Book Two of the Legends of Dune Trilogy - The Machine Crusade

As sequels go, The Machine Crusade suffered from the second book syndrome. It had some definite potential, but the authors, with their usual short, choppy chapters, don't allow themselves the time to develop character and plot. There are several character aspects that deserved expansion: Jool Noret and the Mercenaries of Ginaz, Erasmus and his "child," and the character of Selim Wormrider, which had definite moments of greatness, could have been a volume unto itself. This is the main problem with the whole book. There is a lot of material with great potential, but the authors don't take the time to develop it.

To their credit, Herbert and Anderson did a good job with characters such as Serena Butler, Iblis Ginjo, Norma Cenva, Xavier Harkonnen, and Vorian Atriedes. They each have brief opportunities to shine, most of them changing drastically both mentally and physically between the first and last pages. There just wasn't enough of that. However, I have to say there were moments of great joy and sadness that really grabbed my attention.

Again, this is not Dune, but give the novel a chance on its own merit. Taken as the grand space opera it's meant to be, it's not a bad novel.

Bad science. If FTL travel is not yet invented (Butlerian Jihad and the beginning of Machine Crusade), then how can the story be happening in real time? Some basic science is ignored by the authors. A lost opportunity to shape the story line and makes for dissapointment that anything meaningful in terms of storytelling is going to develop. Instead, it becomes a series of bylines built upon the outstanding Dune foundation rather than a story in its own right. A far cry from the examiniation of a consistent universe such as Alastair Reynolds outstanding treatment of the realities of sub-light travel, or Larry Niven's Mote series. This makes for a fairly weak book that's short on solid plotline development and long on writing short background pieces attempting to fill in the hints provided by the father in the far superior original series. As someone else said, wait for the paperback if you have to hear someone else fill in the gaps for you. My suggestion is that your own imagination can do a better job.

I loved Frank Herberts stuff and was fairly disappointed by the House Trilogy, but so far I'm quite enjoying the Legends of Dune trilogy.

The characters aren't the best (a little stiff... we really don't get inside their heads enough) and the writing could use a little bit of improvement (drawn out, repititious, telling us not showing us). But it ultimately comes down to the story and I'm actually finding most of this to be a fun and engaging read. Now, don't get me wrong. This is not a book I would describe as being hard to put down. There are some flaws in the story and the way a machine would react to things (for machines, they are waaaaaay to sentimental). There are many story lines to follow and I started skimming through certain boring ones.

If you can't get enough of the Dune universe then I would recommend picking up this book. We get an early glimpse of the creation of the mentats, Bene Gesserit, the sword masters, th empire under the rule of the Corrinos, and the Guild. We also see Arakkis (Dune) before the universe discovers its importance and the settlements upon it that become what we all know as the Fremen.

Two good things about this book:

1) Fast-paced, planet-hopping adventure in the best space opera tradition.

2) Plenty of opportunities to try to decipher how the authors are setting up characters and events to "lead to" the universe created by Frank Herbert in the original Dune series. Kind of like a detective who knows the end result of a crime, then tries to pick up the clues to the series of events that led to the crime (not that Frank Herbert's originals should ever be considered a crime, except in this reviewer's awkward attempt at an extended metaphor!).

Two bad things about this book:

1) Significant events hinge on pretty implausible scenarios. Humanity is fighting against a computer evermind, Omnius, that enslaved the human race for a thousand years, yet that same evermind falls for some pretty obvious tricks and is unable to detect some ruses that you'd think something called an "evermind" would see right through. I understand the authors are trying to juxtapose humans' passion and unpredictability against computers' cold logic and reliance on pure reason; still, the holes in the plot left me feeling dissatisfied.

2) This sucker is way too long. Now I'm not lazy when it comes to reading; I've read plenty of LOOOOONG novels and some of them--like "...Kavalier and Klay" and "The Brothers Karamazov"--are my absolute faves of all time. But this novel could have used a LOT of editorial liposuction. I got into the story immediately and was really into it for the first 250 pages or so; but it dragged on and on and on...for some 500 more pages!

I've read all Frank Herbert's Dune novels, as well as Brian Herbert's and Kevin J. Anderson's "House" trilogy of prequels, "The Butlerian Jihad," and now this one. I've enjoyed them all, and while the new novels are not yet on a par with Frank's originals, I think Herbert the Younger and Anderson are getting better.

One last thing: I highly recommend reading Frank Herbert's original Dune series before reading the newer books. They're fantastic books (the best SF series ever, in my opinion), and they'll give you the knowledge to appreciate the newer entries on a much deeper level than you'd have without them.

I enjoyed this book every much it didn't have the slugish feel of the last book and th echarecters this time around actually developed.
As the book opens several changes have occured from the last time we meet these charecters
Manion Butler has retired from the senate of the Leauge and left control in the hands of the power hunergy and manipulative Iblis Gingo.
The Jihad has ground on for years with little headway and the common folk are growing restless and weary of a war that seems to have no end in sight.
They would have given up long ago if not for the will of Xavier Harkonian and Vor Attriades. I particulary liked the interaction between these two charecters. It will be interesting to see just how the break between their families occurs.
You all will be very surpised as to what eventually happens to Saliem Wormrider and Norma Chenva, my two favorite charecters.
Overall-I loved this book as much as I hated the last one. If I can be convinced anyone can so I beg all of you to pick up this book. It more that makes up for the shortfalls of the first book.
However it did seem to me that quality was sacrificed for quantity in some instances. This is really the only bad thing about it.

The authors have done a fine job of continuing the first book in story lines, tones and characterization. So, if you really liked the first book in the trilogy, you will love this book. However, if you did not like the first book, do not both to read on.

I gave this book four stars (would prefer 3.5 stars but not an option) due to the following reasons:

1) I really enjoy the Dune universe, so more content is a good thing.

2) The characterizations of main characters are not particularly exciting or deep. They are mainly to advance the plot lines appropriately. It should be noted that this is basically a long history of the galaxy -- do not expect trendemous details on specific characters, just broad brush strokes. This is the weakest part of the book.

3) The presentation of how religious franticism can be easily manipulated by political leaders for personal goals. I think it is an excellent warning to our society. Religious extremism coupled with instituational lack of accurate information and misinformation produces nearly unimaginable horrors. The violence committed in the name of "God" is unmatched by the sum of all other reason in human history.

4) The Tlexians (sp?) are excellent villians. It is extremely unfortunately the Tlexians are not wiped out as soon as the truth about them is learned by the Laandsrad. This does not make much sense.

The book covers quite a lot of content. So, it moves fairly quickly between plot lines. The Titans are interesting but I am not quite sure why they were even created for this trilogy. The Titans do not add much value in my opinion.

Having been a huge Dune fan for most of my life, I've always tried to avoid reading the prequels and sequels that I feared were shameless moneygrabs and nothing more. However, I started reading the "House" trilogy and couldn't stop! Brian Herbert is an excellent writer and his books are riveting tales of mankind's struggle with itself and the machine. The utter brutality of the machines only slightly overshadows the atrocities comitted by Atreides, Karkonnen et all. Yes, I have seen the moaning of the "true" fans that consider anything outside the Duniverse of Frank sacriledge. However, as a lighter version of the sometimes Wagnerian grandeur of the original series the pre- and sequels hold their own.

The Machine Crusade picks up where the Butlerian Jihad left off. Serena Butler has escaped the clutches of the evil Erasmus and is now the spiritual force of the Jihad. Here comes the first slight nit-pick; why does the book repeat the preceding events every 100 pages or so? It's not a TV series that needs an intro like "previously on The Machine Crusade". The events on Earth and the death of manion are repeated so often that it makes me think of an anime series like Robotech. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of similarity between epic anime series like Gundam, Robotech and Appleseed and Brian Herberts efforts. A lot of "true" fans shudder at the thought that the Dune name is brought to this. However, as an avid anime and manga fan, I don't see a problem. Just leave out the repeats for when the books are serialized.

The series is lifted to a higher level when it becomes clear that mankind can be just as ignorant as the thinking machines. Comparative morality is a recurring theme in the book. Slavery is an institution on most planets, not because the slave owners are pure evil but because the slaves are seen as "paying a debt to society" for being pacifists. I detect a slight jab at the politics of Bush and cronies who would gladly have reinstated slavery if it would have stopped terrorism. As a matter of fact, Arakis seems set to undergo the same fate as Iraq. If Frank Herbert were Nostradamus, Dune would be seen as a prophesy. Anyway, the absense of pure good and bad makes the whole series the best I've read in a very long time. The manipulations of Iblis and his Jipol are delightful as is the two faced Lord Bludd who shows a machine mindset when it comes to surpressing a slave revolt or two.

