A review by wincher2031
The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert
4.0
The retro virus epidemic and the origin story of the first mentat lend some welcome new angles to the thinking machine war. Unfortunately, another large time jump distracts with a stumbling start, too much time is spent reminding the reader how old each character is now, much of the dialogue reduced to expository rambles in the likes of "how long has it been?" and "remember the time when?" etc. A lot of these "remember when" stories would've been much more interesting to see, rather than being told in the form of conversation (partially taken care of in the connecting stories of Tales of Dune).
After the first part however, the story opens up some well needed development of the wormriders and explores the themes of necessary and lesser evils, from debates on the use of WMDs and what to do about Salusa Secundis. In keeping with the classic Dune feel of philosophy mixed with epic sci-fi.
There is a much more satisfying trilogy conclusion this time around (over House Corrino), with a more active role of the Zensunni tribe unveiling the Fremen's traditions and survival tactics on Arrakis.
This one was a lot more entertaining than The Machine Crusade, especially in the second half, with a more engaging and worthwhile story. However, I can't help but think that this era's trilogy could have been told in two books rather than one, with Machine Crusade and Battle of Corrin compressed into one book, with most of Machine Crusade being cut.
While it does feel like a trilogy for the sake of it, the first and third parts are well worth reading (especially the first), even if it sags in the middle.
After the first part however, the story opens up some well needed development of the wormriders and explores the themes of necessary and lesser evils, from debates on the use of WMDs and what to do about Salusa Secundis. In keeping with the classic Dune feel of philosophy mixed with epic sci-fi.
There is a much more satisfying trilogy conclusion this time around (over House Corrino), with a more active role of the Zensunni tribe unveiling the Fremen's traditions and survival tactics on Arrakis.
This one was a lot more entertaining than The Machine Crusade, especially in the second half, with a more engaging and worthwhile story. However, I can't help but think that this era's trilogy could have been told in two books rather than one, with Machine Crusade and Battle of Corrin compressed into one book, with most of Machine Crusade being cut.
While it does feel like a trilogy for the sake of it, the first and third parts are well worth reading (especially the first), even if it sags in the middle.