I like the idea that Herbert sort of became uninterested in Paul and the Fremen in the back third of the book, and instead focused on the increasingly interesting Harkonnen and Count Fenring. Maybe that's exactly what happened!
When I read the book, I'm reading it for the tastes of the rest of the universe - the Imperial court, the Landsraad (sp?), those fanatical troops the protect the emperor, and above all, all the cool characters (Fenring being number one) that don't get enough page-time. I'm bored with Paul as soon as he becomes Prophet Too-Serious and with Dune as soon as everyone starts riding around on dragons. Er, worms.
audible dune is good. I liked hearing it. Listening to God Emperor again was interesting. Reading Chapterhouse Dune a few years ago was awesome though. A great book.
I just recently read Dune for the first time, after sitting on my reading list for many years. This post pretty much nails my reaction--on the whole it was an enjoyable and easy read, but it left me wanting a lot more details on many aspects of the characters and the world.
Felt the same re-reading the series. The first book is often where people end their journey into Arrakis, and it's by far the least interesting book (in my opinion). Book 2 and 3 expand all the character work dramatically (no pun intended), and 4-6 are massive when it comes to the religious and philosophical aspects of Herbert.
That said, it's really not for everyone I guess, and I don't mean that in a snobbish "either you get it or you don't" way. On the contrary, you have to find this interesting, just like there's lots of stuff I don't find interesting in life, there'll be plenty of people that will find this to be mumbo jumbo and nonsense. But if you do like mysticism, philosophy, religious control and scifi mixed with supernatural abilities, it's awesome :)
I finished the book a day ago and found many of the elipsis to be to rough too. I might be wrong but i remember Herbert was working on the 3 books at the same time. So my theory is that the abrupt final of Dune is more natural when you consider it a elipsis in the middle of the thrilogy -still not a good thing, but makes sense.
Dune is an amazing story but also an excuse to talk about phisolophy and mysticism.
A topic that is in all the book but even more in the later part is the idea of the instinct of the specie, the energy that cannot be stop, is in the genes and take the form of the Yihad. It makes me remember the philosophy of George Bataille, the idea that societies accumulate energy and need to spend in something joyful and useless or expand and sometimes in a very awful way.
I like the idea that Herbert sort of became uninterested in Paul and the Fremen in the back third of the book, and instead focused on the increasingly interesting Harkonnen and Count Fenring. Maybe that's exactly what happened!
When I read the book, I'm reading it for the tastes of the rest of the universe - the Imperial court, the Landsraad (sp?), those fanatical troops the protect the emperor, and above all, all the cool characters (Fenring being number one) that don't get enough page-time. I'm bored with Paul as soon as he becomes Prophet Too-Serious and with Dune as soon as everyone starts riding around on dragons. Er, worms.
audible dune is good. I liked hearing it. Listening to God Emperor again was interesting. Reading Chapterhouse Dune a few years ago was awesome though. A great book.
I just recently read Dune for the first time, after sitting on my reading list for many years. This post pretty much nails my reaction--on the whole it was an enjoyable and easy read, but it left me wanting a lot more details on many aspects of the characters and the world.
Felt the same re-reading the series. The first book is often where people end their journey into Arrakis, and it's by far the least interesting book (in my opinion). Book 2 and 3 expand all the character work dramatically (no pun intended), and 4-6 are massive when it comes to the religious and philosophical aspects of Herbert.
That said, it's really not for everyone I guess, and I don't mean that in a snobbish "either you get it or you don't" way. On the contrary, you have to find this interesting, just like there's lots of stuff I don't find interesting in life, there'll be plenty of people that will find this to be mumbo jumbo and nonsense. But if you do like mysticism, philosophy, religious control and scifi mixed with supernatural abilities, it's awesome :)
Thanks for the review! Very much agree with it.
I finished the book a day ago and found many of the elipsis to be to rough too. I might be wrong but i remember Herbert was working on the 3 books at the same time. So my theory is that the abrupt final of Dune is more natural when you consider it a elipsis in the middle of the thrilogy -still not a good thing, but makes sense.
Dune is an amazing story but also an excuse to talk about phisolophy and mysticism.
A topic that is in all the book but even more in the later part is the idea of the instinct of the specie, the energy that cannot be stop, is in the genes and take the form of the Yihad. It makes me remember the philosophy of George Bataille, the idea that societies accumulate energy and need to spend in something joyful and useless or expand and sometimes in a very awful way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accursed_Share
I think it might be of interest. No idea if Herbert actually read Batailler, but the similarities are important.