they have some good parts but as a whole they are not that great, honestly
my dune encyclopedia is a PDF ;_;
― the late great, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 21:26 (twelve years ago) link
I take it that all the prequels etc. by Norbert Herbert are complete nonsense?
― The New Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 21:40 (twelve years ago) link
depends how much you like things like licensed star wars or star trek novels
but yeah IMO utter shite
― the late great, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 21:50 (twelve years ago) link
i mean i think like SW or ST novels they have little in the way of the spark of creativity that made the originals great and they are basically just boilerplate sci-fi stuff w a thin layer of in-universe flavor on top
― the late great, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 21:52 (twelve years ago) link
I never knew about the dune encyclopedia! Any good?
I plowed thru the first 3 books in my reread. Books 2 and 3 are much worse than I remember, but something abt this series requires that once I start reading, I have to read it through its entirety... I recall the last two being a return to the quality of book 1 so am curious to see how I feel about it this time around.
― rayuela, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 21:53 (twelve years ago) link
relieved to be finished with god emperor of dune so i no longer have to stand around in the subway trying to hid the crazy looking cover...
― rayuela, Thursday, 26 April 2012 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
http://images.wikia.com/dune/images/b/b6/God_Emperor_of_Dune_Cover_Art.jpg
― rayuela, Thursday, 26 April 2012 20:31 (twelve years ago) link
is it weird that I really love Herbert's prose in Dune? feel like a lot of people arent into it but i love it, his descriptions of topography feel like action even when its purely descriptive
― supreme problematics (D-40), Tuesday, 16 June 2015 08:49 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, "planetary romance, " like it says on the Science Fiction Encyclopedia site: not that much science, but what there is (re early use of ecological themes in SF, anyway) enhances the power of the setting, which is also a character, in effect. Really enjoyed the first two books all through, rooting for the rebellious children of Destiny, but the struggles of the main character in Children of Dune, trying to make (a new) sense of his future(s) get so torturous and sometimes inchoate--appropriately so, but still it got to be too much for me: like, how much of this is to be sympathized with, and waited out, 'til we get to the cool plot twists again---and they do come!--but also, wondering how much we're supposed to take as stunning insights, rather than characters grasping at straws. (Also, some of the secondary and tertiary characters can make pretty stupid moves).My recent thoughts on God Emperor of Dune, and what might lie ahead, are general impressions, though still may possibly be considered spoilery:ThReads Must Roll: the new, improved rolling fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction &c. thread
― dow, Tuesday, 16 June 2015 19:37 (nine years ago) link
just finished Dune, read it for the first time. Honestly....I really enjoyed reading this, but the ending seemed kind of dud. Everything seemed to wrap up really quickly without too terribly much struggle. And Paul strikes me as kind of a dick. Will reading Children of Dune make me happier?
― Dominique, Thursday, 22 September 2016 17:25 (eight years ago) link
Dune Messiah is the second,Children is third, incl. in quality, though it has its strong sections/pages. But If you don't already sympathize with Paul's struggles vs. his fucked-with nature and destiny, go no further (if you do, God Emperor mostly smells like ass, Heretics of Dune is yer Return To Form, but not enough to send me in a timely fashion to Chapterhouse: Dune, the last Dune by series creator Frank Herbert. But I'll get there someday, and could see how the follow-ups written and co-written by his son might work okay as space opera, minus any overload of philosophical etc. elements.
― dow, Thursday, 22 September 2016 18:37 (eight years ago) link
thanks -- yeah, most of the time I rooted for him, but some of the time it was clear he was just as capable of being corrupted by power as anyone else. He struggled with it, but also took advantage of his power at times (and also seemed to have an inability to actually deal with the bad stuff that happened to him, other than just shutting it out completely). I guess that's the point? I've also read that in further books, characters that were once "villains" can become more sympathetic.
― Dominique, Thursday, 22 September 2016 20:23 (eight years ago) link
Yes, they can---they're all crazy, fucked-with and fucking with, in the cultural midst of cultural imperatives---even the God Emperor means to gradually implode the Order of Things by advancing it, teaching "Don't Follow Leaders, Watch The Parking Meters", but sure does take him a long time, and even though as a comic premise it's funny that he likes torture his followers with huge clouds of philosophical bullshit---like he's Mr. Natural, and everbody else, incl. loyal readers, is Flakey Foont, or Dudley Moore in "Bedazzled"---this isn't as good. But as one of the fucked-with Children of Dune he's more sympathetic. And I'd like to know just how the Bene Gesserit got that way, but anyway they do indeed try to save the day in Heretics--maybe trying too hard in Chapterhouse, judging by sneak peaks, but that tends to the Dune way (incl. that of its creator) after all.
― dow, Thursday, 22 September 2016 21:21 (eight years ago) link
in the culturalmidst, I meant
― dow, Thursday, 22 September 2016 21:23 (eight years ago) link
THE ONLY GOOD ONLINE FANDOM LEFT IS DUNE
https://theoutline.com/post/5333/dune-revival-2018-david-lynch?zd=2&zi=bljps3pa
― mookieproof, Saturday, 14 July 2018 20:18 (six years ago) link
Loving the critical reassessment of the Lynch film
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Saturday, 14 July 2018 20:20 (six years ago) link
well, it's nowhere near as shit as the book
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 14 July 2018 20:27 (six years ago) link
I read the series way back in the 80s, but could barely recall it. Re-read the first book recently and was surprised how much I still liked it. Also re-read Dune Messiah, and that book is an utter mess. May still continue on, but I don't have high hopes for the rest.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Saturday, 14 July 2018 22:44 (six years ago) link
hadn't realized my fucked-up library sale copy is a first edition
― difficult listening hour, Saturday, 14 July 2018 23:50 (six years ago) link
dune messiah is bad. heretics/chapterhouse are pretty good tho
― mookieproof, Sunday, 15 July 2018 04:09 (six years ago) link
I read them all in middle/high school but I stopped in the early/middle of Chapterhouse when the (spoilers) Literal Jews In Space showed up
― devops mom (silby), Sunday, 15 July 2018 04:12 (six years ago) link
finally reading this, almost done. princess irulan sure wrote a lot of different books about the same exact thing.
