“Sandworms of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

My first reaction upon finishing Sandworms of Dune was that, unlike Hunters of Dune, it at least it has a plot. In Hunters of Dune, we learned that the Ominous Threat™ is actually the Thinking Machines from the Butlerian Jihad. This reveal came out of nowhere. The struggle between man and machine is a classic sci-fi trope, but it’s not a theme that appeared at the forefront of the Dune saga. In fact, in Dune, it appeared that humanity had solved the problem thousands of years before by replacing computers with Mentats.

“Hunters of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

I had mixed feelings about the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune saga after God Emperor of Dune, but the cliffhanger at the end of Chapterhouse Dune piqued my interest. Unfortunately, Frank Herbert passed away before he could finish the story. Nearly 20 years later, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune in attempt to wrap the story up. They claim to have developed the story based on a draft outline left by Frank Herbert in a safe deposit box. Unfortunately, the book carries on some of the worst writing instincts of the pair’s House trilogy, including the meandering plot lines and thin characters.  

“Winds of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

As with Paul of Dune, I came into this book with low expectations, so Winds of Dune did not have to work too hard to surpass those. As others have noted, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson tend to repeat themselves quite a bit, reminding readers of basic plot points that they probably still remember. Moreover, this book has a weaker narrative structure than even Paul of Dune. It loosely follows Bronso of Ix, Paul Atreides’ former friend and leader of the rebellion against Paul’s empire. The plot straddles three separate time periods: just before Dune, several years after the jihad starts, and just after Dune Messiah.

“Paul of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

I had the benefit of reading many negative reviews about this book before I decided to read it. My expectations were so low that I found myself enjoying it far more than I’d expected. To be clear, this book is not high literature. It’s not nearly as deep or rich as any of Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. Nevertheless, it provides a fun and even sometimes interesting backstory for Paul Atreides.

“Houses of Dune” by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

In the late 1990s, over a decade after Frank Herbert’s untimely death, his Brian and Kevin J. Anderson decided to pick up the Dune saga where he left off. Well, almost. Instead of writing a direct sequel to Chapterhouse Dune, they decided to start with a prequel to the original Dune. The three books – House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Corrino – form a loose trilogy exploring the major houses of the Dune franchise. Despite the titles, the books aren’t exclusively, or even primarily, about the titular Houses, but rather cover a range of events before the original Dune.

“The Road to Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Dune has often been called the science-fiction equivalent of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but compared to that oeuvre we have almost no scholarship about the development of the Dune saga. Certainly nothing like Christopher Tolkien’s fantastic History of Middle-earth series exists. Fortunately, The Road to Dune helps to remedy that, at least partially. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson provide an earlier draft of Dune, deleted chapters, as well as letters from Frank Herbert to his publisher.

Dune Marathon!

Dune… Frank Herbert’s epic space opera is one of my favorite works of fiction. This summer, I’ll be rereading the saga as I do research for a paper I’m writing about the politics in Dune. I plan to present the paper in late June at the Mythgard Academy’s Mythmoot V conference. If you’ve never read these books or it’s been a while, feel free to join me in this reread.

The Spice must flow!