Thanks, Phaedrus.
Ah, Frieda Murray...I think I recognize that name from one of the Amazon reposts of "professional" editorial reviews. Hang on...
Got it: from the full page view of Editorial Reviews for Sadworms:
From Booklist
By the time of this second volume of the third Dune prequel trilogy, battles and plagues have nearly destroyed humans and their planets. Sheanna revives the ghola cloning project to pit genius against numbers. Almost all the saga principals have been re-created—Paul, Jessica, Letos I and II, Chani, Stilgar, even Wellington Yueh and Baron Harkonnen—and are hiding on the no-ship. The eleventh ghola of Duncan Idaho keeps an eye on things. Naturally, such a crew generates intrigue, dissension, and many actions unintentionally at cross-purposes. Some of the re-creations learn from the past, some don't. Meanwhile, Omnius and Erasmus, leaders of the thinking machines, search for the no-ship; failing to find it, they finish the destruction of any planet capable of supporting human life. When the clones and the thinking machines finally confront each other, the conflict proves pretty gripping. Its plot derived from Frank Herbert's notes, Sandworms should fascinate Dune fans. The series' long run by now begs the question of whether, since Sandworms ties up so many loose ends, more of what has been learned about the construction and destruction of ecologies, and about thinking machines, in the 42 years since Dune was first published couldn't figure in the promised ninth prequel volume, Paul of Dune. Murray, Frieda
There's an author named Frieda Murray out there as well; not sure if it's the same bint.
Anyway...
So, how did Byron get ahold of an uncorrected proof of an advance review? She send it to them or did TOR pass it along? It's actually
rather rude, don't you think, of him to post HER review before it's corrected and polished (please, gawds, let her correct and polish it
)?
OK...let's digest!
"This vital link...." Any doubts that Frieda is not a shill just "did the Alia". Whoosh...splat.
"...incorporates material from Paul Muad-dib’s growing up on Caladan." Um...it's "Muad'Dib", dolt. But she'll catch that in the proof/rewrite, right? Paul's "growing up on Caladan"? Oh, that's right...because HE WASN'T BORN THERE. That's really vital stuff, I'm sure. And how much of this "material" was actually imagined or written by FH?
"But his predecessor had enemies who aren’t going to love Paul just because he deposed their old adversary, and Paul has many more enemies, known and unknown."
Let's see...who were Shaddam's adversaries again? And Paul's "unknown" enemies...ah, they have no doubt let their fecund (fecal?) little imaginations run amok again. Wonnerful!
"If he is to be a better ruler than the one he displaced...." Yeah, that was one of Paul's motivations. I remember that.
"Remembering that his father was known as Duke Leto the Just, Paul tries to be an Atreides diplomat when reconstituting the Imperium." PURE BULLSHIT ALERT???
"But between the feuds of the ruling houses, the needs of the Fremen, and his prescience, Paul has little time for himself, and may be losing his sanity." Kewl! Very late 20th century/early 21st century psychodrama BULLSHIT incorporated into the story! How relevant to our times! They've really got their fingers on the pulse!
"This is good reading...." OK, Frieda is either blind or can't read. Either way, she obviously knows shit. (How do these reviewers get their jobs? Recommendations from Harriet Klausner?)
"...better than Dune: Messiah, actually." Further proof of the proceeding. ANY Frank Herbert book is better than anything the Hacks Twain have EVER EVEN DREAMT OF WRITING. Period.
"Standing well enough on its own for Dune novices...." Whom we want to catch before they can read any REAL DUNE BY FRANK HERBERT? What the fuck is this supposed to mean? WHAT COMPLETE IDIOT would start with this book as their introduction to Dune? What a fucking stupid thing for a so-called reviewer to write.
"...it goes without saying that it’s must reading for established fans." Which Frieda obviously ISN'T.
WAY TO GO, BYRON! (AND KEVIN AND BRIAN!) A REVIEW BY AN OBVOUS SHILL MEANS SOOOO MUCH!