Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
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Book Reviews of Sandworms of Dune
Book Review: More like a whimper...
Summary: 1 Stars
I was originally driven to write about my disappointing encounter with Sandworms several months ago, and my review was also "lost" in the nether-world of censorship. After looking at the 5-star and 4-star ratings on this book, I wondered to myself "Did they read the same book I did?" or "Maybe they were paid to put a high rating review in", or maybe, just maybe they got confused about what book they read, because reviews for "Cat in the Hat" belong in the children's section because they obviously did not read the same book I did! Don't get me wrong, I am a DIE-HARD Dune LOVER. I recommend the reading to anyone and everyone who hasn't had the privilege to experience it. After reading the over-rated hot air reviews, I felt obligated to re-add my 1-star review back for others to see for themselves.
I have read every single book that deals with the Dune series. From the moment that a friend of mine loaned me their copy of a truly sorry excuse of a dog-eared mutt of a book, I was hooked! I believe that it took me almost 3-months to read Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, and "believe you me", that was FAST for me back then (I was a painfully slow reader). The worst part of reading it back in 1980 (before many of you were born) was that I had to wait for God Emperor of Dune to be published! I was truly saddened when Frank Herbert passed away because I thought there would never be another Dune book published, and there was so much more left unsaid.
Then out of nowhere came Brian Herbert and Anderson. I absolutely loved the books they put out! The histories of the Dune families, and the ancient history of WHY computers were forbidden! I was like a kid in a candy store! I couldn't wait for the next installment! When Hunters of Dune came out I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the previous books, then along came Sandworms of Dune. I was so anxious to get my hands on a copy I did an advanced order so I could get it as soon as possible.
When it finally arrived, I curled up in my chair and began to read one of the most disappointing books I have ever laid my eyes on! In fact I felt insulted!! I thought the conclusion to such a GREAT series would go out with a BANG! It didn't even have the decency to just fade away! This book is more like an insulting cowardly whimper!!!!! Here in front of me is what was supposed to be the culmination of one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written, and I felt like I was reading a Readers Digest abridged version. It was hurried, poorly written, and grossly unfocused. Did I mention I was sorely disappointed?!?!?! It felt like a parody! Like Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson couldn't wait to "wash their hands" of this burden. The last two books of this series (Hunters and Sandworms) had enough plot lines that could have spanned 6 more books. Instead, the authors tried to wrap everything up in Sandworms, placed a pretty cover on it and said "here, enjoy" knowing that fans would gobble it up.
Plot lines in the books seemed to abruptly cut off leaving the reader going "HUH?" wondering if the editor was randomly snipping pages. Then at the end of Sandworms the authors leave poor Duncan Idaho trying to sum everything up in a "B-grade" movie style narrative thinking that should satiate the readers hunger for a hearty plot-line wrap-up
It truly saddens me to give a Dune series book a 1-star rating. I never thought I would ever do that! I have read all of the post Frank Herbert books at least three times each (except this one and Hunters of Dune), and I have read all of the first 6 books at LEAST 2 dozen times over the last 20 years. Up to this point I would have ranked Children of Dune the lowest because it was a slllooooowwwwww read. But even Children of Dune was well written and unrushed. It had a story to tell and it served it's purpose without insulting the reader.
The ONLY reason I would suggest for ANYONE to read this is if they have already taken the time to read the rest of the series and wanted to know what else happened. Even then I would only suggest that you read this book if you
1. Check it out from the Library
2. Buy it from a yard sale for $1
3. Come over my house and I'll give you my copy for free
DON'T waste your money on a new copy of this book.
Book Review: A big disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
I recently revisited Frank Herbert's entire Dune series for the first time in close to twenty years. I re-read Dune itself every few years, and it's among the most brilliant and imaginative books I've ever read, science fiction or not. I recall being underwhelmed by the remaining books in the series. Upon rereading them, however, I came to realize how much of my problem with the five later Dune books came from my being too young (in my teens) to really understand what Herbert was trying to do, and, perhaps more importantly, why he was trying to do it. By the end of the series, the teenage version of me was essentially just flipping from one page to the next, without much actually registering--including the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse: Dune. I basically put the book down and immediately looked forward to reading something I could understand.
Upon my second time through the whole series, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more sense the second through sixth books of the series made. (I didn't get any smarter between my teens and thirties, but I am a better reader.) And that translated into a much more enjoyable read. The series still didn't knock my socks off--I think Herbert's reputation wouldn't have suffered, and might even have been strengthened, had he published Dune and then never written another word--but the latter books were much better-written and intriguing than I remembered.
Intriguing enough, in fact, that I felt a small surge of interest when I found that Herbert's son, Brian, and another author had used Herbert's notes to conclude the series with Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. I was leery of the new books, because I couldn't think of many cases where something great (or close to it) can be taken over by somebody else and still maintain its greatness (Tim Burton's Batman movies in comparison to Joel Schumacher's Batman movies, for example). But nevertheless I checked both books out from the library, expecting to be moderately disappointed.
