10/2007 Winner: Dune, by Frank Herbert

GWC Community Book Club Winning Nominees and Polls
#1

We’ll select all future books as a group, but I thought we needed a kick-start. So since there’s already been quite a bit of discussion about reading Dune together, I thought I’d set it as the first “book of the month.”

Here’s the pertinent information:

Via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
Via BN: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780441172719&itm=1
Via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0340839937/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/102-2034166-4616105?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191370436&sr=8-4

Of course, I always recommend checking out your local used book store where you’ll likely find a nice hardcover edition inexpensively.

#2

Just started reading this a few days ago. I began with some of the Appendices, and that helped me understand more of the background of the world, so I wasn’t quite as lost as before. I’m only a few chapters in–the Atreides have just arrived on Arrakis–and I’m already enjoying it more than last time.

Great idea, Chuck!

#3

I read this a few years ago, after I saw the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, and loved it. It may be time to pick it up again and read the other two books of the early series. I was struck by how quickly the last third of the book moves towards a resolution, which I guess is part of being the first of a series, but overall it’s a pretty darn good yarn.

#4

I have read Dune three times (I think), and never cease to be amazed. Herbert did for science fiction what Tolkien did for fantasy. Arrakis is a perfectly imagined “subcreation,” and feels entirely believable and self-consistent. What an achievement. It is a shame it could not be sustained – I think there is a noticeable drop-off in quality even with Dune Messiah, although I know lots of Herbert fans feel that things are good through Children of Dune (and, in fairness, the Sci-Fi Channel’s adaptation of same was pretty decent) – but that doesn’t detract for me from what the initial novel did, at all.

And, by all means, stay away – far away – from Kevin J. Anderson’s prequels and sequels. I read the first three books of his original Saga of the Seven Suns series, and found them very trite and disappointing space opera. Then, foolishly, I gave his first Butlerian Jihad novel a try – and found it was just a rehash of his original stuff in Dune trappings. Lame! Does this man write only one plot?

Well, sorry for the digression there. Dune rocks. :slight_smile:

“For he is the Kwizatz Haderach!”

#5

I read Dune back in high school so I’m gonna have to find a summary of it to refresh my memory. Saw the miniseries, it was ok, I liked the miniseries for Children of Dune much better. as for the books, i loved the first one, read the second one and the third one - Children of Dune, for some reason, i couldn’t read the last 20 or so pages. I put it down and just never picked up the series again. weird.

#6

Faster than light spacetravel, political intrigue, vengence, love, religion, giant man eating worms, and the occasional knife-fight !! Yes, Sci-Fi rocks !! I read Dune as a teenager and it remains one of my favorites. Herbert was obviously very interested in ecology and ecosystems, I wonder what he would have to say about the global warming, rainforest, etc. issues of today ??
This might have been the first SF novel I’d read in which female characters were given equal (if not more, I mean, the BG practically ran the galaxy!) importance and character development, which was kinda new to my teenaged train of thought. I packed the first three paperbacks into my gear when I served in Desert Storm in 1991…re-reading them in the desert gave the story that extra nudge of realism (didn’t see any sandworms though). Although I’ve read the other books in the series, I think the trilogy said all there was (or should have been) to say.
Chuck, having read the book now, can you see why so many fans are aghast at the mere mention of the movie? I’m pausing for a moment to be aghast. There.
In closing I’d like to mention that in the excellent (spoiler)end of the world novel “Lucifer’s Hammer”, Dune is one of the books that a character picks from his extensive library to preserve and save for the future, so I’d like to submit “Lucifer’s Hammer” (Niven and Pournelle) as a possible future read for us all. I’ll throw it in the suggestion thread.

#7

I should say that Dune was probably the first serious, clearly sci-fi novel I ever read…in GRAD SCHOOL. I was struck by how serious and complex it was and how it could comment on the real world so insightfully as well as Herbert’s use of language and structure. The one disappointment I had in the book was how quickly it came to a conclusion and the knowledge that I would have to read a few other books to get the whole story (something I haven’t done yet), though Dune still stands on its own very well.

