Dune: Edge of a Crysknife (2026)
Authors: Brian Herbert + Kevin J. Anderson | Illustrators: Simone Ragazzoni / Andrea Scalmazzi / Francesco Mazzoli | Page Count: 112
It promises 'two thrilling standalone stories exploring the myth and legacy of Shadout Mapes', at different times in her life. In reality, it's amateurish fanfic, with woeful dialogue that more often than not is just characters stating intentions. None of it has any weight or drama.
For those that don't already know, A Crysknife is the tooth of an Arrakis sandworm fashioned into a combat knife, traditionally wielded by Fremen warriors.
Shadout Mapes, a minor character in Frank Herbert's original DUNE (1965) novel, was of Fremen origin. I think the implication is that she is as deadly as a Crysknife blade's edge. Or mayhap that she lives her life as if on a knife edge?
Whatever the intent, the content is neither pivotal nor thrilling, nor are the two stories standalone - they're invariably connected, albeit set many years apart. The first (Hiding Among Harkonnens) tells of a Fremen infiltration followed by tragedy. The second (Rage of Shai-Hulud) tells of a Fremen incursion followed by tragedy. It's not a clever symmetry. It's lazy storytelling.
Mapes is presented as a modern day girl-boss. Her hatred of Governor Dimitri Harkonnen is a major driving force in her actions, but we learn almost nothing about him. I may be wrong, but I don't recall him having any dialogue, whatsoever. He's a basic nothing, in character terms.
Certain events from Frank's books are reused, as homage or theft I don't know, but it doesn't help the story one bit. Often, it's dumb as hell and insulting to the reader. The authors clearly didn't think beyond a surface level, and they ask that same intellectual backwardness of the reader. (E.g., at one point, someone dives Duncan-esque into a large crowd of heavily armed soldiers in the hope that it'll buy enough time for his lover to escape in a fleeing ship. That's one man in a trampling crowd of over twenty trained troopers, some of whom have rocket-launching weapons. Of course every soldier will immediately stop pursuit to focus on one man. Right?)
If Frank's own DUNE universe was to be likened to a playground, it would be a vast, sprawling, complex arrangement, populated with individuals who are the product of their upbringing and environment. They may work toward a common goal, but each one has a mind of their own; they think differently from each other, they assess situations differently, and they respond accordingly, in line with their own beliefs. The world (playground) in which they exist is filled with conflict that's both internal and external. Frank engineered not just opportunities for drama, but carved side tunnels and swirling obstacles, puzzles, consequences, twists and turns into that framework, creating a myriad of potentialities for keen minded readers to explore, eliminating the single, obvious path that weak authors take. Frank Herbert made nuanced art.
BH and KJA's extended universe is a small sand pit annexed to Frank's desert. It has a plastic frame. Within the pit are two dung beetles pushing balls of shit in an unwavering line. They're pleased with themselves because of how big the shit ball is. It's all they know how to do.
The book collects together Dune: Edge of a Crysknife: Hiding Among Harkonnens #01 (2025) + Dune: Edge of a Crysknife: Rage of Shai-Hulud #01 (2015).
An example of the art style. It doesn't really scream 'Fedaykin', does it?
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