The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: Is this Science Fiction or a Romance Novel?
Review: Very disappointing. There are a few good parts of this story, but they are buried by sorrow about lost romance, uninteresting human relationships, and tales of Octa Butler's supreme meal planning ability for her husband Xavier. For example, "Octa did this as a gesture to him and her dead sister, serving the tasty meat glazed with a tart currant sauce (p 715)." In addition in the space of about 10 pages toward they kill off four of the most interesting characters that they spent the previous novel and most of this one building up in an outrageously unbelievable scenario. Fans of other Dune novels should consider this one an "abomination."

Rating:
Summary: Predictable and unimaginative
Review: While the book managed to keep my attention, it lacked the depth and complexity of the original. Characters are developed in detail then abruptly killed. It seemed as though the author could not figure out what to do with them. Wait for paperback.

Rating:
Summary: The Dune universe begins to take form
Review: With The Machine Crusade, many of the plotlines now begin to fall into place and we start to see the birth of the Dune universe we had come to know with the original series of novels. The conception of foldspace technology, the riding of the worms on Arrakis and the start of the Fremen tribes, spice as a valuable commodity, etc. The sorceress of Rosak are seen as the precursors of the Bene Geserit, however their telepathic powers puzzle me as this was not one of the abilities of the Bene Geserit of the original Dune novels.
Here the ideological and physical conflict between man and thinking machine comes to the forefront as the two sides are at war from beggining to end of this hefty book. The best parts are when the more profound philosophical aspects are explored, ironicaly it is the robot Erasmus who ponders these matters the most and has really become one the more interesting chacaracters in the series as he strives to understand the human race and their endless contradictions. The short chapters keep the story flowing at a brisk pace and it is to the credit of the authors that the many characters and plotlines never bog the story down.
An interesting aspect is that the Butlerian Jihad, more than being a religious crusade as the term "Jihad" implies, is really a war waged for many reasons, political influence among the League of Nobles, economic benefit from the Tlulaxa flesh merchants and space transport industries, and just plain hunger for power from people on all sides. Perhaps the only ones to fight for a religious reason are the Buddislamics who are enslaved by machines and humans alike.
I do not give this book five stars, as that would be to put it on a par with Frank Herberts original Dune itself, the finest SF novel of all time. And yes, Herbert Jr. and Anderson sometimes fall into Space Opera mode, but The Machine Crusade is a more than worthy addition to the Dune Chronicles.