Rating: 
Summary: Nothing happens the for the first 400 pages
Review: It's a pretty basic fact, either you liked the prequels of Dune, or you did not. I was one of those that really enjoyed the first prequel of the original series but was disappointed with the second book of the original prequel series. This book, the second book of the Butlerian Jihad, is slightly disappointing, but the latter half of the book is where it shines.The first 400 pages, nothing happens. Nope, nothing, nada. Every other page either paraphrases the Eramus killing Serena's baby, and the other page describes how people react to the killing of the baby. By page 200, I almost gave up. The only reason why I continued was that I've read all the other Dune books, and I just couldn't stop. It was beyond tedious, beyond repetitive. I guess they got paid by the page or something. Only at about page 400 (it's a 700-page book) does the action pick up. Fortunately, the plot moves swiftly and in interesting directions. This is where I regained my interest, and I now look forward to third book. Without giving too much away, there are battles, a few surprises, interesting action, great plot twists, and some character changes. Unfortunately, the only thing that spoiled the last 300 pages was the fact that almost everyone or everything was black and white, either unbelievably great, or truly evil. This is lack of depth was almost insulting. All in all, it was decent. With proper editing, it could have been as good as the first book of the series.
Rating:
Summary: more uneven than the first
Review: As everyone knows by now, this isn't Dune. The first prequel wasn't nor will this one be. The problem isn't that this book doesn't match up well against Dune, it's that it doesn't match up well against its predecessor, the Butlerian Jihad, which itself was mostly solid rather than excellent. The Machine Crusade is a bit of a step backward for this series.
As in Butlerian Jihad, characterization continues to be pretty shallow, with several characters once again making transitions of behavior that really haven't been earned by the story. And some characters are simply skimped on.
The prequel problem of predictability due to simply filling in the design you're aiming at is more on display here than in book one, and while I can understand the need at some point for that last line (no spoilers here), making it the last line emphasizes the dangers in writing prequels--the sense your reader has that the story is being uncovered rather than growing.
The plot remains the strong point, but here too it is weaker than the first book. Some of it is too contrived while some of it takes turns more for the plot's sake than for any natural development. And the structure, which remains cutting back and forth between multiple characters and plotlines, in this book does a disservice to several characters and storylines while in the first book it served to create tension and suspense. We leave one story and when we come back to it too much has happened in the meantime that would be better shown than told or simply assumed. And I have to confess that some of the plot I just didn't get the necessity of. Some sections reinforced ideas that were pretty clear already. Some were simply repetitive, both from this book and the previous one. And some simply dwelled on characters because it seemed the authors felt it was time to get back there for a while. I thought this book needed much more editing than the first. Not necessarily to cut the length so much as to redistribute it. There was a lot that could have been freely excised which in turn could have freed up some space to do some better characterization or more sophisticated plot development.
Because of the weak characterization and the overweight plot, many of the set "emotional" scenes are anti-climatic and fall pretty lightly on the heart. Rather than bring a tear (ok, they probably weren't aiming at tears but at least some sadness) they mostly elicit a shrug of the shoulders or a "yeah, that had to happen" sort of feeling, as opposed to any sense of loss.
Overall, this work suffers from a common middle book syndrome--it serves its purpose as a bridge to book three and that's about it. There is little spark here, just a lot of concrete. You'll have to read it to get to Book three I'm sure, but don't feel bad if you decide to skim a bit here and there.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I ejoyed the book and am anxious for the final book. I would give the book 5 stars if the authors didn't repeat information regarding characters over and over and over. (My one gripe of the book)Some of the characters are built up and their history is a fantastic read and others are built up and snuffed out and I wonder why they were bought into the writing at all. However that being said. I found the book entertaining. Hoping the next is due soon with less repetition and it is sure to be a 5!
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: 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: OK it ain't DUNE
Review: Let's face it. It isn't Dune; a previous reviewer asked did the writers read the first book? A valid question. Herbert's & Andersons "House Series" was supposed to be a prequel to DUNE, it could have been another Universe other than the one Herbert's Dad wrote about. There were that many inconsistencies. With the "Legend of Dune", I must admit it was an improvement. With Legends I actually enjoy this series, probably because it's so far back in time that the Readers Digest version of Dune that H&A had read before cashing in on the Dune name didn't need any research other than adding the name Butler. I confess I read Dirk Pitt novels. So I like a book that is action packed with characters you can cheer and boo. If you are a die hard Dune fan, you probably won't like it. If you enjoy a good read and are a SciFi fan, it is a good read. I have just one question. If Holtzman Shield and Lasers interaction cause nuclear devastation, why hasn't the machine intelligences use Lasers on the Jihad space fleets?
