From Publishers Weekly
SF space opera titans Herbert and Anderson continue to investigate the tantalizing origins of Frank Herbert's Dune universe, this time achieving mixed results in their fifth action-packed collaboration, the bloated but occasionally brilliant second installment of the trilogy that started with Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002).Twenty-four years have passed since the independent Thinking Machine, Erasmus, killed Serena Butler's son and began a bloody Holy War against Omnius, a computer "evermind." Leading the League's Army of the Jihad are Primeros Xavier Harkonnen and Vorian Atreides, the son of cymek (human brain/robotic body) General Agamemnon, who, along with his fellow "semi-immortals," shares the computer evermind's wish to eradicate all unnecessary humans but secretly also wants to destroy Omnius. Harkonnen and Atreides loyally report to their Priestess leader, unknowingly the political puppet of Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo, a former Earth slave-master. Unfortunately, the short spacehopping chapters neglect some characterizations and more intriguing story lines, such as the Arrakis conflicts swirling around Selim Wormrider's growing outlaw band and the relationship of Erasmus with his human "son," in favor of too long battle segments and extraneous details about the emotionally remote Ginaz mercenary, Jool Noret. Despite the flaws, Dune fans will still enjoy the sweeping philosophical power that surfaces, invoking the senior Herbert's remarkable vision.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Scott Brick returns as narrator for the second installment in this three-part prequel to the classic science fiction series Dune. Brick picks up where he left off, with continuity of characterization and the same decisive control over the complex events in the continuing crusade against the thinking machines. Both the military forces and citizens following Sarena Butler are weary. Will she be forced to accept an offering of peace? Is the groundwork being laid for an obscure group of outlaws to come to the fore in the final chapter of the trilogy? At the end of the final disc, the authors discuss how they came to collaborate on their prequels and provide some observations on the series' allegory and impact. J.E.M. 2004 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Years have passed since the Jihad against the overmind Omnius and the thinking machines blazed up in the instant that the robot Erasmus hurled an innocent toddler to his death. The child's mother, Serena Butler, is still the spiritual leader of the Jihadi, and the former slave foreman Iblis Ginjo is their political and military organizer. Vor Atreides and Xavier Harkonnen lead the fleet, Vor with a common touch and the good looks preserved by life-extending treatment, and Xavier with sheer determination and courage. But the decades-long war has cost countless lives and sapped the people's resolve. When Omnius makes a startling offer of peace, Serena knows it is a terrible mistake to compromise with machine intelligence but can't naysay her exhausted followers. In a desperate move to save the Jihad and the millions of enslaved humans on machine-dominated worlds, Serena goes as the sole ambassador of peace to Omnius' stronghold on the planet Corrin. Meanwhile, an isolated physicist is discovering how to fold space, Selim of Arrakis is building a tribe and a legend, and Iblis is making a demonic deal with the flesh merchants of Tleilax to provide organ replacements for the Jihadi army. Organizing a dozen plotlines takes time, so sit back and enjoy the nearly 700-page ride. Roberta Johnson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
The exciting sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad

The incomparable vision and breathtaking detail of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad made it one of speculative fiction’s classic novels. Now, with all the vivid characters and complex plot twists beloved by legions of readers comes Dune: the Machine Crusade.

The struggle against thinking robots has ground on for years, the forces led by Serena Butler have made only slight gains, and the human worlds grow weary of war. The fearsome Cymeks hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius. The warriors of Ginaz forge themselves into an elite warrior class. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history—a way to “fold” space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy. And on the remote, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps toward making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.


Download Description
The exciting sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Dune: The Machine Crusade, the second book in Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Legends of Dune trilogy, picks up roughly 20 years after the events of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. As the war between Serena Butler's Jihad and the thinking robots stretches on into its second decade, separate groups from distant corners of the galaxy devise new plots to defeat the demon machines -- and change history forever.

After years of war and millions of human deaths, Serena Butler's forces have made only slight gains. Heroes like Vorian Atreides and Xavier Harkonnen have fought valiantly against the never-ending waves of killing machines, but it isn't enough -- something drastic must be done or the human race will inevitably be slaughtered into extinction. Iblis Ginjo, the self-proclaimed Grand Patriarch of the Jihad, receives an undeserved miracle when a free Titan (an ancient machine with a human brain) joins forces with the Jihad. But is it a miracle or just another machine plot?

And on the remote desert planet of Arrakis, an exiled visionary named Selim Wormrider and a small band of outlaws begin to create a disciplined new culture in the desert -- one whose focus is to protect the planet's natural treasures from greedy offworlders and whose religion revolves around the giant sandworms and the rare addictive melange (a spice that will in the near future change the entire power structure of the galaxy).

The Machine Crusade is a must-read for any Dune fan. Like spice from the desert planet Arrakis, this novel was absolutely addictive. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in the Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Iblis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat.

The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius... as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history - a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.

And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

SF space opera titans Herbert and Anderson continue to investigate the tantalizing origins of Frank Herbert's Dune universe, this time achieving mixed results in their fifth action-packed collaboration, the bloated but occasionally brilliant second installment of the trilogy that started with Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002).Twenty-four years have passed since the independent Thinking Machine, Erasmus, killed Serena Butler's son and began a bloody Holy War against Ominius, a computer "evermind." Leading the League's Army of the Jihad are Primeros Xavier Harkonnen and Vorian Atriedes, the son of cymek (human brain/robotic body) General Agamemnon, who, along with his fellow "semi-immortals," shares the computer evermind's wish to eradicate all unnecessary humans but secretly also wants to destroy Ominius. Harkonnen and Atriedes loyally report to their Priestess leader, unknowingly the political puppet of Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo, a former Earth slave-master. Unfortunately, the short spacehopping chapters neglect some characterizations and more intriguing story lines, such as the Arrakis conflicts swirling around Selim Wormrider's growing outlaw band and the relationship of Erasmus with his human "son," in favor of too long battle segments and extraneous details about the emotionally remote Ginaz mercenary, Jool Noret. Despite the flaws, Dune fans will still enjoy the sweeping philosophical power that surfaces, invoking the senior Herbert's remarkable vision. Agents, Robert Gottlieb and Mart Bialer of Trident Media Group. (Sept. 16) Forecast: A $250,000 marketing campaign, including extensive advertising in publications for U.S. military personnel, should propel this, like its predecessor, onto bestseller lists. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The Herberts, Frank and Brian, specialize in sweeping tales of far-off worlds that immerse listeners in an alien culture that comes alive. The human crusade led by Serena Butler and the unctuous Ivlis Ginjo against thinking machines has ground on for 20 years. In this sequel to Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, human forces are making few advances, and humanity is growing restive with the long conflict. On a backwater planet, the source of the addictive spice melange, Selim Wormrider is gathering his band of outlaws, who will play such a large role in the future. Norma Cenva, the finest mind alive, is working in a slum lab, shunned by everyone except businessman Aurelius Venport. Her discovery of "folding space" will allow instantaneous galaxywide space travel. Unfortunately, Norma is such the absent-minded scientist that she is almost a caricature. And Serena is annoying. It is the murder of her son, Manion, that was the flashpoint for this long-lasting war, yet her inattention allows Ivlis free rein not a good thing, as Ivlis is the complete villain. Still, Scott Brick is an excellent reader; he varies tone and intonation enough to allow the listener to differentiate among characters, and he speaks clearly and with enthusiasm. Dune is a staple in any sf collection; highly recommended. Nancy Reed, McCracken Cty. P.L., Paducah, KY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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