The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)

The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson

The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-08-01
ISBN: 076534078X
Number of pages: 800
Publisher: Tor Books

Book Reviews of The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)

Book Review: Second book of the Butlerian Jihad.
Summary: 5 Stars

According to time in the Dune universe, "The Machine Crusade" is the second of all the Dune books. It is also the second of a trilogy including "The Butlerian Jihad," "The Machine Crusade," and "The Battle of Corrin" (all three are about the Butlerian Jihad).

As author Ben Bova would probably say, the Dune books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are more aptly called "space opera" than "science fiction." This does not make them bad. Star Wars is space opera, and it's good stuff. So is this Dune stuff. Good action, political intrigue, hyperlight space travel, paranormal forces, big monsters, heroes and villains and multiple intertwining plots. It's all tied together with easy-to-read contemporary prose that doesn't bog the reader down in excessive background detail.

It's not as good as the first volume. The pace is slower, and the same characters are used, making them less original and no longer extraordinary. It's still a respectable read, though, and it's a necessary stepping stone to the end of the trilogy.

I think I've said enough for most readers to decide if this New York Times bestseller is worth their time, but you might want to know why I give it only four stars.

Every novel ever published is subject to improvement by revision. Herbert and Anderson's writing style could use some polishing--it's repetitive and verbose--but for "The Machine Crusade," their style is not so bad that it makes me lower my rating. In regard to credibility and convincingness, however, the authors are lax. Maybe only one of them is lax, but I don't know which one. So at least one of them needs to be more considerate of his audience. At least one of them needs to do more thinking and be more convincing.

So if you decide to read their Dune books (I've read only the first two of this trilogy and I'm about to read the third), don't be picky. Just swallow what the authors say and keep reading. At least that's the mantra I chant.

NOTE: This book has an appendix, which is a chronology of events before the start of the novel. Even though it's at the back of the book, you should read it before you start.

NOTE: Sometimes the worth of a book can at least partially be measured by the fondness with which it is remembered. It has been over a month since I completed my reading of the Legends of Dune trilogy ("The Butlerian Jihad," "The Machine Crusade," and "The Battle of Corrin"), and my memories of it are quite positive. Though this trilogy forms a different kind of story from that of Frank Herbert's classic "Dune," the quality of the story is as good. For this reason I have decided to give each book in the trilogy a five-star rating. I believe the weaknesses in the books do not merit a lowering of rating.

Summary of The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)

The breathtaking vision and incomparable storytelling of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, a prequel to Frank Herbert's classic Dune, propelled it to the ranks of speculative fiction's classics in its own right. Now, with all the color, scope, and fascination of the prior novel, comes Dune: The Machine Crusade.
.
More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat.

The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.

And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.

Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.

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