Dune - The Book and the 1984 film *spoilers for both*

[The Wormhole]

and I'm not sure they got Stilgar right *either* time but I liked the Dune guy a bit better.

The actor from the first mini at least kind of looks like Stilgar as he's described in the books. Steven Berkoff, as great an actor as he is, doesn't. Still, Berkoff has a really cool scene in Children of Dune, even if it is really out of character for Stilgar when he goes all over the top and says "have the men summon WORMS!"

 

[InklingStar]

I saw the Children of Dune mini before reading the books. Then I read the books and watched the first mini. I still have not seen the Lynch film - it just sounds too strange. Weirding modules...

The books are great. I am not sure how anyone could film God Emperor, since two thirds of it is simply dialogue, but I would watch it.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I only hope they do all 4 original books next time.

Herbert wrote 6 Dune novels before his death:
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune

 

[DalekJim]

I thought the guy playing Gurney in the miniseries was a pretty bad actor. I also disliked that they completely changed Paul's character. He's a total whining bratt for most of the movie.

 

[FPAlpha]

Dune is one of my absolute most favourite novels, and certainly the book I've read the most. I recommend reading the sequels, although Dune Messiah is pretty underwhelming. God Emperor of Dune is hated but I thought it was terrific.

I have the second and third books, and just as soon as I finish 'World War Z' I intend to read them.

The David Lynch movie is solid dumb fun, even though it doesn't really do the story justice or explore the concept of a messiah being deconstructed. Which is y'know, probably the biggest theme of the entire novel.

I enjoyed the movie for what it was. I didn't even mention the "Lynchian" additions in the movie, but I didn't quite mind them too much. Except for the way they turned the "Weirding Way" into a laser gun. That seemed like a desperate attempt to bring in the Star Wars crowd.

God i hated that part.

The book easily explained the power of the Fremen in a simple scene when Thufir Hawat talks with Baron Harkonnen about them.
Fremen grow up in one of the harshest environment known to mankind where they have to fight for their life each day and they manage to thrive in that environment. That's it.. simple but a really powerful explanation.

That sonic gun, as cool as it may have been, doesn't compare to the book at all and with a little imagination and some good writing you could show that. Of course that may not be as flashy as the sonic gun which is the most likely reason it was included in the movie to explain why Fremen are so strong.

 

[Takeru]

I have the second and third books, and just as soon as I finish 'World War Z' I intend to read them.

After you read them you should also read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse too. God Emperor was weird when I read it for the first time, I almost gave up, don't make that mistake, it's incredible. Heretics and Chapterhouse are great too and unlike many others I don't mind the ending.

Don't bother with the prequels, sequels and interquels written by Brian Herbert and kevin J. Anderson, they're so inferior it's not even funny. The Prelude to Dune trilogy has some nice moments but it feels like an alternate universe and the story could have been told in one novel, it didn't have to be a trilogy.
The Legnds of Dune trilogy takes the legend of the Buthlerian Jihad and turns it into nothing but a set-up for Brian Herbert's sequel to Chapterhouse, a shitty ending that really doesn't feel like it's ending the story Frank Herbert started.

I didn't even touch the books taking place between Dune and Dune Messiah, I've had enough of Brian Herbert's and Anderson's horrible prose, lack of imagination and disrespect for Frank Herbert's work.

 

[Shawnster]

I didn't even touch the books taking place between Dune and Dune Messiah, I've had enough of Brian Herbert's and Anderson's horrible prose, lack of imagination and disrespect for Frank Herbert's work.

I had enough of Kevin J Anderson after his second Star Wars novel that I never picked up any of his other books again. He's one of the reasons I stopped reading Star Wars and Star Trek novels altogether - the bad authors seemed to get contracts over and over again.

 

[Anachronus]

No offense to Patrick Stewart, of course, but P. H. Moriarty is easily the better Gurney Halleck.

Dude, are you smoking your hair or something?

