Rating: 
Summary: Spce Opra for children
Review: Most of the time when I don't like a book I will not say anything. But be warned this novel is like reading a Tom Swift book. As an example, almost every time a name is mentioned it has an adjective and often the sam adjective for the same person...the sensual Juneau, the brutal Agamemnon on and on and on. This book would have us believe that Serena Butler and Xavier Harkonen who are 19 year olds somehow are smarter and better leaders than everyone even though they have no experience. Paul Atreides at least had been bred to that and had it forced on him. Serena Butler at 19 is a representative of her planet and is pleading what ought to be done....are there no mature and experienced adults in this universe...there are but evidently they are incompetent. Xavier Harkonen at 19 is second in command of his planets defenses...at 19! He wins a battle and becomes second in command of the league of nobles defense for all the worlds! Guess no military men whith experience exist either nor would they be upset that a teenager bypassed them. This sort of thing pervades this book as though it were written for teens and certainly the intellectual challenge of the book is at the teen level with vocabulary and plot. Another sore point, they have ill conveived physics of space travel and warfare in this book as though it were thrown in there because there had to be battles but no thought given to how this universe functions. Heck, they use atomics which the computer overmind knows they have but this "super" computer mind never EMP hardened itself nor made sure it's core was underground...some super mind. there are many more incongruities like this, in fact it seemed there was one every few pages...that and the over use of adjectives....This book is not in the fine tradtion of Dune at all and I will not read another unless it is given to me at no cost.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good but very exciting
Review: Not as good as the past trilogy but still a very good book.
Rating: 
Summary: As a prologue -- some what interesting...
Review: Dune: The Butlerian Jihan is almost a mess. Unlike the "House:..." series of Dune novels, really wonderful books that though interconnected were perfectly satisfying on their own, Dune:TBJ seems to be an endless introduction of characters, subplots, possible motivations and ominous foreshadowings. If the authors had simply kept to the introductions with relevant pieces of historical details, this novel would have felt a good deal less tedious. Instead the overwhelming desire to create a "plot line" results an infuriatingly simplistic story with largely unsympathetic characters and a rather rushed, not to mention pointedly predictable, ending. Maybe book publishers should take a tip from movie producers who test market films with alternative endings. Or may be, and what is more to the point, Herbert and Anderson should immediately enter into negotiations with the Sci-Fi Channel to create Dune:TBJ the series. I suspect that television writers, producers, not to mention actors and special effects wizards could create a far more compelling entertainment than a novel that felt derivative, rushed and relied entirely too much on the kindness of its pre-sold legions of fans and prospective readers. A poor effort, at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Dune in Name Only
Review: Frank Herbert is dead and the recent House Series and the first offering of Butlerian Jihad will not resurrect him or his Dune Chronicles. You've heard it before and it's true, the books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are not like the original Dune books at all. I guess the New Dune books stand on their own as works of Science Fiction since they are entertaining. The operative word here is "Entertaining". The Butlerian Jihad which attempts to delve into the origins of the Dune Universe, describes the battle between free humans, cymeks (disembodied humans with robotic bodies), and the Evermind (ubiquitous, all-controlling AI). At stake is the survival of the human race and the quest is assumed by characters whose descendants are all too familiar: Harkonnen, Atreides, Butler. It also tries to explain the origins of the Bene Gesserit, foldspace, and the Fremen. Nothing is discussed about the Spacing Guild which is disappointing. The first thing that any reader will notice is that compared to the Dune Chronicles, this is a quick read. There is no complexity, no philosophy, no depth. It's like watching a made for TV movie created for teenagers. Perhaps I can say, with all due respect to the authors, that this is the dumbing-down of Dune that started with the House novels and has continued into this offering as well. These books are written for a young audience plain and simple. That much is obvious when you consider the kind of SciFi that Kevin Anderson wrote. The cymeks reminded me of Japanese Anime like Gundam. Was it entertaining? Yes. Will I read the next installment? Yes.
Am I looking forward to reading it? So So. Can we expect it to be a more complex read? No. Is that disappointing? Yes. All I can say to the authors is, do what you have to do to make a living by appealing to the younger masses but don't expect any praises from seasoned Dune fans or more mature readers.
Rating:
Summary: It would be funny, if it wasn't so bad.
