I finished it.
I have very mixed emotions about the book. On the one hand, it is a fairly compelling story. The desire to know what happens in the Dune universe is overwhelming, and the continuation of the plot threads started in books five and six made a certain amount of sense. The final revelation, however, was predictable, and left nothing to the imagination.
Part of me wonders if this book is really what Frank Herbert’s notes detailed, or if this is a way for Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert to tie in their previous writings to make the whole series a nice, neat package. That sounds terribly cynical, but there it is.
And then there is the writing…It is capable. Barely. There is a sense that the characters and the plot lines have been made intentionally less complicated for the mass market. I loathed the fact that the political, religious, and technical manipulations of the characters were reduced to pale shadows of their former selves. I can’t really discuss plot without giving anything away, but as I mentioned earlier, Herbert and Anderson definitely jump the shark.
So there you have it. I suppose the only thing I can do is to recommend the book if you are a die-hard Dune fan. Just don’t expect it to be of the literary quality of Frank Herbert.