reading Dune

[pennywise86]

Just started reading Dune a couple of days ago and I'm half-way through it. It's hard to believe this was written in 1965, I mean it just seems so much more advanced for that time. So far I like the story and the characters, they're all interesting and the plot makes you want to keep on reading. But I have a question or two.

- So the Bene Gesserit travelled to all these different worlds and spread this prophesy or something of a saviour? Why exactly? To have a male Bene Gesserit?

- Is it just me or not only are Jordan's Aiel similar to the Fremen but the whole Aes Sedai faction is similar to the Bene Gesserit, even in the sense that they have strange powers and are considered witches. Also, the Amyrlin Seat is similar as the head of the Aes Seday to that old woman at the begining, (can't remember her name or title off my head)

- Am I correct in understanding that there are three books in this series? I remember reading somewhere that the series was uncompleted when the author died, is this true?

[Jay_T]

Great! Dune is awesome!

So the Bene Gesserit travelled to all these different worlds and spread this prophesy or something of a saviour? Why exactly? To have a male Bene Gesserit?

Read on - as in the rest of the books

Am I correct in understanding that there are three books in this series? I remember reading somewhere that the series was uncompleted when the author died, is this true?

Frank Herbert wrote these books:


Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
ChapterHouse: Dune


His no-talent son, and the equally talented Kevin J .Anderson have collaborated o na series of prequel novels that threaten to leave this generation with the feeelign that perhaps Dune is medicore. They are as follows:

Dune: Prelude to Dune

House Atreides
House Harkonnen
House Corrino


Legends of Dune:

Butlerian Jihad
The Machine Crusade
The Battle of Corrin


They are also claiming that they have found Frank Herbert's "lost manuscript" for book 7 of Dune, split into books (this ifno coudl be outdated now I havent checked on it) entitled The Hunters of Dune, and The Sandworms of Dune the first of which comes out next year - for some reason I have my doubts they have anything to do with Frank Hebert, but that's just me.

[pennywise86]

whoa, so there are actually six books in the series? Do they all follow one another and all deal with Paul?

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by pennywise86

whoa, so there are actually six books in the series? Do they all follow one another and all deal with Paul?

No. However, I won't say which ones he doesn't appear in so as not to spoil any of the plots.

[brian.clay]

To really answer that question would spoil the books. Though I will say that you have to read them in order.

[brian.clay]

Oh and for the sake of all that is Frank Herbert do not see the David Lynch movie. While it is a good scifi movie, it destroys much that Mr. Herbert was doing with his story.

The scifi channel made a movie for Dune and Children of Dune (which included a little bit of Dune Messiah), they were more faithful to the books, but they do not capture the full story and atmosphere of Dune.

[cgw]

Untill now I never realized that Dune was directed by Dennis Lynch. To me it is the worst movie I have ever seen with regard to expectations.
Don't get tooooo excited about Herbert's dune sequels. They tend to go downhill after Dune, Esp. after God Emperor. But when you start with the best, downhill is still good.

[NeonKnight]

Originally Posted by pennywise86

- Is it just me or not only are Jordan's Aiel similar to the Fremen but the whole Aes Sedai faction is similar to the Bene Gesserit, even in the sense that they have strange powers and are considered witches. Also, the Amyrlin Seat is similar as the head of the Aes Seday to that old woman at the begining,

Aiel: Desert warriors immeasurably toughened by their harsh living conditions.

Fremen: Desert warriors immeasurably toughened by their harsh living conditions.

Aes Sedai: All woman "witch" faction with incredible mental and magical powers, hoping to find the one male whose destiny is to master their mental magic to unite the human race against evildoers.

Bene Gesserit: All woman "witch" faction with incredible mental and magical powers, hoping to find the one male whose destiny is to master their mental magic to unite the human race against evildoers.

Similar? I think the rappers call this form of larceny: "sampling".

[Frank]

When Dune was published in 1965, and for several years afterward, it was generally regarded as the finest SF novel written to that date. It still ranks high on many such lists voted on by SF authors and readers alike. Everyone agrees it was a monumental work, full of originality, with a degree of sophistication that had rarely been seen up until that time.

It was originally written as a single novel, with no plans for any sequels. Sadly, Herbert was forced to return to the world of Dune again and again by popular demand, not to mention being under enormous pressure from his publisher, who practically threatened not to publish anything else Herbert wrote (or tried to). Some of these sequels turned out to be respectable books, even though they were forced, but that is because Herbert was such high caliber writer. Towards the end of his life, Herbert lamented lost opportunities to have written more novels outside of the Dune series with a tinge of sadness that his readers and his publisher wanted little else from him than sequels to Dune. If the quality of the novels diminishes as you approach the sixth and final in the series, it was because their author created them with less and less interest as he went along.

I, for one, would have liked to read more Frank Herbert novels outside of the Dune series and I think it's sad that we gave him little time to accomplish much else.

[cgw]

Actually The Godmakers is my second favorite Herbert book after Dune. I have read a few others (outside the dune sequels) but do not really remember them. There may be a few I have not read and have always thought I should track them down.
I do not think any of the sequels (or The Godmakers) are in the same league as Dune.