Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sandworms of Dune
Book Review: read it for the conclusion, but don't expect to be impressed
Summary: 2 Stars
***WARNING: a plot spoiler or two ahead***
Let's all be honest here. We have known for years that post-Frank Herbert Dune Novels are not of the same caliber as the originals. If you've made it this far, it's because you have some vested interest in the outcome, however disappointing.
I have to say that the first BH/KJA installment, House Atreides, was a reasonable facsimile. From there, things went downhill rather quickly. I barely made it through House Corrino, and disregarded the Butlerian Jihad trilogy entirely. When Hunters of Dune came out, I decided to give it another try, since this was, after all, the exciting conclusion to the original series. On the whole, I found it worthwhile.
What I liked about Hunters of Dune was the focus on the merging of the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres. Unlike 90-95% of of Dune fans, I did like Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune the best of the original six novels, mostly because I am a fan of the Bene Gesserits and their distaff cousins, the Honored Matres.
With Sandworms of Dune, however, it just seemed like too much was packed into the final storyline, to the detriment of character development and psychological insight. There are some glaring examples of half-baked plot scenarios, such as the following:
When Stuka is murdered on the planet Qelso, and Garimi at the hands of the Rabbi face dancer, why is there no sense of despair felt by Sheeana over not having been able to share memories with her fallen Sisters?
Why does Leto become an "important" ghola near the end of the novel, when he was more of a background character before?
Why do the female gholas (Jessica, Chani) feel such strong ties to their loved ones BEFORE their memories are reawakened?
Why bother having Alia taunt the mind the Baron ghola so much in Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, if she doesn't drive him mad in the end? Why does the Baron die so easily at the hands of Yueh?
There are far more examples of this, but the ultimate insult was the candy-coated conclusion. So, the Duncan Kwisatz Haderach decides to be a benevolent master instead of a ruthless tyrant, fine. But why do all the remaining protagonists get that metaphorical pot of gold at the end of rainbow? Where are the subtle hints of subterfuge, the idea that more struggles await the new order? More importantly, why continue to produce gholas of the original Dune protagonists, after the defeat of the thinking machines? Did Jessica need a literal resurrection of her Duke? Give me a break!
Book Review: this is an interesting action-packed must read for the Dune crowd.
Summary: 5 Stars
The wandering no-ship Ithaca contains the expatriates fleeing for their lives across the unknown galaxy (see Frank Herbert's CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE). They have little hope as they know the enemy will hunt them for eternity; their last desperate ploy is to bring back the ghola of long dead heroes like Duncan Idaho, Paul Muad'Dib, Lady Jessica and others to save their race. Even with genetic engineering medical expertise on board to bring these champions back to life, the exiles know their chances remain slim as the Machines will always pursue them.
However, the Machines keep evolving so that humanity appears on the verge of extinction. War continues everywhere with human reflexes especially the ability to adapt seemingly no longer able to match up against the Machines, who incorporate every nuance into their collective programming. Now as the reanimated champions prepare for a decisive battle against the increasing cunning Machines, who are programming human flexibility into their battle plans, plague and related illnesses devastate mankind, leaving human's reign apparently at an end.
Apparently the late Frank Herbert left behind a detailed outline to follow up on his last work CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE, his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson use that document to tie up many major loose ends. Thus Dune fans should read Mr. Herbert's final work and HUNTERS OF DUNE by Brian Herbert and Mr. Anderson to refresh themselves on the storyline before diving into this solid saga that indeed answers major questions left dangling. Although not quite on a par with the Dune creator as this and the previous collaborations fail to dig deep into the issues between man and machine and between man and man, this is an interesting action-packed must read for the Dune crowd.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: unmemorable
Summary: 2 Stars
We certainly don't need another negative review of "Sandworms" - the book speaks for itself. I'm a pretty big Dune fan, and of course, you have to read this to see how it ends. I was just thinking how, with most books I read, there are passages and sentences and paragraphs that really strike me, that make me say "Aha" because of the beauty or the insight of the writing, things that make me turn down the corner of the page to read it again later. Alas, there was nothing like that in this book. In one of the B.Herbert/Anderson Dune books, I read the phrase "Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty" and I knew I had read that before - sure enough, I had marked it in my copy of "Children of Dune".
So, lower your expectations and enjoy the story, ill-told. This is fast food, folks, not fine cuisine.