The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune #2) (2003)

by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

As the war between humans and thinking machines grinds on, both sides threaten to splinter under the weight of conflicting agendas.

 

Meanwhile, on Arrakis, the outlaws who will one day be known as the Fremen begin to gather strength as the spice mélange grows in popularity throughout the human worlds.

 

This is a sprawling, messy novel that could easily have been shortened by more than a hundred pages by editing out the repetition, excessive narrative about minor characters, and many meandering paragraphs of extraneous exposition. 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel because, despite their flaws, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson hooked me with their characters and the enormous sweep of their story.

 

Brian Herbert (l) and Kevin J. Anderson (r)

A television series could get a whole season's worth of episodes out of the plot threads and twists of fate here.

 

"The Butlerian Jihad" (French)

Frank Herbert purists are not likely to find much to admire. 

"Dune: Human Against Machine" (Hebrew)

Herbert, Jr. and Anderson are definitely more interested in outer space than inner space.

 

"The Crusade of the Machines" (Spanish)

The sections in which they try to emulate the elder Herbert's philosophizing, most notably those involving the developing Fremen, contrast most starkly and unfavorably with the original vision. 

"Machinery Crusade" (Romanian)

I read and admired the original six books many years ago; when I decided to reread them, I thought I would do so within the context of this expanded series.

 

"The Machine Crusade" (Czech)

I was jarred by "The Butlerian Jihad," but once I decided to just accept Herbert and Anderson's emphasis on space opera, I found much to enjoy in their work as well.

"The Machine Extermination Campaign" (Hungarian)

"Machine Crusade" (Russian)

"The Crusade Against Machines" (Polish)