Rating: 
Summary: The worst Dune novel ever...possibly the worst BOOK ever!
Review: This book is just bad. Most of the other reviews hit it dead on...the characters are poorly developed, shallow, and speak mostly cliches. (Memo to Herbert and Anderson: the word "booty" should NEVER be used in a Dune novel. Are you kidding me?) The book is obviously written in a style to cater to people with 5 minute attention spans, as the average chapter is about five pages long. This leads to a very incoherent and fragmented presentation of the "story." The "story" itself isnt so much a story as it is a ... re-hashing of the facts about the supposed history of the Dune universe. There's no drama and no character development. In fact, it's the literary equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie...all flash with lots of uneccesary violence, but absolutely no substance whatsoever. I got halfway through the book and didn't even want to finish reading it, which has never happened to me before. This concept had so much potential...a story of a time where machine has taken over the human race, and how man comes together to rebel and rediscover the power of the human mind. Instead we get this atrocity. I could go on and on but you get the idea. To sum it up quickly, this book is just stupid. This series is quickly turning into a Star Wars-esque franchised train wreck instead of the philosophical INTELLIGENT series it started out to be. It's obvious that Herbert and Anderson are in it only for the money, as opposed to actually contributing to Frank Herbert's legacy. I'd avoid it at all costs.
Rating: 
Summary: Not miraculous, but entertaining...
Review: I don't normally do online reviews but after reading some of the previous reviews of this book, I felt the need for a more "level headed" review.The book (like the others by Brian and Kevin) will not go down in the annals of history as great fiction. The books are amusing distractions that serve the purpose of entertaining the readers with a few hours of fairly straight forward storytelling. One important point to bring up is that "Butlerian Jihad" is only the first book in a new trilogy. As such, it does little more then start the entire story of the Jihad in motion and introduce the players involved. This is a fact that seems to have been overlooked by some of the previous reviewers. If you're looking for a bit of background on the early (10,000 years before the original Dune books) on the Dune universe, this isn't a bad starting point. If you enjoyed the previous trilogy from these two authors, you're also likely to enjoy this one (its pretty much more of the same). However, if you're looking for new extensions to the original Dune novels... lower your expectations. While "Butlerian Jihad" is an acceptable story in an of itself, it lacks the memorable depth and richness of the Frank Herbert's original works. I applaud his son's attempts to carry on his father's legacy, but he's simply not the writer his father was. That all said, I'll sum up my review by saying simply that I enjoyed this like their previous colaborations. It will not become classic fiction, but it was entertaining while it lasted.
Rating: 
Summary: The Butlerian Jihad
Review: This book doesn't quite deliver up to it's promises of making clear, where and when certain "Dune" factions began. Let's call it more of a hint. Any fan of Dune will see where it's all going, but if a person were to pick this book up without that background? Well, it wouldn't make much sense at all. Fortunatley I'm a follower, loved seeing the roots of the Dune series and can't wait for the two or three more books it's going to take to tie it all up. My reccomendation, buy the entire series. Read all of them beginning with Dune. Start again with "House Atreides, then Corino and Harkonnen, and then read The Butlerian Jihad. It will make a lot more sense and leave you begging for more.
Rating:
Summary: Very Dissapointing
Review: The Butlerian Jihad is not a worthwhile book within the Dune series. It takes away the magic of several of Dune's institutions by bringing a corny, trite story that is more suitable for a cheap soap opera than a prelude to the great Dune books. The previous trilogy by Frank Herbert's son had been very good, however I really do not know what went wrong on this one. The language is ghastly (trite phrases like "a silence that could speak volumes"), or very corny descriptons of a weak love story, weak plot and weak story line.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I should give this book fewer than 3 stars, because I really didn't like it, but I don't want to give the preferences system idea that I don't like Dune books or scifi in general. This book is not good. It's also not really a Dune book. It lacks the wheels-within-wheels plot development that I've come to like so much. The characters are undeveloped and the plot thin. The only reason to read it is for insights into the beginnings of things that are ongoing or talked about in the other Dune books.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing but still a Must
Review: This book is a must for Dune fans but I found it shallow and rushed. It filled in some blanks but left me wanting more. I guess the botttom line my be that Brian is not Frank.
