tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post7119359593243902162..comments2024-03-17T00:00:13.417+00:00Comments on The Wertzone: The Winds of Dune...or should that be hot air?Adam Whiteheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-75680655876428412322017-09-06T15:58:55.348+00:002017-09-06T15:58:55.348+00:00An old article, but an excellent article. Especial...An old article, but an excellent article. Especially those last two paragraphs.Potulný rytier zemplínskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13922722429784879717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-9460506759969825292016-10-19T11:31:01.513+00:002016-10-19T11:31:01.513+00:00Thank you Adam Whitehead for helping me come to th...Thank you Adam Whitehead for helping me come to the conclusion to never read KJA and BH books on Dune and for the detailed information on what happened to turn Dune into Dung! God Blesses you!<br />AmonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-1112119696802377342009-12-22T10:10:57.885+00:002009-12-22T10:10:57.885+00:00"full trilogy on the life-cycle of a Caladani..."full trilogy on the life-cycle of a Caladanian mollusc before we are done"<br /><br />hell yeah! I'm up toit! just gimme some "notes" of Frank Herbert and I can start!Allanonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-69395733610869388352009-08-21T15:34:29.255+00:002009-08-21T15:34:29.255+00:00I remember trying House Atreides when it first cam...I remember trying House Atreides when it first came out, thinking and hoping this might be something near the quality of Christopher Tolkein's efforts. I threw the book away half-way through it. It was so badly written, I was astonished that any editor would have accepted it for publication. It read like a first-draft attempt by a junior-high-school-kid for a writing assignment in English class. In fact, I think there are a good many junior high school kids who could easily write prose better than that.<br /><br />I think it also is a sad commentary on the literary IQ of the average reading public that books written so poorly actually sell. I cannot imagine how anyone could read such bad writing and make it more than a few chapters without putting the book down and walking away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-63434907947093555712009-08-21T12:46:45.035+00:002009-08-21T12:46:45.035+00:00I love the original six Dune books, and re-read th...I love the original six Dune books, and re-read them all maybe every eighteen months at most. My car sports Dune-inspired vanity plates.<br /><br />When I heard that notes for Dune 7 had turned up, I really hoped that they'd eventually publish the notes. I'm still waiting for that, hoping against hope.<br /><br />I read BH&KJA's Houses trilogy via the library, refusing to give it any money, and was a little more disappointed than I had expected to be, but not furiously offended. I can't bring myself to read the others. Just checking their wikipedia pages is enough to bring my rage to a simmering boil. They really need to stop.Dan Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00894953005632382940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-21169635166657515122009-08-19T15:16:46.247+00:002009-08-19T15:16:46.247+00:00I totally agree with you!
I wish they would releas...I totally agree with you!<br />I wish they would release the original notes from Frank Herbert to the public, but I guess that's never going to happen.George B. Mogahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13619656378366308760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-24630286158774236312009-08-16T04:29:57.816+00:002009-08-16T04:29:57.816+00:00I'll add one more thing to my last comment. Th...I'll add one more thing to my last comment. The thing that really bugs me about the Dune prequels (and now sequels, inter-sequels and tote bags, etc. etc. etc.) is not even so much the writing, which varies, whatever. It's the way human motives are presented. <br /><br />It's so one dimensional, I very much dislike it. There are heroes and then there are villains. KJA writes the Star Wars-like mythical hero who is all cupcakes, and BH writes the Mengele robot overlord. And there's no nuance. There's no blurring the lines between heroes and villains, or that there can be false heroes, or that one should avoid and detest superheroes of any form. I take a look at these characters in Legends, for instance, and I don't care about them, I don't care if they die. I wish that crash pod smashed Vladimir Harkonnen in the opening pages. They're all cardboard. Perhaps not the robots, but... eh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-112587225677196622009-08-16T04:21:49.471+00:002009-08-16T04:21:49.471+00:00The Legends of Dune series are extraordinarily cli...The Legends of Dune series are extraordinarily cliched. It's bad pulp, no doubt. But I'd dissent from the Orthodox Herbertarians a bit. It IS a fantasy universe, and there's no reason to get upset over it. It seems a little... I don't know, in-need-of-a-life kind of attitude. One simply takes from it what one wishes.<br /><br />A previous commenter writes: "Boiled down, it's all just a grab at some money — and fame!"<br /><br />Of course it is -- because they are professional writers, albeit not of a particularly high merit, but nonetheless...