Mentats of Dune: Book Two of the Schools of Dune Trilogy (Dune, 9) Mass Market Paperback – February 3, 2015

always looking for good reads to add to my collection!

I was satisfied with Mentats of Dune, just like I have been satisfied with the rest of the books Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have written to expand the Dune universe beyond what Frank Herbert left behind before finishing the final volume of what he intended to include in the original Dune saga.I enjoyed this book and Sisterhood of Dune before it, and I do find it kind of nice to experience the births of these individuals sects within the Imperium of Dune though I find myself a bit incredulous that these things would all be transpiring at essentially the same time. Suspension of disbelief is essential in fiction, and perhaps a bit more so with these supplemental Dune novels than with the ones Frank Herbert had published, and his included a character who melded himself with sandworm larva in order to become a giant worm himself...but at least Herbert wrote it in such a way that it felt internally consistent.My only real problem with Mentats of Dune is the same one I've had with the other volumes added by Herbert and Anderson, as authors and world builders they lack nuance and subtlety.The use of the name Quemada was a bit too on-the-head for me, regarding a character who served as an inquisititor specializing in torture. I actually almost gagged when reading anything pertaining to that character because it was just too bland and uninspired.This is a prime example of what is missing from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Dune novels...subtlety. Frank Herbert had no shortage of subtlety or imagination and he planned narratives hundreds or maybe even thousands of pages ahead, allowing for slow burns and gradual revelations.No matter how well-detailed Frank's notes and backgrounds were (and everything I know of the man serves to reinforce the belief that he was intensely meticulous), the simple fact is that his neither his son nor Anderson are the caliber of author he was, and that makes their expansions on Frank's notes and outlines feel a bit more hollow than I wish they did.These are still good books and essential reading for any real fans of Dune, but they aren't great or awe inspiring in the way that Frank Herbert's novels were. His books created a universe that readers begged to know in greater depth and detail, and these supplemental novels are the Carnival cruise that takes us through there. It's a good time but it's just not as enjoyable as you hope it will be.

Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert continue to expand and enrich the wondrous universe first brought to life by Brian's father, the late Frank Herbert. From completing his unfinished work in Hunters of Dune, to delving into the ancient lore of the Butlerian Jihad and the great Families that saved mankind from the tyranny of the Machine Empire, they continue to give life to the vast expanses of time and space first seen in the lives of Paul Muad'Dib, his Family Atreides, and the villainous Harkonnens in Dune.In a style distinctly their own, yet perfectly comfortable to any fan of the original Dune series, they bring forth the stories behind the legends.In Mentats of Dune, we find Gilbertus Albans who, by virtue of his tutelage under the maniacal robot Erasmus, has become the first Mentat, a human with the ability to organize his mind with the speed and efficiency of a Thinking Machine.Gilbertus has founded the first Mentat School, and trains recruits under the ever-present and uneasy shadow of Manford Torondo, the leader of the Butlerian forces bent on annihilating any machinery deemed too advanced or unnecessary.In all but open war with the Butlerians is Venport Holdings, the largest and most successful freight company in the Empire. Josef Venport, with the aid of the spice-mutated Navigators, has developed a near-monopoly on galactic freight and transportation with an absolutely perfect safety record. Venport believes the fanaticism of the Butlerian zealots and their war on technology threatens to regress all of mankind into a provencial and isolated existence, setting them back millenia.Meanwhile, on a small dim planet, hoping remain unnoticed, Reverend Mother Anirule attempts to rebuild her Sisterhood from the near destruction of the attack of the first School on Rossack.With a desperate and deadly secret concealed within the walls of his school, and the task of attempting to restore the mind of the Emperor's sister after her attempt to survive the Rossack Drug, Albans must balance politics, vision, and an image of loyalty to Torondo's forces.Can even his superior mind keep his life's work from crumbling?

Looking forward to the next one!

Je m'attendais à ce que la trilogie des écoles nous explique en détail celles-ci mais c'est la préquelle qu'il faut lire après les Machines!Des personnages qui agissent par émotion, la détermination égoïste de Valya, la lutte entre Manford et Josef Venport, une prise de conscience d'Erasmus. Ce qui donne envie de lire Dune c'est qu'on ressent les émotions, voit les objectifs des personnages!

O livro explora a trajetória de Gilbertus Albans, o protegido do Robô Erasmus após o desfecho do Jihad Butleriano.Esse personagem é, na minha opinião, a melhor criação do universo expandido de Duna. Sem dúvida, um ponto alto da carreira de Kevin Anderson.

Die Lieferung erfolgte super schnell und der Beschenkte hat sich sehr gefreut. Er findet es zum Beispiel Postiv, dass die 'Mentats' Reihe individuelle Bücher sind, also es keine Rolle spielt welches der Bücher man zuerst liest.

I like all of the Dune books. Both Herberts are great story tellers as is Anderson. I have now set myself the enjoyable task of reading all of the novels in their correct sequence. While set in a fantastical distant future the characters and stories are credible in their context and well thought out. My one big wish now is that some company can produce a TV series that is faithfully based on these books. Unfortunately previous attempts have been woefully lacking (although I did like Sting in the film). My guess is that a TV series would be at least as long as all the Stargate series, but could be more enjoyable.