The original six Dune books by Frank Herbert are amongst my favorite science fiction novels. I’ve watched the various film adaptations too. I’m looking forward to seeing Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part Three this holiday season.
It was only recently that I stepped hesitantly into the books written by Herbert’s son, Brian and his writing partner, Kevin Anderson. I selected the Sisterhood of Dune – the first book of a trilogy on the origins of the great schools of the Dune universe: the Bene Gesserit, Mentat, and Suk Schools as well as the Spacing Guild’s Navigators. We had watched the first season of the series, Dune: Prophecy, which was inspired by the book. While enjoyable, I wish the series incorporated more of the book.
In the Dune timeline, the Sisterhood of Dune takes place eighty years after the defeat of the thinking machines and around ten thousand years before the original Dune novel. The third Corrino, Salvador, is on the throne of the Imperium. His rule is tenuous due to the brewing war between the anti-technology Butlerians and the business world of the Spacing Guild’s VenHold Industries. In the midst is the Harkonnen heirs who blames their plight on Vorian Atreides as well as the growth of the Sisterhood, the Mentats, and the Suk Schools. Essentially it’s a story of faith versus reason.
I thought that the book was an enjoyable and engaging science fiction novel. It adds to the background of the Dune world. However it felt a little shallow compared to the original Dune novels. The characters weren’t as rich. Being a Dune fan, I’ll definitely finish the series.
