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127 of 137 found the following review helpful:
 Poor from conception to publishing Sep 01, 2009
By Jaha
First let me preface this by stating that I am not an Anti-BHKJA reviewer. In fact I have been pretty split over their additions to my favorite novels of all time, Frank Herbert's Dune series. I thoroughly enjoyed the prequel House trilogy and was completely turned off by the Butlerian Jihad trilogy. I was mostly satisfied with the Dune 7 compilation if not disappointed they couldn't resist bringing in their own creations from the Butlerian Jihad series.
What I ultimately find is that the BHKJA tandem has begun to grow away from what they originally seemed to want to do. They claim that they were merely finishing Brian's fathers vision based off notes they found but now it is clear they are completely just milking the franchise for income. Thats fine, they would not be the first to do it. But this latest trilogy is completely misguided and how it has passed into publication is beyond me.
Much like Paul of Dune, Winds of Dune is doomed from conception. Think about it, both novels take place in between 3 established novels I am assuming anyone reading this would also have read. So any rational person would understand that there really is no place for the story to go. We already know what happens to all of the major characters so any "in between" novel pretty much has to rely on strong story to bring anything to table. Unfortunately these novels read like glorified "fan fiction" as some others have pointed out.
In both Paul of Dune and this here in Winds we know there can be no groundbreaking conflict or major event or else Frank Herbert would have mentioned it. So Brian and Kevin are left to their own devices to create a compelling story. As one might guess it just doesn't happen. This book is boring. Hard to put it any other way. Really just a lot of people sitting around moping about Paul's "apparent" death. Thats about all one could expect. The the two concoct this ridiculous and completely out of place back story of Paul running away as a child. Now, I understand the authors HAD to create this story in order to make something here but this back story is so ridiculous. I mean Paul joins the circus? This is just insulting on so many levels.
First of all it complete defies logic, in my opinion, that the authors would choose to supplant the original series with these in between novels and then CHANGE THE CANON. Ok again I understand BH and KJA need to take some liberties in order to make some things work but both PoD and WoD go too far. You can't have a novel, Dune, tell me that Paul never left Caladan until he went to Arrakis in the story and then in the next novel tell me thats not true, he actually left Caladan several times. It just blows my mind that you would create such discrepancies so willingly. Especially considering that this book directly follows his fathers novel and precludes another one it baffles me why he decided to just create such obvious conflicts. I understand in Paul of Dune they go to great lengths to point out that Irulan changed much of the stroy from what really happened but even that is weak as far as the story would go.
If someone were to read the novels in their intended order, ie: Dune, Paul of Dune, Dune Messiah, Winds of Dune, Children of Dune, you would find so much broken syntax and absolutely no continuity or tone. I would give it a break if the story was at least interesting but it was so unbelievably weak. To be clear the basic crux of the plot of Winds is EXACTLY THE SAME as much of Children of Dune. In other words Winds really doesn't bring ANYTHING to the table. It's just an excuse to actually solidify some scenes which Frank Herbert left out like Alia's wedding, etc and it just begins Alia's digression and Paul's metamorphosis into anti-hero. Unfortunately Frank Herbert also addressed these elements and gave us plenty of information to make the appropriate inferences. These books are completely unnecessary.
To me the original House trilogy worked because Brain and Kevin had an established universe with some characters and a syntax to work with. Their creativity was limited in some regards and they created there own characters to add to the story. Those novels worked to me because they gave us the back story many of us really wanted and in many ways I felt the characters were quite good. In the Butlerian Jihad series I felt BH and KJA were left to their own devices and their short comings as authors really were highlighted. I mean they turned the Machines into cyborgs meaning they made them actually human. But I digress. I think the biggest folly of this trilogy was found directly in the conception. Their editor should have told them it was a doomed concept to begin with. They had so little room in which to work.
I personally feel that they should have tackled the much more obvious gaps. I.E. from Children to God Emperor of Dune. Here is where some real story could work. For instance, What happens to Irulan, Jessica, Gurney Halleck, Ghanima? Etc... Frank Herbert essentially let these characters disappear from the pages. Those are stories I think most fans would definitely enjoy reading but Paul and Winds of Dune are complete and utter cash grabs. Any rational reader could tell you there was nowhere for these stories to go, no true conflict to be established, and they would be a waste of time. But since Brian Herbert has never written anything of substance without his father attached I suppose he needs to maximize his income as best as possible.
I do not recommend this book at all. In fact one could completely skip Paul and Winds of Dune and not miss a thing. I still am clinging to hope the the third book between Children and God will be what I think it could. If you are a true Dune fan you will definitely hate this book. I cannot buy the glaring discrepancies and liberties BH and KJA take with Frank's work. It is insulting that they would wedge these novels in between his fathers own work and then not even be bothered to work within the boundaries his father created. It is even more insulting considering they are claiming "creative control" but then they didn't create much here. Most of the characters and the crux of the story in Winds is all Frank Herbert's creation. Only a few characters and the actual prose is BH and KJA's.
Avoid this like the plague!
