posted
Dune, and its sequels, has always been one of my all time favourite science fiction novels. When browsing the bookstores my hand lingers over Brian Herbert's prequels, but always moves on. They're so tantalising, but I guess I'm suspicious that they'll be cheesy pot boilers, and will just be a disappointment, so am reluctant to spend my book budget on them. Has anyone here read them? Are they good? Or are they what I worry they are, rather hollow imitations that will ultimately disappoint? I'd appreciate some guidance. Mucho mahalos.
Posts: 867 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Are you talking about the actual Prelude to Dune - House Atreides, House Harkonnen & House Corrino -, or about the Legends of Dune trilogy - The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade & The Battle of Corrin?
I've only read Legends of Dune, and yeah, they're pretty bad. Since the events take place before and during the Jihad they don't really resemble the Dune series. I have no idea if that's a good or bad thing, though... Anyway, the style is... or should I say "isn't"? If the Prelude books are of the same quality, I'm not sure they're really worth the money.
Or you can do what I did: I read those books like they were a bad writer's account of historical facts. I liked to "find out" stuff that was only hinted in Dune, but I was never immersed in the story. And there'll be no second or third reading of those books, I have better things to do with my time...
Posts: 4519 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I've read a couple of the Butlerarian Jihad books... they are interesting...but no, not very good.
quote: Or you can do what I did: I read those books like they were a bad writer's account of historical facts. I liked to "find out" stuff that was only hinted in Dune, but I was never immersed in the story.
This is what I did too.
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Yeah, that's what I'd worried about. They look so tempting because of exactly what you both describe - the coverage of events that are hinted at or touched on briefly in the originals. Just today I was looking at the Battle of Corrin, and the Butlerian Jihad has tempted me too. I'm not sure I can justify my book budget on books I'm that uncertain about. Thanks guys.
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By the way, I read one of the Prelude books , House Atreides I think, and found it, well, not so good. I have a friend who has read them all, but he didn't find them great, did it more out of dogged determination I guess.
Posts: 239 | Registered: May 2004
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I read the first prequal that was published. It was absolutely awful. I may have read the next one, but I doubt it. I definitely haven't read any beyond those first two.
I would love to have Herbert's notebooks published, but I have no desire to read his son and Kevin J. Anderson's attempts to write stories set in that universe.
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The Legends series wasn't horrible but it was seriously different. The familiar families and schools either do not exist at all or are radically different from what we see in the year 10192. I did enjoy reading and having the lightbulb go off as I realized "ooh, THIS is how the Spacing Guild got started" or "they're going to become the Tleilaxu" or other similar thoughts.
I definitely prefered the House trilogy much better, partly because so many of the characters were familiar and they allowed me to see why, for example, Houses Atreides and Harkonnen were such vicious enemies.
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Anyway, the style is... or should I say "isn't"? If the Prelude books are of the same quality, I'm not sure they're really worth the money. ![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
