Dune

[Darkness]

Typical monarchist sucking up.

Me? How am I sucking up? All I said was I read the first book and am enjoying it. I had intended the read the first series by the original author anyway.

[Lord Varys]

Actually, the way much of the topics touched upon in Dune are handled much better in the later volumes by Frank Herbert. I do not consider Dune the best volume, and it is pretty interesting to see how things go awry which seem to be so good at the end of the first book.

[Old Nan]

Dune and God Emperor are the best of the lot; the other four are worth reading.

[Roland_85]

Actually, the way much of the topics touched upon in Dune are handled much better in the later volumes by Frank Herbert. I do not consider Dune the best volume, and it is pretty interesting to see how things go awry which seem to be so good at the end of the first book.

I don't know about the ideas, I only know that the amount of completely meaningless pseudo-philosophical drivel in all the books outside the original Dune is unparalleled in ANY work of Speculative Fiction to date. Combine that with almost no plot to speak of and characters that get more and more diluted with each passing books, and yeah, I'd say that the first one is WAY better than any of the others. And actually than all those I've read combined.

[Old Nan]

Meaningless pseudo-philosophical drivel is a lot more entertaining than the meaningful kind.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

I really enjoyed Heretics and loved Chapterhouse. Darwi Odrade and Miles Teg are two of my all time favorite Herbert characters. Keep reading after God Emperor.

[Roland_85]

Meaningless pseudo-philosophical drivel is a lot more entertaining than the meaningful kind.

If you say so ^_^

[Shryke]

I gave up on the series after I realised Frank had a fetish for the reanimated corpse of a non-character from the first book.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Shryke,

The Duncan Idaho ghola is an interesting character from God Emperor on.

[Darkness]

No Spoilers please.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Sorry. I can't edit. Could a mod please fix my error in protocol?

[Centrist Simon Steele]

Shryke,

The CENSORED is an interesting character from God Emperor on.

Interesting since the intro of the character. Loved him!

[Serious Callers Only]

He is pretty boring in his default version. Being constantly out of his depth.

[Serious Callers Only]

The Dune books are irritating to lots of people. They are didactic in a intimate political way. If you don't agree with the politics or the reasoning or just can't suspend disbelief in spite of that, you won't enjoy it. I also think you need to be at a certain age and temperament, at least that was my experience.

(it is a unusually first person set of books, and it's a good antidote to normal adventure stories).

The first Dune has some more variety that gives some respite from that, so it has broader appeal. For example the ecological musing of Liet when you-know-what is happening to him is a good example.

[Lord Varys]

To summarize about what these books are about:

They revolve mainly about the topic of cultural/genetic evolution, and ask the question if humanity as a whole has the chance to survive in a stellar empire spreading throughout millions of star systems. To really understand what is happening there, you have to consider the changes humanity has to make to establish a stellar empire of that size. Herbert assumes that this would lead to a renaissance of feudalism - at least, if we would (for some occult reason) be forced to abandon all computer stuff.

A recurring theme is also the inability of individuals (both individuals in person and whole cultures) to see the big picture, even if these 'individuals' are no longer individuals (or altogether inhuman).

Essentially, there are two 'cycles' within the six books. The first is stretching over the first three volumes; the second begins with the fifth volume. The fourth volume 'God-Emperor of Dune' is somewhat of a bridge novel between the two cycles.

The ideology to solve humanity's problems in the first cycle is completely different from the ideology which unfolds during the later cycle, and most of the conversation within the novels revolves around these ideologies, or at least, around the parts the different people grasp of the big picture (or how they try to thwart the plans of the characters who try to enforce the ideology upon mankind as a whole).

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

LV,

That's largely why I find them all so interesting. People bitch about the conclusion of Chapterhouse but I think its

open-ended

nature fit in well with what I think Herbert was talking about in terms of humankind's ultimate destiny.

[Black Wizard]

Dune is my favourite book ever. I liked it so much I did my personal study on it for Higher English. I like all the other five original series books and I don't have a big problem with the novels that his son wrote as many others do.

I've read on here that Brian Herbert admitted that he lied about what his father's intentions were after Chapterhouse but I've never been able to find any articles about this on the internet. Can anyone link me to their source?

[Serious Callers Only]

You probably can find a answer in that forum i linked to.

http://www.jacurutu.com/

[StrongBelwas]

So much word.

IMO, each progressive book got worse and worse, and the non-Frank Herbert written were totally unreadable. But even the ones he did write weren't very good, except Dune itself which was fantastic and has a good enough conclusion that there really is no need to keep reading- those are a telling a different story, and not a very good one.

I utterly disagree with many of your statements. The 6 completed works of Frank Herbert become progressively more meaningful as one continues. I believe that Heretics of Dune is the opus work, with God Emperor a close 2nd. I meet many ppl in my travels who do not know how to appreciate the 6 dune books for varying reasons yet I shall continue to espous them. I believe that the 4 greatest storytellers of my time have been Joss Whedon, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Herbert.

However I reject the garbage Brian Herbert has created. He soils his fathers legacy with each word he writes. Surely that apple fell far from the tree.

[Lummel]

Really enjoyed the first two-thirds maybe three-quarters of Dune, but was underwhealmed by the ending.

ok, I can accept the padishah's over confidence led him to land on Arrakis but I found it too convenient that they landed in just the right spot that Paul and the Freemen could check mate them

The next two books were interesting in how they showed the implications and workings out of the processes started in Dune. I found the opening of God Emperor of Dune exciting and compelling but that initial excitment didn't last for me. I found God Emperor interesting, but not really interesting enough to push on and try the next book in the series.