For those of you who have not read Frank Herbert’s original Dune series, you’re really missing out on one of the best books written in the English language.  Herbert belongs not only in the elite ranks of the science fiction and fantasy greats, but also in the ranks of the literary greats.  Dune was one of the first novels in science fiction to really focus on sociology, ecology, and the means of acquiring and using power as distinct plot elements.

In recent years, Frank Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson have endeavored to “flesh out” the Dune universe with two prequel trilogies.  While the prequel trilogies are supposedly based on notes that Frank Herbert left behind, they are nowhere near the literary quality of the original six Dune books.  The stories are compelling not because of the craft of the writers, but because Dune readers are already enthralled with the universe Frank Herbert created.

The latest attempt at closing out the Dune universe comes in the form of what would be the seventh book in the original Dune series, called Hunters of Dune.  Quite frankly, I’m debating the merits of obtaining the book and reading it.  Early reviews are mixed, with some saying that it is nice to see some closure coming, while others say that it is a travesty that is tantamount to “pissing all over” (to borrow one Amazon reviewer’s words) the work of Frank Herbert.  I know that the novel will be nowhere near the quality of the original books, but I am strangely compelled to follow the story through to its conclusion, even if it is left in the hands of people whom I would consider to be less than capable of managing the great creative property of Dune.

If anyone out there has read it and would care to sway me in one direction or the other, please leave your comments below.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 25th, 2006 at 5:07 pm and is filed under Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.