pressure that his son must have felt writing these books must have been incredible. It's really unfair to hold him to the same standards but, that said, this IS a Dune book so the comparison must be made, unfair or not.
The book would be a decent SF novel, in my opinion, if it was not a Dune book. The writing is not sharp or insightful and the plot lacks both finesse and, even worse, doesn't make much sense (especially at the end). Still, it is more than adequate when compared to a host of other novels on the market.
The problem really is that this is a Dune novel. The characters are all supposed to be extremely intelligent and insightful. The threats they face should be extremely formidable and well thought out, the victories hard-fought and bittersweet. Religion, politics, and human psychology should be at the forefront of the story, all played out against a landscape of brutal insight where everyone (including we, the readers) realize that the world must be seen for what it is, and never for what we wish it to be.
The Bene Gesserit betray their emotions as though they were hormone-drunk teenagers, making ridiculous decisions and comments without any of their usual insightful quips. None of the supposedly disciplined characters in the book are very good at controlling themselves or of properly accessing the world around them. Instead of subtle comments with multiple meanings, words used with a beautiful economy of motion, sharp as razors, the characters can't keep from repeating the obvious, over and over again, and all have forgotten, it seems, the power of silence. They all operate at the mental speed of a somewhat gifted fetus, but only on their good days.
<SPOILER WARNING!!!!>
Another thing that bothered me was the ending. The entire concept flew in the face of some of Frank Herbert's original Dune concepts and, to be blunt, made no sense at all. One line, for instance, says: "Just because a man's legs will grow stronger by walking, should we deny him a vehicle?" The answer is, of course: OF COURSE WE SHOULD! One of Dune's most powerful concepts is that humanity must develop human talents, without any crutch to stunt our development and evolution. While the short-sighted man may strive to make his life peaceful and without conflict, he is doing little more than destroying his potential. "I must strive always to avoid going down the easy-path. That way lies stagnation and death." This key concept is abandoned, at the end, in favor of trying for a "trick" ending of some sort. It seemed contrived and ran contrary to one of the underlying messages of the entire original series. (Another example of the original concept is the Golden Path, by which humanity was guided into the Scattering, a time of horrible trial and death but necessary as it sent humanity so far across the galaxy that no one event could ever threaten the species again)
Sorry that this is so long. I do not wish to belittle the authors as what they attempted to do is probably beyond most everyone, but I wish that they had tried to keep to Dune's tone and flavor much more than the did. The series deserved that much, at least. I wish them success in the future and am sure that they will do much better work provided their own stories to tell.