Hellhole

January 3, 2011
Bestselling authors Herbert and Anderson (The Winds of Dune) start a space opera series with a tale quite similar to Frank Herbert's Dune in setting, theme, and conflict. On the dangerous frontier planet Hellhole, defeated and exiled rebel Gen. Tiber Adolphus continues his honorable opposition to the political scheming and selfish machinations of the Crown Jewel worlds and grandmotherly Diadem Michella Duchenet. Adolphus and his companions work in secret to undermine the royal space travel monopoly and form a coalition of Deep Zone planets. Diadem Michella, embroiled in the schemes of the ancient noble families on the decadent capital planet Sonjeera, is too distracted to recognize the danger Adolphus poses. Repeated mentions of minor details bloat the novel's length, characters are one-dimensional, and the tale has an unsatisfying cliffhanger conclusion.

Starred review from August 1, 2011
This new space epic from the best-selling team of Herbert and Anderson is wide and complex. A desperate battle for survival on an inhospitable planet, a power struggle for domination of an entire constellation, and political and military operations extending over decades set the stage for the discovery of an alien race with telepathic powers. Multiple plot threads combine and diverge to keep the listener engaged—then the cliffhanger ending. Audie Award winner Scott Brick's performance keeps the suspense elevated. Fear not, these authors will deliver the rest of the story on schedule. Fans of traditional sf fare will keep this, and future volumes, moving off the shelves. ["Fans of David Weber's 'Honor Harrington' series and the "Star Wars"® novels should enjoy a new entry into this popular category," read the review of the "Los Angeles Times" best-selling Tor hc, "LJ" 2/15/11.—Ed.]—Janet Martin, Southern Pines P.L., NC

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.