Dune

[pashburn25]

i just finished reading dune and i gotta say while it was awesome i think the end was little meh. anyway, i just looked at the whole dune universe and found the other 5 books by herbert(which i ordered), but apparently his kid wrote some other ones. just wanted to know if anyone has read them or has an informed opinion about them.

thanx

[HaphazardJoy]

I've read the first two and a half books, and they're awesome. From what I've gathered, the other books written by his son and Kevin Anderson are better off ignored. I really enjoyed Anderson's Star Wars books as a teen, but I'm inclined to rely on aforementioned advice when it comes to Dune.

[Steven Forbes]

The books by the son aren't as good as the books by Frank. They aren't as deep and nuanced. They're pretty straightforward.

I understand that there are some that are written from Franks notes, and I can see that happening. They offer some illumination to the actions that happen within the Chronicles that he father wrote, but again, they lack the depth and nuance and scope of the original series.

I won't say to ignore them if you want to get background on characters and houses. But if you want to just take it as it is, they can definitely be left alone.

-Steven

[sgm]

I don't recommend the Herbert/Anderson books at all. The early Dune books by Herbert senior are much better and even then, I prefer the first book to the rest. The series really just gets bogged down in the history it continues to reference. The first book works well because it focuses on politics and environmental/economic issues. The sci-fi elements are really only a backdrop. The rest of the books gradually switch this dynamic and in the end it becomes just another generic sci-fi story.

Another issue I have with the Herbert JR/Anderson books is the mishandling of the mystery element in Herbert senior's later books. I won't go into more detail in case I spoil anything for you. There's more I don't like in their books, particularly the resolution they bring to the original storyline. I still find it hard to believe what they produced was based off of senior's notes.

[Aaron Thomas Nelson]

Dune = Mindblowing
Herbert's son's Dune = Fun

[pashburn25]

thanx i just finished dune:messiah and thought it was awesome i didn't think that would happen at the end. makes me want to read children(which i will tonight). anyway i appreciate the input and think that i won't read the sons books, at least not in the forseable future.



edited for spoiler sorry!

[pashburn25]

finished the dune saga (6 original books by herbert) just wanted to say: fucking epic. my girlfriend wanted to see why i was so entranced and then it caught her in its web. she actually finished first and commented she didn't like how it left off. i , personally, don't need to read any of the other books i think the ending was great. did anyone else like how it ended?

[HaphazardJoy]

I enjoyed the ending, regardless of the other books. Part of what makes Dune so incredible is the worldbuilding. You get a real sense that the world existed and will continue to exist full of exciting stories outside of the novel.

[Newt]

You might also enjoy CJ Cherryh's Faded Sun trilogy (Kesrith, Shon'Jir, and Kutath), which have a sort of Dune-ish flavor to them. She's one of the best world-builders in current SF, in my opinion.

[HaphazardJoy]

You might also enjoy CJ Cherryh's Faded Sun trilogy (Kesrith, Shon'Jir, and Kutath), which have a sort of Dune-ish flavor to them. She's one of the best world-builders in current SF, in my opinion.

I have the Faded Sun trilogy omnibus but haven't read it yet. I went through a streak where I bought a whole bunch of Hugo and Nebula winning stuff. I read Cherryh's Downbellow Station and found it very boring and so haven't revisited her work since.

[Steven Forbes]

I have the Faded Sun trilogy omnibus but haven't read it yet. I went through a streak where I bought a whole bunch of Hugo and Nebula winning stuff. I read Cherryh's Downbellow Station and found it very boring and so haven't revisited her work since.

Yeah, I'm trying to get through that, myself.

Not fun reading.

Cyteen is better, but not by much.

If you like some fantasy with your sci-fi, I'd recommend ANYTHING by Roger Zelazny. Anything.

-Steven

[HaphazardJoy]

Yeah, I'm trying to get through that, myself.

Not fun reading.

Cyteen is better, but not by much.

If you like some fantasy with your sci-fi, I'd recommend ANYTHING by Roger Zelazny. Anything.

-Steven

I read Lord of Light, wasn't impressed at all.

[Newt]

The Chanur novels are probably the best introduction to Cherryh, as far as being relatively quick and enjoyable reads. I liked Downbelow Station. Kind of reminded me of Heinlein's more political stuff (Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress).

The only Zelazny I've read is a collection of short stories, which I greatly enjoyed.

[HaphazardJoy]

Hahaha, I disliked The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress as well.

[Steven Forbes]

I read Lord of Light, wasn't impressed at all.

That's almost blasphemy.

Try Creatures of Light and Darkness. Very original book.

And any short story collection

-Steven

[pashburn25]

i liked that i felt like each place had atmoshpere and felt solid. although, i think what i liked most about those books was that they weren't written for idiots. he didn't spoon feed you details or exact descriptions about much, just more of a mysterious insight in which your imagination had to fill in the gaps. a fitting analogy might be like the gutters in comics, because you just make that jump in intuition between panels. a strange thing about the whole experience was that i liked all the individual characters but i was strangely fond of the "atreides" descendants as a character unto itself. (if that makes any sense at all)

i think HaphazardJoy said it best for me -"You get a real sense that the world existed and will continue to exist full of exciting stories outside of the novel."

the weird thing is now i don't want to read any of his sons books. don't want to ruin it.

[Aidy]

i just finished reading dune and i gotta say while it was awesome i think the end was little meh. anyway, i just looked at the whole dune universe and found the other 5 books by herbert(which i ordered), but apparently his kid wrote some other ones. just wanted to know if anyone has read them or has an informed opinion about them.

thanx


i've read the Kevin J. Anderson and Hurbert books they are all Prequels and do what prequels do....total shit and badly written