Review: If this wasn't something I listened to on tape on the way to work, I'd not have finished it. The characters (both machine and humans) are totally unrealistic. They all did things that anyone with the smallest shred of common sense would not. They do things that are clearly intended to effect you emotionally, to make you love or hate them, but the actions are so blatantly just that and not how a real person would act, that you stop and say "That makes no sense" instead of feeling what the authors' intended. The universe built up the authors is annoyingly inconsistent. One moment the Robot's are watching everyone's most minute moves and meting out brutal punishment. The next people are sneaking weapons (and where did they come from anyway) into the most unlikely spots right under the robot's noses (olfactory sensors?). The book has its funny moments. For example, authors' grasp of how mathematics works and how it fits with engineering and science was so poor as to be laughable. I still chuckle when I think of the rooms of Psalters. It's sad that the epic event alluded to so many times in Dune is reduced to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Horrid, Heinous, Hideous
Review: This book does one good thing about it. It still has the intricate plot making of the authors' previous titles. But other than that, it is really not impressive. The characters are unrealistic. The authors never describe what the main characters actually look like. Reading it, makes you imagine of talking blobs, with no image given about them what-so-ever. It seems a shame, because the Butlerian Jihad was always hinted at by Frank Herbert as a great event, one which has much literary potential. Potential ruined by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The Machine bad-guys just do not hold water. They seem like piece-meal baddies, with little thought put into them. With such other artificial creations, like the 'Agents out of the Matrix', these 'Titans/Cymeks' etc are below standard. The creation of the 'Empire' before the seizing of power by the Titans, seems to lack imagination. A stagnant Empire which was re-invigorated by revolution. Something very similar to what happens in the original Dune. Nothing New. Reading it gave the impression that this is a commercial creation. One which the authors knew would sell, not because of literary quality, but because it was another chapter in the Dune saga, that would be bought by Dune fans the moment it was seen on the selves.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfection in it's own right
Review: Perhaps I am slightly optimistic in my view of this book but I can't help it. Though everyone compares Brian and Kevin to Frank, I'd have to say this is a great read on its own. Actually, while I was reading Frank's Messiah, I started the Butlerian Jihad, and guess which one I'm still reading and which one I'm reserving for later? Yep, the Butlerian Jihad beat out Dune Messiah. The Butlerian Jihad is not flawless though. It has a few too many undeveloped characters but beyond that I found the style to be quite fluid. It's actually better than Frank's, but Frank had more powerful and much more intelligent ideas. For example, certain twists in Frank's books you never see coming, but some points in this book were rather predictable. However, I certainly enjoyed it enough to give it a perfect score.
Rating:
Summary: BAD, VERY VERY BAD
Review: The good news is I listened to an unabridged version from the library of this on tape while driving to and from work. The steady pace of the reader kept me from stopping in disgust, although the tears it brought to my eyes almost caused a wreck. At least I did not pay money for this... This book takes any pretense of logic and throws it out the window. From the sounds of it all the free worlds of humanity have less nuclear capability than the USA and USSR during the cold war. The delivery of these weapons made no sense. The slave uprising was ridiculous and pitifully handled, except for the machines solution. Pretty much all the military action was handled poorly and held little water. The Tiatns creation was so horrible I think it set a record for the worst character creation ever. Other problems included the lack of birth control in the future, a grief period of a couple months for your fiancé before marrying her sister, wooden characters, and my favorite, THE SOLVER SLAVES. The authors wishes us to believe that 100 slaves with abacuses can solve advanced revolutionary mathematical equations by doing them one step at a time. Right, and 100 monkeys in a room with 100 typewriters for infinite years will eventually write Shakespeare! Mr. Herbert and Mr. Anderson, please stop. This was...not worthy of the Dune title. Mr. Herbert, if your goal is to answer every prequel question from the original Dune book find a way to get the DUNE ENCYLCOPEDIA back into print. That did your father's work proper justice. Do not continue to write...like this and call it DUNE. As other reviewers have stated, there are better ways to make money.
Rating:
Summary: Same Old Things
Review: I have read every book to carry the "Dune" title. I have loved the series from the first installment, and still love it with the latest work by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. Unfortunately, the series didnt love me back this time. I got through the book in about 3 days, but while I was on the edge of my seat (like in the other books), the end didn't hold up as the other aspects of the novel did. I hate to ruin the summary for anybody, but the origins that it claims to explain of the various groups in the Dune universe aren't told in detail, rather they are glossed over without any direct reference. I would only recommend this book to VERY DEDICATED Dune fans, anybody else, go get the Sci-Fi movie.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading just because it's part of the Dune universe
Review: Setting high expectations for any prequel to one of the legendary books of science fiction is a formula for dissapointment. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson made an excellent attempt with the "House" prequels. While not filled with the same intrigue and depth of thought or character as the original Dune series, the "House" trilogy had a page-turning energy similar to a Michael Crichton book. The natural follow-up would be to go further into the past and see the beginnings of the Dune universe. As a stand-alone novel, The Butlerian Jihad is unimpressive. The human characters are driven my somewhat unbelievable ambitions, and the mechanical characters are sometimes downright silly. However this book is worth reading simply because it provides more storyline for those interested in the world of Dune. There are a few nice twists that show how history doesn't always provide an accurate record of what happened. I recommend this book simply because it is part of the Dune universe. As long as you don't expect to be blown away by the prose, it's a worthwhile read.
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