― mozzy star (voodoo chili), Sunday, 19 July 2020 01:11 (four years ago) link
lol
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 19 July 2020 01:20 (four years ago) link
oh yes . . . i forgot to tell you
― mookieproof, Sunday, 19 July 2020 01:22 (four years ago) link
Really dislike “‘thopter” as a word.
― JoeStork, Monday, 20 July 2020 07:04 (four years ago) link
hahah
― Doctor Casino, Monday, 20 July 2020 11:59 (four years ago) link
*spits on table*hello I am reading Dune for the first time :Dmy bff back home in Oz and I started a quar-bookclub for the two of us last weekend & decided to read Dune.We set the first half of Chapter “Dune” as our first goal. I thought it’d take me a week bc it just seemed to have a draggy vibe as an outsider? Seemed like such a “boys’ own scifi” to me? like ugh politics and worms and ecology biiiiig woop. but: breaking news is that it’s great, I’m already caught up and dying to read more. Thrilled by how it clips along, the pacing is much more brisk than I expected. Love how Herbert sets the table plotwise, it’s v impressive. And all the intrigues, larger political intrigues, personal intrigues, so much subterfuge between subsets & individual characters! All that AND I’ve barely even started learning about sandworms or spice so I’m excited. My only gripe: SO many NAMES of THINGS that i keep forgetting what they are and have to keep going to the glossary to refresh my memory. Thopter is truly the worst word. also Bene Gesserit morphs into Rene Russo in my brain
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 23 September 2020 02:10 (four years ago) link
so glad you're digging it! lol re: "thopter"
― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 02:15 (four years ago) link
they have tried to kill my son!
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 13:59 (four years ago) link
i mentioned this one the dune movie thread, but i avoided reading it for so long bc of the same 'draggy vibe' assumptions, and was pleasantly surprised to discover its a legit page-turner
― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Wednesday, 23 September 2020 14:34 (four years ago) link
Yeah though the first one is best, as I said upthread. Although I did stay hooked through most of the rest.
― dow, Wednesday, 23 September 2020 16:01 (four years ago) link
You guys this book is WILDFinished “Chapter 1” and I am kinda reeling from all the reveals and uber-intrigue - this is much more of a rollercoaster than i expectedLady Jessica def my fave (I expect disappointment but don’t tell me either way)second least-fave word after ‘thopter: lasgun
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 2 October 2020 23:21 (three years ago) link
― mookieproof, Friday, 2 October 2020 23:35 (three years ago) link
i have also realized why it is so hard to turn the book into a movie- so much of the drama (that i’ve read so far) lays within a character’s internal thoughts & suspicions, which seems like it would be a tall order to convert into visual
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 2 October 2020 23:51 (three years ago) link
have you seen the (first) movie? because you are otm -- there are a lot of awkward voiceovers
― mookieproof, Saturday, 3 October 2020 00:20 (three years ago) link
i havent seen any adaptation everoh but i will when i am done mark my words
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 3 October 2020 00:50 (three years ago) link
Veg that was always my take too. won't say the particular theme i remember thinking "it'd be hard to get this in a movie, and it's one of the coolest things in this book" about. but yeah 100%. and yet... i'm optimistic about the new one! some elements of the trailer made me think they were aware of this hurdle and that they want to go out of their way to make the thing i'm thinking of workable.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 3 October 2020 04:52 (three years ago) link
sidebar: i will never forgive Frank Herbert for deciding that a tent needs a “sphincter”
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 3 October 2020 05:11 (three years ago) link
you should blog your reading of this book imo
or if you just keep telling us here that's cool
― mookieproof, Saturday, 3 October 2020 05:20 (three years ago) link
xp oh dear wait til you get to the detailed stilsuit description
― the late great, Saturday, 3 October 2020 05:48 (three years ago) link
t/s lynch's dune vs cronenberg's dune
― the late great, Saturday, 3 October 2020 05:49 (three years ago) link
Series 2 of the TV show Togetherness has a funny subplot of two friends resurrecting their teenage dream of putting on an avant garde puppet show adaption of Dune.
― Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Friday, 16 October 2020 10:27 (three years ago) link
GHOST RIDE THE WORM 🐛
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 17:28 (three years ago) link
how far in are you now?
― The New Dirty Vicar, Sunday, 25 October 2020 11:18 (three years ago) link
Like all old things, "Dune" is now somewhat controversial but I still love it. It held up strongly on a re-read a couple of years ago.
― The New Dirty Vicar, Sunday, 25 October 2020 11:19 (three years ago) link
thopter is a good word (not bad) bcz it sounds like the sound a thopter wd make
― mark s, Sunday, 25 October 2020 11:22 (three years ago) link
Out here still waiting for the new Dune Allman
― dow, Sunday, 25 October 2020 20:58 (three years ago) link
i am now halfway through the final “chapter” so not much left to go- still no idea how it’s going to end!harkonnen just got spoilered & the padishah emperor just showed up .. he seems kinda disappointing after all the buildup? idkoh and princess irulan finally showed up though i was so bored by all her stupid book excepts that i didnt even care when she finally appeared
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 25 October 2020 21:10 (three years ago) link
the only interesting thing princess irulan ever did was provide the name for my tumblr
― mark s, Sunday, 25 October 2020 21:37 (three years ago) link
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 25 October 2020 21:46 (three years ago) link