Frank Herbert: Dune

hello. I know this thread is a bit old, but it's a discussion forum, right?

first of all, I think I should start by saying that I read the first three books in three weeks... I was that into them, so it really blew me away to find that so many people find them plodding. everybody's different I guess!

Carlos said:

As for pushing science to the limits, well it is science fiction!

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^ you said it! I hate when people look at scifi and say, "well that could never happen!"

::God Emperor of Dune spoilers!::

anyway, I finished God Emperor last night so I'm on Heretics now, but first I wanted to know anybody's thoughts on Leto II. I was kind of torn between admiring his sacrifice (his humanity for mankind's survival) and hating him for creating such weak and dependent people. was his decision to pursue the Golden Path right? I mean, he did terrible things and basically enslaved humanity through religion (something he despised in the Bene Gesserit) and created a god out of himself (and Paul hated being deified!). he seemed to promote behavior and companions that were, as the ghola Duncan pointed out, not very Atreides-like. I think it was Siona who said basically that whatever Leto had been, what he had become in GEOD was inexcusable. on the other hand, he was a Fremen so he ultimately knew how to make tough decisions... and the terrible situations he created and knew would occur after his destruction were just a part of that. and should Siona and Duncan have killed Leto? or is there no right or wrong to it, it had to happen for the Golden Path to continue? I dunno - maybe I just rambled, but I got it out!

and to bob_5000, I think it would be good to discuss the Bene Gesserit as well. The Bene Gesserit are the ones who seem to manipulate the entire universe, aren't they?

oh, and in response to an earlier q. about how you see the Fremen - I saw them as a heroic people. I think Herbert proved that it was dangerous to leave your society in the hands of any 'hero' or 'god' though. what with Paul's jihad, Leto II's weak populace and the subsequent rotten societies that came from both of them, heroes are not as good as they seem!

I also wanted to note that, while Texas is big, a planet the size of Texas would be tiny. and I don't think it would be able to produce as much spice as the inhabitants of the Dune universe seem to need. although, since plenty of people see the spice as 'oil' it's interesting to think of Dune as Texas-ish.

just a Texan's opinion.

This series goes down hill in a hurry. In fact, I would not recommend reading beyond the first. That way your memory of the story is untainted by the following books' collective disappointment.

I liked the subsequent books. I still have to finish 1/3 of book five and all of book six, but I think overall it's a good story. The jumping ahead hundreds of years was annoying though.

Schattengestalt said:

I also wanted to note that, while Texas is big, a planet the size of Texas would be tiny. and I don't think it would be able to produce as much spice as the inhabitants of the Dune universe seem to need. although, since plenty of people see the spice as 'oil' it's interesting to think of Dune as Texas-ish.

just a Texan's opinion.

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Not to mention the extremely low gravity that would wreak havoc on the atmosphere and human settlements there. Wreak as in there would be none.

Dune?

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

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.

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

fantastic!.. thanks...

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.

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.

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

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...