Rating: 
Summary: Sci-fi even better than the original
Review: When I bought this book I was skeptical, but already two chapters into it, I was thrilled.
To me this was a better book because it was more sci-fi and less people plotting, than the original series by Frank Herbert.The author kept fascinating me to want to read more and more, even though I was at work and needed to do other stuff, just couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: er A1O58KEEMZQ0I3
Review: The writing itself was fine. The story and attention to detail was horrible. The book read like a 600 page introduction in which every piece of the action was totally predictable. There was not even a hint of the plot complexities usually associated with Frank Herbert's Dune books. The three prequels where masterpieces next to this book. The only highlight of the whole thing is reading about the origins of what will be the Dune universe. ... I thought the other three Dune novels by Brian Herbert and Anderson were pretty worthy prequels. "The Butlerian Jihad," by contrast, misses the mark completely. I rarely give only one star to a book that I have actually finished, but this one will be an exception. ... ...
Rating:
Summary: A New Dune Trilogy Prequel of Biblical Proportions!
Review: This is the best Dune novel since Heretics of Dune, in my opinion. As I read through it, I couldn't help but think of it as a cross between Terminator 2: Rise of The Machines meets Dune: House Atreides. The Butlerian Jihad is a prequel to a prequel in that it takes place long BEFORE the events of Book 7: House Atreides. The good news for Dune fans is that it is the first book of another brand new Dune trilogy. The entire novel is based upon the first three pages, narrated by Princess Irulan, so I recommend you read those three pages twice. Frank Herbert mentioned "The Great Revolt" in previous Dune novels, and this is the story being told here. As time marches on, humans become increasingly dependent upon technology, and this dependancy seals their fate. A group of 20 humans, refering to themselves as "Titans," turn technology against the Old Empire in the form of thinking machines with ambitions, to overthrow it via revolution. They conquered the better part of our galaxy. The leaders of this rebellion then turned around and had their brains surgically removed and placed into preservation canisters which could fit into a number mechanical bodies, known as "cymeks," giving the Titans immortal life. They rule for 100 years until a sentient computer network known as "Omnious" overthrows the Titans before they have time to react. This widespread "Evermind," a sentient computer network that is literally everywhere at once, all the time, enslaves humanity for a thousand years. There is a small group of humans who refer to themselves as The League of Nobles that fought and won hard bitter wars against Omnious and his cymeks, leaving them free and independent. The leader of this league is Viceroy Manion Butler, who has a daughter by the name of Serena, and a grandson by his same name. While Serena is on Earth with her son Manion, the leading cymek there, Erasmus, decides to run a few experiments on the petty enslaved humans, in the hopes of learing something about them while he studies them. Keep in mind now the cymeks have large metal bodies, armed to the teeth, and the humans have zero weapons as they've been conquered by the machines. As punishment against Serena for breaking the rules, Erasmus drops her baby son, Manion, over a balcony to his death right in front of everybody. This drives Serena into an all-consuming rage with total disreguard for her own life and she attacks Erasmus with nothing but guile, kicking him over the balcony and killing a cymek, which was something previously thought to be near impossible for ten men with weapons, let alone ONE woman with no weapons. Upon seeing a cymek destroyed for the very first time ever, the enslaved Earthlings go berzerk, killing cymeks all over the place. But not without a high cost: For every cymek destroyed, 10,000 humans perish. Frank Herbert mentioned the final fate of Earth in Dune, but he never told us how or why. This book answers that question. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Good just don't expect Frank!
Review: This is a good adventure story and the characters (especially Erasmus) are well drawn and the story is interesting. However, this is not Frank Herbert. On its own this book is pretty good, in comparison to Frank Herbert's Dune novels this book isn't all that great. So don't compare it to Frank's work, let it stand on its own, and enjoy a fun adventure!
Rating:
Summary: Why do they hate Frank Herbert so much?
