The first novel Dune was perhaps a lot more more popular than expected and he overestimated the reading comprehension skills of his eventual audience? I admit I didn't really get it until I read Dune Messiah. Herbert's oeuvre is very much like that. He doesn't spoon feed you. The Pandora Sequence series is another example.
Treat them separately and they are ok, especially the House series.
They're readable enough pulp fanwank by two people who don't seem to get what Frank Herbert was getting at. I gave my copies away to charity when they traduced Frank's memory by having Irulan's accounts dismissed as "revisionist history". The worst books in the BH&JKA series are Paul of Dune (joins the space circus) and Hunters of Dune. I have never believed that Frank's long-lost outline was found hidden in a safety deposit box. That's what I call revisionism.
I've enjoyed most of them, but I'm probably in the minority. I will admit one issue I have is they go way overboard with the graphic violence. It's not that I'm squeamish about that sort of thing, but getting an in-depth description of some guy soiling himself just before each limb is torn apart and the blood sprays everywhere is a bit OTT.
I don't recall if that's an important plot point in the novel - with both Paul and Chani having lost a parent to the Harkonnens. Is Chani even Stilgar's niece in this adaptation?
Yes. There are a lot of good stories and bits in their 20+ books. Also, once you have read the six Frank books, if you want an ending or just more professionally published Dune stories, that's the way to go.
