Reading in January

In January I read a decent amount. Let's take a look!

Day	Read	Book	Total Read	Average Read
1	64	God Emperor of Dune	64	64
2	99	God Emperor of Dune	163	81.5
3	24	Heretics of Dune	187	62.3333333333333
4	32	Heretics of Dune	219	54.75
5	5	Heretics of Dune	224	44.8
6	5	Heretics of Dune	229	38.1666666666667
7	4	Heretics of Dune	233	33.2857142857143
8	7	Heretics of Dune	240	30
9	11	Heretics of Dune	251	27.8888888888889
10	5	Heretics of Dune	256	25.6
11	6	Heretics of Dune	262	23.8181818181818
12	26	Heretics of Dune	288	24
13	27	Heretics of Dune	315	24.2307692307692
14	19	Heretics of Dune	334	23.8571428571429
15	21	Heretics of Dune	355	23.6666666666667
16	13	Heretics of Dune	368	23
17	69	Heretics of Dune	437	25.7058823529412
18	74	Heretics of Dune	511	28.3888888888889
19	75	Heretics of Dune	586	30.8421052631579
20	82	Heretics of Dune & Chapterhouse: Dune	668	33.4
21	36	Chapterhouse: Dune	704	33.5238095238095
22	77	Chapterhouse: Dune	781	35.5
23	42	Chapterhouse: Dune	823	35.7826086956522
24	42	Chapterhouse: Dune	865	36.0416666666667
25	111	Chapterhouse: Dune	976	39.04
26	41	Chapterhouse: Dune	1017	39.1153846153846
27	76	Chapterhouse: Dune	1093	40.4814814814815
28	72	The House on Tradd Street	1165	41.6071428571429
29	34	The House on Tradd Street	1199	41.3448275862069
30	43	The House on Tradd Street	1242	41.4
31	75	The House on Tradd Street	1317	42.4838709677419

As you can see from the above chart and graph, I have read a total of 1317 pages this month, averaging 42.48 pages per day. 

I read 3 books in January: God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune, and am currently 224 pages into The House on Tradd Street, which is also part of a series. 

February is going to be a much busier month at work. We have a head search going on, which will probably require some long hours, at least 1 season event, and our Academic Program Review. I hope to continue my average of 42.5 pages per day in February, but I won't be disappointed if I don't. 

Now, time for some reviews!

God Emperor of Dune

After Children of Dune, I thought that I was going to thoroughly enjoy God Emperor. It was decent, but not half as good as Children. God Emperor is set 3500 years after the events of Children, but on the same world. Much of the same mythos is involved, as well as a couple of the same characters, but so much of it is different that Herbert had to lay down a completely new exposition. It really slowed the book down in he beginning. Like the previous 3 Dune novels, it was all worth it in the end. The end was so good that I give God Emperor of Dune 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Heretics of Dune

The events of Heretics of Dune take place 1500 years after that of God Emperor of Dune, and many of the same weaknesses that this brings to God Emperor are seen here as well. The positive note is that the world is built up much more, but the climax and aftermath, while still good, don't live up to the previous 4 books. That's why I give Heretics of Dune 3 out of 5 stars. 

Chapterhouse: Dune

Finally, a direct sequel! Chaptherhouse: Dune takes place less than a decade after the events of Heretics of Dune, and as such it is much easier to get into. It is a good book from start to finish, but it suffers from the Dune curse of being incredibly dense throughout. The climax, while great, isn't as mind-blowing as the first 4 books, which is why I give Chapterhouse: Dune 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

After reading the original 6 Dune novels, I'm ready for a break from the series. There are still 2 more books in the main series, both written by Frank Herbert's son and Kevin J. Anderson. I'm taking a hiatus from the series to whet my palate, though. It'll probably be a little while before I return to the series, but I do fully intend to read books 7 and 8.