Dune?

[dayriser]

Hey, still a rookie here, so first: Is it okay to ask a question about an oft-discussed book in a new thread?

Hope so...

Second: I read a lot!! But my mood dictates what I read, I guess... Just finished a bunch of fantasy stuff and decided to see if I can find a good stand-alone sci-fi book... My little brother swears to me that I will love DUNE... I guess over time I have seen a ton of offshoot books related to Dune and frankly that is usually a turn off to me... I feel like I miss parts of the story that I should know and I have difficulty knowing where to start... Anyway, is it a good book to read as a standalone story?.. Also, I caught the movie years ago and it absolutely put me to sleep... I mean, tearfully boring... I realize that shouldn't affect my view of the book, but I just can't get the pictures from the movie out of my head, and the sloooow development of the story... Am I in for more of the same if I read the book?..

Otherwise, can anyone make a recommendation other than Dune?.. Preferrably not a series... I have already read Battlefield Earth, and Ender's Game... (loved them both)...

Thanks for the time in advance...

B

[Anamnesis]

Don't let all the sequels turn you off. Dune is an excellent novel. The first sequel is okay and after that . . . don't bother . Some of the prequels are fun, although not as rich as the original novel.

[sparkchaser]

Dune is great and can be stand alone.

Some good stand alone SciFi:

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (yes there are sequels but the book stands alone just fine)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Killing Star by Charles Pellegrino and George Zebrowski

[dayriser]

fantastic!.. thanks...

[domani]

I think the Dune series works best when you just look at the first two Frank Herbert books - Dune and Dune Messiah. The rest of Frank Herbert's sequels from Children of Dune to Chapterhouse Dune are occasionally interesting, but are nowhere near the quality of the first novel, and you can skip them without missing out.

As for Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's continuations (sequels, prequels, interquels) - I read the first one (Prelude to Dune: House Atreides) and loathed it so much I haven't read any more of them. It lacked all the subtlety of the original Dune, and the characters, story and dialogue never rose above the level of soap opera.

[Miss Chicken]

I haven't read Dune but I do know a woman who named her son Leto after a character from Dune. Someone who has read the book can tell me if the character was worthy of having a child named after him.

[thischarmingman]

With dune i Read it at age 14, i dont think i got it really.

[MagnaMater]

I liked Dune very much, but I never made it through to the last book, I got lost somewhere in the fourth book and never found my path out of it again... it's been about 20 years ago, and there's actually still a bookmark in it... I should perhaps really take it up or read the whole cycle again...