Dune... again

The What When Book List 1970 - 2020

Dune by Frank Herbert, 1965

I first discovered and read Dune in June 1976. I've read it again about once every decade since then and is one of my favorite science fiction novels. It is considered the world's best selling science fiction novel.

I've never read any other non-Dune books by Frank Herbert but I did read the Dune sequels but only once each.

Dune Messiah, 1969 - August 1976

Children of Dune, 1976 - December 1976

God Emperor of Dune, 1981 - September 1983

Heretics of Dune, 1984 - September 1984

Chapterhouse Dune, 1985 - March 1985

I also read Brian Herbert's prequel

House Atreides, 1999 - March 2000 

But that was it for me with the Dune books although there are about 20 more novels in the Dune franchise.

And then there was the movie in 1984. I was really looking forward to this film by David Lynch when it was announced.  There had been some previous attempts to make a movie of Dune by Alejandro Jodorowsky who had directed El Topo and also Ridley Scott among others.

I enjoyed the film but was disappointed overall by the plot changes that jumped all over the place and the overall feel of the movie. Too much was squeezed into too little time but then some of what seemed to be of paramount importance were not there at all. With such a popular and complicated novel there would also be something missing for someone in a movie version.  It was a flop at the box office although over the years it has developed a cult following. Apparently people who watched the film without ever reading the novel were completely baffled as to what was going on and repeatedly called it "the worst movie of the year"

I watched it a second time but was still disappointed. I should try it again.

  After the squeezed in time frame of Lynch's movie I was

again excited when it was announced that there would be a TV mini series of Dune. It turned out to be a 3 part 6 hour miniseries on the Sci Fi Channel. It was better than the previous film because it had more time to develop the characters and the plot but still was not the definitive visual experience.

There was Children of Dune second sequel miniseries on the Sci Fi Channel in 2003. I didn't watch any of it.

Now there has been an announcement of a new movie coming out in late December 2020 and is supposed to be the first of a two part adaptation of the novel.