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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I haven't read the first 6 Dune books in a couple of years when I picked this up, but the authors do a good job of catching the reader up on the action. I can see how this would annoy big Dune fans, but it's helpful. And I haven't read the 6 prequels, but it's not super necessary--nothing that...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An interesting and obvious beginning to and end in a very well written a full book series. I've read the books since I was a child and have never been able to put the books down.”
D. Williams wrote this review Wednesday, November 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The "Ithaca" piloted by Duncan is folding in unknown parts of space, in order to escape the tachyon net of the old man and the old woman. The Spacing Guild Administrators go to Ix, to find a way to pilot their ships without the aid of spice (desperately needed by the Navigators), because of what Murbella has demanded from them and what she will not give. Because of the Guild's help to the Honored Matres in destroying Rakis, the Guild will get no spice unless they prove their loyalty to the Bene Gesserit. The Face Dancer leader Khrone, sends Uxtal (the only one of the Lost Tleilax), to serve Matre Superior Hellica, whom is instructed to produce the drug used by the Honored Matres in axlotl tanks. Khrone is doing the work of the old man and the old woman by having Uxtal make the gholas Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Paul Atreides (Paolo). On the "Ithaca", Scytale is desperate to make a ghola of himself, for he is dying. The nullentrophy capsule is his only way of getting his ghola. His hidden secret is powerful enough, that his is allowed his ghola after the first few have been made. Back on Chapterhouse, Murbella's Valkyries are attacking those Honored Matres on other planets, which refuse to integrate with the Bene Gesserits, to become one powerful group against the great unknown enemy. Murbella accesses Other Memory to learn of the origin of the Honored Matres. And on the no-ship, Sheanna stops the ghola program because of the warning given to her by Sayyadina Ramallo of Arrakis. Also, the children gholas are expressing dangerous and threatening actions of their past lives, to the "Ithaca's" current situation. Usul takes enough spice to induce a vision of his death, but not to awaken his memories. The old man and woman inform Khrone that they have no need of his Paul ghola, because of the trap they have set when the "Ithaca" discovers the Handlers. Khrone goes ahead, and awakens the Baron?s memories, but it comes with the price of the abomination Alia haunting him in his head. In the final assault on Tleilax by Murbella, the Waff ghola finds refuge with the Navigator Edrik, by offering not only spice but sandworms! The book ends with Murbella in control of the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserits, as she intends to launch an offensive attack on the Enemy, revealed to be Omnius. Now a new version of the Evermind, determined to destroy mankind. In contrast, the Oracle of Time is revealed to be Norma Cenva!”
Jimmy W wrote this review Sunday, September 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Awesome continuation of the classic series. I really liked the idea of bringing back some of the characters from the earlier books as gholas, and I was excited to find out that we're not through reading about the thinking machines, they were my favorite in the Legends of Dune series (next to the cymeks). I think the Sandworms of Dune is going to be pretty sweet. ”
Daniel Callister wrote this review Monday, September 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“Awful.”
Holliday wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I haven't read the first 6 Dune books in a couple of years when I picked this up, but the authors do a good job of catching the reader up on the action. I can see how this would annoy big Dune fans, but it's helpful. And I haven't read the 6 prequels, but it's not super necessary--nothing that 2 seconds on wikipedia can't fix.”
UPennBen wrote this review Thursday, August 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“I think in the past, both Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have suffered a lot of unfair criticism with what they've done with the Dune universe. In Hunters of Dune, that unfair criticism is now fair criticism.
Gregory wrote this review Thursday, March 20 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It's the ending I just could not stand. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it. I refuse to believe that the mysterious enemy forcing the Honored Matres to flee to the Old Empire were just the thinking machines all along. But I'm willing to allow two possible scenarios explaining how I felt about the ending: either this book was very loosely based on Frank Herbert's original outline and Frank Herbert never intended the mysterious enemy to be the thinking machines, or, he really did intend the mysterious enemy to be the thinking machines except for that Legends of Dune completely robbed the thinking machines of everything that could've been so much better about them.
While I think Legends of Dune was mildly despicable anyway just because I couldn't stand reading the parts of the thinking machines (totally predictable and cliche), I still think the scenario is that Frank Herbert never intended to resurrect thinking machines in any of his stories. And even if he did, it is something that truly should've been left to him or simply not done at all.
