well what can I add that's not already been said? Yes, they are nowhere near as good as Frank Herbert's original series (and let's be honest that's why we all bought them ...), the characters are awful, the dialogue mediocre (at best) ... but ... it's Dune!
This book and the next two (Machine Crusade / Battle of Corrin) describe the events leading up to Frank herbert's first book, they describe the history of the battles between humans and the robotic enemy controlled by a vastly superior AI mind that was devised by the humans themselves and then rebelle........ hang on, any of this sound familiar? There's nothing original here but the hero's this time around against the cylons / skynet are descendants of the Harkonnen and Atreides and that's what makes this book worth reading. It's for fans of the original Dune series who are curious. ( )

I had not been impressed with the Dune prequels, but I put that down to the authors being constrained with existing characters and events. As such I had higher hopes for The Butlerian Jihad. They would be able to create their own characters, and had fewer plot restraints. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The characters were flat, descriptions dull, few thought provoking moments (other than maybe identifying weaknesses), and little innovation in the Dune universe. The plot was okay, and it was enough to carry me through the book. ( )

I enjoyed this collaboration between the two authors. It describes the period leading up to the machine wars which predates the Dune story by 11,000 years. It also sets the background to the Spacing Guild, the Suk doctors, and the Bene Gesserit, as well as the Freemen. One challenge I had near the end was the connection of jihad with the League of Nobles. The notion of a holy war in a society (Nobles) without any faith seemed odd. How are they going to bridge the gap between the Zensunnis and Zenshiites who shaped the Freemen and the rest of society? Then 11,000 years later society is stratified as before the machine wars at the commencement of the Dune series as we know it. I supposed I will need to read the sequel to this one to find out. ( )

The first of earliest prequel trilogy in the Dune series, The Butlerian Jihad takes place millennia prior to the events in Dune. The book explains legendary historical events that still resonate all those years later. While on one hand, it provides more substance to the actions and philosophy of characters to come, there is a huge plausibility factor when one considers the roots of everything trace back to a common nexus of coincidental events. Not only are the machines overthrown, but the shadowy precursors of the Tlielax are selling mysteriously-grown body parts (not to mention also being involved in slave trade), a group of "sorceresses" hone telepathic and truthsaying skills, and an aboriginal, outcast Zensunni on Arrakis becomes the first to ride a worm. Atreides and Harkonnen ancestors play prominent roles, and the inventor Holtzmann, whose inventions set the fundamentals of space travel and warfare, is busily developing the shield which forever bears his name.

Most of the story lines were left open in preparation of the two books to follow (The Machine Crusade and the Battle of Corrin). There seemed to be too many story lines, and a few characters that don't seem to have a lasting legacy take up space for reasons yet unknown. ( )

The legend of dune series give some explanations for things that are an issue in other Dune novels. For example, this is where we learn why the feud between Harkonnen and Atreides exists. And off course we meet the machines, and the independent robot Erasmus. The books in itself are far off from the original Dune novels. Though entertaining, I wouldn't hold against anyone skipping these books. ( )