Currently, finished reading the ebook of the first Dune book. It's really amazing. 😀
having seen the movie, it was a bit sad that they couldn't do a 1-1 feel matching the books and all the rich context of the culture, but the movie was fine too overall, I'm waiting for the 2nd dune movie.
also, I'm wondering if there are any illustrated physical dune books worth purchasing. 🤔
@markmarkmark
There is a short story collection called Eye that covers most of Herbert's career up to that point, so has a lot of non-Dune stuff in it (mostly great). However the excellent Dune story in it is illustrated.
The collection also has a good introduction where he details how Star Wars ripped him off.
It's set in a time that's unknown to me, but I do know quite a few of the locations in the novel.
It's a crime corruption story about a neophyte reporter on a local paper investigating child murders and disappearances against a backdrop of grinding poverty, abuse and discrimination (lots of discrimination).
Definitely not for everyone, but would be good if you like bleak, knotty, well-written mysteries.
It's set in a time that's unknown to me, but I do know quite a few of the locations in the novel.
It's a crime corruption story about a neophyte reporter on a local paper investigating child murders and disappearances against a backdrop of grinding poverty, abuse and discrimination (lots of discrimination).
Definitely not for everyone, but would be good if you like bleak, knotty, well-written mysteries.
Raced through this book. It is brilliantly well-written. But - but! - I'm really not sure if I liked it.
The story itself builds to some sort of climax, but I'm not sure if it actually earns it denouement.
Rather than it all being logically revealed, it just gets more and more violent, until the gore and grimness overwhelm it.
The main character seems to develop two traits during the course of the book - his paradoxical violent misogyny towards adult women vs his quest for justice for female children; and his superhuman ability to overcome prolonged torture. He seems to turn into a character from a Brett Easton Ellis novel, except without the postmodernist wit, irony, and knowingness.
Speaking of misogyny - there is definitely a difference in portraying a highly sexist society, and having all female characters suffering from violence, being murdered, and just disappearing from the story. None of them have any agency; pretty much all of them suffer at the hands of other characters, especially the narrator.
From interviews I've read with the author, he seems engaged and decent, so I assume that the issues I have with this novel are standard debut issues - difficulty with rounded characters, lack of originality with the plot, overreliance on violence and gore to provoke.
Tbh - it reminded me somewhat of Irvine Welsh, who I've always thought of as a bit of a try-hard (Trainspotting is basically Last Exit to Brooklyn rewritten by James Kelman), but comes across well in interviews.
@markmarkmark
There is a short story collection called Eye that covers most of Herbert's career up to that point, so has a lot of non-Dune stuff in it (mostly great). However the excellent Dune story in it is illustrated.
The collection also has a good introduction where he details how Star Wars ripped him off.
wait, star wars ripped off frank herbert? 😅
well this I must see, thanks for the recommendation, I'll go look that up, even if it's non-dune. 😋
well this I must see, thanks for the recommendation, I'll go look that up, even if it's non-dune. 😋
I know!! Who knew!! 😄
If you've not read his other stuff, it can be a bit of an eye-opener - he has a bit of a one-track mind. Whipping Star refers to that sort of whipping...
well this I must see, thanks for the recommendation, I'll go look that up, even if it's non-dune. 😋
I know!! Who knew!! 😄
If you've not read his other stuff, it can be a bit of an eye-opener - he has a bit of a one-track mind. Whipping Star refers to that sort of whipping...
what whipping? 🤔 also, what do you mean by one track mind? 😅
wait, star wars ripped off frank herbert? 😅
well this I must see, thanks for the recommendation, I'll go look that up, even if it's non-dune. 😋
I know!! Who knew!! 😄
If you've not read his other stuff, it can be a bit of an eye-opener - he has a bit of a one-track mind. Whipping Star refers to that sort of whipping...
what whipping? 🤔 also, what do you mean by one track mind? 😅
I'm about halfway through Stephen King's The Green Mile; where I last left off, they're preparing for Delacroix's execution. I mostly know what happens since I've seen the movie with Tom Hanks, but it's always neat to compare movies with the books they're based off of. It's been slow going since it 1. takes a backburner to gaming more often than not (ESPECIALLY since I'm currently deep into XC3) and 2. I generally use books to wind down before bedtime...if I don't fall asleep first. It's a bit embarrassing since I used to tear through books like they were going extinct when I was a kid.
Currently playing: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch)
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, and
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge.
The former is a minimalist story of an affair between a married man and a geisha, and apparently was one of the books that bagged Kawabata the Nobel. There was someone in this thread reading Japanese novels, so I would recommend this one to them if they have not already read it. It's really sparse, but full of meaning and significance.
I'm not far into the Eddo-Lodge one, but it's shaping up to be a great polemic. The introduction reminds me of discussions I've had before, so should be a good one for expanding knowledge and thought.
@Rambler I read Snow Country years ago. Yep, it’s worth a read as it’s rightfully considered a classic. It’s very slow, very otherworldly, very simple, very beautiful, very good.
@jump
Thats exactly what I am after
I know it's not going to be the same at all, but that simplicity reminds me of Raymond Carver (...except that Kawabata actually wrote his own stuff!!)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman. A question for anyone who's read Terry Pratchet - is this book similar to the discworld series? As in, is the humour similar, the way it's written etc. It's my first time reading something of his and want to know whether I'd like the rest or not based on this. Thanks!
@upisdown yeah they are pretty similar. Mort is probably the closest Discword book that is most like Good Omens for comparison.
Also even though both of them plotted the book Terry did the bulk of the writing of Good Omens as Neil kept getting behind on his schedule for Sandman.
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