An earlier book of Herbert's that has an interesting species of alien with their own idea of law which causes you to step back and look at our own. This is more about dialogue and conversation, and lacking in action or science, but still interesting.

7.5
La primera mitad definitivamente va más lenta de lo que debería y la segunda por lo tanto se acelera cada vez más hacia el final.
En la primera parte de esta duologia The Whipping_Star dije que no esperaran encontrar mucho de dune, en esta segunda parte si pueden esperar encontrar varios parecidos o temas que se ven también en dune, es una obra mas extensa que el primer libro tanto en volumen como en aspiraciones me parece.
Si bien no es tan filosofica como dune y los personajes no tienen gran desarrollo para explicar dichas posturas ideologicas, es una obra politica al mismo tiempo que entretenida, es tambien una advertencia sobre los que gobiernan y tienen poder sobre otros.

Probably really a 3.5/5 with a slow start but satisfying back half. Herbert revisits his fascination with the crucible of extreme environments to shape the human spirit, this time in the odd ConSentiency Universe.

I found this book a bit hard to follow, but I haven't read the first one in the series, so maybe that was part of it. As usual, Herbert always has interesting thoughts and observations about society and he brings them out in the characters and story of Dosadi.

This is definitely one of Herbert's better non-Dune books. The idea is intriguing, and the story is well-done. The idea in itself is not entirely new (the subjects of an experiment revolting against the creators/controllers of the experiment) but Herbert does a really nice job here, and the ending has a nice little surprise twist. You can see echoes of Dune in here, with the multilayered story. Definitely recommended if you're a Herbert fan.

This was a book that I had thought I read in the past but turned out to be new to me (unless extreme CRS has set in). This was a solid space opera tale told by one of the past masters of this genre and was a really enjoyable story. I will need to pick up the first story with Jorj X. Mckie so I can see the past that is discussed in this one.

4.5 stars for a really fun read. Recommended for any fans of space opera especially if you enjoyed Dune!!

Ultimately this all fell a bit flat for me. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't a very compelling read. Also, I learned the homosexuals clearly make the best berserkers because they've already given up on survival of the species, therefore themselves, therefore they are fearless in the face of death. ???

One of his that I'd never read, and wish I hadn't just done it. In a multi-species universe where stars are effectively gods, some leaders of a species starts an experimental planet where they basically torture their own folks and humans for no real purpose. McKie is sent there, for no apparent purpose. Bad things happen, for no apparent purpose. The humans figured out it's people doing this but the leader of the other species thinks it's gods? Sigh.

Then there's all the author's right wing preaching. It reaches peak insanity with his "explanation" about why so many old troops in history were homosexual (think Jannisaries). No, it's not because of the tight quarters and building a close relationship with the team. It's that homosexuals are so disturbed by their own orientation that they are psychotic killers. Double sigh.

Even the greats write terrible things. This is one example.

I can honestly say I've never a read a novel quite like this. If you can get past the bizarre world Herbert has built (chairdogs, 4th dimensional star-people, and scent-based alarm clocks) and his unique terminology (Calebans, Taprisiots and Gowachin) you're in for a book that is deeply interesting, thought provoking, and philosophical. What are the consequences of technology that can allow instantaneous travel between planets, or isolate a planet from the entire galaxy? What kinds of governments would form in such societies, and what kind of people would those societies breed? How do you expose the crimes of a government, when that government has access to unimaginable technology, and will do anything to hide those crimes?

Apart from its philosophical overtones, I also found the novel genuinely entertaining and unputdownable. Once the plot got going, it never let up. In addition, every major character was interesting and well-developed. The third-person omniscient POV was well-utilized to show the perspectives of different characters in many scenes. The part of the novel that took place on Dosadi was my personal favorite, as the setting was incredibly well-realized. The Rim reminded me of Mad Max, with violent desperate raiders and heavily armored vehicles, while Chu would be right at home in a Cyberpunk novel, with its crowded crime-ridden streets, authoritarian government, and even a street-savvy hacker protagonist.

My biggest complaints with the book would be that the first act was a bit slow and exposition heavy, and that sometimes I felt the political maneuvering was a bit too complex to follow. This book expects the reader to be pretty smart. Nonetheless, I think this book is a must-read for any Frank Herbert fan, or sci-fi fans in general. If you like Dune, you'll probably like this.

Genius of Herbert

Great story complex plot with great full characters and a decidedly special Frank Herbert end! Highly recommended to read. Evoking thoughtful analysis of the dangers of government.

2/10
I did *try* to understand this book at first. Then I realized that the reader isn't supposed to understand. We are constantly told that a certain action is brilliant (or moronic) based on [insert reasons that the reader just has to take at face value because we don't understand the backward legal system of this race]. The whole book is like this:
Character does something ->Protagonist explains that it is smart/dumb based on rules the reader was never introduced to.
Not a lotta showing, but a whole lotta telling -- and not the exposition kind of telling, where you just have to learn it first. Many concepts are introduced in-depth (using confusing language) and then never revisited. So I stopped trying to understand, and that probably did not help my confusion.

I did like Keila Jedrik.... at first. She was a cold, calculating, ruthless character, basically a machine, and the result of generations of breeding and training to create a figure to save Dosadi. That is eventually thrown out so she can become McKie's lovey-dovey sweetheart. It was yuck.

McKie was eh. It is frequently emphasized that it takes being born and raised on Dosadi to be like a Dosadi... but McKie sure got the handle on it in a few days.

I like the idea of this book a lot. That's about it.

"The Dosadi Experiment" feels like an experiment: Herbert throws ideas to the readers of the book, and to its pages, and seems to hope something will stick and give some meaning to a plot that is your basic from A to B. And because it is Herbert, even if the world is half-baked and makes no much sense, and even if the action feels rushed and events pile up for no apparent reason, the book is interesting enough, and has some depth and food for thought. However, it feels no much more than a curio in Herbert's oeuvre. If you want to read some Herbert and have never, go first to his most famous and masterpiece work: "Dune". Wouldn't recommend to read this book without some background on all things Herbert. You have (probably) to be a member of Herbert's cult to enjoy this.

The best: it's Herbert, and that means it will have some interesting ideas along the way

The downside: the beginning doesn't make much sense/feels rushed; the plot is all over the place

Alternatives: "Dune"

6/10

(Original English)