<br /><br />And smart businessmen. The Herbert Estate have this down to a science, no doubt. They want money, which is completely understandable, so they are going to do the best they can to make it. Frank Herbert was no different in this respect, hence all the books, the movie, the merchandise. Don't you all remember the plastic sandworm toys and Glossu Rabban dolls?<br /><br />The only real difference is in the quality of the writing. Frank Herbert was, simply, a brilliant writer, and KJA/BH can't match that, and that's all this is about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-64432477053987450412009-08-15T14:20:29.454+00:002009-08-15T14:20:29.454+00:00Great blog. All the KJA/BH Dune books still in pr...Great blog. All the KJA/BH Dune books still in print deserve to be pulped and turned into toilet paper.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-10008767102054659992009-08-14T21:03:16.821+00:002009-08-14T21:03:16.821+00:00I'm so sorry that you can no longer enjoy orig...I'm so sorry that you can no longer enjoy original.<br /><br />I'm glad I quit BH&KJA books after I tried House Arrakis and hated it. It was badly written and out of character. I've read spoilers from time to time to see if there was anything worthwhile in next ones but all I saw in Bulterian Jihad books was lamest AIs ever. So I stayed away from that. I was tempted at Dune 7 but the reviews convinced me it was not worth it. I'd rather live with cliffhanger.Ellestrahttp://ellestra.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-52996715763506216712009-08-13T05:00:09.068+00:002009-08-13T05:00:09.068+00:001) floppies were 5 & quarter.
2) Frank didn&#...1) floppies were 5 & quarter.<br /><br />2) Frank didn't write the last two "for the money" per se.<br /><br />He may or may not have written them anyway, but he was offered more money than a sane man could turn down.<br /><br />and all you KJA-haters,<br />come on in:<br /><br />www.jacurutu.comSandRiderhttp://www.jacurutu.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-79656348346098619382009-08-13T01:51:05.795+00:002009-08-13T01:51:05.795+00:00Excellent overview. I too was excited to see what ...Excellent overview. I too was excited to see what Brian Herbert would churn out but after reading Dune House Atreides I gave up. I've read Dune 4 times and I rarely re-read books. But that one always pulls me in.Woodgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08064497718612224274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-711966119729820602009-08-13T01:43:40.710+00:002009-08-13T01:43:40.710+00:00I liked HERETICS and CHAPTERHOUSE. They are quite ...I liked HERETICS and CHAPTERHOUSE. They are quite different to the others, and Frank Herbert said at the time he wrote them for the money, but they're also written in a more relaxed style and he's clearly having fun with them. I think Herbert got most of his philosophical musings out of his system with the first four, and decided to make the latter two more action-driven.<br /><br />Of course, all things are relative. Compared to Anderson and Herbert's works, they are a cross between Proust and Camus as edited by Satre.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-61601214761815442332009-08-13T01:15:08.252+00:002009-08-13T01:15:08.252+00:00Superb overview. The cover of the book is excelle...Superb overview. The cover of the book is excellent, too, except for that name at the bottom, which gives the same reaction as seeing Toxic Fungus listed on the side of a box of crackers.Steve MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026970188928733645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-69153991137014892952009-08-13T00:32:24.171+00:002009-08-13T00:32:24.171+00:00I didn't even know the atrocities starting wit...I didn't even know the atrocities starting with House Atreides were supposedly based off of Frank's notes. Since I didn't, I abandoned the dreck less than halfway through the second book (which is just what this crap deserved).<br /><br />Love this blog post. Someone finally saying what needed to be said. As mentioned, the worst thing is that every important organization was all created at the same time, by the same people... completely ridiculous.Bretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071682819081468561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-12024462950363063192009-08-13T00:13:38.034+00:002009-08-13T00:13:38.034+00:00Great summary ! I didn't even know half of it....Great summary ! I didn't even know half of it.<br /><br />I've been a huge fan of Dune for a long time (yes, including the last two books), so I picked up the House trilogy when it came out. I was disappointed and skipped the next books.<br /><br />Later on I heard about the sequel - Dune 7 - but I wisely did some research before running out to get it. I puked (mentally) so hard when I read what he had done to the universe and to the plotlines that I decided I would systematically pretend it didn't exist.<br /><br />Unfortunately it seems I will have to puke again, and again...Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-57804546148776131362009-08-13T00:10:23.107+00:002009-08-13T00:10:23.107+00:00Agreed - Heretics and Chapterhouse were fantastic....Agreed - Heretics and Chapterhouse were fantastic. In fact, Heretics just might be my top favorite Dune book - yes, sometimes I do think it's even better than the first one.<br /><br />That fact only made me more anxious to read 'Dune 7', though. Which is how I got suckered into getting those two sequels supposedly based on FH's notes (speaking of those so-called 'Dune 7' floppies... weren't they 3.5" disks? Funny that in '85/'86 those were still incredibly new and in very limited public usage).<br /><br />And what did I get? Pie being rubbed in my face. Slowly. Deliberately. Across two books. Accompanied by the continuous, sluggish crescendo of a wet fart - the ignoble death-flatus of a great series.Crystal Logicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-53011271155314778262009-08-12T19:21:31.459+00:002009-08-12T19:21:31.459+00:00Fantastic post, thanks. And Heretics and Chapterho...Fantastic post, thanks. And Heretics and Chapterhouse are great, no matter what some people say ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-86403029762312466802009-08-12T00:36:16.456+00:002009-08-12T00:36:16.456+00:00I find it best to just stop with God Emperor of Du...I find it best to just stop with God Emperor of Dune, but even it feels like a bit of a stretch.<br /><br />I like the first two a great deal. I like the middle two a little less.<br /><br />I couldn't even finish Heretics, the fifth. It was just so... well, I won't get going on it.<br /><br />But to let a guy like Kevin J. Anderson get his hands on this series... what the hell were they thinking.<br /><br />Oh yeah, whoring it out. That's what.<br /><br />Great post man. I loved it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17076148206083400863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-83737929090709617732009-08-11T05:17:17.195+00:002009-08-11T05:17:17.195+00:00In the interview for the "Hunters of Dune&quo...In the interview for the "Hunters of Dune" audiobook, Brian said the Dune 7 outline was "just a three-page, er, maybe two-and-a-half page outline", and it was "more clues than precise roadmaps".<br /><br />So take that for what it's worth.<br /><br />HBJHunchback Jacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-65225875881212725342009-08-11T02:17:51.166+00:002009-08-11T02:17:51.166+00:00I wonder if there's been some nice intermingli...I wonder if there's been some nice intermingling of the facts going on. I recall Brian Herbert saying that he, quite separately to the 'Dune 7' notes, found a significant raft of notes his father had left behind that he'd jotted down whilst writing the original six books. These notes, when combined, came to several hundred pages and, among other things, contained a significant amount of an early draft of DUNE featuring very different concepts to the finished novel. This is what appeared in that short story collection they released a year or two back.<br /><br />That is definitely separate to the disks that turned up in a safety deposit box in 1997.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-38510645368095606812009-08-11T01:03:58.249+00:002009-08-11T01:03:58.249+00:00And that's weird, because the initial reports ...And that's weird, because the initial reports were that the notes were extensive...and from a cash grab perspective...what better way to make cash than just publish the notes?Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-50951623402741202382009-08-10T23:51:59.597+00:002009-08-10T23:51:59.597+00:00Brian Herbert and KJA have basically refused to le...Brian Herbert and KJA have basically refused to let anyone else read the notes. They published a photo of the floppy disks with 'Dune 7' written on them a few years ago, which oddly was not very helpful.<br /><br />I vaguely remember someone claiming that the notes for 'Dune 7' did not even cover one page of A4 and the rest of the notes were for other projects, but I can't remember the source for that.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-48956558221154626942009-08-10T23:14:10.810+00:002009-08-10T23:14:10.810+00:00I didn't mind the House trilogy, but The Butle...I didn't mind the House trilogy, but The Butlerian Jihad absolutely conquered me and I haven't been back. <br /><br />Unless there was a reference in the Dune 7 notes regarding what sort (or sorts) of villains would show up in that final volume, I'm very disappointed to learn what they did there. I've put off Dune 7 for a while pending a re-read of the series, but I really hoped that no matter what they did with the prequels, that Dune 7 would be sacred and they only worked from the notes. <br /><br />I don't suppose there is a chance that Frank Herbert's notes explained the connection between The Butlerian Jihad and Dune 7? If they did, then the created character by BH and KJA isn't that offensive. If they didn't...that's just shitty.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-62241547965069021032009-08-10T22:12:40.426+00:002009-08-10T22:12:40.426+00:00"I am sure CT has done a fine job - and for a..."I am sure CT has done a fine job - and for a change I have purchased S & G to read in due course."<br /><br />Regardless of any difference of opinion, I apologize for my somewhat drastic comment (ie "rubbish").Ludwignoreply@blogger.com