Senator_Sunburst wrote:I've never read Dune. People who've read it, is it any good?
Dune is a worthwhile read, but it's also very dense; Frank Herbert was a linguist with a fondness for Arabic, and this is something that shows in the novel. You may have to reread the same passages several times in order to retain all the information Herbert is throwing at you (this is why it took me so long to finish); there's even a detailed glossary and timeline in the back of the book to explain some of the more frequently-used terms and give you a better idea of what the heck is going on.
If you want to become a Dune fan, that's good, but I would recommend that you consider getting introduced to the universe through another medium, like the 1984 film, the 2000 TV miniseries, or one of the old Westwood video games, before tackling the novel. The plot is very complex, and sometimes it's easier to watch it than to read it.
On a sort-of-related note, I'd been watching some Dune-related vids earlier in the week (purely on a whim), and have discovered that there exist a number of fan-created edits which seek to improve the quality of David Lynch's 1984 version. Lester would be proud; you wouldn't believe how people bicker over what should be included or excluded. Among other points of contention:
- Whether the narrator should be Princess Irulan, as in the theatrical release, or the nameless male narrator used for the extended television cut
- Whether the lengthy prologue and paintings specially created for the TV version should be used
- Which deleted scenes from the extended cut and "special features" sections of previous DVD releases should be included
- Which scenes should be musically re-scored
- Which scenes should have Lynch's lengthy internal monologues removed
-
Whether or not Lynch's name should be included in the credits
Anime Bosom X, seriously! I'm honestly considering writing some Lesterfic just so I can talk about this stuff.