Dune: The Machine Crusade

Brian Herbert would make his father proud. In collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson, he has 'fleshed out' the vast universe centered around the planet Arrakis. This book, like its predecessor "The Butlerian Jihad", expounds on the events surrounding the war with the Thinking Machines only hinted about in the original novels.

With sweeping strokes, the authors take you on a breathtaking journey through the known galaxy. Their characters are 'real' in the sense that you care deeply about their fates - even the obviously 'evil' ones. No small feat, this. Many large scifi books center around technology and 'gee-whiz" what-ifs without truly giving you characters that you can get emotionally tied to. Strongly framed characters are essential for my suspension of disbelief.

The story takes place some 24 years following the events of the Butlerian Jihad. Both Xavier Harkonnen and Vorien Atreides are now "Premeros" of the Army of the Jihad and the best of friends. Serena Butler serves as an almost Deity-like leader who keeps pushing the multitude of free humans into battle after battle with the Thinking Machines.

You can start to see the beginnings of the staples of the original story - the CHOAM Company, the Spacing Guild, Spice Distribution, the Fremen, etc.

While this installment has a satifactory ending, you are definitely left yearning for more even after 26 or so hours of rapt attention.

The authors, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson along with the fantastic narrator, Scott Brick, are deserving of great accolades for such incomparable effort on the behalf of we Dune fans - A Dukedom in the League of Nobles, perhaps?

The only thing I can add to this wonderful series of stories is that I want the next one to arrive soon. This was full of so much rich detail and plot twists that I was held in its grasp as the much as any of the synchronized worlds of Omnius.

I was so excited when I saw that the Dune series was going to continue on, but the series written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson is very disappointing. The characters are flat and act in entirely predictable and stereotyped ways. These stories read like the worst of the 50s sci fi with bug-eyed monsters and screaming damsels in distress. I'd rather read the original books.

This book did not disapoint. I found myself wishing it took longer to drive to a location so I could listen to just another 5 minutes. Very few books lead me wanting to hear more.

I loved the Dune series when I read it 20 years ago. Scott Brick's reading of this book is fantastic. A must read if you love Dune.

Amazing how the authors introduce twists while maintaining consistency not only with the 1st book but with the original Dune series. I anticipate the third book to see how they tie it all together. Like with all good audio books, the narrator does a great rendition of the various characters.

Wow, the trouble with this book is that it has a ending. This read would be perrfect is it was another 27 hours. Basically I didn't want the story to end. I'm waiting for the next adventure.
I think Dune: The Machine Crusade and the Butlerin Jihad are Better than his father books.. Well done

I listened to the first book on CD then got the audible version of this second book. I highly recommend the biggest format audible file for clearer listening.

Overall Id have to say that this was one of the best books ever as far as man vs machine goes. Amazingly well written and well read. Of course there is the "dune" story here but this takes place 10,000 years before the original Dune book. This is an amazing story of human success and failure and sticks to the reality of war and human frailty. It was amazing to hear some of the familiar family names of the Dune series even though this is 10k years prior to the story. This book makes Terminator 3 and Matrix look like childrens stories. Great battle stories, great sci-fi possibilities and virtually no fake fantasy stories like you see on tv.

Im extremely depressed that the 3rd book isnt out yet. The ending left me silent. An added bonus is Herbert and Anderson explaining how they came to write this story and how the Dune series came to be.

This is a fine addition to the Dune series; however, it suffers a greater flaw than even its predecessor. The volume of repeated information is OBNOXIOUS!!!! If I hear that Zufa Sinva (sp?) is disappointed with Aurelius (sp?) and her daughter one more time, I am going to throw my iPod out of the window. That also goes for Teo Holtzman's frustration at not being the be-all-end-all of the science community. And also for Erasmus's repeated use of the word "curious" or its derivatives. This book gives one a headache at the continual feeling that you've heard it already. Shouldn't an editor have caught the ridiculous volume of repitition before publication? Good story- horrible editing. Curiously, the Arrakis and slave narration sections are the only parts which are over-ridden by these repeats.

It is hard for me to understand the gushing in most of the other reviews or the overall rating of this piece of junk. The son's work (the author) is pitiful in comparison to his father's (the author of the original series). Or perhaps it is the second author who is the problem. At any rate don't expect very much, and if you can listen to the parts about the Cymeks inner thoughts without wanting to vomit (because they are so silly), we are on different planets.

However, this really would have made a good comic book, but those don't translate very well to audible products.

It is a good deal on a cost per word basis (apparently there was no editor), but you can get an even better deal by recording your self saying your own favorite word and playing the thing back endlessly.

However, I am embarassed to say that I did listed to the whole thing, but I took it off my ipod right afterwards in case someone else actually saw that I did.