One of the best things about the prequels is the "aha" experience I got a few times. The origins of so many of Franks Herberts institutions become clear. Holtzman (who resembles a cowardly Zefram Cochrane) "invents" most of the tools used later on. The sorceresses are the ancestors of the Bene Gesserit. Norma exhibits all the characteristics of a mentat and the origins of the Space Guild and Choam are also made clear.

The separate stories in the book are expertly woven together although there are a few inconsistencies. If I take a step back, I can't understand why mankind is fighting machines with bullets and explosives. If the scrambling fields are effective against pure machines, why not send a few ships with field generators and just pass the Synchronized Worlds through a scrambler field? That should take care of the computers. The Cymeks are a different story but taking them out one by one shouldn't be the only solution. Why not lure them to a distant planet and nuke the hell out of them? Off course, that would make the story too short.

I can't wait to read the Battle for Corrin, it's loaded on my Kindle now but my baby son seems determined to distract me until he can read it himself.

In conclusion; if you're a hardcore Frank Herbert fan, leave these books because they will change your view on the Duniverse. For anyone enjoying a "Dune light" version with all the bloodshed and

This prequel of Dune books is the second of Jihad against Thinking Machine saga. It is 10000 years back from original Dune series settings. But far-far distant future for us. It is introduced in movie version of the Dune as "human became the slaves of thinking machines but men fought jihad against them and won." Arrakis so-called Dune is described as the zensunni refuge's second home and home to bandits led by the sandworm (behemoth dust-collector-like monster) riding warrior Selim Wormrider. On this book the special spice produced only in Arrakis and foldspace techinique will soon to merge together(but not yet conclusively). It seems lots of things that form the Duneuniverse was founded during the crusade years.

Asimov tried to find a point where the humans and robots coexist together. But in Frank and Brian's Dune world it might never have happened or failed. Phillip K Dick's Bladerunner introduces humanoids who tried to be real human. But for Omminmus the Evermind here, human beings seems to be the things to be despised. But not well-into developed into sarcasm of Robinson Cruisoe or Swift's Gulliver Tales.

Verdict: It is interesting read. But not that deeply themed.

Ratings: 77 out of 100

Recommended for: Sci-fi movies fans and Dune books appreciators.

I started reading The Machine Crusade a few weeks after I finished reading The Butlerian Jihad, which is the best novel I've read in almost 20 years. And I must say I was quite disappointed. For starters, the first 200 pages of The Machine Crusade are a complete and total waist of time as the authors spend all of their time polemicising The Butlerian Jihad. The next 400 pages don't go much better. The story-telling is long, slow, and drawn out. The Machine Crusade doesn't get interesting until around page 600 (the novel is 700 pages). So, it's not a total train wreck as the last 100 pages were actually pretty good. Overall though, I'd grade this novel a "D," and point to the heading of this review. The authors could've EASILY omitted the first 600 pages and divided the remaining 100 pages between the two novels The Butlerian Jihad and The Battle of Corrin. But there are books to be sold and publishing houses to keep fat, so they turned two Dune novels into a trilogy, making hard core Dune fans like myself shell out an additional $30.00 just to read a book that should never have been written.

I read the original Dune trilogy years ago and recently stumbled across this book. I hoped it would match the interest and wonder of the original, but this prequel did not come close. I will not read any more books of these two authors.
Another review describes it best: bloated. The authors employ a very tired formula. As the chapters skip through the galaxy visiting each major character in his/her turn each chapter seems to repeat the same monotonous pattern: 1) revisit facts from previous visits to the character, 2) introduce one or two new details, 3) foreshadow the next visits to the character. There are a few interesting new spins in this prequel but all the tedious work to maintain this clumsy structure makes the book 4 times the size it needs to be.
And after it all, I have no connection with any of the characters. Most of the characters were religiously fanatical homicidal idiots. Most of the remaining ones were religiously fanatical SUIcidal idiots. Norma was interesting at first but I couldn't quite buy into how she developed.
If you are addicted to everything about Dune, then the time you invest in this will give you a few bits of Dune "history" you can enjoy. Perhaps the next book will resolve the hanging details a little more for you too.
But there are SO many good books out there that are more worthy of our time. If you want a taste of the surreal for example, pick up The Tin Drum (my latest read).

This series of Novels has really torn me up inside. I'm a fan of the entire Dune series, and I really enjoy the premise of these novels. I'm very interested in seeing where the story is going, and how the characters will develop. At the same time, these novels are an absolute chore to read. Some character/place descriptions are extremely, EXTREMELY repetitive. When I'm on the 400th page of a second novel in a series, I don't need to hear about how ironic it was that one of the characters couldn't get pregnant, even though her husband was a pharmaceutical whiz who made fertility enhancing drugs. You've said that already! It's been covered! Move on!

I'm not sure if the blame falls on the editors, but I'm surprised by this. I'd expect more from two highly experienced authors.

When I picked up this book I expected it to be bad. I was pleasantly surprised. The story line grabbed my attention. I found it hard to put down. Granted this does not have the finesse or subtlety of Frank Herbert's Dune books; but, it is a fine book on its own merit. The major problem I had with it is how the Omnius updates are handled. The events occur several thousand years in our future. Yet the Omnius updates are delivered by ship to the Synchronized Worlds. The amount of time this takes -makes me wonder how synchronized are the Synchronized worlds. Also, this method of updates leaves you rather vulnerable. In addition, it doesn't appear that backups are created prior to updates being installed. And there doesn't seem to be a backup plan or a disaster recovery plan. In addition, there are no safeguards (encryption, etc) to prohibit tampering with Omnius. I would have thought that in this distant future some sort of interplanetary network would have been set up where uploads from the various Omnius incarnations would be merged after backups had been taken. The new Omnius update would be downloaded (after the old one was backed up) on some sort of schedule. The way the updates of the evermind are handled it amazes me that the evermind has survived for so long. Hackers and saboteurs could have disabled it long ago. Aside from that this is a pretty good read.

I loved the Dune series and unlike some have thoroughly enjoyed most of the subsequent prequels. No, they do not have the magic and the depth and the awe of the original but then I did not think I was going to get the exact message.
This book is not as bad as some have made out but it is nowhere near a 5 star category. If the story of Norma had taken more center stage I would have considered a 4 or even 5 star. But it was lost in the onslaught of the seemingly endless tales, and unlike the original series, these folks are not interesting enough to maintain your attention over the long haul. The book seems to continually be in a rush - the chapters have been reduced to chapterettes and despite the excessive length, a lot of what is said was not necessary in the first place.
I, for one, am sickened and tired of all the torture. I have got into the habit of skipping those parts but had to reread the section on Norma in order to understand her transformation. Some of the characters were better left unintroduced - the good fighter (is he supposed to be the prototype for Duncan Idaho?), the brother-in-law of Serena, assorted friends and wives and lovers - too busy. Serena can whine all she wants - grow up!

I liked this book better than the previous one. It gives more understanding to the advancement in the human mind over the thinking machine. You see how religion is used as a driving force to unite the people and bring about change. It is used as a rallying cry by the politicians who might not really believe in what they are saying, but the underlying message might still be true. You also get to see how many of the main factions of Dune came into being such as the Bene Gesserit priestesses, flight navigators, Tlulaxa organ tanks, CHOM, and Freman. Kolhar is turned into a shipyard. Rossak reminds me of Africa where since it is an underdeveloped jungle, it is able to provide many pharmaceuticals, and natural resources.
The villains and heroes are not as clear cut as they used to be in these books. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are sympathetic characters, but they utilize slave labor, and Venport is like a drug dealer. Primero Xavier Harkonnen is a good guy, but as a military commander he does whatever it takes to win the war regardless of the loss of human life. Serena Butler is just a tool for the Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo for most of the story, until she finally comes into her own at the end. The Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo is a bad guy for using his position for personal gain. He does get the job done however, but is the cost too high? Lord Niko Bludd (nice play on the word blood) is definitely a bad guy and reminds me a lot of Baran Harkonnen. The robot Erasmus is still around as a bad guy, but I liked the twist of giving him more human characteristics as a kind of father figure to the slave boy Gilbertus Albans. Omnius is still supposedly the main bad guy, but it's just a computer, not very scary. Vorian Atreides is a good guy even though he's vain. At first it seems he can't live a normal life because he's been given this life extension treatment, but halfway through the book they try to have him settle down somewhat and grow up a little. I wonder how this will play out when other people who start taking melage start living longer as well. Selim Wormrider is supposedly a good guy, but he's also a terrorist. Tio Holtzman is a bad guy because he's selfish and only after his own glory. General Agamemnon is still the leader of the Cymeks but his role and the rest of the Cymeks for that matter, seem greatly diminished in this novel. I suspect they will play a bigger role in the next book. Jool Noret the Ginaz Mercenary is a nice character. Kind of like a futuristic samari. I also liked the robot sensei. The Zensunni Slave Aliid is set up as a kind of bad guy even though all he was trying to do was free his people, and the other slave Ishmael is set up as a kind of good guy even though it seems to me he could have done more to have helped his people sooner.
One of the big climatic scenes toward the end of the book with Serena Butler seemed so obvious to me, I would have been upset if the robots like Erasmus couldn't figure it out. I was relieved when he finally did even if they couldn't do anything about it.
The love story on Caladan with Leronica Tergiet, her husband Kalem Vazz, and their twin sons Estes and Kagin was a nice touch.
I liked how there were Cogitors who disconnected themselves for thousands of years from the outside world to seek inner wisdom and still did not gain any useful wisdom that could be used in the outside world.
I felt at the end like I did while watching "The Empire Strikes Back". It was a good book, but you feel cheated because it left you hanging waiting for the conclusion.
Spoiler:
In the end many of the main characters are killed off, but there are at least 6 six children all around the age of 10 that I suspect will play big roles in the third installment of this trilogy.

