Book review - Finishing the Dune series

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Frank Herbert had the bad manners to die after Chapterhouse: Dune was published. To say he left legions of S.F. fans annoyed, wondering, mad, begging for a conclusion and etc probably accurately sums up the situation.

I remember when Herbert’s son Brian and Kevin Anderson announced they planned to complete the series. I was a bit aghast. Someone else complete Frank’s opus? NEVER! I resolved to remain in a state of suspense.

More than 20 years later, I changed my mind. I got ahold of Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, the books which complete the series and wrap up the loose ends.

This is not Frank Herbert writing. Again, the two authors are running off Herbert’s copious notes. The styling, phrasings and character developments remind me of Franks’s work, but it is equally obvious this is not Frank Herbert writing. In the forward to Hunters, the two authors admit they are not the grand master and have used his notes as a guide.

The social, economic, political, psychological and etc overtones and undertones of the senior Herbert’s work are certainly in the two books, but are not at the same level and quality Frank imbued in his works.

As the authors have followed Herbert’s notes, I have to trust that the series wrapped up the way Frank intended. That said, I’m a bit less than happy with the way things rolled out at the end. It seemed to neat, trite, a bit too contrived and a good smack of Deus ex Machina at the end. Of course, since Herbert dealt with a Kwisatz Haderach, the Voice by the Bene Gesserit, Miles Teg and Ghola cellular memory, Deus ex Machina is to be be expected. Still, I have to believe the ending is the way Herbert had planned.

Having said all that, the character development is solid, believable and well within the scope of the Dune series.

If you, like me, have been wondering all these years how the series was supposed to wrap up, this will do that. At the same time, the two books also introduce some other questions which, happily, Herbert and Anderson are busy answering in the other Dune series of books they have written.