[Books] Dune: The Battle of Corrin (Legends of Dune - Book 3)

To finally put an end to my Legends of Dune misery, I opted to immediately pick up the last book, The Battle of Corrin, and just be done with this venture into the pre-Dune universe.

Generally speaking, The Battle of Corrin was structured around precisely that - documenting the end of the Butlerian Jihad, the great war against the thinking machines and the formation of the various groups that would eventually define the Dune universe. Prequels have the advantage of what supposed to happen after, thus providing a guiding path for them to aim for in order to end the prequels well. This book didn't do that and it felt sloppy and rushed in many places, leaving you with too many unnecessary questions compared to answers.

When the Legends of Dune books started, they set out to cover a number of sub-plots and story threads that were all to be addressed at the end of the trilogy. Primarily, of course, they wanted to document the Butlerian Jihad while explaining how the great blood feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen started. At the same time, they also wanted to explain the origins of many of the Known Universe's established groups and factions such as the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and the Mentants. That was a pretty tall order but still you think they'd somehow manage a decent end after three very lengthy books.

Instead the series ends somewhat haphazardly, with minimal, unsatisfying answers provided to some of the more interesting possibilities of Dune's past. Given these books were written after Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson completed their first venture into the Dune universe the Prelude to Dune trilogy, so you'd think they're tried to make the linkages a bit tighter even considering the many years between the two stories. Still, I felt the book ended like a children's fairytale with the every abrupt and all-concealing "...and they lived happily ever after"

Oh well, I only have to get my hands on Sandworms of Dune so I can get over this series and stop having to endure Brian and Kevin.