I'm not going to carp about the elder Herbert being a better, more thoughtful writer than his son. I think that's unfair. I do think the younger Herbert needs to try harder though.

The story of the Butlerian Jihad continues. After years of war and little results, the people are getting tired of it. You wouldn't know that, except for the opening statement in the book. Then, you hear nothing of the war fatigue until the end of the book. In the meantime, you get a cookie cutter story of political intrigue you see coming a mile away.

A more interesting story comes from Norma Cenva, and the beginnings of the Guild space-folding technology. Besides her, the only really interesting characters are the Titan villians, and they're easy to hate villians.

I read the original Dune novels several times because they were well-written masterpieces not only of science fiction, but also (arguably) or modern literature. The other prequels seemed to carry on that tradition of fine storytelling as well as anyone could be expected to without being on par with Frank Herbert, and I read those once. I noticed minor inconsistences in the other novels, but they never bothered me too much. This second book in the "Legends" series is a different story.

One thing that had bothered my since THE BUTLERIAN JIHAD was the fact that there existed Sorceresses who had telepathic powers. This exists nowhere in the senior Herbert's Dune universe. Granted, he wrote characters with extraordinary abilities, but these abilities always stemmed from extremely intensive development of faculties already possessed by humans in the real world. Paul Muad'Dib was no telepath, but could "see" the future. He was, essentially, a mentat.

Paul was a mentat, and I am not the first reader to make that assertion. The spice melange, in classic Dune, was a drug that modified brain function and, in the case of Paul Atreadies, interacted with his own unique body chemestry that was a result of eons of breeding in a way that the mentat faculties he had been unwittingly trained in since birth were amplified to superhuman levles. Guild navigators enjoyed similar benefits from the spice, but at a much greater cost to their humanity and freedom. In this cost, I find it difficult to accept that humans possessed telepathic powers thousands or years before the culmination of the kwizats haderach program.

The powers of the Sorceresses of Rossak bother me for another reason as well. Presumably, this group of women will evolve into the Bene Geserit. If the Bene Geseret had, in the distant past, possessed powers of telepathy, wouldn't it have been of great importance to them to maintain those abilities? Hell, if they had that, they wouldn't have needed Paul for anything. Not even the Honored Matres possessed such power. Also, why the hell does foldspace have a high rate or success without a prescient navigator? That really bothers me. And why is it possible to manipulate physical matter with your mind after your body has been destroyed? I could ramble on, but I just don't want to say any more about the faults of this book.

Though this work is irreparably flawed, I must read it and those books still to come. If you've read the rest of Dune, like I have, you may find that you have the same problem. But seriously, I could have done better myself.

I want to start off by saying that I enjoyed the book. However, it was not a perfect ride.
Some of the plots in the book seemed to drag on and on. There were some other plots/characters that seemed to just end (Ginaz anyone? Build up this cool character for several chapters, then, splat). Perhaps the sequal to this will pick up where the others left.
If you are a fan of the new Dune series, I recommend this one. It does not compare to Frank Herbert's writings - but I can't seem to get enough of Dune. I want more.

What Frank Herbert Left to us was a classic with many subtle and deep insights, albeit with some annoyingly deep. This book insults most of its reader's intelligence (Assuming it's aimed at mature readers). I'm not too concerned with the destruction of mythical heroes like Holtzman...but if he must be slammed, he should at least be slammed masterfully and not be treated like a near brainless scientist with little passion for science. Just for the authours' sake, scientists do read DUNE and it just seems like an uninformed attempt at slaming a great inventor.
Up till now, I'm still having trouble grasping the "Brilliance" of Iblis Ginjo, or his immense lack of scheme. He is the most unfantastic pseudo-villian I've ever read of. How he could have risen to such greatness is beyond me. (Unexplored and unexplained "special charisma" doesn't count.)
To end it all, Hecate was introduced in a spectacular fashion with great potential for plot development, only to be killed off in what can be said to be a most idiotic freak accident involving two other heroes. It really seemed to me that the authors were in a hurry to finish everyone off.
I really really hope to continue supporting dune...please give me a reason to.

I am a long standing fan of the Dune universe. I have read the original series three times and glean more every time I read them. I wasn't as turned off by the Houses series as most of my friends, but I realize that B. Herbert and K. Anderson were working within a familiar tapestry.
In stepping back 10,000+ years into the past, they have an amazing opportunity to mark their own unknown territory and give us Dune fans a real series of surprises and new characters to love. In moving away from the Dune Encyclopedia, they have attempted to create a very exciting time in man's past (future) where all of the ingredients to what would become the known universe for the next 10,000 years came together and cooked into a massive delicious stew. Unfortunately they overcooked some of the most important ingredients and never prepared others.
Whereas Frank Herbert could easily handle such scope and such a broad canvas, B. Herbert and K. Anderson seem a little overwhelmed. I hate to say it, it's not their writing style that's lacking it's the story itself. It's too neat, too convenient and too predictable.
Another issue is that the machines really don't seem to be "thinking machines". They seem to be poor metaphors for autocratic evil. Erasmus seems to be the only one who is "alive". All of the other storylines build and peak then fade too rapidly, and often too neatly. This is almost like some sort of sci-fi soap opera.
Don't get me wrong, I applaud their efforts and only wish they had taken six books to tell this story instead of three. If they only would have spent more time developing the characters, this book would have been much better. I want to be shocked at the death of a main character, not sigh in relief because their death is a timely device that fixes a plot problem. Characters appear and disappear with amazing regularity and their presence only seems to offer some out to a corner they (the authors) have written themselves into.

The only other gripe I have is again related to the telling of such a monumental epic in such a limited space, history teaches us that advancements in technology and society often happen in bursts, but this is too much. The strength of Frank Herbert's vision was that is was a believable future. That human struggle is human struggle, no matter when or where. It is what binds us all and what made Dune so unique and so special. By handling this series in the abbreviated format that they did, B. Herbert and K. Anderson have had to tie too many varied elements together with one bow. The B.G. Sisterhood, the Guild, the Empire, the thinking machines, the rift between the Atreides and Harkonnens, the Ginaz School, the Suk School, the Fremen, the Creation of the Mentat School, Ix and Richese and the Thulaxu all at once, within (approx) 100 years of each other? So humans were slaves to machines for 10,000 years then BOOM... and then once the dust settles everything's great for another 10,191 years?
Again, I would have liked for them to have told this story over 6 books and within a time frame of perhaps 1,000 years. That would make more since. But hey, who am I? I didn't get $1 million to write this book like these guys did.

