1725 Feels 2: Electric Boogaloo.

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Thomas, realizing that Carol is in a mood to continually escalate her flirting, bows out before he can’t stop himself from staying. I expect the interaction will follow him for the rest of the day. And probably Jo too, who is likely still within earshot, hiding.

I decided to use a book credit to get the Dune audiobook. I’ve never read the actual book. I’ve seen the movie a number of times and the tv series once as well, but never the text. Part of the reason I never read the book is because I was once forced to do a book report on Children Of Dune. I wasn’t able to read the prior books, or see the film, before that time, so it was boring and made very little sense at many points. I had no idea what the whole thing was about. My report ended up being an indictment of its pacing and tone and lack of explanation at any point of the minutia of the world. The book isn’t wrote to be read without having read the others. I don’t think there is a problem with that. But having been forced to jump in at this middle part made it a difficult read and very much soured me on the franchise until decades later.
One night the movie came on and I was working, so I didn’t bother to change the channel. I really enjoyed the weird structure and tone of the whole thing. Having listened to a few hours of the book I can see that they were trying very hard to be true to the text. Possibly too hard. It makes the movie a bizarre mish mosh of narration, dramatic asides, and rotating cast members, coated with a layer of pure 70s science fiction insanity. After that I read the better part of the Dune wiki and filled in all the gaps in the film. Later on I watched a tv series someone had uploaded to youtube. Which was fine, but lacked the heart of the film.
Anyway that leads us back around to now, where I decided to experience the actual book. I’ve sort of decided to get the audio of a few science fiction classics that I like over time. Just to see how much is different from the films. I’ll probably do Logan’s Run next. I love the movie and the TV series too to a lesser degree. After that I’m not sure. There are new Star Wars books, but I don’t know if I want the holes filled in with the original movies. With everything else the books add to the experience, but I find that stuff about the original trilogy characters read a lot more like fanfiction than official works. In any case I have time to worry about that later.

I’m not sure if I’ll listen to the Dune sequels. From reading the wiki it seems like the series loses its mind after the first book to a degree I won’t enjoy. I actually pretty clearly remember the first few chapers of Children of Dune so maybe it’s better than I’m giving it credit for out of spite.

44 Comments

The second Dune book was good. It falls off pretty quickly after that.

I bought the first Dune book back in the day. One of my Sergeants asked to borrow it for duty one night. I never saw it again.

Read it in science class in 8th grade. Now say it with me. He who controls the spice controls the universe

“And that day dawned when Arrakis lay at the hub of the universe, with the wheel poised to turn.”

Best. Quote. Ever.

I didn’t like the second Dune book and I hated the third. I never read fourth or later.

The book for Logan’s Run is different from the movie and IMHO not as good. It gets credit for inventing the basic idea of course but there are other books you could listen to that might be better. Here’s an example: in the movie, Box was a slightly crazed robot that was trying to fullfil its programming. Nobody was sending it food to freeze, but people started showing up did it froze them. Well in the book it just liked to true torture and kill people, no reason given. “Torture is also a fine art and I am its master.”. I didn’t like this. But there was a Sanctuary and Logan and Jessica found it, and didn’t blow up the city computer.

I really do need to read that book.

The Dune movies are fun, but there’s so much going on in people’s minds in the books that they don’t really translate. The movies represent the actual world VERY well, though.

Yep Dune books suck and Logan’s run movie is so out there. Its like watching a whole lifetime unfold in a single movie. Dune reads like liturgy + history lesson.

It reads that way because that’s exactly what it is.

And it’s amazing… if you’re into that. I very much am. If you’re not that’s fine, but that doesn’t make the books suck. It makes them not to your taste. There’s a difference. :)

Well made point – I had not realized that at the time but now that you point it out it does make more sense out of the story telling style.

I personally hated how the not so good Baron was depicted in the movie – Hollywood cop-out + Hollywood sensibilities – That plus it seemed everywhere in the Galaxy everyone dressed so dark dour and ready for the desert – also the still suits were stupid. [continues engineering + science + story rant against the movie]

Fair enough. I do just recall the main reason I stopped was I disagreed with too many philosophical ideas the author introduced. Can’t suspend disbelief if you can’t even agree on the logic.

