This
review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained
therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to
copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions.
Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, Librarything & Tumblr by
Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Heretics of Dune
Title: Heretics of Dune
Series:
Dune Chronicles #5
Author:
Frank Herbert
Rating:
4 of 5 Stars
Genre:
SF
Pages:
484
Format:
Digital Edition
|
Synopsis: |
1500 years have passed since Leto II, the God Emperor of Dune, has died and relaxed his iron grip on humanity. After his death came the Hard Times and the Scattering. Humanity spread out to stars beyond count. Only now, they are returning and they want control of the Old Empire. Ix has produced mechanical space navigating machines and the Tleilaxu produce the Spice by the ton from their axlotl tanks.
The Bene Gesserit
are still playing their genetic game. They have been continuing the
line of Duncan Idaho gholas through a connection with the Tleilaxu.
They have also been keeping their hand in the Atreides gene line and
their top protector, Supreme Bashar Miles Teg, is an Atreides who's
mother was Bene Gesserit. She also trained Teg in the Bene Gesserit
ways.
At the same time, a
young girl named Sheena starts communicating with the worms. She
comes under the Bene Gesserit's control and they're plan is for her
and the latest Duncan Idaho to mate and have lots of little worm
talkers. Things don't quite go as planned.
Honored Maitres,
some of the returning forces, attack several Bene Gesserit worlds and
put Sheena, Duncan and Teg all in danger. Teg is captured, levels up
under torture and escapes. He rescues Duncan and eventually Sheena
and they go off in a No-Ship. No-ships are invisible to guild
navigators and other prescient beings.
The book ends with
the Bene Gesserit planning on being conquered by the Honored Maitres
and planning on subverting the Tleilaxu for their own purposes.
|
My Thoughts:
|
I was able to
appreciate just how this is the beginning of a new Dune trilogy. The
first, Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune all form
a tight weight on one side of the see-saw. God Emperor of Dune is
really the pivot point and here we begin to see the other side of the
balanced weight. It is almost exciting to realize such a literary
device.
There is a lot of
talking going on in this book and I mean a lot. Monologuing,
diatribes, half-finished sentences, blah, blah, blah. Herbert gives
us all the unnecessary in excruciating detail while completely
ignoring a fantastic action story. But hey, that's typical Herbert
for you. In many ways, this could have been as exciting a novel as
Dune with its huge scope and action scenes. Teg and Duncan are
running from a planetary invasion of Honored Matres for goodness
sake. Sheena is balancing between the Sisters and the Rakian
Priesthood and the Bene Gesserit are dealing with Face Dancers that
can mentally imprint and BECOME that person, to the point that the
Face Dancer loses its own self-identity and forgets that it is a Face
Dancer. Those are all completely awesome ideas.
And Frank shoves
them off to the side to talk about control and sex and government and
esoteric religious ideas. Don't get me started on the sex. Not
graphic, but it is underlying everything. Reading my review from '12
when I last read this, it was obvious that that was what stood out to
me then. This time I was able to look past it a little, but still, it
is like the Spice. It is in everything, it is everywhere and you
can't get away from it.
 |
| It doesn't get much more Freudian than THAT! |
The main reason
this gets a 4star rating and not a 4/12 or 5, is because so many of
the ideas are cloaked in half-sentences and unfinished thoughts. That
kind of writing infuriates me. If you have a clever idea, or a big
idea, or just a plain old hum drum idea, state it! Don't hint at it,
don't take an upskirt photo surreptitiously, don't hem and haw around
the edges. Grab that sucker, throw it down on the bed and ravish it!
As you can tell, Frank's freudian obsession with sex has overcome me
and now everything I say or do will have some sort of sexual
connotation.
So I'm going to end
this review. Read this book ONLY if you've read the previous 4 and
liked them all. Not liked them a little bit, but liked them a lot.
You're going to need that “like” to get you through.
★★★★☆
No comments:
Post a Comment