First, let's get the obvious out of the way; Dune: The Machine Crusade is another prequel to Dune and a sequel to The Butlerian Jihad. It has all the drawbacks and bonuses of a sequel; if you haven't read the first in this series of prequels devised by Frank Herbert's son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson, you may feel a little lost at first. The good news is that Herbert and Anderson manage to fill in the blanks early on with a nicely written recap in the prologue (much as the Frank Herbert did with each sequel to his classic Dune novel).
I imagine that Herbert does much of the plotting based on Frank's original background notes and that Anderson does more of the hands on writing. At least it seems that way. In terms of style The Machine Crusades reminds me more of Anderson's novels than Brian Herbert's novels. But both had complimentary, similar styles so it's possible they rewrite each other.
Either way, the plot continues. With the destruction of the Omnius on one of the settled worlds, humanity managed to strike a blow against the computer that created hope. The Cymeks led by Agamemnon struggle to regain their lost power against Omnius all the while fighting humanity as well. Time doesn't matter to Omnius or the Cymeks but it does to Serena Butler. Nearly a quarter century has passed since the computer's henchrobot murdered her son as part of an "experiment" to discover humanity's emotional movitation to fight even when they are clearly defeated. She and the others struggle on in battle against Omnius.
Agamemnon's son Vorian Atriedes and Xavier Harkonnen continue their uneasy alliance in fighting Omnius. We also get our first glimpse of humanity's discover of "folding" space and the impact it will have. On Arrakis the Fremen come into their own as fierce fighters led by Selim Wormrider. We begin to understand how this distant, remote and poor dust speck in the cosmos comes to occupy center stage in Frank Herbert's original novel.
This sprawling epic sets the stage for what's to come later in Herbert's original trilogy. Although it's uneven and the plotting is a bit more awkward here than in the some of the previous novels in this series, The Machine Crusade accomplishes most of its goal. It also sets up another potential sequel. To give Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson credit, the series they've created does credit to the original novel and Frank Herbert's memory. There are a number of interesting philosphical questions examined here. To the author's credit, they don't let the philosphical questions bog down the action. Both attributes contributes to the strengths and the flaws of the novel; the questions linger on too long and the battles are drawn out a bit too much. At times it seems as if the authors are struggling with the epic tale they are trying to tell; it's as if they are trying to come to grips with the size of the story they need to tell and control it. Even when it veers out of control, The Machine Crusade is still better than most of what passes for science fiction today.
Nevertheless, like its immediate predecessor, The Machine Crusade has an epic, vast scale that the story and characters deserve. It's clear that Brian Herbert in continuing on his father's story chose to do so in a fashion that wouldn't just cash in on (and hence dilute)the original novels. Instead, he and co-author Anderson have tried to come up with a series of space operas as rich in character and scope as the original series. While the dialog can be frequently clunky and the characterizations a bit too sketchy for some, these are minor flaws on this large canvas. They boldly move forward using all the colors of language that they can to describe this epic tale. If words occasionally fail them, it's because the story, like much of Herbert's original epic, can be overwhelming in its vast embrace of science, religion and politics.
If Brian Herbert and Anderson can continue to create novels this complex, the Dune series has a future as more than a cookie cutter space opera series. If they occasionally borrow from some of the sf films that have come out since Frank wrote the original novel, it's only fair; George Lucas and many other film directors borrowed liberally for Frank's imagination, integrating into their own projects and calling it their own.

Lousy, really dissappointing. There is lot of promise in a story which pits man against all-conquering machines, but this team did not develop the potentialities in such a theme. Very bad science, very inadequate imagination of the full developmental potential of a machine-based culture and its powers/potentials. Reads like a word-processor wrote this novel. A machine could do better. Clearly a franchise product, a cookie-cutter product mass-manufactured for an established market (i.e. anything with the trademark DUNE in its title).

Let's face it. It isn't Dune; a previous reviewer asked did the writers read the first book? A valid question. Herbert's & Andersons "House Series" was supposed to be a prequel to DUNE, it could have been another Universe other than the one Herbert's Dad wrote about. There were that many inconsistencies. With the "Legend of Dune", I must admit it was an improvement. With Legends I actually enjoy this series, probably because it's so far back in time that the Readers Digest version of Dune that H&A had read before cashing in on the Dune name didn't need any research other than adding the name Butler. I confess I read Dirk Pitt novels. So I like a book that is action packed with characters you can cheer and boo. If you are a die hard Dune fan, you probably won't like it. If you enjoy a good read and are a SciFi fan, it is a good read.
I have just one question. If Holtzman Shield and Lasers interaction cause nuclear devastation, why hasn't the machine intelligences use Lasers on the Jihad space fleets?

I am a big fan of the FH's Dune (and sequels). I also enjoyed the 'House' prequel trilogy. But, I have big issues with this second book of the 'Jihad' trilogy. It is quite obvious that the authors cobbled this together from bits and pieces that each had written. It is also quite evident that none of the authors, editors, etc. read this book in it's entirety. In the first 100 pages they bludgeon you with events from the first book. Yes many people might need to be reminded of what happened in the preceeding book, but we don't have to be told about the event three or four time with int three or four pages. This got so bad that I started to keep track of them. By the time I got to page 300 I stopped, there were just too many. Examples: On Pg 106 & Pg 108 repeated references to Cogitor Eklo. We are constantly reminded why Iblis married Camie. I got that the first time. On page 310 & 311 Vorian volunteered to do the foot work for Serena's new plans. It says 'Even before Xavier returned from Ix.' But in the previous chapter Xaview is sitting and the Jihad council table when Serena outlines her plans. I suggest that the authors pay more attention to what they're doing in the third book (which I intend to read) and the two post FH books there working on. The other book Dune books BH & KJA have written have been much better than this. I agree with the comment about the 'Encycopeadia Dune', but I don't know the full detail of licensing, copyrights, etc. that may have nesseccitated changes. I hope the authors do a better job on the next books, at least produce something up to there usual standards.

I found this edition of the Herbert/Anderson cash machine to be more entertaining than the last episode (which was just plain bad). I enjoyed reading it for what it was: a space romp with backgrounds borrowed from Frank Herbert's Dune. These books are a bit like watching television. It's enjoyable while you're watching, but it sure is a waste of time.
Although I won't buy these books, I'll continue to borrow them from the library just to get a glimpse of more background to the real Dune series. I agree with another reviewer who stated that if these books didn't carry the Dune name, they would never sell.

Plenty has been written about how these prequel-sequel-interquel Dune books are not anywhere close to the quality of Frank Herbert's originals. But in fact, a lot of the plots are clever and imaginatively put together. Giving credit where credit is due, Herbert Jr. and Anderson have made an interesting stab at imagining the background and events of the Butlerian Jihad.

What really sabotages these books are the mediocre writing and the lack of any of the compelling ideas that formed the basis for Frank H.'s classic works. The writing is really just a couple of cuts above hack level: overuse of trite similes and metaphors, fake-sounding dialogue, poor characterization, overuse of backstory, shallow ideas and thinking. The book is episodic in the worst way, jumping around from story line to story line in a confusing manner that loses the reader, sometimes with chapters that are only a couple of pages long. Worst of all, the sinister machines, Omnius and Erasmus, are not particularly sinister but in fact somewhat comical and clownish - not what one wants for a force that threatens the very existence of humanity. Their conversations are embarrassing. Herbert and Anderson simply lack the writing skills to create truly memorable and believable characters, whether human or machine, hero or villain.

Frank Herbert's books were, fundamentally, books about ideas. Herbert Jr. & Anderson's books are run-of-the-mill Sci-Fi action books, dumbed-down Dune for a dumbed-down generation and culture. Certainly an entertaining read, but just don't expect much beyond entertainment.

I can only recommend this book (or in fact the whole series of prequels) to die-hard Dune fans who don't want to miss anything.

There are 3 major points that bother me:

1) The machines (especially Omnius) are incredibly stupid. How is it possible that a machine manages to master language and logical thought, but yet not understand the concept of a lie? It is really not that hard. Look it up in a dictionary. The same goes for a number of other concepts Omnius finds difficult to understand (martyr, bluff, ...). Yet, Omnius has no problem in understanding concepts like suspicion, vindictiveness, revenge, ...

2) The book is incredibly repetitive. Granted, I do not have the best of memories, but I do not have to be reminded every 20 pages that Iblis is charismatic, Vorian is impulsive and Xavier is straightlaced.

3) The writing is pretty poor. Good writers make a person exhibit a character trait. Bad writers explain which character trait a person is exhibiting at the moment. For example, if Iblis is supposed to be charismatic, then make him charismatic. Don't write: "Using his charismatic personality Iblis did ..."

There are a number of other things that bother me about the book, but these are the big three.

I'm a big fan of Dune and the other Dune Prequels. IMO this is the worst of them (I haven't read the Battle of Corrin yet). I only recommend this book to die hard Dune fans who won't be able to sleep at night knowing they've missed part of the ancient timeline. Even in that case, you could just, read the timeline in the appendix. This book repeats obvious information, over and over again. It spends WAY too much time re-hashing what the readers already know.

