In my reviews for the “Legends of Dune” trilogy, I outlined the specific criticisms I’ve had for the Herbert/Anderson “Dune” novels. While I found the ideas to be in keeping with the Dune universe in general, many of the details fail to mesh with the original series. More than that, the writing style and quality is vastly inferior, often incorporating modern modes of speech. Characterization is incredibly shallow, which forces more attention on the plot, which often relies on convenience and contrivance.
In this particular novel, the authors had more material to work with than the “Legends” trilogy, so the inconsistencies could have been avoided. Considering how often Brian Herbert claims the authority of copious notes and a self-generated “concordance”, it’s shameful how often basic information from the original series has been overlooked or simply missed.
I was reminded, reading this particular book, of a trilogy of novels released quite some time ago. They were meant as a “final Foundation trilogy”, effectively taking the most famous series written by Isaac Asimov and bringing it to a conclusion. When it came time to choose the authors for this project, it did not come down to a relatively popular writer of derivative pump science fiction novels. The chosen authors were all hard science fiction writers with a long and impressive pedigree: Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, and David Brin.
One may debate the success of that trilogy, particularly in terms of satisfying the objective of wrapping up the “Foundation” trilogy, but the anticipated quality of the writing was there. The authors were chosen based on their ability not to emulate Asimov but to apply their own considerable and proven talents to his mythos.
This is where I believe Kevin J. Anderson fails to measure up. His style is better suited to the familiarities of pulp fiction. There’s a proven market for that kind of material, and within that milieu, he does very well. But is that style truly suited to the “Dune” universe? After reading four books of the Herbert/Anderson partnership, I would say it’s not. Every time an interesting concept emerges, the shallow writing style detracts from any nuance that might be found.
Every time I read one of these Herbert/Anderson novels, I find myself wishing that a more serious co-author had been found to honor Frank Herbert’s legacy. Would the mistakes still be present? Quite possibly. But a richer, character-driven approach could have made up for the difference.
Rating: 6/10
Add A Comment