When you read Chapterhouse, in the scenes where Duncan has his disturbing visions of the old couple, who is honestly convinced that that is Omnius and Erasmus in disguise? How could thinking machines even mask themselves in the visions of human prescience? Isn't it more likely that the old couple are organic beings? Isn't it more likely they are independent free-willed Face Dancers?
Just read the very last chapter in Chapterhouse. The discourse is nothing like the way Omnius and Erasmus interacted with each other. I understand that B. Herbert and Anderson had to craft these two characters on their own, though. But consider anyway this excerpt from the last chapter...
"They had a Tleilaxu Master, too," Marty said. "I saw him when they went under the net. I would have so liked to study another Master."
"Don't see why. Always whistling at us, always making it necessary to stomp them down. I don't like treating Masters that way and you know it! If it weren't for them...."
"They're not gods, Daniel."
Does that not sound more like the conversations of Face Dancers? Speaing of the Masters who created them? Albeit, they were not considered gods?
I remember the first time I read that scene when Duncan first sees his vision of the old couple. I remember when they gazed back at him and told him to stop staring at them. That scene gave me the chills. I was completely unnerved by it.
I thought of the Scattering and wondered about how the Face Dancers managed to free themselves of their Masters and become this force greater than anything known in the universe. Greater than Muad'Dib's Fremen, greater than Leto II's Fish Speakers, even much greater than the Honored Matres themselves. The Honored Matres dwarfed the Bene Gesserit in numbers. Yet, somewhere out there, there was a force far greater than even them. I would like to consider them the male counterparts to the Honored Matres. But if my theory of who the Unknown Enemy really was supposed to be correct after all, then the Face Dancers have no gender. They can change gender at will.
And what was one way the Honored Matres would combat the Face Dancers? Perhaps by sexually enslaving them as they did all the forces they conquered. But the way Hunters of Dune talks about Honored Matre origins, it was as if they just sexually enslaved people anyway and then merely by accident, just kind of stumbled on a thinking machine world. Please. Like I said, I just don't buy it.
What's sad is I feel I can't even talk about the other plot points of Hunters of Dune cause all I can do is be riddled with disbelief of the ending. I don't even think it requires an obsessed Dune fan to be upset and disbelieving of the ending. It just didn't feel right. All the times I read and reread the last two Dune books, I simply do not believe that Herbert was thinking that entire time that this enemy that had forced the Honored Matres to retreat were really the thinking machines.
And that wouldn't even be interesting to me. The Tleilaxu and the Face Dancers are some of the most interesting facets of the Dune universe in my opinion. And there is still so much readers do not know about them. And that's just them in the Old Empire. Imagine what kinds of possibilities exist for them throughout the seeds planted by the Scattering.
I don't even know if I can read Sandworms of Dune. I don't even know if I can consider this book canon at all. I simply urge Dune fans to go back and read Chapterhouse. Especially focus on every single word in that last chapter and ask yourself if you truly believe in your heart that the unknown enemy were a bunch of computers and robots all along.
I understand that I have to assume that these two people, Marty and Daniel are not just independent Face Dancers, but in fact the enemies of the Honored Matres. And I was so enthralled by the possibilities. And completely unnerved by how nonchalant and detached these two people were. I thought that here were two creatures that had vast amounts of power, and yet they didn't behave in any kind of expected pattern. Daniel just seemed completely aloof while Marty had the excitement of a child playing with a new toy.
I'm just so saddened by the fate that B. Herbret and superweapon fetishist Kevin J. Anderson wrought upon the Dune universe. So, so saddened. ”
“Well, makes you wonder how much of this book was actually a Frank Herbert concept. I mean come on, after reading the Jihad books, I'm starting to wonder about these authors agendas. I enjoyed the book, however, once again Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson takes the last chapter to tie things up. "Oh, buy the way(spoiler) the old couple was actually Ominous.) Wow, in hind site it was so obvious that maybe I wouldn't have guessed it because I was hoping for something new and interesting. ”
Jason Roy wrote this review Monday, March 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An excellent addition to the Dune series!”
SkyWanderer wrote this review Wednesday, December 5 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