As it turns out, moderate disappointment would have been great news. I thought both of these books were awful. One of the things that intrigued me most about Frank Herbert's books is his dealing with characters that, while human, are exceptional not only physically but also mentally--even the ones not gifted with prescience are brilliant, far-seeing, controlled, and clever, their dialogue oblique, clever, and packed with meaning that it takes the average dope like myself hard work and some time to follow.
The characters in Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune have none of this. Characters that, in previous Dune novels, have represented the not just physically but also mentally advanced products of thousands of years of crafty genetic planning, are reduced to shrill, irrational, over-emotional children.
Herbert (the younger) and Anderson also seem to have no concept of many of their characters' basic motivations--motivations that have been well established over the couple thousand pages of previous novels. In Frank's hands, characters' decisions were usually made (or forced) based on a clear vision of their futures, and both their successes and their failures, their glory and their dooms, are accepted either nobly or shamefully; in Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, decisions are made by whatever headless chicken is currently running around at the front of the pack, while the rest are often frozen by fear of the unknown.
My arguments might stand up better if I could quote specific instances of these complaints, but that'd require re-reading the books, and it's not worth it. I should have stopped with Chapterhouse: Dune and its cliffhanger ending.
[...]
Book Review: NOT Herbert's vision.
Summary: 1 Stars
(Amazon deleted this post, amongst many others. My respect for Amazon is diminishing...)
How could a series with so much potential and brilliance turn out so horribly?
The lack of Frank Herbert's brilliance isn't hard to miss: the studies of the inter-workings of ecology and economy, religion and politics, humanity and technology... all these things receive typical pimple-faced science fiction thoughtless application.
Take maybe the most obvious example: Qelso. Herbert the elder studied and made supreme efforts to map the fantastic Dune universe naturally to it's human history, giving it a fascinating realism by thoughtfully incorporating language relevant to the histories that characters and cultures were derived from... the Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilaxu for instance... where as Herbert the younger seems to grab random letters from a scrabble bag to create 'science fictiony' names like Qelso. I couldn't read it without thinking of that 70's show the whole time.
I read these last two books longing at least to see Frank Herbert's vision seen through, if not through thought provoking writing, at least through the closing of the plot line - they couldn't have ruined the basic plot line, even with trite writing, could they?
I'm convinced this was not Frank Herbert's vision. The ending was absolutely sexist which is particularly disgusting, and it completely diminished all the careful work Frank Herbert had put into developing this intricate world, to have everything turn out rosy in a couple blinkings of the eyes.
And nobody learned anything. The horrifying sexist practices of the Tleilaxu Axlotl tanks continued - but now they're willing volunteers. Ecological devastation continued with exhaustive mining and manipulation of limited natural resources - but now there is a diversified portfolio. Abuse of 'lower class' citizens (the machines) continued - but now they're willing workers. Dependence on an ultimate dictator continues - but this dictator is noble and well meaning.
The one small shining light of the book - the noble work of the Qelsans (embarrassed of that name yet?)- was totally condescended and made light of when our new dictator heroically swoops in and takes them under his wing, ending their silly quest for independence and a return to ecological balance.
This ending is just insulting. I feel compelled to steal Herbert's original outline, gather together some other Dune followers who have real integrity, and humbly write and release a rogue novel that hopefully can approach the wonder of Herbert's original vision.
Book Review: Ultimate Kwisatz Haderach or Ultimate Failure?
Summary: 1 Stars
To be fair to Herbert and Anderson, Frank Herbert had a number of dum ideas. Among the insideous creations: face dancers; gholas; axlotl tanks; and worst of all Leto II becoming a sandworm.
But what made Herbert's stories work; was that he was a great writer capable of taking the dumbest ideas and making something out of them. Something intriquing, something worth reading.
In Sandworms of Dune, readers are left with the worst of Herbert's ideas, taken by SF's worst writers, who conspire to create a terrible book in an attempt to enhance the cash hoards of Hourse Herbert and House Anderson.
In Sandworms of Dune, the no-ship continues through space with its gholas; Omnius marches through the empire destroying human worlds; the Bene Gesserit puts up a futile attempt to stop Omnius; the face dancers just infiltrate the humans making these worse; and the Oracle of Time has some mysterious purpose which is never revealed until the end. To about pg 475 of 549; everything goes against the humans.
Then the ending is a complete disappointment with human victory hinging on the help of Erasmus and the Oracle of Time, both of whom don't have any motivation to help the humans bc they both hate them.
Other than Duncan Idaho, no one on the Ithaca really does anything. And even he doesn't do much other than proclaim himself the Ultimate Kwisatz Haderach. Pretty stupid. In fact, the authors just ended up eliminating the ghola children bc they didn't know what to do with them.
Overall, poor imagination; bad writing; and stupid ideas make this book a complete failure.
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.