Rating:
Summary: Feeling disappointed and a little mislead
Review: At this point, I'm hooked on the Dune world because of some compulsion inside to know more of the story. Enlightment has nothing to do with it. Its like all those people who will shell out [the money] to see Star Wars III even though they really didn't like I and II and will not be renting the DVD's (I am one of them). Overall I thought it was OK. As a compulsive Dune person, I found it OK entertaining. Would not recommend this book to anyone that hasn't already read everything else and seen both movies. But here is my big complaint ---- The inside cover promises way more than it delivers. I realized about 1/2 way through that there was no way this book was going to make it to the Battle of Corrin, Hark-Atr feud, human triumph over the Syncronized Worlds, and founding of the Guild, Bene-Ges, Mentats, etc (you can guess though).......realized that this is just part I of a new series --- a teaser so you'll read the next ones (like a comic book or soap opera.....). The end of the book leaves you hanging. While reading the last 50 pages, just ended up thinking about how the story was going to arc from point A to point B over the next couple books. That really [upset me]. Should have known that there was just too much ground to cover in one book. Only real 'payoff' was learning about the end of Earth and the atriedes (titan) family history.
Rating: 
Summary: Imitation may be the greatest form of flattery...
Review: ...but it makes for lousy reading. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson make a valiant effort at re-capturing the brilliance of Frank Herbert, but "Jihad" is only a pale imitation of the earlier works. It seems that Herbert and Anderson are trying to turn Dune into a franchise--"McDune", if you will--by cranking out several "prequels" to the original series. But judging by the plotlines alone, the authors simply cannot recreate the spiritual connections and "wheels within wheels" of Frank Herbert's seminal works. The storyline relies on telling more than showing, and the characters do not develop and are reduced to flat, less-than-believable caricatures or stereotypes. The science depicted is simply laughable--e.g., testing an unproven defensive weapon on a scientist is but one of the authors' silly creations--and on a deeper level, the writers seem not to have a clue as to how to ground their technology in at least some form of explainable reality. Admittedly, the authors are trying to cover a lot of ground: they have clearly made a catalogue of questions that remained unanswered from the original Dune series and have endeavored to fill in every blank. A worthy goal, but the result is a bland, weak, and inadequate successor to the original creations. If you absolutely must read this book--and I promise that you'll find yourself often saying things like "You've got to be kidding!!!"--please balance out this piece of flat fluff with some true science fiction (Asimov, Card, Clarke, Robinson, et al). After all, "Butlerian Jihad" is only the fast food version--lots of calories, but little nutrition...
Rating:
Summary: Good Story - Read it if you like Dune
Review: I liked the book immensely. A lot of the negative reviews I've read here make valid points, but I thought it was a good story with some cool ideas. I've read the House Trilogy too and I do agree that the overall quality has declined with each release from Brian and Kevin. I'll continue to read everything related to Dune, but I wish that these guys would slow down and take more time if they need it. It took Frank over 20 years to write the first 6 Dune books. At the rate they are going, Brian and Kevin will have 6 out in just 5 years. So don't rush it guys - especially for Dune 7.
Rating:
Summary: Different but Good
Review: A lot of people are not going to like this book because they are blinded from the outset of thinking sequel=bad. But truth is, many of F. Herbert's original ideas are present in these books. My only dislike for this book stems from it's overly dramatic battles and such, the original Dune had little use for such things, as the battles were more often than not over before that had begun. However the writing, while not up to Herbert Sr.'s profound ability, is still a grade higher than anything you can just pick up off the shelves of modern trash sci-fi. Unlike what other reviewers here state, this book DOES have definitate characters, Serena Butler, Vorian Atreides, and my personal favorites, the Titans. Elements of Herbert Sr's original vision are here, you can see them forming up to something grand. These books are setting the stage for a Dune 7, and in that they are important. The story is a grade above anything you'll get from modern over published crap that pervades literature of today. It's not as good as the original Dune, but then to be honest nothing can top that... don't expect it to. This is however, a fitting tribute to Frank Herbert's universe and a continuation of my most cherished sci fi. Go into this book expecting a good read and a great story and you will not be disappointed. Go into this book expecting Frank Herbert himself and a flawless repeat of the original classic and you will wind up like the closed minded reviewers here who seem to oddly delude themselves into thinking they could write something better. Enjoy.
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