Much as I love Patrick Stewart, I just don't think he's right for the role.

This may be influenced by my seeing the mini first, of course.

Now, Brad Dourif as Piter was much better than the mini's version.

And for me Lynch's Bene Gesserit were much better. No one can top Sian Phillips.

 

[Aldo]

I have the second and third books, and just as soon as I finish 'World War Z' I intend to read them.

After you read them you should also read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse too. God Emperor was weird when I read it for the first time, I almost gave up, don't make that mistake, it's incredible. Heretics and Chapterhouse are great too and unlike many others I don't mind the ending.

I do intend to read all of Herbert's Dune books eventually, I was merely pointing out that I have the second and third ones on hand Incidentally I also have Chapterhouse: Dune. Picked those three up at a thrift shop actually.

Brian Herbert's sequel to Chapterhouse, a shitty ending that really doesn't feel like it's ending the story Frank Herbert started.

Not surprising. I had a similar experience when attempting to read Eoin Colfer's '...And Another Thing.' The supposed sixth entry in the "Hitchhiker's Trilogy." I got about halfway in before I couldn't make it any farther and put the book down.

 

[JoeZhang]

I didn't even touch the books taking place between Dune and Dune Messiah, I've had enough of Brian Herbert's and Anderson's horrible prose, lack of imagination and disrespect for Frank Herbert's work.

I had enough of Kevin J Anderson after his second Star Wars novel that I never picked up any of his other books again. He's one of the reasons I stopped reading Star Wars and Star Trek novels altogether - the bad authors seemed to get contracts over and over again.

I can't remember the name of one I read it had endless battles in space and read like a bad Star Wars novel it most certainly wasn't any Dune I understood, never touched another.

 

[Hound of UIster]

God i hated that part.

The book easily explained the power of the Fremen in a simple scene when Thufir Hawat talks with Baron Harkonnen about them.
Fremen grow up in one of the harshest environment known to mankind where they have to fight for their life each day and they manage to thrive in that environment. That's it.. simple but a really powerful explanation.

I never understood why Lynch never used this explanation.

I have the second and third books, and just as soon as I finish 'World War Z' I intend to read them.

After you read them you should also read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse too. God Emperor was weird when I read it for the first time, I almost gave up, don't make that mistake, it's incredible. Heretics and Chapterhouse are great too and unlike many others I don't mind the ending.

Don't bother with the prequels, sequels and interquels written by Brian Herbert and kevin J. Anderson, they're so inferior it's not even funny. The Prelude to Dune trilogy has some nice moments but it feels like an alternate universe and the story could have been told in one novel, it didn't have to be a trilogy.
The Legnds of Dune trilogy takes the legend of the Buthlerian Jihad and turns it into nothing but a set-up for Brian Herbert's sequel to Chapterhouse, a shitty ending that really doesn't feel like it's ending the story Frank Herbert started.

They had pretty much admitted they had no idea what Herbert had planned. The two thinking machines as the final villains was the best those hacks could do. Whatever ideas Herbert really had, he took to the grave sadly.

 

[DalekJim]

I think it's clear Lynch didn't really understand the novel, as the film misses the point of all the major themes. The Fremen win because... they have the best guns? Paul... actually is a supernatural messiah that can make it rain?

Wait, wouldn't rain kill the sandworms and stop the spice flow, ruining the galaxy?

Love the movie but it's a bad adaptation.

 

[DalekJim]

They had pretty much admitted they had no idea what Herbert had planned. The two thinking machines as the final villains was the best those hacks could do.

I am convinced Frank Herbert intended the thinking machines to be the final villains. The finale Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson gave to the series was sloppy, mediocre, and largely forgettable, but it's nowhere near as bad as a lot of the stuff they've done since.

The series is being milked to death. Though to be fair, it was like that when Frank was doing the books. The first, second, and third books all have endings intended to never be continued. He kept returning to his best money maker.

