Grrrrr... Dune "sequels and prequels"

[comrade snarky]

Over the last few months I've read a few of Brian Herbert's Dune(?) books, supposedly taken from his fathers notes.

I don't buy it.
Beyond the fact the writing is fine for a moderately talented teenager with a severe case of brain fever the plots make no damn sense when compared to his fathers work. Awful, just awful. No understanding of what Frank Herbert was writing about and all the subtlety of a Bush administration EPA appointee.

Though it does answer the question of how many times you can rape your own fathers corpse.

Turns out it's a lot!

<edited for spglling>

[phantom power]

1. "notes" might mean a lot of things...

If F.H. wrote down a couple scribbles on the back of an envelope about an idea, B.H. could use that as the starting point for a novel.

I stopped being interested in the Dune universe after I bought Chapterhouse, and realized it kinda sucked.

Eventually, I retroactively realized that I wasn't that interested in any of them except the original Dune.

Twenty years down the road, I've retroactively decided that although Dune was good, Herbert's other work wasn't so great.

[Dr. Strange]

2. It's a very mixed bag.

I liked some of what they did in the last two books (Hunters of Doom and Sandworms of Dune). But there's a lot of useless nonsense in there too.

Norma Cenva? What's the point? Take her out. Ick.

I have to say, though, I was very intrigued by the character of Erasmus. Up until the last forty or so pages, I viewed him as nothing more than a lackey of Omnius. But his interaction with Idaho was very interesting.

[comrade snarky]

3. The books are just so dang small

Frank Herbert created a universe with a history and a scale that his son completely misses.

[Dr. Strange]

4. Yep, that's true.

Although, in their (meager) defense, there really was no way to do the finale justice. To wrap up the story, they needed two books, and still had to skimp. If Frank Herbert had written this, he would have needed four or five books. And the authors were pushing their luck with just writing two books.

I will them credit for one thing: they delved into the society of the Guild. Frank barely scratched that surface. So I'll give them a few points for that.

[comrade snarky]

5. I guess I'm just angry

The reason I kept on reading was in the hope I'd have a better idea where Herbert the elder was going with human evolution and growth.
The only reason Brian Herbert is publishing is his fathers name. Without that and daddy's notes I doubt he could get out of the slush pile.

Cheapens the work of a much better author.

Bugs me the same was as Allan Dean Foster writing a novelization of the movie Blade Runner. I cant forgive that! If he'd just published the notes I'd sing his praises but this.. ugh. Made him more money I guess.

[Terran]

6. I stopped reading that crap

I love Frank herbert and Dune, but those 'novels' by his son are some of the poorest writing I have ever slogged my way through. I stopped caring what happened to characters, I just couldn't continue to read that tripe.