Rating: 
Summary: A fun read and a good start
Review: Herbert and Anderson took there first run at writing in the Dune universe with their "House Trilogy" and produced a mildly interesting yet, in the end unfilling, trio of novels. With "Butlerian Jihad" though, the duo has finally produced an original novel worth the read.The "House" series suffered from the simple fact that Herbert and Anderson were using characters we allready knew and loved and they just could not write them the way we needed them written. With "Butlerian Jihad" they finally had the opportunity to break away from the characters that the elder Herbert's unimitatable style had made exclusivly his own. While Jihad will not become that literay classic the original Dune novel was, it is good science fiction which those uninitated to Dune will find readable and fulfilling and those stepped in Dune lore will find enoyable and interesting. I would highly encourage any fan to read this - not only is the story a good one well told, its just plain cool to see the history cited in Dune unfold. The origin of Salusa Secundus, the beginings of the Bene Gesserit, the revolt against the thinking machines... all this and more make "Butlerian Jihad" a fun read and a good start, both to the new Dune series from Herbert and Anderson, but to the Dune universe and story arc as a whole.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, so it's not Frank's Dune, but it's worth reading!
Review: Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have started the beginning of another Dune trilogy (their second trilogy and their fourth entry in the Dune universe) - this one called the "Legends of Dune" trilogy. And, once again they have done a good job. "The Butlerian Jihad" fills in some of the backstory that was mentioned in the original series by Frank Herbert, who largely left it to the reader to imagine a life when machines ruled humanity. This book is written in the same style as Dune: House Atriedes, etc. (duh! same authors) -- e.g., several stories within stories are started and we are introduced to several new characters. Their tales are presented in alternating chapters. It is written in a fast-paced, active-voice style using many short chapters. However, it is a bit slower to get going than the "House" trilogy. Having read several of Kevin J. Anderson's books and a few of Brian Herbert's, I think that the style of these new entries in the Dune series is much more Kevin Anderson's than Brian Herbert's. So, if you like the style of Mr. Anderson's Star War's books, and you like Dune, you will probably enjoy this book. I look forward to reading the next two entries in this trilogy: "The Machine Crusade", and "The Battle of Corrin" - due out in 9/03 and 9/04, respectively. ... Enjoy it, folks...and happy holidays :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing
Review: Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have given us another fantastic volume in the Dune saga, filling in the history Frank Herbert made reference to. Their vision is unique and entertaining as they introduce us to Serena Butler, the woman who inspired the rebellion, to the Xavier Harkonnen and Vor Atreides and to what set the two great houses at odds. We meet Selim, the first worm rider and a host of other players who set the stage for the new order. The story is engrossing and I eagerly await Herbert and Anderson's next installment.
Rating:
Summary: Great reading
Review: I read the original series (three times at least) and also the new books Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, I just finished this one today.
This is one book that you cannot leave it until you finish, it grabs you since the very fist page. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed it
Review: I have all the Dune books, and I have enjoyed all. Butlerian Jihad was innovative and I look forward to the next books in the series. I rarely buy hard cover, but when it comes to these books, I cannot wait to start reading and am sorry when they end. Money well spent. I cannot relate at all to the critics of the prequels and now the Butlerian Jihad. Mr. Herbert and Anderson job well done and I look forward to the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Did we all read the same book?
Review: This book was GREAT. No, it wasn't Frank Herbert. His writing style is unique. But after reading this, I went back to the original series and read it for references to the Jihad. There are hardly ANY. I think Kevin and Brian did a great job of portraying the Old Empire, and the thinking machines. I loved the twist of history's loosing who the Atreides were really related to, and that history is often wrong. Doesn't anyone remember was Leto II said about history? It was never what we think it should have been like, and the people that disliked this book already had a preconcieved notion of what it should have been. Write your own book!
