Dune

[prog]

I have started to read Dune Messiahon the (T). It occurs to me that my friends who dig Robin Hobb should really check out Frank Herbert, if they haven't already. I didn't think of Dune, which I read in late 2000, while I was engrossed in Hobb's Farseer trilogy earlier this year, but easing back into the Dune universe (almost said "Duniverse"... ugh) reminds me quite a bit of Hobb's world. Lots of intrigue, though a notch or two less character-driven, with larger-scale (interplanetary, even) sociopolitical hoo-ha making up for it. (I thought to myself: this is also how Hobb would write, if her hero was, say, a young King Shrewd, and not one of his latter-career field agents.) Masterfully crafted and wonderful fun.

Worth noting: If you've seen the David Lynch movie and not read the book, nothing's been spoiled for you. Seriously. The gap is at least as wide as that between Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In either case, the book is more of an inspiration for the film than it is true source material.

Comments

I've read dune

[cthulhia]

I think he lost me when he described the concubine as having a son instead of a daughter because she knew that would please the father more.

Not that hobb isn't sometimes graphic and politically incorrect, but...