That sounds about right.
Dune newbie questions
- Thread starter JD
- Start date
That sounds about right.
I haven't read any of the books, either.
They really give Irulan hell in Paul of Dune and The Winds of Dune.
Favourite book: well the first one, obviously. Favourite character: Miles Teg (from Heretics & Chapterhouse.) He rocks. Though Count Fenring and Irulan come a very close second and third, respectively.
I'd say his role is about on par with the likes of Gurney, Leto, Thufir and Liet. Number of scenes aside, his absence is defiantly felt and he's talked about several times throughout the book.
"A beginning is a very delicate time..." -- Princess Irulan.
My two cents:
1. I think the Sci-Fi adaptations are better mainly because they have more time to explore the content of the novels in a way the Lunch doesn't. However, I think the Lynch film still looks visually better. I just remember how the casting for the Lynch film really fit the characters in the book. However, the 2 hour version of the Lynch film is really truncated and Dune is something that just doesn't fit in a 2 hour movie. The Dune miniseries was better than the Children of Dune miniseries, however I preferred the casting changes for Duncan, Jessica, and Stilgar for CoD. I also liked an expanded Wensica Corrino role for Susan Sarandon.
2. Best order to read the books. You could do the chronological thing, but I recommend checking out Frank Herbert's Dune first. If you don't like that, what's the point of continuing on IMO.
Book order is really tough. I tried to sort of group the stories around similar time periods because the saga spans centuries. Full disclosure, I've only read the four of the original novels and the three House books. I tried to read the Butlerian Jihad but couldn't get into it, same with Heretics of Dune. I did enjoy the House series, was enjoying Paul of Dune but I haven't finished it. The first three Dune novels were my favorite. It took me forever to read God Emperor of Dune, and Heretics didn't do anything for me. I just think I like the Paul Atreides era stories, from both Herberts. I don't think the Brian Herbert stories are as good or as deep as the Frank Herbert stories, but I think they are easier to read.
Recommended reading order:
1. Dune
2. Dune Messiah
3. Children of Dune
4. House Atreides
5. House Harkonnen
6. House Corrino
7. Paul of Dune
8. Winds of Dune
9. God Emperor of Dune
10. Butlerian Jihad
11. The Machine Crusade
12. The Battle of Corrin
13. Heretics of Dune
14. Chapterhouse Dune
15. Hunters of Dune
16. Sandworms of Dune
Q: I've read all the original books multiple times, and read a couple of the prequels (Butlerian Jihad). Do you think the new Paul of Dune and Winds of Dune should come before or after the House series? I'm much more interested in the original characters..
Duncan's a strange character. He's completely different depending on what book you're reading. In the first, he's kind of a swashbuckling type, in the second he's a weirded out Ghola/Mentat, in the third, he's a wise Ghola/Mentat, in the fourth, he goes back to how he was in one, in the fifth he's just a kid, and in the sixth, I forget. And despite the fact that he appears in all the books, I don't buy him as the main character of the series.
I am too and that's why I picked these up. Paul of Dune deals with Paul's reign up until he dies AND switches back and forth between Paul when he was a kid. He is telling stories to Irulan for his propaganda.
Winds of Dune takes place after Paul's death and the women trying to hold together AND has another young Paul subplot.
They have several characters introduced in the House series, but they can be read alone. Also, the House trilogy does feature many of the original characters: Leto, Jessica, Gurney, Shaddam, etc.
Are they any good? Would you say the new series is better or the House series?
I refuse to read any of the non-Frank Herbert Dune novels. To me the rest are just on the level of fan fiction - even if they are better written than most fan fiction.
Given the high quality of some fan fiction, I would dispute even that.
The House books are better. They're definitely grasping at straws for stories in these two books. While I like more stories set around Messiah/CoD... the young Paul stories are kind of boring.
Those novels mean nothing to me.
I've only read about half of Paul of Dune. I recommend reading the House series first because they are prequels to the original, first three Dune books (Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune). I enjoyed the House series. I thought Atreides was the best, Harkonnen the worst, and Corrino was a decent closer. However, you might like to read Paul and Wind first since they are in-between books.
