They are absolutely horrible..though they do get better over time. I've read all 16 or so books in the series, and I have two major problems with the (pre|se)qu

They are absolutely horrible..though they do get better over time. I've read all 16 or so books in the series, and I have two major problems with the (pre|se)quels Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote. First, rather than just telling a masterful story with compelling characters, they over-explain and lean heavily on disturbing scenes. For example, in the originals, Gurney Halleck was simply (or not so depending on how you look at it) a very loyal and honorable person..it was that simple and beautiful. The prequels go out of the way to explain that the loyalty comes from being tortured and having his sister raped by the Harkonnen's. It's like the stupid Midi-chlorians. Secondly, every book comes off as though they are trying to make you buy all their other books. Forget about reading their "conclusion" to the original series (book 7 and 8) without reading their Legends of Dune series. They go out of their way to make references to their other books, even when it isn't necessary. Argg...sorry I got upset there.