Having read the original Dune novels by Frank Herbert I delved into the the Machine Crusade hoping to find myself reinvigurated into the Dune universe, but was sorely disappointed. I will read the Battle of Corrin in order to bridge the overall historical gaps in foundations that set the scene up for the original Dune novel but will not read the House books. The writting in these books is very formulaic, and as others have pointed out the author is constantly reminding you about past events which are about 4 pages back in the scene. Also I found it irritating that the legendary vendetta between House Harkonnen and Atreides seems to have been downplayed greatly. It seems destined to be as random as Xaviers fate in the novel. Heres a genuine good character, so its hard to believe that the next novel will provide me with the sufficient reasons behind the legendary grudge between Houses, if anything this book makes me symphatetic to the Harkonnens... whats that all about? Also, other central characters in the novel seem to converge on coincidental ends which seem more like cop outs rather than climactic endings. I could have gained the same amount of detail and information of the events and characters with having read appendixes and timelines. Read the original 6 Dune novels, thats what I plan to do just to filter out this bad taste in the Dune universe. A for effort, C for substance.

Like other reviewers, I fell for this one too. I borrowed the first one in the series from the library and I found it disappointing, more like a crappy Star Wars novel aimed at 14 year olds. I really did find the reading very immature, with archetypal characters, often not well defined (Iblis Ginjo lacks so much depth to be the great man he was supposed to be).
Also, really bad stereotyping of Norma Cenva, from ugly duckling to reshaping her physical body into bombshell, just because she felt like it. I find it harder to believe in molecular level instantaneous body reshaping than folding space; yes, some of us scientists do read Science Fiction occassionally.
Regarding the master swordsmen characters, well, they sound like the black clad people who ran the back-stage at my old Students' Union: chains hanging from pockets, ponytails (no offence meant), martial-arts wannabes who could not get off the sofa whilst watching Mall Rats or MTV.
I might as well say it: my favourite character is Erasmus, I keep looking forward to him killing all the main "goodies". At least he is not spineless and being 2D is an AI trait.
In all, a poorly written book (it drags on), poor stereotypical characters and too many pages. Only read it if you like the quality of Star Wars novels.
If you want to know about the early Dune universe, read the highlights at various websites.

The Legends of Dune trilogy is absolutely a great trilogy. I found it a little faster read than the original series, but this series still has its twists and provokes deep thinking as much as its founding series. The authors do an astounding job in showing the basis and beginnings of virtually everything in the original Dune series; from the founding of the Guild and the Sisterhood to the significance of the Atreides' hawk. This trilogy is a must read for any science fiction reader, and even more so for the Dune fan. I am not a big reader by any means, but this trilogy kept me turning pages. I am challenged to say that I enjoyed the Legends of Dune trilogy more than the original books.

While I liked The Butlerian Jihad (I'd give it 3 stars) it was not without its flaws; stilted dialog and character development not withstanding, it was a fun read. The Machine Crusade is a major improvement; the writing style by both Brian Herbert and Anderson is more fluid and full, the characters are better fleshed out, and most story concepts/threads are better realized, some are surprising, and a few suspenseful (the Jihadis' desperate battle for Ix, for example).
This installment comes a lot closer to Herbert Sr.'s work since it incorporates the political complexities that made those books great (and in all honesty had little room in the introduction that The Butlerian Jihad really was). This story is the true core of this trilogy and the elements we are familiar with from the Dune Chronicles are in much deeper transition; the Zensunni marauders of Arrakis are a lot closer in scope to their Fremen descendants than they were last time and Norma Cenva's space folding scheme stands on the verge of fruition. The chapters are still too short, but with as many threads as this book has, that brevity is almost necessary, and actually can encourage you to keep reading so you can get back to more interesting places/characters.
If The Battle for Corrin can keep up the momentum BH and KJA made for themselves, then it's likely that their execution of Dune 7 will be successful.

I have read many poor reviews of Brian Herbert's work, but disagree. He has a totally different writing style than Frank Herbert, but the stories are still enjoyable. Any true fan of the orginial Dune series and story should enjoy these books because they love the stories and to learn about the Dune Universe.

Brian's focus is more on the politics, science, economy, and religions of Dune rather than the characters, which were the main focus of Frank Herbert. Where Frank left you an appendix in the back so you could look up what you wanted to know, Brian tells you about it in his story. You really felt like you knew Paul, what motivated him, we all empathized with him. In Brian's books the main characters are not as well developed, but you really feel like you understand the the politics, and economy and how they work. I thought that Brian really "clarified" some things from the orginal Dune series.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the Machine Crusade more than Butlerhean Jihad. It felt like after laying out the major character and storylines in the first book, Brian finally got into the heart of the story. The book moved through a lot of time though, about 30 years, so lots of stuff happens. I also found parts of the end a little predictable, but others were not.

An group of outlaws lead by a Wormrider is increasing their numbers on Dune.

A couple of decades after the death of Serena's child, Xavier Harkonnen and Vorian Atreides are leading the human resistance to Omnius and the Cymeks, with assistance from their Priestess, but not suspecting that they are being duped by a leading politician.

This book was at best a poorly written draft for a b-movie. I don't think the "authors" could have made this book more predictable, overdramatic, formulaic, or just plain stupid. It lacks everything that made Dune as engaging and magical as it was. Was there some contest to see how may times a sentence could be ended with ellipsis?
I can't fathom the credit that some other readers give this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm no literary critic, but I really feel strongly about the overt lack of subtlety, intricacy, character development, etc. The authors make constant references to certain characters intricately detailed plans, "wheels within wheels" I believe was their term. Yet, none of these "wheels" within other "wheels" ever seemed to emerge from the hints that they existed. B. Herbert and Anderson seem to think that by making references to these amazingly subtle plans that they will magically appear of their own will.
I really can't say enough bad things about this book. I think I'll leave it at that.

Having read most of the dune novels, except the house series...this one is pretty decent. It was very irratating at the beginning of this novel, how they kept repeating the information on "manion the innocent" having read the first in this trilogy and knowing the ending it was not necessary to continously repeat this. If i was not a large fan of the dune series i would probably have stopped reading the book because of this.
Character development was decent, but killing off almost all major characters at end of novel was surprising none the less. Guess they didnt want these characters alive in the next novel. However having started to read the battle of corrin now, i understand why these characters were killed off.
All in all it is a great book to read, look forward to finishing the last of the trilogy. Just wonder if they will try to write another trilogy in the dune universe somewhere.

I just had to put the book down. In this book, supposedly we see the theoretical work leading to "folding space" take its first steps toward practical application. Yet in this pre-hyperspace setting, everyone seems to be able to zip around the galaxy at will, travelling effortlessly between planents and star systems apparently instantaneously. No explanation for this is ever given, which is the type of glaring plot hole that Frank Herbert would never have allowed. Isn't this supposed to be SCIENCE fiction?

Pages and page are devoted to meaningless descriptions of trivial details (such as parties), there is no dialogue to speak of, and the character relationships are murky and hard to follow.

The DUNE series was much better when it was simply the 6 original books by Frank Herbert, with the tantalizing and never to be fulfilled hints at the final, seventh novel.

Each new addition weakens the original Dune achievement.

These three prequels do a decent job of providing back story to the Frank Herbert authored Dune novels that will eventually provide building blocks to the books Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson provide following the events of the Frank Herbert authored timeline. Never an easy thing to do, especially with work as intricate as that put forth by the senior Herbert. To those offering such scathing criticisms of these books, I would suggest you stick to "novels" about young kids at magic school or twinkling vampire boy toys.

Easily the most boring of the non-Frank Herbert series. Very little character development. At times, the plotline is downright silly (Norma's transformation, Holtzman's end, everything about the Titan Hecate, the Cogiters' meddling). The way they explain the so-called Harkonnen treachery was ludicrous. I kept hoping they'd explain the source of the long standing Atreides-Harkonnen animosity, but was very disappointed. Maybe they'll do it on about page 600 of the next (and hopefully last!) book, but I'm not eager to find out anymore.

It also seemed like they injected politics of the last couple years into the story. How lame. Hardly worthy of a saga developed over a dozen novels.

I must admit that being a fan of Frank Herbert's for over 20 years now I was daunted at the thought that someone else would try to "take the reins" and continue his vision. It is a shame that certain critics can not distinguish between the father and the son. Yes Frank did not write these prequels, that was known when you saw the authors names on the cover. It would be obvious to any learned individual that writing styles would not similar, or even in the same catagory. To expect that would be utter garbage. If you go into this as an individual who enjoys the Dune universe, as I do, will like this book as they explore the foundation for a series that has stood the test of time.

