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A structural engineer with a love for tech, politics, science, and culture.
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New Dune Books Resume Story

News Type: Event — Seeded on Wed Aug 9, 2006 2:49 PM EDT
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Best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson told SCI FI Wire that he and Brian Herbert based the sequel novels Hunters of Dune and the forthcoming Sandworms of Dune on notes for Dune 7 written by Brian's father, Dune creator Frank Herbert, prior to his 1986 death. We saw that Dune 7 would have been an epic that we didn't think we could tell in under 1,400 pages, so we broke it into two 700-page volumes, Anderson said in an interview. In the last eight months I've been writing a blog on Dunenovels.com, describing the progress of the two volumes. We've been getting 1.7 million hits per month, so the excitement among the fans worldwide is really building.

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{"commentId":244109,"authorDomain":"praetor605"}
praetor605

I am glad the Dune series is being continued, but I am sceptical of KJA and Brian doing a seventh book justice. Their take on the prequels was entertaining enough, but it lacked the complexity and imagination of the original series.

{"commentId":244109,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"praetor605"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#1 - Wed Aug 9, 2006 6:19 PM EDT
{"commentId":244111,"authorDomain":"super-structure"}
Jason Coleman

That pretty much sums up my anxieties exactly. At least this time, they'll have Frank Herbert's outline to go by. That's no guarantee, but it keeps my hopes high. I'll read it as soon as it goes on sale, just the same.

{"commentId":244111,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"super-structure"}
  • 3 votes
#1.1 - Wed Aug 9, 2006 6:22 PM EDT
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{"commentId":244699,"authorDomain":"vincentgrayson"}
Vincent Grayson

I've just finally started reading the first book after years of not getting around to it.

Are the later ones worth reading? I know a friend of mine read all of them and said it got fairly absurd, and far weaker as the books moved forward.

{"commentId":244699,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"vincentgrayson"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:28 AM EDT
{"commentId":244740,"authorDomain":"super-structure"}
Jason Coleman

I suppose it's a matter of opinion, of course. I actually enjoyed the later books (God Emperor, Heretics, and Chapterhouse), but there is a definite shift in plot line. Absurd? Well, the books begin with gigantic sandworms eating people and crapping a life-extending drug, so let's try and keep absurdity in perspective. I think that the first novel is really something special and stands on it's own as a truly great story (and compares to any work of fiction, science fiction or not). However, any fan of science fiction is likely going to enjoy all of Frank Herbert's books, especially the rest of the dune novels he wrote (five others).

As praetor and I were discussing above, the more recent novels by Anderson and Brian Herbert (Frank's oldest son) are enjoyable, but not the level of writing found in the original series and particularly not in the first book.

{"commentId":244740,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"super-structure"}
  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:06 AM EDT
{"commentId":273696,"authorDomain":"lukasq"}
Lukas Q

Even those who share your friend's view that the later books are not worth reading do not typically have an issue with Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. If you enjoy Dune, you will probably enjoy Dune Messiah and Children of Dune as well. The events which occur in these novels occur (more or less) immediately following the events of Dune and include familiar characters.

I have read through these books so many times the characters are like family to me. I believe if you haven't read at least through Children of Dune you haven't really read Dune at all.

Things change starting with God Emperor of Dune. Throughout the series, a lot occurs in the minds of the characters. This is especially true with God Emperor of Dune which is heavy on ideas and low on action.. God Emperor of Dune occurs 3000 years after the end of Children of Dune and (obviously) has a much different cast of characters and occurs in a changed universe..

These differences can be a turn off for some. It would be very easy to be a fan of the first three books and not like God Emperor of Dune at all. However, for me, God Emperor of Dune is just as good as the first three (and may possibly be my favorite).

Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune are also great books. They are better than most of the books out there, but I would say they contain only about 80% of the greatness of the first four books. The events of these books occur one after the other, but begin a significant amount of time after God Emperor of Dune ends. These book are more like the first three than God Emperor of Dune, but they again occur with a different cast of characters in a much changed universe. General rule of thumb: If you enjoyed God Emperor, you will probably enjoy these as well.

So my advice is to read Dune Messiah. If you like it, read Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune. If you like God Emperor of Dune, finish the series.

The new books written by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert are nothing like any of the original series. They are adequate science fiction, but (as Jason Coleman notes) lack the complexity and essence of Dune. If you have ever read any of Kevin J. Anderson's Star Wars books, you can expect about the same (for good or bad) from the Dune books which he has co-authored.

While we're on the subject, I highly recommend the SciFi Channel's Dune and Children of Dune mini-series to anyone who has read the books. (Those who haven't probably won't know what's going on.) The Children of Dune mini-series (which covers the events of both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune) is especially amazing.

{"commentId":273696,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"lukasq"}
    #2.2 - Fri Sep 1, 2006 2:26 AM EDT
    {"commentId":273697,"authorDomain":"lukasq"}
    Lukas Q

    Excuse me - It was actually praetor605 who first commented on the lack of complexity in the Kevin J Anderson/Brian Herbert novels.

    {"commentId":273697,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"lukasq"}
      #2.3 - Fri Sep 1, 2006 2:28 AM EDT
      {"commentId":273858,"authorDomain":"super-structure"}
      Jason Coleman

      I'm reading Hunters of Dune right now and I have to say, I'm fairly impressed. Maybe it's the familiar characters coming back, but they really seem to be following ever closer in Frank Herbert's style. I'm hoping to write a complete review later, but so far, I'd recommend it in the same vein as Lukas Q's recommendations above.

      {"commentId":273858,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"super-structure"}
      • 1 vote
      #2.4 - Fri Sep 1, 2006 8:26 AM EDT
      Reply
      {"commentId":9318289,"authorDomain":"mikejackson1318932"}
      Mike Jackson-1318932

      My experience was also that Kevin and Brian's prequels just weren't on a par with the original work. It's like the difference between a gormet dinner and a Happy Meal; Frank Herbert was simply a much more complex and indepth writer. For that reason, none of the prequel novels (or the fill-ins) have ever felt quite 'real' to me; I mean, none of it's real, of course, but the new novels don't feel as though they should be a part of canon, even though I believe they're counted as such. They strike me much more like the Star Trek novels, which are rarely if ever counted into canon, than like the Star Wars books, which almost always are. I think that Kevin and Bryan have given it the old college try, but I don't think they've managed to give the original material or author proper justice.

      {"commentId":9318289,"threadId":"36021","contentId":"318762","authorDomain":"mikejackson1318932"}
        Reply#3 - Tue Sep 8, 2009 3:23 PM EDT
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