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Dune


Akratan

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[i]Dune [/i]is great. It still remains the best Sci-fi book that I have read, and I even enjoyed [i]Messiah[/i] and [i]Children[/i]. I have [i]God Emperor,[/i] but I didn't get that far into it. I don't recall why, I can't remember it being especially bad or anything.
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I loved them all, except of course the ones that don't exist except as a figment of someones imagination.

;-)

And I LOVED the Lynch adaptation.

the mini series has been languishing in my netflix queue, but you may have just inspired me to bump it.
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[i]Dune[/i] and [i]Dune Messiah[/i] are outstanding, the former especially so. Really one of the great classics of Science Fiction. I like the latter for its vision of how one would live with Paul's particular set of abilities and handicaps.
But Dune is just magnificent.

And of course the Fremen are completely ripped off by Robert Jordan for his Aiel in the Wheel of Time. Let's see, mystical type people from the desert with blue eyes who prize water and are more badass warriors than anyone else around... check. :)
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I liked all six (AND ONLY SIX) of the books. I honestly have never seen what people have against the later books, I think they do a decent job of capturing how weird the Empire would get with Paul and Leto screwing around with the structure of society so much.
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[quote name='Datepalm' post='1654397' date='Jan 19 2009, 16.31']Well, this is pathetic. I've [i]only [/i]read God-Emperor. Rather liked it, as far as I can recall. (Loved the movie, fell asleep ten minutes into the miniseries)[/quote]

How the hell does that happen?
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[quote name='Akratan' post='1653257' date='Jan 18 2009, 17.41']Do you know it? It's written by Frank Herbert[/quote]

I've read it. It's not terrible nor is it especially good. That's just my opinion and for some odd reason the book seems to be quite popular.

But then, so is Dan Brown. :P
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[quote name='Elrostar' post='1654191' date='Jan 19 2009, 12.03'][i]Dune[/i] and [i]Dune Messiah[/i] are outstanding, the former especially so. Really one of the great classics of Science Fiction. I like the latter for its vision of how one would live with Paul's particular set of abilities and handicaps.
But Dune is just magnificent.[/quote]

My feelings exactly.

[quote name='snake' post='1654463' date='Jan 19 2009, 14.19']I've read it. It's not terrible nor is it especially good. That's just my opinion and for some odd reason the book seems to be quite popular.

But then, so is Dan Brown.[/quote]

:rolleyes:
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[quote name='Datepalm' post='1654397' date='Jan 19 2009, 16.31']Well, this is pathetic. I've [i]only [/i]read God-Emperor. Rather liked it, as far as I can recall. (Loved the movie, fell asleep ten minutes into the miniseries)[/quote]

Datepalm, you might be interested to know that one of the Israeli boarders (might be lumer) read Dune in Hebrew and then again in English - he found the Hebrew version fascinating but the mistranslations in English were disconcerting to him. I particularly remember the phrase Kwisatz Haderach which has a Hebrew equivalent of Kefitzat Haderech.

All this is to say reading the books in Hebrew might lend extra layering to the story. I dont know what Herbert's religion is, but he seems to have more than a passing familiarity with Jewish tradition. Those who have read past God Emperor to the last few books know a little bit of what I am talking about.

Or maybe reading the books in Hebrew is a waste of time. Any Israeli boarders want to weigh in?
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[quote name='K26dp' post='1653895' date='Jan 19 2009, 10.06']I love [i]Dune[/i], and all it's sequels ([b][i]yes, even God-Emperor[/i][/b]). Since I just finished re-reading ASoIaF, I've been thinking about re-reading the [i]Dune[/i] books. There are some interesting parallels.[/quote]

"EVEN" God-Emperor? How can anyone not like a guy who[i] transforms himself into a freakin' giant[/i] [i]worm and rules over the universe for millenia[/i]?? What's wrong with you people?!!!

Sometimes I despair over humanity.


[quote name='Serious Callers Only' post='1654119' date='Jan 19 2009, 14.12']WTF is with people hating God emperor of Dune?