Reading this book in the Kuwaiti/Iraqi desert must have been something, Topgun! Wow!

#8

Dune is one of my favorite books, and it is definitly the book I have spent the most time analyzing. I wrote a twenty-something page paper on it in 12th grade, so I had to get pretty into it.

For anyone who is interested, there is a great collection of essays by Frank Herbert called Maker of Dune, that was published shortly after his death. It really gives some great insight into the author. Might be hard to get a hold of, but I did find a link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Maker-Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0425097854

#9

Does anyone know, or know where I can find, the proper pronunciations for some of the names and terms in the book?

Like, is Atreides: [ah-TRAY-deez], [ah-TREE-dess]…?

Fremen: [FREE-men], [FREH-men]

Bene Gesserit: [BEN-ay JES-er-it], [BEN JES-er-it]

It would help my reading comprehension if I knew. Also curious to know what Herbert drew on for the names. Some of them sound Latin-inspired, others Arabic or Hebrew.

#10

Glim, see this article which gives some hints.

#11

Thanks, Pike, that has to be one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever seen.

“That’s linguistic anarchy.” :smiley:

#12

Well, I finally had some time to pull out my copy this weekend and dive in. I remember now why I had trouble with Dune as a kid: any book that starts with a dictionary can be a bit intimidating. I’ll admit to being a bit intimidated now, too, but also excited.

Are there any other newbies reading the book for the first time out there? How’s it going for you?

#13

Damn. I’m such a geek that it was part of the attraction. (And yet, I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it.)

I’m still digging to see if one of my copies is still extant, but I may be late to this party.

#14

The link below has Frank Herbert’s own voice (taken from a reading) saying several of the names:

http://www.usul.net/books/sounds.htm

#15

Nice find, Gryper.

Atreides: ah-TRAY-eh-dees
Fremen: (no example)
Bene Gesserit: BEN-nee JESS-er-it

#16

Thanks, Gryper. I was surprised to find the inflection for “Harkonnen” was different than I thought, too.

HAR-kon-nen
instead of
har-KONE-en

Ya learn something new every day here at the GWC.

#17

The link was in a message about the correct pronunciation of Harkonnen that I came across in one of the IMBD messages boards awhile back. Can’t remember which of the movies (think it was for the Sci-Fi mini) the message board was for. I found several of the different than I was pronouncing…especially Tleilaxu! About the only part of that name I had right was the ‘xu’ at the end. :slight_smile:

#18

OK… I’m ready to be hated for this particular heresy… I hated Dune… HATED is to mild a word…

I’ m a reader, and I enjoy most things, so after years of hearing it spoken of as the ultimate Sci-Fi book, I picked it up to read on a camping trip to Yosemite 20 years ago. I don’t think I ever read more then three or four pages before falling asleep… that was the first three days of my vacation… read three pages, fall asleep, wake up, repeat, repeat, repeat… Maybe the fresh air, sunshine or company I kept contributed, but I still think it was just too boring to muscle through…

Now I like you guys, so I’m willing to give it another try. It’s been over 20 years, and perhaps either it’s gotten better, or I’m matured enough to enjoy it. I bought a new copy today and I’m gonna give it another chance (again, just because I like you guys)…

— Dismal the sleepy Dune reader

#19

Aw, that’s sweet of ya, Dismal. And no worries–I ran outta steam about halfway through it several years ago. I think I’m just now getting back to the part I left off from (Paul and Jessica lost in the desert), and I’m honestly enjoying it. The book is very cerebral, though, I admit, and trying to read surrounded by friends and nature on a camping trip would be a challenge, I think. I went to Yosemite a lot as a kid, and it’s pretty much the opposite of Arrakis.

BTW, love your unique sigs on every post. Kudos for coming up with something different every time!

#20

Thanks for the kind words…

— Dismal blushes with pride like a kid with his picture posted on the 'fridge