Written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
For those of us that remember, Chapterhouse Dune ended on something of a cliff-hanger. Duncan and Sheeana stole the No-ship from Chapterhouse and headed off into the void. As always, only Duncan was aware of the old man and woman watching events from some far-away place.
And then, sadly, Frank Herbert died – and the world lost one of the finest writers of Science Fiction that ever graced our planet. Dune was his Magnum Opus, it was a startlingly elegant, convoluted and poetic look at the crucible of politics and religion in an empire built thousands of years into our future. In a time where thinking machines are banned, Humanity has moved to an almost feudal state as it expands across the Known Universe. And behind it all, the spice that prolongs life, gives power to the Bene Gesserit and provides the Guild navigators with the ability to fold space. It is both an almost mystical substance and method of commerce – feeding both belief and necessity.
But enough of Dune as it was. What of now? The story goes that, ten years after Frank Herbert’s death, a safe deposit box was discovered which contained a vast amount of information on the next instalment of the Dune saga. And, finally, almost twenty years after Chapterhouse, we have the sequel. Plots and strategies abound as prophesies and calculations show the move towards towards Kralizec – the final apocalyptic battle against an encroaching, unknown, unseen enemy. Can the Bene Gesserit combat betrayal and rebellion within Humanity and organise themselves before this foe begins its assault on the Old Empire?
Picking up straight after Chapterhouse, the story continues in what I can only describe as a more linear progression. It is a well written yarn but lacks the elegance of Frank Herbert’s writing. Each writer has his or her own distinct style so it is unfair (I think) to compare. Still, it does feel a little like a jigsaw puzzle being put into place rather than a piece of intrigue. I think the problem may lie in the prequels. I read somewhere that Brian Herbert had said that the prequels needed to be written to prepare the ground for the follow-up to Chapterhouse. The problem is that they may have prepared the ground too well. Reading all the prequels, it was a relatively easy task to guess correctly the origins of the old man and woman and the Oracle of Time. The revelation of the origin of the Honoured Matres and the Handlers was only a very minor surprise.
It’s only my opinion, but I’ve never seen or read anything to indicate that Frank Herbert would have written prequels to prepare the ground for the final conclusion – and it forces me to ask the question – how would Frank have done it?
There are also many old characters making a reprise to this story, so many in fact, that I wonder at the necessity of some of them. Perhaps the final volume will reveal all.
And that final volume is the crux of the problem. I’ve read every Dune book so far and there is no doubt that I will read the final volume when it is published. I’m really hoping for some major revelation because the story looks pretty well mapped out from where I’m standing.
It’s a competently written book that was enjoyable to a certain extent but, sadly, held little surprise for any reader up to speed with the preceding books on Dune.
Sandworms Of Dune, I believe, is due to be published next year.
For those of us that remember, Chapterhouse Dune ended on something of a cliff-hanger. Duncan and Sheeana stole the No-ship from Chapterhouse and headed off into the void. As always, only Duncan was aware of the old man and woman watching events from some far-away place.
And then, sadly, Frank Herbert died – and the world lost one of the finest writers of Science Fiction that ever graced our planet. Dune was his Magnum Opus, it was a startlingly elegant, convoluted and poetic look at the crucible of politics and religion in an empire built thousands of years into our future. In a time where thinking machines are banned, Humanity has moved to an almost feudal state as it expands across the Known Universe. And behind it all, the spice that prolongs life, gives power to the Bene Gesserit and provides the Guild navigators with the ability to fold space. It is both an almost mystical substance and method of commerce – feeding both belief and necessity.
But enough of Dune as it was. What of now? The story goes that, ten years after Frank Herbert’s death, a safe deposit box was discovered which contained a vast amount of information on the next instalment of the Dune saga. And, finally, almost twenty years after Chapterhouse, we have the sequel. Plots and strategies abound as prophesies and calculations show the move towards towards Kralizec – the final apocalyptic battle against an encroaching, unknown, unseen enemy. Can the Bene Gesserit combat betrayal and rebellion within Humanity and organise themselves before this foe begins its assault on the Old Empire?
Picking up straight after Chapterhouse, the story continues in what I can only describe as a more linear progression. It is a well written yarn but lacks the elegance of Frank Herbert’s writing. Each writer has his or her own distinct style so it is unfair (I think) to compare. Still, it does feel a little like a jigsaw puzzle being put into place rather than a piece of intrigue. I think the problem may lie in the prequels. I read somewhere that Brian Herbert had said that the prequels needed to be written to prepare the ground for the follow-up to Chapterhouse. The problem is that they may have prepared the ground too well. Reading all the prequels, it was a relatively easy task to guess correctly the origins of the old man and woman and the Oracle of Time. The revelation of the origin of the Honoured Matres and the Handlers was only a very minor surprise.
It’s only my opinion, but I’ve never seen or read anything to indicate that Frank Herbert would have written prequels to prepare the ground for the final conclusion – and it forces me to ask the question – how would Frank have done it?
There are also many old characters making a reprise to this story, so many in fact, that I wonder at the necessity of some of them. Perhaps the final volume will reveal all.
And that final volume is the crux of the problem. I’ve read every Dune book so far and there is no doubt that I will read the final volume when it is published. I’m really hoping for some major revelation because the story looks pretty well mapped out from where I’m standing.
It’s a competently written book that was enjoyable to a certain extent but, sadly, held little surprise for any reader up to speed with the preceding books on Dune.
Sandworms Of Dune, I believe, is due to be published next year.
