106 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
End of the line, January 4, 2009
I give up. I've been slugging through these new Dune books due to my love of the original Dune universe, and that possibly I might be a masochist. Enough is enough though, there is only so much that a person can take. With the rest of the prequels I took all the various inconsistencies, downright contradictions, and simplistic writing thanks to the "joy" of reading something new on Dune. Enough is enough.
I will not give out any spoilers, but what these writers did to justify their various contradictions of Frank Herbert's original books is completely horrifying and outrageous. In the back of my mind as I read that final chapter I was no longer visualizing the Dune universe, I was visualizing the two writers congratulating themselves on their own cleverness at "solving" the neat problem on how to change whatever else they want to change about the universe Frank Herbert created. And to do so calling it the "real" story enabling them to write many more books along the way as well. In my minds eye I saw them slapping each other on the back and that is the vision I held of this book.
As for the actual writing style of the book, it is adequate. I would not complain if it were a stand alone space adventure yarn, set in its own universe and characters. As for a Dune book, like the rest of the prequels everything is flat and two dimensional. The characters of Dune are a far cry from the complex creatures that the father created, they are cardboard characters that can only express a single emotion and whose complexities never delve much deeper than the complexity of putting together a sandwich. I was incredibly surprised (and a little relieved), that some of the characters did not just spontaneously break out into a maniacal laugh to show how evil they were. I was incredibly surprised Shaddam had the brain matter to remember how to breathe.
I would like to write more about the flat plot and characters of the story, how they altered Paul's history, but that would take an entire essay and probably welcome a deletion by Amazon. Needless to say "Paul of Dune" left a taste in my mouth reminiscent of ashes (not that I know what ash tastes like but I am pretty sure that this was close). Their literal dismissal of Frank Herbert's work was outrageous and to me the straw that broke the camel's back. If you're a Dune fan you won't pass this book up because like me you'll read it on the sheer basis it is a Dune book. Otherwise..
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
58 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Authors forget the lessons of Dune., January 20, 2009
'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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
222 of 262 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
And the violation of Frank Herbert's legacy continues to continue..., September 24, 2008
I find it ludicrous that my previous review on this abomination was deleted, despite the fact that I gave out several good points as to why this book was a bad one. Yet, there's all these shill five-star reviews for this book that make it clear that they didn't actually read the book. For shame.
If you're a person who hasn't read this book and are reading this review, then please know that many one-star reviews for this book were deleted, to up the overall rating of this book and that many shill, vague five-star reviews were added to increase the overall rating as well. If you want to see what this book is really like, then read any review below a four-star rating.
Sigh. Where do we start? The cardboard characters? The plot inconsistencies? The contradictions with Frank Herbert's books?
Again, another unnecessary addition to the Dune series. If Brian and Kevin had put all their effort into writing Dune 7 than piddling around with two prequel trilogies, then we MIGHT have a worthy read.
But no. They just couldn't stop at Dune 7 and move on to go back to writing their own original series. No. Dune is their cash cow, and they're going to milk it, by gum!
Here, we see an wholly unnecessary novel. 'Dune Messiah' was about the consequences of Paul's Jihad. That was what Frank Herbert was concentrating on. He wanted to show us the consequences of Paul's vision, and not waste time with explaining about all of the battles on various planets and what not. And we were happy with that, because Frank Herbert wrote about what was relevant, and though sometimes it's fun to see how things happened or what happened to make things the way they were in the future, in the Dune series this was not missed because Herbert had a greater message to share with us. (which was completely ignored in Hunters/Sandworms of Dune, BTW)
Here we are presented with a book that spends a good amount of time in the past in Paul's childhood - entirely unnecessary as the House trilogy was - and all you can do is bang your head in frustration. The Harkonnen/Fenrig offspring that was hinted at in the canon Dune books was supposed to be just that - a tempting little rumor that made us think. Here, it's ridiculous. The Fremen are also very out of character, and the editing mistakes in this book are downright laughable. Contradictions are abound - in this book, Paul has been offplanet several times before the family move to Arrakis, yet in the original Dune novels, Frank Herbert makes it clear that Paul has never been offplanet, and Arrakis was his first trip away from home. This is but one of many mistakes and contradictions that plague this... this... "book".
Many things are told, not shown. Frank Herbert was wonderful at putting in details here and there that add up to the greater picture, without wasting time on useless fluff and filler. But here in Paul of Dune, so much time is wasted on so many things, and the characters of Dune are not quite the same here in Paul of Dune, and there were far too many Brian/Kevin-created characters for my liking.
The classic Dune was like a lovingly prepared homecooked meal by Mom, who clearly cared about what we were eating and put all her effort into making the meal as best as it could, and boy, do we ever remember these meals with love and fondness! The books by Brian and Kevin are like greasy fast food - easily snarfed down when there's nothing else to eat, hunger momentarily sated, and then stomach cramps and other rather unpleasant effects later on. They even admit themselves that they're making Dune more "accessible" to the reading crowd. Meaning, dumbed-down.
Near the end of this book, another disturbing "fact" is revealed to us - that Herbert Sr's works are no longer canon, and are rather an inaccurate history (because Irulan wrote so many books), which is Brian and Kevin's way of saying to us 'We'll retcon whatever we want out of Dune, and you will LIKE IT!'
To do this to someone else's work takes unmitigated gall, but after two poorly-written trilogies and a horribly disappointing Dune 7, should we be THAT surprised?
If you MUST read this book out of curiosity (or out of masochistic urges), then go to the library. Don't waste a single penny.
The six books by Frank Herbert, along with the Dune Encyclopedia, are canon, and nothing but. Brian and Kevin's books are poorly written fanfiction at best, and an utter and complete abomination at worst.
Repeat after me, my fellow Dune fans. This is the litany against the False Dune books.
I must not fear the false Dune books.
The false Dune books is the mind-killer.
The false Dune books is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face the false Dune books.
I will permit it to pass over me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the false Dune books has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
(Originally, the fifth line was 'permit it to pass over me and through me', but I do not want the false Dune books to pass through me, no way!)
Repeat that Litany, my fellow Dune fans, and do not fear. There are only six (or seven, including the Encyclopedia) Dune books. No more, no less. The books written by Brian and Kevin are nothing but a blasphemy, and I await with bated breath (in disgust) for Jessica of Dune.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