There are many facets of this book that will enthrall you, if you read it. I have read so many reviews where reviewers have skipped ahead because they were "bored" then complain that they didn't understand certain complexities of characters. You would have to admit that Erasmus trying to explain human reproduction to a 12 year old was funny, heck I laughed, something i have never done while reading a book.

I am not saying that this book is on par with a literary master such as Frank Herbert, but if you go into this book with that in mind and accept it for its telling of the pre-history of the Duneaverse then you are in for a treat and a few surprises.

And yes this book does deserve a 4 star....

It reads like the bible for a soap opera; "The Machines of Our Lives". Every chapter seems to be written as if it has a three page limit which hashes out only the minutest description of the characters as well as the storyline. Much like the previous Anderson/Herbert ventures it lacks any type of great story telling and pales in comparison to the original books from where it gets its name.
Why then did I finish this book in three days?
Unlike the other books, the paired down outline approach to story telling seems to convey a simplistic charm that truly works. Maybe my expectations have been warn down by one disastrous ÒprequelÓ after another, but I canÕt say that the Anderson/Herbert duo didnÕt give me something that I liked. In some respects the books flows like fast food, and I devoured every page as such. Yeah in the end I felt bloated and knew the story would leave my mind about as quickly as it entered, but so what. It was fun.
What ÒHerndersonÓ (Herbert/Anderson) did finally learn in this outing was how to present cool characters in enough wacky situations to keep me reading. Whether this should be called a true ÒDuneÓ book or not IÕm not to say, but at least I got to read a few pages about a character every now and again that I liked (or disliked in a good way). DonÕt get your hopes up about any realistic characters though. Like in the other books the dialogue is still about at the level of a bad student film and there is no real story, just one big lumberous plot with enough interesting events to make those of us with nothing better to do plod along with eager anticipation.
It is unequivocal that the authors take themselves and this ÒstoryÓ too seriously considering the atrocious amount of blithe undeveloped plots and subplots designed to set up something that eventually leads us nowhere other then to tie up a loose end (i.e., the entire needless Hectate subplot). The books also seems to think that it has a surprise ÒtwistÓ at the end, but narratively it fizzles out long before itÕs eaten up by a sun (no IÕm not spoiling anything). To be honest I was more shocked at the audacity of the authors attempt at selling this as an ending of any kind then caught up in the turmoil of the narrative.
Unlike my reaction to the other books though, I enjoyed the pomp of it all. I even relished in it. It seems to me that if ever anybody was going to put ÒRocky HorrorÓ into a book form, it would seem that these two would be perfect for it. Not because of their comic timing, or their subversive storytelling, but rather because I think that theyÕd take it seriouslyÉ and thatÕs what would make it so darn fun to read!
AD

Easily the most boring of the non-Frank Herbert series. Very little character development. At times, the plotline is downright silly (Norma's transformation, Holtzman's end, everything about the Titan Hecate, the Cogiters' meddling). The way they explain the so-called Harkonnen treachery was ludicrous. I kept hoping they'd explain the source of the long standing Atreides-Harkonnen animosity, but was very disappointed. Maybe they'll do it on about page 600 of the next (and hopefully last!) book, but I'm not eager to find out anymore.

It also seemed like they injected politics of the last couple years into the story. How lame. Hardly worthy of a saga developed over a dozen novels.

I must admit that being a fan of Frank Herbert's for over 20 years now I was daunted at the thought that someone else would try to "take the reins" and continue his vision. It is a shame that certain critics can not distinguish between the father and the son. Yes Frank did not write these prequels, that was known when you saw the authors names on the cover. It would be obvious to any learned individual that writing styles would not similar, or even in the same catagory. To expect that would be utter garbage. If you go into this as an individual who enjoys the Dune universe, as I do, will like this book as they explore the foundation for a series that has stood the test of time.

There are many facets of this book that will enthrall you, if you read it. I have read so many reviews where reviewers have skipped ahead because they were "bored" then complain that they didn't understand certain complexities of characters. You would have to admit that Erasmus trying to explain human reproduction to a 12 year old was funny, heck I laughed, something i have never done while reading a book.

I am not saying that this book is on par with a literary master such as Frank Herbert, but if you go into this book with that in mind and accept it for its telling of the pre-history of the Duneaverse then you are in for a treat and a few surprises.

And yes this book does deserve a 4 star....

A lot of reviews knock this book for being plodding, predictable, not well thought out, etc... And, in some ways they are correct. But, this book serves a very valuable purpose in that it builds the foundation for what is to come.
There are parts of the book that have no real bearing on the story, but I am sure will lead into an important part of the next book.
And, there better be a next book, because the ending of this one really p*ss*ed me off. There better be something to wrap up the loose ends.

I rarely will throw a book away once I've read it, particularly if I've spent good money on it. Book #2 in the Butlerian Jihad Prequel Triology, this book was a raving disappointment. The only reason I actually stuck with this book and finished it was I was sick in bed for a week and had seen all the *Bonanza* re-runs. Worse than the opener (The Butlerian Jihad - which actually had some redeeming features,) but not as bad as the truly abysmal Battle of Corrin. As in books 1 & 3, multiple "plot" lines keep Machine Crusade a pot-boiler with some lines less woefully unimaginative than others. But I got thoroughly sick of reading of the sadistic cruelties of the robot Erasmus (he should have been named "Mengele"), the slaughter of humans by the cartoonish "Titans", and the boring ego tripping of Vorian Atreides - the "Dorian Gray" of this universe and distant progenitor of the ultimately, equally insufferable Paul Atreides (his little sister was twice the Fremen he was). I bought and read the last book (see my review of that turkey) out of a sense of moral obligation to finish the trilogy. No good deed goes unpunished.

And I consider the fact that 6 reviewers have thus far "boo'd" this review a badge of honor. Long live the REAL Dune books!

Frank Herbert is undoubtedly turning over in his grave with this latest pretender to his literary heritage. Gone are any pretences to literature, or even decent writing-- this bloated novel seems to be written for an audience of 14-year old girls, yet is an insult to 14-year old girls. The book has the feel of a well developed outline (there is a solid story buried here) that was developed into a book simply by fleshing out the outline to the point where we have a dull, plodding description of what the real book should do, if only anyone could write it. The characters have no depth whatsoever, and develop only by statements proclaiming their development. When a character is hurt, the authors simply state that the character was hurt. The plodding, uninspired tone doesn't change to reflect the character's
state of being, nor is the state reflected in any other subtle artifice. There's simply nothing subtle about the book.
Most damning to this long-time Dune fan is the authors determination to redefine the characters created in Frank Herbert's original novels. We discover that virtually all the male characters in the original series were really just scoundrels who stole work or credit from women. The most glaring example is Holtzmann, who we learn didn't really understand his own equations, and instead stole the accomplishments of his female apprentice, Norma. (Seems Holzman was just too busy complaining about his slaves to do any real work.) This sort of politically-correct rewrite of Frank Herbert pervades the entire
book, and not only are men largely secondary characters, but the few good ones all commit suicide. Only women are allowed to shine here.
Finally, where were the editors? This story could have been completely told in a third of the space. Most irritating is the author's practice of re-stating what just happened 5-10 pages ago in summaries that often take 2-3 paragraphs to slog through. Do the authors really see their audience as this incompetent to follow a story? It's a dramatic, and condescending, departure from Frank Herbert.

Crappy writing and craft are barely disguised in this "episode" of the Dune series. I find myself actually wincing from time to time at the poorly constructed narrative, but given my fondness for the original series, my pompous desire to feel holier-than-Herbert's-Son, and my almost juvenile desire to "see what happens" I keep reading. Maybe the book will spontaneously combust - I can only hope.

If you're a fan of the original Dune books or any of Frank Herbert's writing, do yourself a favor and NEVER buy anything written by his son about the Dune universe. I can only presume that this is nothing but a pathetically inept attempt to make money off the fine works of the father. I picked up this boook and its predecessor, The Butlerian Jihad, at an airport before a long international flight. I managed to struggle through the 1st book mainly on its single virtue of frequent references to the known (and beloved) themes of Dune (my reason for giving it 1 star). The writing is atrocious! I've seen better language control in 12 year olds. I gave up in disgust after getting halfway through the second book. I could literally feel my language skills deteriorating while reading this drivel. Once again, do yourself a favor and buy something else. If you HAVE to have some Dune, re-read the originals. Stay away from this garbage.