Rating: 
Summary: A Major Disappointment
Review: I've read all of the Dune books (by Frank Herbert) and the previous prequel series by the son and friend. The earlier prequel series, (Houses Atreides, Harkonnen, Corino) was at least interesting and added something to the Dune mythology. I looked forward to reading them. This book promised to provide the prehistory of much of what is only alluded to in the prior books. It "delivers" that in a leaden style, with obvious plot lines, stilted dialogue, and a really boring story. And, as we find out only when we buy (or borrow) the book, it's really the first of a new three-book prequel series. Thanks, Kevin and Brian, but no thanks. I bought this book and read it. I don't plan to buy any of the others. I'm not even sure I'd bother to get them from the library and read them, although I'm a real science fiction fan and a fan of the Dune series. Don't buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: A History That Shouldn't Have Been Recorded
Review: When the first installment of Dune appeared in Analog magazine way back in 1963, I was immediately captivated. I remained enthralled through all the succeeding seven installments, fascinated by the complex interplay of science, politics, religion, economics, ecology and their manipulation by all the various sharply realized characters. As the sequels came out over the years, I found some good, some not so good, but all, including the recent three 'prequels' written by the two authors of this book, at least deserving of existing in the same universe as the original work. Not so with this book. The idea of this book is to bring to life that period in the history of man when machine intelligences ruled most of the human occupied worlds, a period referenced multiple times in the original book, and the supposed origin of both the Bene Geserit and Mentat schools as a reaction to such machine domination. Unfortunately, this book fails miserably at its chosen task for multiple reasons. The first major problem with this book is the characterization. Everyone here is a paper-thin caricature of a human being, from Xavier Harkonnen to Vorian Atreides and everyone in-between. Most of these people are introduced with a short physical description, perhaps a couple sentences to describe their pasts, and are given 'tasks' that pretty much totally define what they are, from Xavier as a military commander to Tio Holtzman as the fading scientist. There is little or no growth of these characters, other than the totally predictable change of heart that Vorian goes through. Dialogue between these people is almost totally limited to the task at hand, with few if any things that would convince me that these were humans talking rather than machines. Then there is the depiction of the machine intelligences Erasmus and the Omnius. Supposedly their great problem is that they can often be defeated by mere humans because they can neither understand nor predict human behavior. But they've had more than a thousand years in control to observe humans, and as one of the definitions of intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, I found this whole scenario impossible to believe. Some of the 'experiments' that Erasmus performs to help him understand human behavior I found both gross and pointless, coming across very much like the gratuitous violence of a bad movie attempting to hide its failings. The story is told in very short chapters, shifting viewpoint character with each chapter. This technique can be effective, as A. E. van Vogt showed so many years ago with his massively re-complicated stories, but to make it work you need either very strong characters or a very complicated, non-obvious plot that can be built in layers, neither of which applies here. The 'science' here is on par with the rest of this book. I thought lines like 'the ship threaded a narrow course through the asteroid belt' and spaceships performing U-turns went out with 1930's pulp science fiction. In fact, this whole book reads as if it was written specifically for a no-brainer Hollywood SF special effects spectacular, and to heck with anything approaching reality or literary depth. This book doesn't deserve to have 'Dune' in the title. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: Solid SF novel in its own right
Review: I don't know how many more times readers need to hear this, but Frank Herbert is DEAD!! That being said, his prose died with him (big surprise...). And contrary to some reviewers ideals, 'The Butlerian Jihad' was part of Frank Herbert's early Dune history. So, no, Brian Herbert and KJA were NOT trying to capitalize on what is currently going on in the world. Which kind of freaks me out: 'How much precognition did Frank have!!' On to the book:
We pick up with the thinking machines in control of Earth and many other 'synchronized planets' under the rule of Omnius, a singular computer mind that tells all other thinking machines what to do and what's happening in their universe. Vorian Atreides is the son of Agamemnon, a Titan man/machine with the mind of a human and the body of a mechanical beast. Vorian is a traitor to the human race and believes that humans need to be reigned in so that the Universe can be more easily controlled and comfortable. Xavier Harkonnen is a decorated war hero in charge of the human fighting fleets on various 'human' worlds. Selim is the first Arrakis desert dweller (Fremen isn't their title yet) to ride a sandworm. He believes that Buddallah saved him from the desert so that he could help save Arrakis from eventual destruction and CHOAM over-indulgence on spice (hasn't happened yet, but you know it's coming!). Serena Butler is the daughter of Viceroy Manion Butler on Salusa Secundus. She is beautiful and intelligent and a fighter. She will become what the 'Butlerian Jihad' is all about... she and someone else. Xavier and Vorian are both in love with Serena. What's a girl to do? You won't find out til the end. Erasmus is a thinking machine, trying to figure out (in computer terms) what it is that makes humans tick. And he struggles with this concept throughout the entire book. Unwittingly, he helps get the Jihad moving by making a few crucial errors in his calculations. Erasmus also initially thinks that he can find out what humans are made of by...well...dissecting them in very crude manners. Warning: Don't eat while reading these sections! We also see the development of the Bene Geserit (Zufa Cenva), and their inability to control their powers. And we see the formation of the Holtzman shield and how it will play a pivotal role in the Jihad. In Frank's earlier notes, he said that 'Holtzman didn't completely understand how the field generation worked.' Now, thanks to Norma Cenva (Zufa's stunted daughter) we get to see who found out about the shields and their strengths and weaknesses. We also catch a fleeting glimpse into Norma's brilliant mind as she works through the possibility of fold-space calculations. The authors focus more on actions than words (similar to their previous works) and that can get old at times. But the history behind the development of the cultures kept me going without a problem. I wanted to know about the Fremen, Bene Geserit, Mentats, the feudal houses, CHOAM's beginnings, etc. etc... The Jihad has only just begun...
Rating:
Summary: A worthy SF novel
Review: ...BR>We pick up with the thinking machines in control of Earth and many other 'synchronized planets' under the rule of Omnius, a singular computer mind that tells all other thinking machines what to do and what's happening in their universe. Vorian Atreides is the son of Agamemnon, a Titan man/machine with the mind of a human and the body of a mechanical beast. Vorian is a traitor to the human race and believes that humans need to be reigned in so that the Universe can be more easily controlled and comfortable. Xavier Harkonnen is a decorated war hero in charge of the human fighting fleets on various 'human' worlds. Selim is the first Arrakis desert dweller (Fremen isn't their title yet) to ride a sandworm. He believes that Buddallah saved him from the desert so that he could help save Arrakis from eventual destruction and CHOAM over-indulgence on spice (hasn't happened yet, but you know it's coming!). Serena Butler is the daughter of Viceroy Manion Butler on Salusa Secundus. She is beautiful and intelligent and a fighter. She will become what the 'Butlerian Jihad' is all about... she and someone else. Xavier and Vorian are both in love with Serena. What's a girl to do? You won't find out til the end. Erasmus is a thinking machine, trying to figure out (in computer terms) what it is that makes humans tick. And he struggles with this concept throughout the entire book. Unwittingly, he helps get the Jihad moving by making a few crucial errors in his calculations. Erasmus also initially thinks that he can find out what humans are made of by...well...dissecting them in very crude manners. Warning: Don't eat while reading these sections! We also see the development of the Bene Geserit (Zufa Cenva), and their inability to control their powers. And we see the formation of the Holtzman shield and how it will play a pivotal role in the Jihad. In Frank's earlier notes, he said that 'Holtzman didn't completely understand how the field generation worked.' Now, thanks to Norma Cenva (Zufa's stunted daughter) we get to see who found out about the shields and their strengths and weaknesses. We also catch a fleeting glimpse into Norma's brilliant mind as she works through the possibility of fold-space calculations. The authors focus more on actions than words (similar to their previous works) and that can get old at times. But the history behind the development of the cultures kept me going without a problem. I wanted to know about the Fremen, Bene Geserit, Mentats, the feudal houses, CHOAM's beginnings, etc. etc... The Jihad has only just begun...
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