It is sad, to the point of being distressing, to see a son attempt to measure up to the works of his father and fall so very short. The prequels were appalling; the writing was shallow, and the plot traipsed through every elderly sci-fi cliché ever minted.
Sadly it hasn't improved in these sequels. I recall reading an interview in which these two authors said they weren't planning to strip-mine Frank Herbert's original universe, they were simply trying to round it off. If only that had turned out to be true. Because as it is, they are bleeding the very soul out of it with every new novel released.
Frank Herbert's Dune novels were soaring achievements of sharp, rich writing, steeped in politics and philosophy -- Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson would rather give you cackling killer robots, endless clones of the original characters, and "ultra spice".
Much as everyone wished for a competent continuation of the Dune saga, this novel and its sequel are not it; I hope they find it in themselves to step back and acknowledge that they are doing more harm than good to the Dune universe, and stop releasing these disappointing cash-ins. As much as a son may wish to measure up to his father, sometimes it simply cannot be.