116 of 138 found the following review helpful:
 Hot air on Dune Aug 05, 2009
By E. A Solinas
"ea_solinas"
Apparently Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson aren't finished milking Frank Herbert's cash cow. First prequels, then sequels, and now a midquel.
In this case, "The Winds of Dune" explores the months after the blinded, grief-stricken Paul Atreides aka Muad'Dib wandered off into the desert. While Anderson and Herbert conjure some touching moments as the people in Paul's life deal with his loss, they don't manage to make the story come alive -- the prose and beloved characters are flat.
On Caladan, Jessica is shocked by the news of her son's apparent death, Chani's tragic loss, and the birth of her twin grandchildren. She rushes to Arrakis to assist Alia, now appointed Regent, and discovers that Dune has changed in many ways -- Paul's loss has only increased fanatical devotion (and equally fanatical division), and the ruthless Alia is determined to cement Paul's legacy.
Cue a novella-sized flashback about Paul's childhood, and how he and his friend Bronso of Ix ran away to join the circus... er, the Facedancer Jongleurs. No, seriously.
Unfortunately, Bronso of Ix has since become a sort of idealistic terrorist, disrupting Paul's "funeral" and spreading heretical pamphlets which seek to reveal Paul's flaws and atrocities. Jessica attempts to soften Alia's increasingly ruthless reign as her daughter prepares to marry Duncan Idaho -- but Bronso's determination to kill the legend of Muad'Dib leads to some very big new problems. But is all this Muad'Dib's will?
"The Winds of Dune" is one of those novels that might have been a decent sci-fi read if it had been based on its own universe. But as a Dune story, it seems like glorified fanfiction with a cool cover -- an attempt to fill in various plot points between "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune," such as Alia's marriage to the ghola Duncan Idaho and the water ceremonies.
There isn't actually much plot in "Winds of Dune" except for Alia's increasingly tyrannical actions, and Jessica's attempts to moderate her loopy attempts to deify Paul. There's a spattering of assassination plots, ceremonies (both official and Fremen), Bene Gesserit evilness, and lots of political wheeling and dealing. But without a pair of hefty flashbacks -- about a Bene Gesserit rebellion and running away to the circus -- it would be a very skinny book.
And sadly Herbert and Anderson don't bring much life to the narrative. There are some touching moments -- such as Stilgar's mystical moment with a sandworm -- but mostly it's an unexciting, flatly-written stretch, filled with weird plot twists that rarely work (guess what: Paul was adored because he used Jongleur hypnosis on EVERYBODY!). Seriously, how did they make explosive assassination attempts and hardcore spice hallucinations into half-page-long, emotionless borefests?
The characters are similarly undeveloped -- while the flashbacks temporarily resurrect beloved characters like Chani, Yueh and Duke Leto, none of them have much personality. Alia is suddenly a two-dimensional, crazy, fanatical brat, and gets engaged to Duncan with little evidence of actual romance. It's like, "Hey Mommy, I'm marrying Duncan! Surprise!"
Jessica is the one major exception, as we see her struggle with her losses, and try to keep the truth about Paul's virtues and flaws alive. Same with some minor supporting characters like the torn Stilgar and grieving Gurney Halleck (whose attraction to Jessica begins to flower).
"The Winds of Dune" is basically an official fanfiction, attempting to add plot in between Frank Herbert's original works -- babies, weddings, and collectible Muad'Dib souvenirs. It simply doesn't work.
58 of 68 found the following review helpful:
Very disappointed Aug 21, 2009
By W. Stacey
"SF/fantasy fan"
Disclaimer: I am a staunch Dune fan. I acknowledge the differences with FH, and I have enjoyed almost all of the BH/KJA entries so far. I am not just another reviewer who is angry about the later books.
Nevertheless, I was very disappointed in this book.
Minor issue- Style
The writing style is even more immature than in previous entries, the short chapters essentially quick vignettes like watching scenes in a TV program. We are presented with cartoon-style explanations of exactly what people are doing and why. Oh wait, let me say that again, e.x.a.c.t.l.y. what they are doing and why. This is the antithesis of FH, though in his case he was too far the other way (we never really knew what half the characters were thinking, and in some instances, actually saying).
Major issue- Plot and characters
I have no problem accepting new canon (I really liked the House series). That is not the issue. The problem here is that at least two of the major characters (Alia and Duncan) are completely wrong. It is as if, in order to generate conflict, the authors decided to demonize them. Yes, they are the main antagonists in this book. This is not a spoiler-from the beginning, Alia is reduced to predictable tyranny, essentially throwing a childish tantrum throughout the entire book. (In that, she oddly resembles Omnius) Duncan is reduced to her henchman. Neither display compelling intelligence or redeeming qualities. The plot follows this disappointing scenario, as our protagonists strive to sneak around behind Alia's back. Really? That's what this book is about?
Keep in mind, though, that this change of heart for Alia comes BEFORE she starts listening to you-know-who-in-her-head.
