Thoughts on...........Dune
Since I am reading "Hunters of Dune", it is an appropriate time for some comments about the entire Dune series.
I believe that "Dune" is the science-fiction equivalent of the "Lord of the Rings." It is an amazing story with original and memorable characters. It is a vision of a distant future which is crafted with real foresight and deep thought. How would humans and human society evolve if, at some point we decided to do less with computers and truly forced ourselves to use our brains and our innate abilities more? And what if, over many generations, these abilities were carefully bred to increase their potentcy, at the same time the training for the human mind was refined in many areas.
The essence of the story: thousands of years in the future, mankind has banned 'thinking machines' and learned to live without them. A mysterious order of women (the Bene Gesserit) have been carefully breeding bloodlines for years to create a super being - and they think that person might be young Paul Atridies. In a galaxy organized along feudal lines (an emperor and royal family rule everyone with Dukes and Barons running solar systems), Paul's family is assigned to the most important planet of all - Dune. Dune is the source of a spice which has amazing properties - it allows some to see the future, unlock super abilities, move spacecraft long distances through space, etc. Soon Paul is thrown into a whirlwind of intrigue and assassination....
The books so far:
1) "Dune". The original. If you want to read a great book, just read this one. You don't have to read the whole series. Brilliant and creative.
2) "Dune Messiah" - takes the plot from the first book and attempts to explain why some things happened - shows the deeper plans and motivations behind the action of the first book.
3) "Children of Dune" - Paul's children come into their own amazing powers.
4) "God Emperor of Dune" - Paul's son Leto II becomes the God Emperor and reigns over the galaxy for three thousand years.... This was honestly my least favorite of the series. But it is still worth reading.
5) "Heretics of Dune" - Much more like the first book - multiple factions fighting for power and survival - making alliances, double-crossing each other, etc.
6) "Chapterhouse Dune" - A continuation of the events and characters from "Heretics" - new enemies arrive and none can oppose them.
7) "Hunters of Dune"
I have read some of the prequel books by Brian Herbert and I just don't enjoy them nearly as much as I do the original series. They seem to lack a depth and intensity that the original books had. Brian Herbert's Dune prequels seem to be ordinary sci-fi space opera stuff - and not the great, visionary writing of his father.
I believe that "Dune" is the science-fiction equivalent of the "Lord of the Rings." It is an amazing story with original and memorable characters. It is a vision of a distant future which is crafted with real foresight and deep thought. How would humans and human society evolve if, at some point we decided to do less with computers and truly forced ourselves to use our brains and our innate abilities more? And what if, over many generations, these abilities were carefully bred to increase their potentcy, at the same time the training for the human mind was refined in many areas.
The essence of the story: thousands of years in the future, mankind has banned 'thinking machines' and learned to live without them. A mysterious order of women (the Bene Gesserit) have been carefully breeding bloodlines for years to create a super being - and they think that person might be young Paul Atridies. In a galaxy organized along feudal lines (an emperor and royal family rule everyone with Dukes and Barons running solar systems), Paul's family is assigned to the most important planet of all - Dune. Dune is the source of a spice which has amazing properties - it allows some to see the future, unlock super abilities, move spacecraft long distances through space, etc. Soon Paul is thrown into a whirlwind of intrigue and assassination....
The books so far:
1) "Dune". The original. If you want to read a great book, just read this one. You don't have to read the whole series. Brilliant and creative.
2) "Dune Messiah" - takes the plot from the first book and attempts to explain why some things happened - shows the deeper plans and motivations behind the action of the first book.
3) "Children of Dune" - Paul's children come into their own amazing powers.
4) "God Emperor of Dune" - Paul's son Leto II becomes the God Emperor and reigns over the galaxy for three thousand years.... This was honestly my least favorite of the series. But it is still worth reading.
5) "Heretics of Dune" - Much more like the first book - multiple factions fighting for power and survival - making alliances, double-crossing each other, etc.
6) "Chapterhouse Dune" - A continuation of the events and characters from "Heretics" - new enemies arrive and none can oppose them.
7) "Hunters of Dune"
I have read some of the prequel books by Brian Herbert and I just don't enjoy them nearly as much as I do the original series. They seem to lack a depth and intensity that the original books had. Brian Herbert's Dune prequels seem to be ordinary sci-fi space opera stuff - and not the great, visionary writing of his father.
posted by John Ringer at
1:43 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home