Although this novel does give some insight into the grounding events that shaped the world Paul Atreides is born into, I found myself disappointed with this novel.

The chapters were so short, you often got the feeling you were being bounced around, and I found myself ultimately frustrated by the middle of the book.

It seemed as though the writing lacked punch, and all the Dune prequels written by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, suffer from the same problems. They lack the kind of deep thought that Frank Herbert brought to all of his Dune novels… there was something substantiative missing.

Now I enjoyed The Butlerian Jihad, House Harkonnen, House Atreides, which although didn’t have the kind of esoteric fibre that Frank Herbert’s other Dune novels did, were entertaining.

This novel I found immensely boring. It is only because I found it intriguing to read about the Origins of the hatred between the Harkonnens and the Atreides, the origins of the Spacing Guild, of the wild Fremen, of Mentats and the absolute law, “Thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of a Human mind”.

If you’re not a fan of the Dune Universe, take my word for it and give it a skip.