It some times amazes me how tastes differ. Its not [chestnut]the best thing since sliced bread[/chestnut], but at least he killed Duncan.
Many times.[/quote]

I must admit that was one of my favorite part(ses.)
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Classic books. I love the dune series. I have to admit not liking God Emperor much on my first read either, it's a much slower book than the first couple, and hey, I was young! After reading the later novels the reread was much much more enjoyable. I still think Children is the weakest. And I pity the people who stopped before the last 2, they're great :thumbsup:

The new dune books do not exist.
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[quote name='McCloskey' post='1653861' date='Jan 20 2009, 03.25']Dune was excellent and the others all decline from there. Children was ok but Heretics and Chapterhouse were quasi unreadable. Once major characters start evolving into Sandworms and other characters get cloned for the upteenth time it became too much for me. Plus I couldnt understand the many agendas of the different groups by the end of the series.[/quote]

Well if Dune is the excellent pinnacle of the series then I am glad I haven't bothered with any of the other books. I thought it was rather ho-hum and showed its age (both conceptually and as a literary work). I will acknowledge that for its time it would have been pretty ground-breaking and seminal as sci-fi literature. Also, if it's among the best sci-fi has to offer then it's not much of an endorsement for sci-fi literature IMO. Odd that I generally like sci-fi movies/TV, perhaps its the visuals and brevity.

[quote name='snake' post='1654463' date='Jan 20 2009, 11.19']I've read it. It's not terrible nor is it especially good. That's just my opinion and for some odd reason the book seems to be quite popular.

But then, so is Dan Brown. :P[/quote]

...But then so is Twilight :ack:

ETA: Not really a fair comparison...[s]Twilight is more popular[/s]...Er I mean Dune at least has some redeeming qualities.

[quote name='cyrano' post='1654502' date='Jan 20 2009, 11.45']I dont know what Herbert's religion is, but he seems to have more than a passing familiarity with Jewish tradition. Those who have read past God Emperor to the last few books know a little bit of what I am talking about.[/quote]

He borrows a crap-load from Islam/Arabic too, at least in Dune anyways.
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[quote name='Tears of Lys' post='1654622' date='Jan 19 2009, 19.32']"EVEN" God-Emperor? How can anyone not like a guy who[i] transforms himself into a freakin' giant[/i] [i]worm and rules over the universe for millenia[/i]?? What's wrong with you people?!!!

Sometimes I despair over humanity.[/quote]

The idea was cool when it was hinted at in Children of Dune and boring when we actually saw it happen in God-Emperor of Dune.


Also Herbert needs to get over his fetish for characters named after shitty potato growing states. Yeesh.
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Overall might have been better had Herbert not up and died before he could finish the series. As it is, the last two are kind of superfluous. A really cool build up to... nothing.

I'm the kinda Dune fan who thinks [i]God Emperor[/i] was the pinnacle, [i]Dune, Dune Messiah, [/i]and [i]Children of Dune [/i]should be considered one long book, the movie/miniseries were blasphemous, and never read the ones co authored by his son.

Don't get the hating on [i]God Emperor[/i]... I guess it was light on the action, but still had more than [i]Messiah[/i], which was great. It had a wonderfully claustrophobic atmosphere, more depth of feeling than the almost flashy earlier books. Plus it gave us a hint of what Herbert was planning for the finale we never got to see when Leto takes Siona out into the desert. Siona has a kind of vision of humans hiding like rats from...intelligent machines I think? Was she seeing the past (pre Butlerian Jihad) or the future?

Maybe someone whose read the 'last' Dune book can tell me what happens sorta, cause I'm never gonna read it. Only scorn it. :D
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I always liked Dune but a quick secession of Children, Messiah's and God Emperors quickly spelled the end of the series as far as I was concerned.

At least the series was Herbert's own to with as he willed but to see it trashed and picked over by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert in a series of mostly bad novels really breaks the heart.
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[quote name='cyrano' post='1654502' date='Jan 20 2009, 00.45']Datepalm, you might be interested to know that one of the Israeli boarders (might be lumer) read Dune in Hebrew and then again in English - he found the Hebrew version fascinating but the mistranslations in English were disconcerting to him. I particularly remember the phrase Kwisatz Haderach which has a Hebrew equivalent of Kefitzat Haderech.

All this is to say reading the books in Hebrew might lend extra layering to the story. I dont know what Herbert's religion is, but he seems to have more than a passing familiarity with Jewish tradition. Those who have read past God Emperor to the last few books know a little bit of what I am talking about.

Or maybe reading the books in Hebrew is a waste of time. Any Israeli boarders want to weigh in?[/quote]

I started Dune in hebrew at least twice, and never got very far, but that may just have been lack of patience at the time. Hm, yeah, that Kfitzat Haderech thing certainly looks deliberate. I've never noticed it before! There it goes on the to-read list.

Actually, I think i'm now motivated to head to the library. Its recently become free and i've been procrastinaing.
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