Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Book 31: Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson



Title:
Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Pages:
494

How it was obtained:
My parents gave it to me for Christmas.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
18 months.

Days spent reading it:
3 days.

Why I read it:
After reading Hunters of Dune, I simply HAD to finish Sandworms of Dune as well. Its the sequel and concluding book in the Dune series (although now Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are going back and filling in the holes in the series).

Brief review:
I have enjoyed reading Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's additions to the Dune universe. I have read both prequels and now the concluding chapters to the series. They are fun and easy reads. Like I said for Hunters of Dune, they're not literature, but they are not bad.

Having said that, I have a few more complaints about Sandworms of Dune than I did about Hunters of Dune.

First, Brian and Kevin treat the readers like they are stupid. They drop not-so-subtle hints about the direction of the story every page and I guess they hope that the readers do not put it all together before the final unveiling. At points in the novel I literally shouted out "I'M NOT STUPID!!! I GET WHAT YOU ARE HINTING AT!!!!!!!" Seriously, I'm not a kindergartner.

Second, I did not like the simple way they wrapped up some of the serious conflicts in the story. The Dune universe has been about conflict its entire existence, and at the end of this book we are supposed to believe that with a few kind words those conflicts simply disappear. Please. I envision a war torn universe and factions to emerge, not this homogenizing effect that magically happens with the thoughts of one powerful being. In my opinion the conclusion of this series was a little forced. Even if this is the conclusion Frank Herbert outlined, it was poorly executed by Brian and Kevin.

That being said, any Dune fan would consider this a must read. It was not difficult reading and it did bring a sense of closure that was lacking in Chapterhouse. Of course, if you are like me, perhaps you liked the wide open possibilities that Chapterhouse presented and would prefer to stay in a universe that is so open-ended its crazy. If that's you, don't read Hunters of Dune or Sandworms of Dune, just revel in your imaginative Dune universe.

Favorite quote:
"One can always find a battlefield if one looks hard enough."

Stars:
3 out of 5.

Final Word:
Lacking.

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