Paul of Dune

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Annie
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Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

WHY OH WHY ARE THERE MEN LIKE BRIAN (HERBERT) AND KEVIN (ANDERSON)?


Direct from the Official Dune Website:

Frank Herbert's Dune ended with Paul Muad'Dib in control of the planet Dune. Herbert's next Dune book, Dune Messiah, picked up the story several years later after Paul's armies had conquered the galaxy. But what happened between Dune and Dune Messiah? How did Paul create his empire and become the Messiah? Following in the footsteps of Frank Herbert, New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are answering these questions in Paul of Dune.

The Muad'Dib's jihad is in full swing. His warrior legions march from victory to victory. But beneath the joy of victory there are dangerous undercurrents. Paul, like nearly every great conqueror, has enemies--those who would betray him to steal the awesome power he commands. . . .

And Paul himself begins to have doubts: Is the jihad getting out of his control? Has he created anarchy? Has he been betrayed by those he loves and trusts the most? And most of all, he wonders: Am I going mad?

Paul of Dune is currently scheduled for publication by Tor Books on September 16, 2008.
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motoko
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by motoko »

Can't wait!! Brian and Kevin have been doing a fantastic job, in my opinion, of keeping the Dune universe alive and this next series sounds so promising!!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

I guess I'm what they call an Orthodox Herbertarian (i.e., nobody can ever step into the feet of Frank Herbert.) So, while a movie may be interesting news, more books just aren't for me.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

Well, I just may change my mind. I've been reading on the Official Dune website and there's an interview link with the authors on http://us.macmillan.com/paulofdune about the book. They talk about how detailed the history is all about Paul. So I will see if I can get it from the library.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

OMG! You wouldn't believe all the controversy going on over at the Dune message boards. I just keep asking Byron (Frank's grandson and "almighty moderator") what the updates on the new movie are, and he doesn't say much. Will keep you informed.

OK, I am finally reading the book. Just picked it up yesterday.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

This book is so boring, I may not finish it. And I eagerly read all the prequels!! So it must be pretty bad. I guess I'm really just a Frank Herbert fan after all.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

Ok, I finished it, and as I said in our off-topic forum, it took me longer than any other DUNE book. I just had nothing better to read. The only interesting parts were they kept going back in time to Caladan when Paul was just a boy. Other than that, I would not recommend it.

Unless, of course, you're a die-hard DUNE fanatic. ;)
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Gabriel »

I hear they've effectively de-canonised all of Frank Herbert's books, saying they're in-universe propaganda, meaning only the Anderson/Herbert novels are 'real!' If that isn't egomania for you, I don't know what is!

Dune needed either a real top-notch science fiction writer or a philosopher (preferably both!) to tackle completing Dune. What we've got are a couple of guys writing the third-rate equivalent of tie-in novels to a third-rate TV show.

The Dune follow-on novels are deeply offensive to Frank Herbert's work and represent nothing more than milking a cash-cow.

A pity!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

The Dune people would label you an Orthodox-Herbertarian, meaning nobody but FH's works count when it comes to Dune, and I pretty much agree with that!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Gabriel »

Yeah, people love to apply labels!

If I'm an OHer then that's fine by me. I still just think of myself as a Dune fan because those other books aren't proper Dune books: it's like claiming a Ladybird Peter & Jane book is a valid continuation of War & Peace!

The first line of a book can pretty much tell you whether it'll be good or a stinker and as soon as I read the first line of House Atreides, I knew it would be bad. I've been hugely disappointed by the whole enterprise. I read books two and three of Prelude and book one of Legends and thought they were just so . . . amateurish.

I've read spin-off books from shows like Doctor Who in the 1990s, which were a million times better written and more inventive. Often they were from first-time authors, too!

The Gregory Benford/Greg Bear/David Brin Foundation novels might have had their issues, but at least they were well written and had good ideas behind them!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

I certainly understand what you mean. Since Frank's son is writing the new books, they give it more credit. (But then everyone also thinks Kevin J. Anderson does most of the writing.) I liked the Legends books just because it gave more background material on the Butlerian Jihad, but these new ones are too much! Now they are coming out with Jessica (now renamed The Winds of Dune) and Irulan (now renamed the Throne of Dune). I'm not going to even try reading those!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Gabriel »

Yeah, but like most of the HLP books, they contradict the source material. It's clear from Frank's novels that the Jihad was more a philosophical revolution than a sub-Star Wars humans vs killer robots soap opera! :roll:

And they openly admit Erasmus was their creation, not Frank's! I also have an issue with their obsession with rape. It's a constant fallback in their books when they run out of plot. We knew horrible things happened in Frank's books, but his authorial distance from them made things all the more chilling.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

You're right, Gabriel. Sounds like you've read enough of the new stuff to judge them. Have you ever gone over to the Dune Boards? I'm there on and off. And Byron is very free with his banning! I'm very quiet and mostly waiting for movie information.
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Gabriel »

Yeah, I keep an eye on the official Dune Boards and have an identity on them, but I've never used it to post. It's a bit of a fascist state there!

I use Jacurutu.org which is where fans of Frank Herbert's novels tend to congregate. Normally I'm not keen on sites for the 'cast out' - danielcraigisnotbond.com being the sort of site I really dislike - but in spite of occasionally OTT remarks on there, it's an interesting site. I suspect that if Byron keeps an eye on Jacurutu, I've probably already been barred from the main site!

The saddest thing about all this is that many fans of Frank's novels are now effectively seen by Frank's descendants as 'the enemy'!

It kind of echoes some of the events in Frank's novels in a funny way!
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Re: Paul of Dune

Post by Annie »

Gabriel wrote:Yeah, I keep an eye on the official Dune Boards and have an identity on them, but I've never used it to post. It's a bit of a fascist state there!

The saddest thing about all this is that many fans of Frank's novels are now effectively seen by Frank's descendants as 'the enemy'!

Hey, I know what you mean. Recently, Byron decided people could no longer use the Jacarutu.org in their signatures and removed them. But I disagree with what you said about many fans of Frank's novel now being seen by Frank's descendants as "the enemy." If you read the arguments carefully, it's the people who make fun of or say nasty (really rude and crude) things about the new novels who get banned. Byron acknowledges the Orthodox Herbertarians.

I visited Jacarutu.org, but it is too derogatory for my taste. I once suggested on the Dune board that Brian and KJA just stop, and my post was deleted. That was when I first joined. I haven't made a mistake like that since. I have pm'd Byron and told him about our little group over here and just ask him for information. I think it is interesting to read what other people who are not DL fans say about his Dune movie. Which, despite what everybody says, I still love.
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