So disappointing. While reading it, I was constantly reminded of watching one of those straight-to-DVD Disney "extra" movies, where a second rate cast and composer tell stories that fill in gaps of time in the original blockbuster. A new villain has to be created, strange twists in the characters occur to keep it interesting, and nobody ends up taking it seriously. BH and KJA: I've really enjoyed most of your additions to Dune. I've been a little disappointed in some decisions, but I've stood behind you. Not this time. That's not Alia. You just can't do that. 2 stars.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
So yeah... Aug 02, 2010
By J. Rickard
"ReaderX"
I can't help but notice, and feel I should mention, that two of the authors noted as praising this book are dead. I re-iterate Arthur C. Clark and Robert A. Heinlein are dead and ,so, likely did not enjoy this book.
I read it myself and hated it's shallowness.
32 of 38 found the following review helpful:
Where to begin... Aug 25, 2009
By C. Carter Holland
"Ampoliros"
To begin: To anyone who follows the discussion threads, you know I don't like this new series. To those who don't follow them, I am a member of a Dune Fan site that is very outspoken against what we see to be a complete misuse, abuse, and blatant disregard for the legacy of Frank Herbert's Dune.
Winds of Dune follows in the tradition of Brian and Kevin's previous series in that the characterizations aren't just missing, they are in many cases plain wrong. I've said often that I believe that Kevin writes only for the specific moment in which the reader resides, the most microscopic form of the NOW. He completely disregards elements of the Dune universe if they do not fit the exact moment of contact that eyes transmit and brain interprets, even if 2-3 sentences before or after he has to contradict himself. The typical complaints are here: plots that would insult the intellect of a 4th grader. Characters who's only distinguishing characteristic is their name or role. IQ's are yet again non-existent.
Example? Duncan and Gurney are trying to track down Bronso. They need pictures of him because he's erased all records of himself. After about a paragraph of Duncan mentioning he needs pictures of Bronso, they magically appear: He doesn't need them, the Ixians provided him with them. The book is rife with these little micro-plots that serve no purpose other than to fill space and provide even more evidence that the authors know nothing (or just don't care) about the Universe as Frank created it.
The fact that the authors would suggest that Duncan needs pictures of what Bronso looks like also illustrates another very lacking foundation in these books: Editing. Why do they need pictures of what he looks like when:
1)Bronso's first terrorist act in the book? Making his face appear in the clouds over Paul's Funeral.
2)His second? faking his execution by allowing a Face Dancer (shapeshifter) to die in his place. Immediately after this every Face Dancer in the galaxy takes on his form. (only a few of them are detained and even fewer are executed.)
If his face is that recognizable by everyone in the universe, why do the two security men assigned to find him need pictures of him? Duncan knew Bronso as a child as well as being a witness to the funeral apparition. He's a mentat, a human computer designed to store massive amounts of data and separate relevant facts, yet he can't remember the face of someone he's seen multiple times. Guild security (which includes genetic scanners to set up a joke in one scene but never again) as well as 900 mentats specifically trained to look for him in spaceports can't find him.
The fact that the Face Dancers are creations of the distrusted Bene Tleilaxu is ignored because the book tells us that this is an irrelevant matter; Bronso hates the Tleilaxu so he obviously wouldn't work with them. Dune is a book about consequence, yet there are no consequences for anyone's actions in these books. Alia actually rewards a troupe of face dancer Jongleurs for their performance that she knows (or should know) are associated with Bronso, right after a group of face dancers interrupted her execution of Bronso. Following the logic in this book requires more suspension of disbelief than is healthy.
Duncan and Gurney know there is only 1 method of travel in the Duniverse: The Guild. Bronso's pamphlets appear magically in people's luggage after traveling on Guild Ships. It takes a Human Computer and a Security Expert 370 pages out of a 400 page novel to figure out that the crews are in league with Bronso, even after Gurney witnesses a crewman planting a pamphlet in the first 20 pages. That's like getting off a plane flight and finding a package of salted peanuts in your bag and not having the mental computation power to realize where it came from.
I believe that Brian Herbert's involvement in the actual writing of the book extends only so far as his conscience requires for him to claim co-authorship. EDIT: I've posted elsewhere that the co-authoring relationship between the two authors seems to be breaking down. This is a feeling I've had from reading the book and seeing large discrepancies in how Bronso's assault on Muad'dib godhood seems to change back and forth rapidly, not based on particular character's views, but on the moral and factual axis of Historic writing. It seems to me that Brian is beginning to regret adding as much as they have to the Dune cycle: perhaps he is starting to see it as mere fluff rather than philosophically constructive to his father's legacy.
Oh, and for the last time: Bene Gesserit DO. NOT. HAVE. PSYCHIC. POWERS. Frank himself explained voice as a method of control and authority, and pointed out its uses in our modern era. It is merely a trained extension of that, knowing who you are talking to and what motivates them, and tuning into that in order to slip commands directly into their instinctive response. A Sargent yelling "Grenade!" to his troops is a primitive form of voice: the soldiers don't think about the command, they instinctively react as they were trained to do. The Sargent isn't psychic Kevin.
I know some people are entertained by these books. Dune to me is something more, something sacred, it is a monument of Human Literature: to my friends I refer to it as a 'manual on humanity'. Therefore I see it as my duty to speak out against these philistine imitations. As a student of literature, I consider it a duty to know what I'm talking about so yes, I did read it, cover to cover.
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