I've read Frank Herbert's complete Dune Series and I have read all of the Brian Herbert, & Kevin J. Anderson prequels that have recently been published. This is the most disappointing book in the entire series to date! My husband and I both found the storyline lacking and the continuity of this book with the rest of the series is terrible. They put a story together that goes against much of the later series. What were you guys thinking? I won't give away too much of the story but they are terribly lacking and off base in the Norma Cenva story which was originally begun in the God Emperor of Dune book and Harkonnen's story also deviates from the original plot. My husband and I are so terribly disappointed in this book. There are lags in the plot and it's slow reading.

I was bored at work and reading through these responces. I've read the original 6 books twice through, the house set once, and the 1st book maybe 4 times. I plan on reading these jihad books when I get the time to really attempt to enjoy and digest the material. I dont really care how painful some of you think they may be, that wont stop me. Just wanted to clarify something I remember reading about the navigators and folding space... The navigators DO NOT FOLD SPACE, the ship does... they merely see the path, they "navigate" as the name implies. Without this ability the ship could end up anywhere, in a star or planet for expample. Leto II finds humor in the thought of a machine that will one day replace the guilds abilities and ponders if it will ever happen, which it does, and the guild's power is reduced to the equivalence of a k-mart manager. :) What about that ending on Chapterhouse, that left me wanting more... Duncan is the best character: cat like grace, skill, loyal friend that will die for you, womanizing loud mouth drunk and ive always had a fondness for hands on fighting w/ knives/swords, something that Dune brings to the table in a futuristic setting that I enjoy.

Frank was a genius. He made me understand the Bene Gesserett by how characters reacted and behaved, without saying stupid things like "I'm the greatest sorceress in the universe..." I want to laugh at the lack of philosophical introspection, character development, and depth these two authors display compared to Frank. Its a long, labororious read, and its only redeeming feature is that its made from Frank's notes, there-fore its interesting. How these two authors fill in the blanks is so utterly dissapointing. Fortunately the 5% of Frank's genius out of the 95% of the murkyness makes it worth a read. I'll buy the next one too. Re-read your father's book, Brian. Watch how he makes you feel something about Jessica without almost literally saying--as you do-- "Feel something about Jessica here."

This book is boring, lacks action, and is essentially a modern novel pretending to be sci-fi with too much time spent on male-female relationships. The book is also PC. That isn't surprising when almost all the names are female on the publishing/editorial team that worked on this book. I put this book down after reading half of it.

If you are a male then go read a real sci-fi book that isn't going to bore you with almost all the lead male characters all falling in love with boring, plain-looking, and deformed female characters. The one hot female character is described as shallow, cold, and anti-male.

The lead female scientist/engineer is female and the lead male one is a bad opportunistic guy and second rate to her. The lead female head of the human Jihad is good and noble, and the lead male Jihad leader a bad guy political opportunist who has no concern for the lives of others.

Herbert and Anderson continue to write complex stories full of color and surprises; this is one of the best. Other reviewers whine that these new prequels aren't exactly the same as Frank Herbert's style ... and they aren't. The Herbert & Anderson novels are, however, excellent reads in their own right and they have brought a whole new generation of readers to the DUNE universe.

A lot of other reviewers have made the same comment, but I had to throw my two cents in:
I got the unabridged audio version of this book, and it is the first time ever that I have actually skipped an entire CD. I nearly threw the darn thing out the window! So much needless repetition, so many out-of-place and contradictory facts, and so many rehashed cliches and reworded profoundities that I, a few times, actually pulled hair out of my head in frustration!
I honestly feel that these authors could do a lot better. There were seeds of a decent story here, but it never sprouted. I never felt pitty for Serena or any of the other overly melodramatic, underly written tragic characters. I cheered when the book was over - because it was over. I think the authors might have used an emotionless thinking machine programmed for endless rewording of the same plot line to complete this long and boring book.

Though some other reviewers appear to find the son lacking as he steps into his father's shoes, I disagree. I have found these five books interesting and engaging.
Norma's transformation into a Sorceress of Rossak (pp415-421) was magnificent!
I am looking forward to the next book and wonder if there might be a consideration for a book to follow CHAPTERHOUSE DUNE.

I just finished this book, and I have some mixed feelings. First, some of the plotlines could have been done away with- Jool the Ginaz Mercenary comes to mind first. There was a lot of reading, with little payoff in the end. There were more, but time is short. In the end, I have come to the realization that I loved the original Dune series for a very different reason than I enjoy reading this new one- The original made me think, reread, and think some more. You'll never catch anyone doing that with the new series. It is, however, an easier, quicker read... Very entertaining to my Dune-starved mind. That may or may not be a good thing.

Most people who read these prequels are most likely acquainted with the original works of Dune by Brian's father Frank. And if you aren't yet familiar with the originals then I suggest you start your reading there where it was originally meant to be. As it is, the prequels--started with the three "House" books and later moving back 10,000 years to the Butlerian Jihad--are sad little shades of Frank Herbert's visions.
As Dune fans know, the Machine Crusade is the second book of a trilogy about a war between people and machines. Cliche? Very! That is why Frank Herbert began his Dune novels 10,000 years afterwards, to show the ramifications of such a war. He moved past the cliche and developed a universe that existed without machines.
Here in the Machine Crusade we see the same typical writing of Kevin J. Anderson, whose writing style has very little eloquence compared to Frank Herbert. Frank Herbert's originals are a grand mishmash of intricate plotting that combines many aspects of human society: politics, religion, philosophy, ecology and family interaction. His books were all internal; he created characters that you cared about, that took on a life of their own even when they had such minor parts in the storyline. All these points are lost in the Machine Crusade where Anderson is mostly concerned with the external conflict of the Butlerian Jihad. Think Star Wars or Terminator. Lots of fighting. Lots of dying. No plot except for yet more fighting.
For anyone who has read the originals, you know that telling stories of battle was not Frank Herbert's purpose in these books. It was to tell chilling tales of of tragic characters whose every move impacted all of human society. The wars that took place in the original series rarely happened within the very pages of those books, but mostly happened between books or before the books. They were irrelevant except for the fact to know that they happened and people died. His purpose was to show the ramifications of those very wars.
The book fails in many aspects. Primarily, the Machine Crusade reads like a history book. In many cases its chapters just sum up what one character is thinking when it might be best to provide some much needed dialogue to give it a sense of immediacy. It's such a shame, because many of the characters have such potential, yet there is so very little interaction between the numerous main characters that you just want to yell at the book and make it DO something besides blow up robots.
I have very little doubt that if it wasn't for the name "Dune" attached to the prequels, these books would never sell. They are cliche, poorly written, have flimsy characters and numerous plotlines that rarely come together to form an ever greater story. The book's only redeeming quality is that it provides a curious glimpse at the history of the Dune universe, and that is all. Whereas the Dune originals can be reread over and over again for greater understanding and enjoyment, these books will probably gather dust or wind up on ebay.

The Jihad has gone on for years and people are getting tired of the constant fighting against machines. Serena Butler still leads, but maybe she's been led astray by Iblis Ginjo. The strife over spice continues on Arrakis as Selim Wormrider's leads his people in a new direction. Norma Cenva--one of my favorite characters--continues looking for answers and takes a new unexpected turn. Vorian Atriedes--another favorite--continues to fight the Jihad, but finds something totally unexpected in the midst of war...love. Jool Neret, Xavier Harkonen, the cymecs and Omnius, the cast of characters is large, but their individual stories are threaded together flawlessly, making for an engrossing, page turning read!

This series has developed the history previous to Frank Herbert's Dune. I like what it attemps, but with this offering, the novel did not have a clear sense of direction. There were sub plots that could have been bettered developed & characters that were not well defined. I hope with the next installment more focus will be applied to a clear fast paced story line.

I have just finished reading The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2) and found it to be quite enjoyable. I have read the other reviews at the store.com and feel that people are not judging this book based upon its own merits but as an an extension of the books created by Frank Herbert. I do agree that Frank Herbert was the best science fiction writer that ever drew a breath. I also feel that the six Dune books created by Frank Herbert are the best science fiction works ever published. Having said that I do feel that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson do provide an exciting glimpse into the "what ifs" in the Dune Universe and I am thankful that they sought to provide us with their interpreatations of what could have occurred prior to the coming of Muad'Dib to Arrakis. No, their writing does not equal that of the original writer of the series but they do provide us with intelligent, highly readable material that we can enjoy as companion pieces to the original.

