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A review by rashthelock
Sandworms of Dune by Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
When I listen to audiobooks, I prefer to listen at 1.25 speed - it sounds better to my ear for some reason, but is still an immersive listening experience - though sometimes for particularly slow narration or sluggish story progression, I can go up to 1.50 speed; also, on the off chance being losing interest a book (but want to finish) I may increase to 1.75 speed, which is rare, and if I set it to 2x speed or higher - which has only happened about 3-4 times in 3 years - well then I've just stopped caring and want things to be over and done (without a chance to stop and return).
I've very much enjoyed Frank Herbert's original 6 Dune books, though they did fall in the former category (slow-ish narration) at times for 1.50 speed. That being said, these last two books we just bloated, boring, and bad. I started #7 Hunters at 1.50 as per normal, by about the halfway point it needed 1.75, but that quickly became 2x up until the end.
Finally, #8 Sandworms started at 2x, but by about the 25% mark I had become so disinterested that I did something I've done only once before: cranked it to 3x speed to just things over with - and yes, while I can still understand most of the narration/dialogue, I've just become so disinterested that I don't care anymore and want to literally & metaphorically close the book on the Dune saga for good.
Another good post about these books that sums it up well [imperfect quote]: "These books are an example of NOT to honor an author's legacy. Look instead to what Christopher Tolkien did to show how to do it right!" - in other words, it probably would have been better to just publish Frank Herbert's "Dune 7" manuscript/outline & notes as it was written, instead of adding & altering unneeded ideas.
I've very much enjoyed Frank Herbert's original 6 Dune books, though they did fall in the former category (slow-ish narration) at times for 1.50 speed. That being said, these last two books we just bloated, boring, and bad. I started #7 Hunters at 1.50 as per normal, by about the halfway point it needed 1.75, but that quickly became 2x up until the end.
Finally, #8 Sandworms started at 2x, but by about the 25% mark I had become so disinterested that I did something I've done only once before: cranked it to 3x speed to just things over with - and yes, while I can still understand most of the narration/dialogue, I've just become so disinterested that I don't care anymore and want to literally & metaphorically close the book on the Dune saga for good.
Another good post about these books that sums it up well [imperfect quote]: "These books are an example of NOT to honor an author's legacy. Look instead to what Christopher Tolkien did to show how to do it right!" - in other words, it probably would have been better to just publish Frank Herbert's "Dune 7" manuscript/outline & notes as it was written, instead of adding & altering unneeded ideas.