It’s not worth trying to review the books on their own merits, because some of the books have no merit- but rather the series as a whole.

The books are:

Dune
Dune messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune

There are also the prequels, byBrian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson

Hose Atreides
House Harkonnen
House Corrino

as well as

The Butlerian Jihad
The Machine Crusade
the Battle of Corrin

There are those who like to read novels that have a point, and if you are one of those, you miiiiiiight want to shy away from these books. Still: I have found the books to be a great source of personal enjoyment, and I read them voraciously, every time a new book is released.

Some might feel that the herbert/anderson books lack a lot of the flavor of the orginal Frank herbert books, but it’s like comparing a meal at Bill Knapps to a meal at Cracker Barrel. They both provide you with large portions of relatively bland food, a favorite among the bluehair set. Actually, the books are like taking a cross country car ride with your aunt Kate, during which, in a dreadful monotone, she tells you the intricately interconnected history of seven different family members who are not related to your family in any way. She begins in Dexter, Maine, and by the time you have reached New York, you are hopelessly entrapped. Around about North Carolina you know more about the other families than your own, and by Little Rock, you care more about the other families than your own. By the time you get to San Diego, you have grown a large beard, and Kate is still talking, though weakly, and you rush her to a hospital lest you miss the end of the story, which of course, doesn’t exist.

Yeah, the series requires an enormous effort, and if you struggled with Lord of the Rings, you don’t have a chance.There’s an enormous amount of detail, as well, and if you have a good memory it helps. I still found myself filling the books with post-it notes to try to keep track of who is who.

All in all? if you like Clavell,or Tolkein, or god forbid, Ayn Rand, if you like incredibly detailed alternate histories, if you like killing mosquitoes with 35 lb sledgehammers, you’ll enjoy these books. It’s not an altogether bad way to waste 70 hours of your life.