Posted on 02/02/2015 3:27:28 PM PST by Perdogg
I apologize for the vanity, but I know that FR is a community of avid readers. Last year, I read "The Hobbit", "The Lord of The Rings" and "The Silmarillion".
I read that Arthur C Clarke referred to "Dune" as 'The Lord of the Rings' of Science Fiction.
What are Freepers opinion of Dune (the book not the movie) and should I continue with the sequels? I saw the film 30 years ago, I remember receiving a sheet with a primmer at the movie theatre after buying a ticket.
also, is there a Gothic horror equivalent to "Dune" of "Lord of the Rings"?
It's West Virginia, and the 1600s, but I think you mean this: 1632
That link is for a free ebook of the first book in the series. It is excellent. I think 1633 is also available for free download. The entire series is more reading material than you can shake a stick at, so giving you the 1st two books for free is kind of like any good drug dealer. (The first hit is free).
I recommend the original and the first two sequels. After that, it’s a lot more hit-and-miss.
What are your opinions of the novels by Jean M. Auel . . . the Earth’s Children series?
My wife bought this as one big ebook that contained all 6 novels.
When I ran out of other reading material, I picked it up.
OMG, what a tremendous waste of time. Hours and hours of my life that I will never get back.
When I finished it, (I'd been forcing myself to continue for some time because I figured there just had to be a decent payoff at the end), I sat back and just said "What????? Really??? This is the point of the entire series?????"
Women love it, I guess because there is a lot of sex in the later books. I just couldn't understand why this book had a following.
That is my situation . . . I have the books so feel I ought to at least read them. I am reading Diana Gabaldan’s Outlander series which I am really enjoying . . . though it often seems like the same story being retold with different scenarios.
I am also reading W.E.B. Griffin’s ‘Men At War’ series which I like.
I confess I watch the series
It plays like a chick tear jerker quasi erotica time traveler romance novel
The scenery and cast are perfect
Captain Randall being the scene stealer
Lots of nudity and sexual tinged brutality but very very little PC
lots of posters here detest nudity so they are forewarned
But no queer crap so far thank God
I couldn’t watch Gladiator and FF those gratuitous GOT scenes
I’m not sure the book though
I just fell into Outlander late at night when my family are all asleep
It’s fun
That scene where he spanks her bare ass for running off and getting caught was hilarious even if likely historically inaccurate
For a comely model the actress portraying Claire holds her own
Dune was a decently good read. The sequels left a lot to be desired.
I did not know that they had created a TV series of the book. I’ll have to look it up.
Stop at “Dune Messiah”. Whatever you do don’t read the never ending “Lord God Help Us Another Sequel To Dune”.
You might try the National Lampoon “Doon”. It’s much better than most of the sequels.
I would like to see Dune Messiah made into a movie.
I’m sure the loss is all mine, but I’ve never been able to get into “Dune”.
I am into “Children of Dune” now. I love the audiobooks (audible). I can listen in NoVa traffic on the way to and fro work. I have listened to narration so much that when I read, I can still hear the voice of the narrator.
I wonder who ‘stole’ more from the Dune Series - George Lucas or George R. R. Martin.
I have read Dune at least 5 times. It always holds my interest. The 2 sequels are good as well. Through last 2 sequel books...not so much.
Also. If you can find the Scio channel miniseries of Dune and Children of Dune...it follows the books pretty darn well.
Lucas stole primarily from the Hidden Fortress and John Carter. And Martin is primarily stealing from European history. But certainly Dune is an instruction manual for writing a HUGE story.
Lucas
George R. R. Martin took more from English history (Red Wedding) and mythology than Dune.
The Star Wars I think is more a mix of Westerns, Buddhism and standard coming of age that turned into “slap everything together and add fantasy” after the first three movies (episodes four thru six).
Don’t bother with the Dune series books not written by Frank Herbert. His son resorts to “ghost in the machine” coincidences, fantastical scenarios and outright rewrites of the original books’ timeline.
Examples:
* the founders of the Bene Gesserit are capable of essentially magic, with one woman under torture essentially reforming herself transporter style
* in the sequels to “Chapterhouse Dune”, utterly brilliant characters make mistakes that an average reader knows are stupid
* wrote books with backhistory of Jessica and Duke Atredies that alter established facts given in the original book like “her business courses were a major reason the Duke’s buyers selected her”
* in his latest sequels to Chapterhouse Dunes with Sheena and Duncan Idaho, he brings back the big baddie from his prequel books. Really? You can’t come up with aliens or a super-advanced human race or Scattering version of the Thelaxiue with better advancements driven by competition but THAT?
I don't know. The sequels decreased incrementally in quality, but by reading through to the end of God Emperor, at least I got the feeling of a story brought to completion.
I agree that the fifth and sixth books in the series were unnecessary. I found them quite tedious. I don't know whether I want to read the series co-written by Herbert's son.
I loved Dune and recommend it highly.
The sequels? Awful. Good only if you take a lot of drugs.
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