Dune series: worth reading?

Tim Murray said:
The prequels by Brian Herbert are written well and lays out the foundation on which Dune is based on. One of the major points they clarify is the rift between house Atreides and Harkonnen. I won't give it away, but it is steeped in rumor too deep to find the truth. They also explain where their tech came from and the major orders, ie:the mentats...
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Didn't Brian retcon a load of stuff - like the Bene Gesserit being telepaths and a load of other continuity issues? A couple of friends of mine are Dune nuts and think all of the Brian Herbert stuff is really bad.

I have read the first 3 in the series and do intend to read the last 3. The first book is one of my favourite books of all time.

Also I have a 1st print 1st edition 1981 Hardcopy of God Emperor of Dune :)
 
SilentRoamer said:
Didn't Brian retcon a load of stuff - like the Bene Gesserit being telepaths and a load of other continuity issues? A couple of friends of mine are Dune nuts and think all of the Brian Herbert stuff is really bad.

I have read the first 3 in the series and do intend to read the last 3. The first book is one of my favourite books of all time.

Also I have a 1st print 1st edition 1981 Hardcopy of God Emperor of Dune :)
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I don't know about the lifting issues. I like to know about the entire history of a series. Brian, being the son of Frank had the rights to his fathers works. Aside from that, when I read the original Dune series again, I see it in a different light, knowing why things are the way they are. I have a 1985 hardcover 1st edition of Chapter house Dune, (which sucks, IMO) and a 1st edition of The Silmarillion, by Tolkien. It cost me $12 the first time I bought it in the 70's, and almost $70 to replace it a few years ago.

I'm into first editions when my measly income allows it. The next one on the list is, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, by Tolkien, written in the early sixties. The last time I checked, an affordable soft cover copy started at $350. Happy reading and writing!
 
Ray McCarthy said:
I think the first book is best, IMO the original series then goes downhill. I only read one of Brian's additions.
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Quite right, mate, I couldn't get through Chapter house Dune, got disinterested in the first chapters. Frank Herbert wrote another called "The white Plague." Set in modern day on the Emerald Islands. (I think) It's about a chemist who wreaks revenge. I liked it and think it's worth checking out.
 
Yes it is .

And so is the prequel series by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson.(y)
 
Just re-reading Dune. Not yet tackled the sequels. Dune is good, although a sprawling mess in places. And I had forgotten how much Herbert head hops even within single scenes. I also forgot his preference for not using chapters, the whole thing just a series of scenes split into three chunks.

But, like Asimov's Foundation, I think the appeal is the scale of the ideas.
 
There's too many of them, in my opinion. And some seem like a real waste of time, like GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE.

I first saw Herbert in an issue of Astounding,, with I story I think was called "Sea Change"--anyway, it was an underwater story with a lot of quiet scientific observations in it, which were kind of explosive really when you thought about them.
 
I've heart the complaints about the later books are that they are too political. But I'm a history/politics student and I love political machinations in my Sci Fi. Do you guys think I'd enjoy even if others didn't?
 
I don't know with all that royalty if that could be called politics. There are certainly machinations in them, though--enough to mash all the characters involved.
 
I have only read Dune and would thoroughly recommend it.

I have heard people say that only the first three books were worth reading.
 
Frank Herbert was a great writer, and most anything he wrote was worthwhile - Dune or not. Heretics and Chapterhouse seem like they get a lot of poor reviews, but they are fascinating stories in their own right with some really interesting action. I've read all six at least 3 times and have read Dune maybe 5 times. You really have to be particularly critical to not view all of it as about as good as sci fi gets.

Brian Herbert deserves a spanking. That stuff is crap.
 
RX-79G said:
Frank Herbert was a great writer, and most anything he wrote was worthwhile - Dune or not. Heretics and Chapterhouse seem like they get a lot of poor reviews, but they are fascinating stories in their own right with some really interesting action. I've read all six at least 3 times and have read Dune maybe 5 times. You really have to be particularly critical to not view all of it as about as good as sci fi gets.

Brian Herbert deserves a spanking flogging. That stuff is crap.
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FTFY.
 
Dune is a classic. I read it 3 or 4 times between the ages of 12 and 18. Dune Messiah is very good. Children of Dune is okay. Couldn't finish God-Emperor of Dune.
 
I finished reading Dune last summer. I have to admit, it was a huge undertaking. Nobody has for the most part designed a way to clearly read through, unlike say Lord of the Rings, so I read it with no prior knowledge.

I loved the damn thing. Nonetheless, my next read through of the book is probably going to be more thorough and informative, as I will be visiting the appendix for information and lore behind the book. The best part, if you don't pay attention to any of the lore, are the *SPOILERS*....

giant worms that they ride.
 
I have always looked at Dune as a stand alone novel and it stands up well to repeat readings.
 
Rodders said:
I have always looked at Dune as a stand alone novel and it stands up well to repeat readings.
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it's one of those books that you have to read multiple times to get it down. I'm looking forward to my second read through of it. :D
 
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