 

[Set Harth]

I thought the guy playing Gurney in the miniseries was a pretty bad actor.

When I first laid eyes on him, I was like, where did they find this guy? I thought he looked like he had just been rousted out of a bar after drinking all night and hustled to the set. Years later I realized it was Hatchet Harry!

The first, second, and third books all have endings intended to never be continued.

IIRC Herbert claimed that part of the third book was written before the first was completed, for whatever that's worth.

 

[kirk55555]

They had pretty much admitted they had no idea what Herbert had planned. The two thinking machines as the final villains was the best those hacks could do.

I am convinced Frank Herbert intended the thinking machines to be the final villains. The finale Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson gave to the series was sloppy, mediocre, and largely forgettable, but it's nowhere near as bad as a lot of the stuff they've done since.

The series is being milked to death. Though to be fair, it was like that when Frank was doing the books. The first, second, and third books all have endings intended to never be continued. He kept returning to his best money maker.

While they weren't as good as the first 3 books, I like all of the main Dune series, including the books by his son. Also, the House atreides/Harkonnen/Corino books were great, and Paul of Dune/Winds of Dune were decent (although for some reason I don't remember Winds of Dune very well). That said, I couldn't get through even 100 pages of The Butlerian Jihad books and I won't read Sisterhood of Dune. I've been thinking of rereading the Dune series (in chronological order of the stories, not counting short stories, The Butlerian Jihad or sisterhood of Dune books). When I first read them, I read the first 4 books then eventually the others (although I accidentally skipped Chapterhouse Dune, which made it weird reading the latter books ). The series is really good, its one of my favorites.

 

[arch101]

I only hope they do all 4 original books next time.

Herbert wrote 6 Dune novels before his death:
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune

I know, I've read them all. I just feel that the first 4 books are more closely linked than the last 2, regardless of Idaho clones.

 

[DalekJim]

While they weren't as good as the first 3 books, I like all of the main Dune series, including the books by his son.

Am I the only one that thinks Dune Messiah is by far the weakest of Frank Herbert's Dune books? The second book is incredibly stripped down and simplistic in comparison to the first. It's still a good book, but it felt really cookie-cutter compared to the original. Nothing is examined in-depth and the main story is incredibly stream-lined and short. Got some terrific quotes though, and is better than the majority of sci-fi literature out there.

The series is really good, its one of my favorites.

Here I agree. The first book changed my life in quite a profound manner. It opened my mind considerably to the the complex relationships between nature, history, politics, religion, philosophy and technology. I remember the good old days of munching on drugs, going for walks through the English countryside and listening to the first book on audio. A profoundly spiritual experience.

The second best book of the series is God Emperor of Dune, which is also an off-beat masterpiece. The rest of the series is great but not quite as impressive. On the strength of books 1 and 4 alone though, Frank Herbert is second only to Robert Heinlein as the king of my sci-fi bookshelf.

 

[kirk55555]

I like the first 3 books about equally. God emperor is probably my least favorite of the main series. I still think its a good book, but it was a bit of an awkward transition in timeframe to me. The first 3 books took place in a few decades, then suddenly its 1000 years later and Leto has become a giant worm dictator. It just felt weird to me. Of course, it got weirder after that, but for some reason God Emperor is just the book I like a little less than the others. still, I've only read it once (unlike the first three books, which I've read a lot) so with my rereading the series I might feel differently about it.

 

[The Wormhole]

And for me Lynch's Bene Gesserit were much better

I don't know, I think Lynch took the "witch" nickname for the Bene Gesserit a bit too literally when developing their look.

 

[Aldo]

I enjoy talking about everyones thoughts on Dune, it's making me really want to jump right into Dune Messiah, and I will shortly, almost done with World War Z.

I'd like to make a request though: While I in no way would attempt to stifle any conversation, if you're going to discuss plot points from the other books besides Dune, could you at least spoiler code it please? I'd like to find certain things out on my own