Rating: 
Summary: Lousy, a lot of promise, did not develop theme
Review: Lousy, really dissappointing. There is lot of promise in a story which pits man against all-conquering machines, but this team did not develop the potentialities in such a theme. Very bad science, very inadequate imagination of the full developmental potential of a machine-based culture and its powers/potentials. Reads like a word-processor wrote this novel. A machine could do better. Clearly a franchise product, a cookie-cutter product mass-manufactured for an established market (i.e. anything with the trademark DUNE in its title).
Rating:
Summary: Better than the Butlerian Jihad but...
Review: I bought this book against my better judgement and because Borders had it 20% off. The first book, The Butlerian Jihad was horrible. This sequel is twice as good, but that's still not saying much. Have these guys even read the first Dune books? Save your money and go buy some of Brin's Uplift series books or even Hamilton's Neutronium Alchemist series. What a shame!
Rating: 
Summary: JUST AS GOOD AS THE DUNE
Review: TO ALL PEOPLE READ AND ENJOY!!!! THIS BOOK STARTED TO EXPLAIN THE HOW AND WHY THE GUILD HOLD MONOPLY ON SPACE TRAVEL. I LOVED IT!!!!! YOU CAN TELL THE AUTHORS HAVE SOME GOOD NOTES LEFT OVER FROM FRANK!!! A MUST READ FOR ALL DUNE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, but falls short...
Review: I am a long standing fan of the Dune universe. I have read the original series three times and glean more every time I read them. I wasn't as turned off by the Houses series as most of my friends, but I realize that B. Herbert and K. Anderson were working within a familiar tapestry. In stepping back 10,000+ years into the past, they have an amazing opportunity to mark their own unknown territory and give us Dune fans a real series of surprises and new characters to love. In moving away from the Dune Encyclopedia, they have attempted to create a very exciting time in man's past (future) where all of the ingredients to what would become the known universe for the next 10,000 years came together and cooked into a massive delicious stew. Unfortunately they overcooked some of the most important ingredients and never prepared others. Whereas Frank Herbert could easily handle such scope and such a broad canvas, B. Herbert and K. Anderson seem a little overwhelmed. I hate to say it, it's not their writing style that's lacking it's the story itself. It's too neat, too convenient and too predictable.
Another issue is that the machines really don't seem to be "thinking machines". They seem to be poor metaphors for autocratic evil. Erasmus seems to be the only one who is "alive". All of the other storylines build and peak then fade too rapidly, and often too neatly. This is almost like some sort of sci-fi soap opera. Don't get me wrong, I applaud their efforts and only wish they had taken six books to tell this story instead of three. If they only would have spent more time developing the characters, this book would have been much better. I want to be shocked at the death of a main character, not sigh in relief because their death is a timely device that fixes a plot problem. Characters appear and disappear with amazing regularity and their presence only seems to offer some out to a corner they (the authors) have written themselves into.
The only other gripe I have is again related to the telling of such a monumental epic in such a limited space, history teaches us that advancements in technology and society often happen in bursts, but this is too much. The strength of Frank Herbert's vision was that is was a believable future. That human struggle is human struggle, no matter when or where. It is what binds us all and what made Dune so unique and so special. By handling this series in the abbreviated format that they did, B. Herbert and K. Anderson have had to tie too many varied elements together with one bow. The B.G. Sisterhood, the Guild, the Empire, the thinking machines, the rift between the Atreides and Harkonnens, the Ginaz School, the Suk School, the Fremen, the Creation of the Mentat School, Ix and Richese and the Thulaxu all at once, within (approx) 100 years of each other? So humans were slaves to machines for 10,000 years then BOOM... and then once the dust settles everything's great for another 10,191 years? Again, I would have liked for them to have told this story over 6 books and within a time frame of perhaps 1,000 years. That would make more since. But hey, who am I? I didn't get $1 million to write this book like these guys did.
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