What are you reading this week of October 4, 2015?

[Number9Dream]

6. Finally finished "Dune: The Butlerian Jihad" by Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson

"Dune: The Butlerian Jihad" review.

Although the book could be enjoyed as a stand-alone, it's much more enjoyable after having read the original "Dune" by Frank Herbert. In addition, it's the first book of the Dune prequel trilogy. There are two books after this one detailing the war against the "thinking machines". If you've read Dune, this is interesting in that the book introduces ancient ancestors of the Atreides and Harkonnen bloodlines. We also discover the first Arrakis resident to ride a sand worm, and how melange became the most precious substance. There is constant action, and the plot moves along quickly (even at 612 pages). In general, for fans of the original Dune series, I would say that this book is worth a read. On the negative side, for me personally, this book was much more dark than the original Dune, and more violent and gruesome. Also, the authors run maybe eight or nine story lines simultaneously, and it was a bit hard to keep track.