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The Bottom Line

Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson is the final novel in the Dune Chronicles, a series of novels set in an immersive sci-fi universe created by Herbert’s father Frank and often compared to the Lord of the Rings in its scope and depth. All the events from the original series by the elder Herbert and the prequels by Herbert and Anderson come together here for an ending that is mostly satisfying, though not majestic.

Pros

• Rounds out the Dune chronicles, which ended on a cliffhanger with Chapterhouse: Dune
• Concludes according to vision present in the outline and notes left by Frank Herbert
• Herbert and Anderson’s writing style is less opaque than the elder Herbert’s sometimes is

Cons

• Has some repetitiveness in the narrative
• Makes some relatively small changes to the Dune universe that fans may find irksome
• Has some flawed plot points (e.g., how easily sandworms were adapted)
• Is rather heavy-handed with philosophical themes (e.g., what it means to be human)

Description

• The space ship Ithaca and its crew of renegades and refugees flee from the “thinking machines” that hunt them.
• They bring back a number of significant figures from the Dune universe to help them survive.
• The rest of humanity prepares its last stand against the machines, who are bent on human extinction.
• Humans, machines, and others vie for power, and “Krazilec” (Armageddon) envelops them all.

Guide Review - Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson - Book Review

Dune, the first volume of the original series, was published in 1965 and is the best-selling science fiction book of all time. The elder Herbert intended to write more in the series, including some back-story in cooperation with his son Brian, and some years after Herbert’s untimely death, his son and sci-fi veteran Anderson published six prequels and then took up the task of completing the concluding novel that Herbert had begun.

Their effort has resulted in two best-sellers: Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. The authors have their own voice, and the reader should expect Herbert and Anderson, not Frank Herbert, when they pick up these books, but I believe that the latter would be pleased with this rendition of his labor.

Sandworms itself moves between several plot threads that have been developing through the previous novels. A few of the lesser plot lines don’t seem to me to be well integrated into the whole, but even so, as a fan of the Dune series, I was eager to discover where Herbert intended to take us, and I was ultimately gratified when I got there. All Dune fans will want to read this book, and those new to the series can look forward to a fitting conclusion once they too have followed the “Golden Path” from Dune to Sandworms of Dune.