Rating: 
Summary: Quantity over Quality
Review: I loved the Dune series and unlike some have thoroughly enjoyed most of the subsequent prequels. No, they do not have the magic and the depth and the awe of the original but then I did not think I was going to get the exact message.This book is not as bad as some have made out but it is nowhere near a 5 star category. If the story of Norma had taken more center stage I would have considered a 4 or even 5 star. But it was lost in the onslaught of the seemingly endless tales, and unlike the original series, these folks are not interesting enough to maintain your attention over the long haul. The book seems to continually be in a rush - the chapters have been reduced to chapterettes and despite the excessive length, a lot of what is said was not necessary in the first place. I, for one, am sickened and tired of all the torture. I have got into the habit of skipping those parts but had to reread the section on Norma in order to understand her transformation. Some of the characters were better left unintroduced - the good fighter (is he supposed to be the prototype for Duncan Idaho?), the brother-in-law of Serena, assorted friends and wives and lovers - too busy. Serena can whine all she wants - grow up!
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistent and Weak on Writing
Review: Bad science. If FTL travel is not yet invented (Butlerian Jihad and the beginning of Machine Crusade), then how can the story be happening in real time? Some basic science is ignored by the authors. A lost opportunity to shape the story line and makes for dissapointment that anything meaningful in terms of storytelling is going to develop. Instead, it becomes a series of bylines built upon the outstanding Dune foundation rather than a story in its own right. A far cry from the examiniation of a consistent universe such as Alastair Reynolds outstanding treatment of the realities of sub-light travel, or Larry Niven's Mote series. This makes for a fairly weak book that's short on solid plotline development and long on writing short background pieces attempting to fill in the hints provided by the father in the far superior original series. As someone else said, wait for the paperback if you have to hear someone else fill in the gaps for you. My suggestion is that your own imagination can do a better job.
Rating:
Summary: Navigators do not fold space
Review: I was bored at work and reading through these responces. I've read the original 6 books twice through, the house set once, and the 1st book maybe 4 times. I plan on reading these jihad books when I get the time to really attempt to enjoy and digest the material. I dont really care how painful some of you think they may be, that wont stop me. Just wanted to clarify something I remember reading about the navigators and folding space... The navigators DO NOT FOLD SPACE, the ship does... they merely see the path, they "navigate" as the name implies. Without this ability the ship could end up anywhere, in a star or planet for expample. Leto II finds humor in the thought of a machine that will one day replace the guilds abilities and ponders if it will ever happen, which it does, and the guild's power is reduced to the equivalence of a k-mart manager. :) What about that ending on Chapterhouse, that left me wanting more... Duncan is the best character: cat like grace, skill, loyal friend that will die for you, womanizing loud mouth drunk and ive always had a fondness for hands on fighting w/ knives/swords, something that Dune brings to the table in a futuristic setting that I enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Not worthy of the Dune series
Review: Frank Herbert is undoubtedly turning over in his grave with this latest pretender to his literary heritage. Gone are any pretences to literature, or even decent writing-- this bloated novel seems to be written for an audience of 14-year old girls, yet is an insult to 14-year old girls. The book has the feel of a well developed outline (there is a solid story buried here) that was developed into a book simply by fleshing out the outline to the point where we have a dull, plodding description of what the real book should do, if only anyone could write it. The characters have no depth whatsoever, and develop only by statements proclaiming their development. When a character is hurt, the authors simply state that the character was hurt. The plodding, uninspired tone doesn't change to reflect the character's
state of being, nor is the state reflected in any other subtle artifice. There's simply nothing subtle about the book.
Most damning to this long-time Dune fan is the authors determination to redefine the characters created in Frank Herbert's original novels. We discover that virtually all the male characters in the original series were really just scoundrels who stole work or credit from women. The most glaring example is Holtzmann, who we learn didn't really understand his own equations, and instead stole the accomplishments of his female apprentice, Norma. (Seems Holzman was just too busy complaining about his slaves to do any real work.) This sort of politically-correct rewrite of Frank Herbert pervades the entire
book, and not only are men largely secondary characters, but the few good ones all commit suicide. Only women are allowed to shine here.
