I liked this book. I agree that it's not the same caliber as
Dune, but neither were the other books in the series. The book covers
Duke Leto's childhood, the conception of
Jessica (you find out who her
mother is!), and many other things. The love story between Leto and Jessica is non-existent in this book because they aren't old enough. It does give a lot of political background and the personal background of
Duncan Idaho. It's worth reading if you love the Dune universe.
I went to a book signing in Livermore, CA for this book. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson seemed to be writing this series out of a passion for the Dune universe, not just for money, but you never know.