I was hoping to read a book about the realities of immortality. This wasn't what I was hoping for. It was good enough to finish but only just so. The story was boring. I saw where it was going from the outset. The jargon was tedious. Wouldnt read it again.

nice work of the young herbert with some pollish work to be done, some things could be shorter, digress a little less but some themes present in later work are here touched upon / overal, the them in this novel is hot and relevant in 2018 (and beyond)

I enjoyed this, as I've enjoyed Frank Herbert's other non-Dune novels. Herbert's shorter novels often feel like initial explorations of ideas (free will vs. determinism, genetic control, immortality, conscience-altering drugs) that he will later address in greater detail in the Dune series.

"The Eyes of Heisenberg" tells the story of several unlikely (and in a few cases, unwilling) rebels trying to survive in a dystopian world ruled by effectively-immortal supermen (called Optimen). The teeming masses of humanity are carefully controlled through a program of genetic manipulation and breeding. The Optimen enjoy nearly unlimited power, luxury, and lifespan, but in their immortality they have become dangerously detached from the people they control--and from what it means to be human. All of Herbert's usual themes and his characteristic writing style are on display.

It's a good Idea Book, although at times it struggles to work well as a straightforward novel. The opening 30 pages are grueling, and the characters do so much internal deliberation that it often feels like nobody is *doing* much of anything at all. The characters are not nearly as memorable or as developed as the cast of the Dune series, but that may be more a factor of the novel's short length than any serious writing flaw on Herbert's part. Nevertheless it's a quick and enjoyable read. I particularly recommend it to Dune fans who want to see Herbert explore some of his trademark ideas outside the boundaries of the Dune setting.

Another great book by Frank Herbert. Eugenics, doppelgängers, the future of mankind, what else could you ask for. Herbert explores a future where the genetically privileged live forever on the backs of those less fortunate, while at the same time cyborgs are also trying to create a race that can bring about the destruction of the current status quo. Just like in many of Herbert's books he explores the evolution of mankind far into the future and its struggle with complacency and the constant questioning of religious beliefs. I would definitely recommend this book, it's a short read but well worth it.

If I had read this book rather than listened, I think I would have given it 4 stars. Listening, though, was a serious drawback. There were many places I wanted to go back and reread a section but it was too difficult. The audio version also made it more difficult to follow the events.

This book was a quick read, but full of food for thought! The novel takes place in a future time when the world is ruled by advanced (by gene science) beings called Optimen. These Optimen and all of their constituents rely on various prescriptions to live well beyond our current lifespans. As Optimen are essentially immortal they are worshipped as Gods.

The series of events that occur in the book are related to a Folk couple who are to become parents, members of the cyborg resistance, and the ruling Optimen. As a result of these different viewpoints we get a well rounded understanding as to what is going on in the book.

One aspect which interested me is that many of the ideas explored in the novel can be compared to what occurs today in relation to plant genetics!

Overall I found the novel to move at a good pace to begin with but then a little too fast in the later stages. I also feel as though the ending could have been a bit stronger. But generally this is a great novel to pick up and read for relaxation and then have a little something to think about after it is done :)

Niente, io e Herbert non andiamo d’accordo. Peccato.

Hard to follow, in fact I am not sure what happened. May have to re-listen. Scott Brick was great.

This short novel was written right around the time Herbert wrote Dune, it is the only non-Dune work of his I’ve read, and it couldn’t be more different than the Dune novels. First off, like I said, it’s short, so there’s that right there. And it’s pulpy, so pulpy it reeks of something you’d expect to be from a serialized Science Fiction magazine from the 60’s or 70’s, which, turns out, it was. Like similar fare, it thrusts you right into the future world and its reality from the start, with fast paced plot and action but less explanation/world building. Plot: In the future, genetic engineering has created a race of (potential) immortals who keep control over everybody else by shaping their DNA and keeping the majority of the population sterile and the society in stasis. There are resistance movements, scientists and Cyborgs, but not much graphic violence or sex, and way too much science, especially the first third. The heavy science, along with the lack of general clarity, made it tough to initially get into. But once things began to get going and a better picture of the story and concepts began to fill in, it became very involving. Recommended for fans of Pulp Sci-Fi and anyone interested in Herbert outside of Dune. 85/100

Weird ending.

I love that which Jung called “synchronicity.” It seems like our thoughts or experiences are often on parallel lines which unexpectedly converge. When I found Brian Herbert’s Eyes of Heisenberg, I assumed it would be a plot based around Werner Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle.” I wasn’t expecting to find a novel that dovetailed with the material on genetics in a recent book I read by a neuroscientist, Mind of God: Neuroscience, Faith, and a Search for the Soul. Mind of God sees evidence for purposeful, hence “directed,” evolution as the author considers genetic progress and stability. Eyes of Heisenberg considers a future where scientists are attempting to direct evolution by surgically gene-splicing human progeny toward immortality. Yet, Herbert posits a force within evolution itself that works against this human manipulation.

This mysterious force is interesting as its own idea, but the plot “sickens.” In Eyes of Heisenberg, this utopian ideal is supported by use of the general population as breeding stock for those “fortunate” few who have become the near-immortal Optimen. Alas for the Optimen. reproduction isn’t compatible with immortality while recreational sexuality has not been bred out. So, these optimal human specimens are prone to get bored with each other and use the lesser beings as toys. There is an overt cruelty about these Optimen. Hence, it is not surprising that an underworld movement has been formed among the ordinary humans. What is surprising is the solution chosen by this underground in order to level the playing field with the Optimen. I wasn’t expecting that.

Prior to reading this novel, my experience with Brian Herbert had been restricted to his initial Dune books and, of course, his influence on the sequels penned by his son and Kevin J. Anderson. Eyes of Heisenberg will force me to seek out more. Though the factions in Dune are more ornately constructed, the nascent class warfare implied in Eyes of Heisenberg is sufficiently crafted to stimulate insights on power, resistance, and revolution on a broader scale than a mere action novel set in the future. To be sure, there are some fascinating action scenes, but it’s when the characters speculate on what it means to be human as both individuals and as a corporate entity growing toward some destiny or goal that the book reaches its apex.

Eyes of Heisenberg is a cerebral story with a message warning against egregious adjustments to nature. My previous impression of Herbert was that he was primarily concerned about ecology with little to no concern for humanity beyond survival. In this story, my assumptions are proven “bogus.”

Mostly good but the end - not sure.