Finally, where were the editors? This story could have been completely told in a third of the space. Most irritating is the author's practice of re-stating what just happened 5-10 pages ago in summaries that often take 2-3 paragraphs to slog through. Do the authors really see their audience as this incompetent to follow a story? It's a dramatic, and condescending, departure from Frank Herbert.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: I read the original Dune trilogy years ago and recently stumbled across this book. I hoped it would match the interest and wonder of the original, but this prequel did not come close. I will not read any more books of these two authors. Another review describes it best: bloated. The authors employ a very tired formula. As the chapters skip through the galaxy visiting each major character in his/her turn each chapter seems to repeat the same monotonous pattern: 1) revisit facts from previous visits to the character, 2) introduce one or two new details, 3) foreshadow the next visits to the character. There are a few interesting new spins in this prequel but all the tedious work to maintain this clumsy structure makes the book 3-4 times the size it needs to be. And after it all, I have no connection with any of the characters. Most of the characters were religiously fanatical homicidal idiots. Most of the remaining ones were religiously fanatical SUIcidal idiots. Norma was interesting at first but I couldn't quite buy into how she developed. There are SO many good books out there. If you want a taste of the surreal for example, pick up The Tin Drum. It's my newest read and it is so much more rewarding of a reader's investment of time.
Rating: 
Summary: when will the next book arrive?
Review: these are the next episodes in the ultimate battle between machines and man..., the complexity of the intrigues in this story amazed me - can't wait to see those bots crushed :)
Rating: 
Summary: 2D characters, far too many pages
Review: Like other reviewers, I fell for this one too. I borrowed the first one in the series from the library and I found it disappointing, more like a crappy Star Wars novel aimed at 14 year olds. I really did find the reading very immature, with archetypal characters, often not well defined (Iblis Ginjo lacks so much depth to be the great man he was supposed to be). Also, really bad stereotyping of Norma Cenva, from ugly duckling to reshaping her physical body into bombshell, just because she felt like it. I find it harder to believe in molecular level instantaneous body reshaping than folding space; yes, some of us scientists do read Science Fiction occassionally. Regarding the master swordsmen characters, well, they sound like the black clad people who ran the back-stage at my old Students' Union: chains hanging from pockets, ponytails (no offence meant), martial-arts wannabes who could not get off the sofa whilst watching Mall Rats or MTV. I might as well say it: my favourite character is Erasmus, I keep looking forward to him killing all the main "goodies". At least he is not spineless and being 2D is an AI trait. In all, a poorly written book (it drags on), poor stereotypical characters and too many pages. Only read it if you like the quality of Star Wars novels.
If you want to know about the early Dune universe, read the highlights at various websites.
Rating:
Summary: Actually, zero stars
Review: I rarely take the time to comment on the books I've read, but this whole series makes me angry. It's another embarassment from the pen of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. Even when read with an open mind--that is, without holding it up for comparison against the original--this series is poor at best. If these books lacked a connection to Dune I doubt they'd find a publisher. Shockingly transparent money maker--and yes, I fell for it. Please stop, or even better, pass Frank Herbert's notes on to a better writer.
Rating:
Summary: Tediously Boringly Simple
Review: What Frank Herbert Left to us was a classic with many subtle and deep insights, albeit with some annoyingly deep. This book insults most of its reader's intelligence (Assuming it's aimed at mature readers). I'm not too concerned with the destruction of mythical heroes like Holtzman...but if he must be slammed, he should at least be slammed masterfully and not be treated like a near brainless scientist with little passion for science. Just for the authours' sake, scientists do read DUNE and it just seems like an uninformed attempt at slaming a great inventor. Up till now, I'm still having trouble grasping the "Brilliance" of Iblis Ginjo, or his immense lack of scheme. He is the most unfantastic pseudo-villian I've ever read of. How he could have risen to such greatness is beyond me. (Unexplored and unexplained "special charisma" doesn't count.) To end it all, Hecate was introduced in a spectacular fashion with great potential for plot development, only to be killed off in what can be said to be a most idiotic freak accident involving two other heroes. It really seemed to me that the authors were in a hurry to finish everyone off. I really really hope to continue supporting dune...please give me a reason to.
Rating: 
Summary: So-So Sequel
Review: As sequels go, The Machine Crusade suffered from the second book syndrome. It had some definate potential, but the authors, with their usual short, choppy chapters, don't allow themselves the time to develop character and plot. There are several chacter aspects that deserved expansion: Jool Noret and the Mercenaries of Ginaz, Erasmus and his "child," and the character of Selim Wormrider, which had definate moments of greatness, could have been a volume unto itself. This the main problem with the whole book. There is a lot of material with great potential, but the authors don't take the time to develop it. To their credit, Herbert and Anderson did good jobs with charcters such as Serena Butler, Iblis Ginjo, Norma Cenva, Xavier Harkonnen, and Vorian Atriedes. They each have brief opportunities to shine, most of them changing drastically both mentally and physically between the first and last pages. There just wasn't enough of that. However, I have to say there were moments of great joy and sadness that really grabbed my attention. Again, this is not Dune, but give the novel a chance on its own merit. Taken as the grand space opera its meant to be, it's not a bad novel.
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