Much as I like Dune, the Litany Against Fear takes on a whole new meaning if you know what “little death” is a French euphemism for…

i have to disagree with a lot of peoples Dune thoughts. my first book was ‘God Emperor of Dune’, and i loved it, and it made me go back an read the first 3. #1 was vey good, 2 &3 were slower, but they continued the story….. after God Emperor, they’re slow again, you really have to wanna read them… (i liked the prequels too, but again, better in Audio version). Audio book is the best choice. Speaking of books, different then the movies, i’d recommend. “Star Wars” by George Lucas, Star Trek 4: the voyage home, Dracula by Bram Stoker, All the Harry Potter Books, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
good luck. (audio books rule).
Shadow

Funnily enough, most people I talk to think that God Emperor is the slowest of the six, and it definitely gets criticized the most. It’s my favorite as well, though. I guess I empathize with Leto and find the contrast between what he’s doing and how he’s doing it fascinating.

All I’ve seen/read of Dune is the movie with Patrick Stewart in it, which I enjoyed, and I want to read the books, but I’m a completionist, and I’ve heard that after he passed, Frank Herbert’s son took over and his stuff is garbage, so I don’t think I’ll do that to myself.

From a hardcore Dune fan: just read the six real Dune Chronicles. The novels that Brian H. and KJA wrote don’t count. They just don’t.

Herbert is a very good author in that you can stop at the end of any of the books and not feel like the saga is incomplete. Which is good because he died about a third of the way through number 7. :(

I’ve read all six of the Dune Chronicles about 15 times (literally), so let me take a second to address the negative reactions of my fellow readers. Let me start by saying that I totally understand when people don’t like books 2 through 6, even though I adore them.

The Dune Chronicles are not just a science fiction yarn. The sci-fi (which gets pretty freaking awesome in books 5 and 6 if you can get that far) is also a medium through which Frank Herbert wrote about philosophy, theology (in the general sense), sociology, and so forth. In other words, the books are written at a very high intellectual level, and it takes a lot of thought to pick out all the different things going on. Herbert is also a big fan of world-building by fragmentary exposition. He does it very well, but again it puts the onus on the reader to extrapolate the world from the bits and pieces.

I don’t think an audiobook is the way to go for 2 through 6. Should be fine for “Dune.” You’ll be reading and rereading passages a lot, easier in print. Another thing to know is that 2 and 3 follow directly on from 1, but 4 jumps forward a couple thousand years, and 5 and 6 jump forward a few thousand more. Knowing that in advance will help.

If you take the time to dive into the novels and accept them at their own level, they’re some of the best prose ever written IMO. The six books are probably the single biggest formative influence on my personal worldview, for whatever that’s worth.

A man needs to know his limitations.

…and another Knights of the Dinner Table reference, “monkeyboy.” Awesome!

Another bit of SciFi crossed with Hollywood into a Movie that was actually good is ….
Movie – Bladerunner
Book – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Here is the funny thing, even the movie is a solid story arc – well except for the tacked on tacky ending which is not really from the book at all – covers at most a third of the book at the middle of the story.

The beginning of the book sets a whole lot more background to the world shown in the movie and has some interesting story elements and puts a whole new twist on the story depicted in the movie. The last bits of the book elaborate on some of the points that were skimmed over in the movie. The ending is a true mix of yin-yang with both positive and negative elements.

The R.E.M. hit from the album Document would be a very appropriate closing theme

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD-

For the Blade Runner [ film ], you might like this version of BR, if you haven’t seen it already:

There is a 1991, 116 min. version of Blade Runner, which removes a lot of things from the main-stream version of the film.

Such as- it doesn’t have the [tacked on “happy” ending], that the director didn’t want in the film.

The name of this version of the film is: “Scott’s Director’s Cut”.

I read the first Dune book when it was serialized in Analog. I still have those six issues around somewhere, with their amazing cover art.

The book takes hold in a different way when you have to wait a month between each of the six monthly installments.

You have renewed my worshiping of Carol, Crave.
May the goddess blessings be infinite upon you, my good man.

I feel the too many feels is not the response Thomas would actually give here, seems a very odd response to be said by ANYONE to be honest

He’s specifically referencing something that happened moments ago; calling back Jo’s previous response, which fits her idiom. It makes perfect sense.

Strangely enough, Carol is not actually “fit to be tied” here …

I wonder if her rein of terror will end now? If knot, I wonder who is the next victim she’ll rope in …

Even on my first read through Dune, I was taken aback at the contrast between the dignified and thoughtful commentary in the excerpts from Princess Irulan’s books, which headed the chapters, and the disgraceful way he treats her at the end. Also, on further consideration, I realised that the ecology of Arrakis makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

Yep! Political marriages; perhaps better defined as binding alliances; rarely if ever made with love.

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