Dune: The Butlerian Jihad by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

(pb; 2002: first book in the Legends of Dune trilogy)

From the back cover

“. . .Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from ‘thinking machines.’ In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler’s passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters: here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange.”

Review

Butlerian is a good, action-packed read by sometimes-excellent authors, a solid─if unnecessary─addition to the extended Dune series. Set 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s original novel, this trilogy set-up book has many characters (e.g., Serena Butler, Omnius, etc.) mentioned in Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. It is worth reading, but it is not an absolutely-vital-to-the-Dune-storyline offering─pick it up for cheap, or borrow it from the library before committing serious cash to it. Followed by Dune: The Machine Crusade.