Also, once e reader begins God Emperor, Heretics, and Chapterhouse one learns that the writing of Frank Herbert gets a little more high brow and it is not often accessible to the general reading public. The Herbert/Anderson duo wrote to make their prequels accessible to everyone. Even though I am a great fan of Frank Herbert I still am able to find a place on my bookshelves for the Herbert/Anderson creations as well. This evening I will begin The Battle of Corrin and am looking forward to the experience.

Remains true to the style of the Dune saga, with meticulous detail and descriptions of even the most mundane activities.
Some of the dialogue seems bloated and unnecessarily drawn out, not as "tight" as the three "House" prequels, but what can you do? For instance, they could have spent more time with the followers of Selim and less on Jool Noret, but I think they are trying to justify all the time spent on Ginaz in "House Harkonnen" and fill in some back story.
I look forward to the next book, and hope they can keep it all up to the standards of the whole epic. I was leery of the whole idea of trying to follow up the original septology by Frank, but am a believer now.

Unfortunately the story dies first.Like father like son.I do not think so.

I had a difficult time staying with this book and could not wait to finish it.The zenshiites and zensunni rhetoric ruined it for me.Perhaps my expectations are too high,for it would be difficult to match the classic novels from Frank Herbert.However,In saying all this i will still read the third novel in this series because im a geek!

This seems to be a bridge book, rather than the one we have all been waiting for. Lots of archetypes, good guys, bad guys, merciless machines, powerful women, early melange usage. Credulity must be extended more than usual: planet-wide secret projects staying secret, huge conspiracies involving thousands of low level people remaining undetected, lack of planetary defenses for ground assault (how naive can we be?), lots of things. But maybe that is what SF is all about.
And in the last 4 words of the 692 page book, we learn how to pronounce Freman.

One of the best Dune books ever written and an excellent start for the new trilogy. It's not Frank Herbert's Dune for sure, but the universe created for this trilogy works for me and really helps to understand the mithology created by old Frank. Outstanding work. Now I'm waiting for The Machine Crusade and The Battle of Corin.

I found the ending to be a bit jumbled (too many subjetcts: The Guild, Norma, abrupt ending of Aurelius & Zufa & Xerxes,Tlulaxa, Titan Rebellion)with that many subjects there should have been a fourth book before the upcoming "Battle of Corrin" or they should find a way to modify their plans so that the next book is only the third in a series... The book overall was quite good and I would / have reccomended it to my family and friends who are also scifi fans.

Boring!!! Normally I don't write reviews, but felt the need to on this one. First I'd like to state that I love the Dune series by Frank Herbert. In my opinion it's the best science fiction ever written. And so far I have enjoyed the prequels written by Brian Herbert. "The Machine Crusade" has been the exception. I am not even half way through and will have to make myself finish it. Too many story lines going at once and none is developed well. There's no depth to them. They're all flimsy. Like I said I'm not even half way through but I don't think that's enough time for this book to redeem itself.

I bought this book against my better judgement and because Borders had it 20% off. The first book, The Butlerian Jihad was horrible. This sequel is twice as good, but that's still not saying much. Have these guys even read the first Dune books? Save your money and go buy some of Brin's Uplift series books or even Hamilton's Neutronium Alchemist series.
What a shame!

Very disappointing. There are a few good parts of this story, but they are buried by sorrow about lost romance, uninteresting human relationships, and tales of Octa Butler's supreme meal planning ability for her husband Xavier. For example, "Octa did this as a gesture to him and her dead sister, serving the tasty meat glazed with a tart currant sauce (p 715)." In addition in the space of about 10 pages toward they kill off four of the most interesting characters that they spent the previous novel and most of this one building up in an outrageously unbelievable scenario. Fans of other Dune novels should consider this one an "abomination."

While I would read anything to do with the Dune universe, parts of the Butlerian Jihad left me with mixed feelings. Maybe it was because I had to get used to new characters but the fact was that while the history and premise was very intriguing I thought much of the dialogue to be stilted. I would have given that book three stars, on a good day. It was then with much trepidation that I read the Machine Crusade. Well I could not have had a happier surprise. The characters are now more fleshed out, the history is still intriguing and the politics and backgrounds are exciting beyond belief. But the big difference is the dialogue amongst the characters and in their thoughts. I now care about the people involved in the stories. I look forward to the third book in the series. My faith in the ability of the authors to tell a story has been restored.

While the book managed to keep my attention, it lacked the depth and complexity of the original. Characters are developed in detail then abruptly killed. It seemed as though the author could not figure out what to do with them. Wait for paperback.

I am enamored of the writing style of the two authors. I continue to be amazed at the way the story flows in each of the books in this series. I read this book in about 2 days. I was sorry to come to the end after 700 pages. All I can say is that I hope that this saga continues beyone the third scheduled book.
What a great read!!!!!

this book is very interesting for a filler it is like the second book in lord of the rings, it is a filler and is building up to the end. why would you yell at a book that wasn't supposed to be the best in the series.

The Machine Crusade is one of thoughs books that you just can't stop reading. You will find your self up until 1am every night reading this book, and the only reason that you will put it down is because of shier exaction. The only time in the book when you feel disappointed, is when its over, but you will find that there is a sequel that is just as good. This book is a perfect for everyone who likes an exiting adventure story, with plenty of action and suspense. My only word of advice is that you read the Butlerian Jihad first.

Herbert and Anderson have done it again! Frank Herbert dreamed up one of the most fascinating sagas of humanity's far future and the prequels are doing a wonderful job of filling out the DUNE universe. Read and enjoy!

Having been a huge Dune fan for most of my life, I've always tried to avoid reading the prequels and sequels that I feared were shameless moneygrabs and nothing more. However, I started reading the "House" trilogy and couldn't stop! Brian Herbert is an excellent writer and his books are riveting tales of mankind's struggle with itself and the machine. The utter brutality of the machines only slightly overshadows the atrocities comitted by Atreides, Karkonnen et all. Yes, I have seen the moaning of the "true" fans that consider anything outside the Duniverse of Frank sacriledge. However, as a lighter version of the sometimes Wagnerian grandeur of the original series the pre- and sequels hold their own.

The Machine Crusade picks up where the Butlerian Jihad left off. Serena Butler has escaped the clutches of the evil Erasmus and is now the spiritual force of the Jihad. Here comes the first slight nit-pick; why does the book repeat the preceding events every 100 pages or so? It's not a TV series that needs an intro like "previously on The Machine Crusade". The events on Earth and the death of manion are repeated so often that it makes me think of an anime series like Robotech. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of similarity between epic anime series like Gundam, Robotech and Appleseed and Brian Herberts efforts. A lot of "true" fans shudder at the thought that the Dune name is brought to this. However, as an avid anime and manga fan, I don't see a problem. Just leave out the repeats for when the books are serialized.

The series is lifted to a higher level when it becomes clear that mankind can be just as ignorant as the thinking machines. Comparative morality is a recurring theme in the book. Slavery is an institution on most planets, not because the slave owners are pure evil but because the slaves are seen as "paying a debt to society" for being pacifists. I detect a slight jab at the politics of Bush and cronies who would gladly have reinstated slavery if it would have stopped terrorism. As a matter of fact, Arakis seems set to undergo the same fate as Iraq. If Frank Herbert were Nostradamus, Dune would be seen as a prophesy. Anyway, the absense of pure good and bad makes the whole series the best I've read in a very long time. The manipulations of Iblis and his Jipol are delightful as is the two faced Lord Bludd who shows a machine mindset when it comes to surpressing a slave revolt or two.

One of the best things about the prequels is the "aha" experience I got a few times. The origins of so many of Franks Herberts institutions become clear. Holtzman (who resembles a cowardly Zefram Cochrane) "invents" most of the tools used later on. The sorceresses are the ancestors of the Bene Gesserit. Norma exhibits all the characteristics of a mentat and the origins of the Space Guild and Choam are also made clear.

The separate stories in the book are expertly woven together although there are a few inconsistencies. If I take a step back, I can't understand why mankind is fighting machines with bullets and explosives. If the scrambling fields are effective against pure machines, why not send a few ships with field generators and just pass the Synchronized Worlds through a scrambler field? That should take care of the computers. The Cymeks are a different story but taking them out one by one shouldn't be the only solution. Why not lure them to a distant planet and nuke the hell out of them? Off course, that would make the story too short.

I can't wait to read the Battle for Corrin, it's loaded on my Kindle now but my baby son seems determined to distract me until he can read it himself.

In conclusion; if you're a hardcore Frank Herbert fan, leave these books because they will change your view on the Duniverse. For anyone enjoying a "Dune light" version with all the bloodshed and