Review: I read this "book" a while back and waited to calm down to write this review. That was a mistake, in that I mercifully have purged much of it from my head and would not accept anything less than a fortune to read it again. The characters are bad, the science awful and the attention to details from the original (read "good") indicates they just didn't give a damn. (Admittedly, history can change over millenia but back it up with some kind of rationale.) I had thought the three prequels to be the worst perversions I'd ever see; I was wrong. While I'd like to go on and on about how much I hate this book it just isn't worth it. Others have done so quite well. The fact 38/132 (as of June 26, 2003) have given it only one star should be evidence enough. Please heed this warning, however: SAVE YOUR MONEY; MOREOVER, SAVE YOUR TIME. YOU'LL REGRET PUTTING EITHER OF THESE INTO THIS BOOK. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This pre-sequal to the orginal Dune series falls short of the standard set by the orginal dune series. The writing in general isn't up to par with the orginal series. The writing isn't as fluid as the orginal books. The descriptions of objects and events aren't as well done as the orginal series. The forshadowing isn't very well done ethier. The authors sometimes just tell the reader what is going to happen. The authors don't just hint at the future they tell the reader what is going to happen. Often the forshadowing does nothing to ad to the story or help the understanding of the reader. Despite these flaws the book was entertaining. The action was fun to read and the book made clear the hypocracy of the human civilizations. The actions of the robots weren't totally convicing though.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best of the Dune Series
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed the first three prequels written by the duo (and the original Dune series), I was dissappointed with this one. Without the inspiration and perhaps plot lines of Frank Herbert's original characters, this book fell short. The second half of the book was significantly better than the first half, but I'm not sure that it is worth slogging through the first 300 pages to get the payoff. The book also ends abruptly just when it becomes engaging. I'd recommend House Corrino, House Atreides, and House Harkonnen, but not this one.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Prequel!
Review: Having read the "House" trilogy, and found them engaging but silly, I definitely preferred "The Butlerian Jihad." The characters were multi-faceted and believable (including, for once, the women, though less so the inevitable boy heroes) Also, it's a thrill to see the prototypes of the inventions and institutions that transformed Earth of today into Dune of ten thousand years hence. Brian Herbert will never match his father's monumental complexity, his historical ambiguity (history 10000 years old should be ambiguous, and if Brian's & Kevin's books stray from the "facts" in the original Dune series, that would be more natural than following exactly, particularly since history is always written by the victorious); however, Brian & Kevin have their own styles, great in their own way. They are perhaps less visionary, but much more personal -- and fun!
Rating:
Summary: Great Pre-History of the Dune Universe
Review: I liked this book because it provided a lot of pre-history to the setting of Dune and the Dune Universe. Althought the characters of the machines and their cyborg "partners" are a bit shallow, the other details offer an understanding to the very complex political and social structure found in the Dune series.
Rating:
Summary: Light summer reading set in the Dune Universe
Review: Make no mistake - this is Brian Herbert's Dune, not his father's. If you begin with this expectation, then the book is at least a tolerable work of action-adventure science fiction. However, if you read expecting the complexity and depth of Frank H.'s original series you will leave with a foul taste in your mouth. Anyone who has read Brian's original House series will understand the difference and can decide to read or abstain accordingly. Despite its many shortfalls, all but the most intolerant and zealous Dune readers (some of whom here appear to propose their own bloody Jihad in opposition to Brian Herbert's Dune works) should find this latest installment mildly satiating. After all, this is the only new source of new Dune works that we have for now. Re-reading the original, however, is always an option. Several aspects of this book, however, were incredibly maddening (spoilers may follow). For example: the Bene Gesserit, spice use/trade, heiligners, folding space, glow globes and other staples of Dune all appear to have their origins among a single family (father, mother, daughter) inhabiting this book. The various space and planetary battles, as they often are in both traditional and neo-Dune books, are rather silly affairs which seem to last only a few hours in most cases despite their dramatic scope. And after 20,000 years, before and after the setting of this book, the most fearsome weapons in any arsenal are still the dreaded atomics. I guess the League needs to devote more than two scientists out of the billions of people in the universe to research and develop new weapons. Simultaneously, the most dreaded thinking machine weapons are those staples of the First World War: flame throwers, poison gas, and cold steel (various cymek appendages). I guess the ancient technology of precision guided munitions was lost in the mists of time. So, what's a reader to do? Relax, try to set aside the many problems with the book and attempt to enjoy yourself. Hate the bad robots, cheer for the valiant humans, and try not to take things too seriously. And if you want high prose or moving dialogue, look elsewhere.
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