God damn it. Heretics is the book in the series that would work best as a movie. But I can also see why he wouldn’t dare try to turn God Emperor into a movie that wouldn’t flop.
The first book was awesome. I think the second book was ok, but disliked dead characters getting resurrected for apparently inane drama. The book I finally stopped at was whatever one it was that the main character turns into a telepathic immortal sand worm and was abjectly awful.
I think they’re making the right choice. Dune has some amazing world building, but the series got muddled down into whatever drug fueled fugue state and stopped being interesting.
I read it when I was in my late teens or early twenties, so what little I remember reflects in my impression of the book at that time. Take my recommendation with a grain of salt!
God emperor is a masterpiece and one of the best philosophical books I have ever read. It just felt like the author has a very deep insight into the human condition. It’s not a typical book with a lot pf external action happening though.
I don’t think I appreciated God Emperor until after my 4th read through of the series. Frank Herbert definitely has a great insight into the human condition. Soul Catcher and The Godmakers come to mind most readily but his entire body of work explore different facets of humankind.
The movie is an excellent adaptation. A lot of shit gets skipped, glossed over, or changed but I feel like it was in the service of the medium. Books ain’t talkies.
Dennis saved a lot of the best stuff for the 2nd movie as bait to ensure he would get a second movie.
Dune is such a hard book to translate into a movie because lots of important dialogue that drives character growth and the political intrigue of the book is either Frank Herbert himself narrating the events, discussion or perceptions taking place in the characters’ minds, characters talking imperceptibly with their hand gestures, and characters saying one thing but using body language or gestures to mean another.
To adapt that into spoken lines on a script undercuts just how brilliant and smart many of the protagonists and antagonists are. I think Lady Jessica got the worst treatment in the first movie.
It’s quite good, but remember that it’s an adaptation. Despite having to cut and change things the movie hit the main characters, plot points, and themes well. The human/spider/dog thing isn’t in the books but is a perfectly fitting addition. As a fan of the books I saw it, knew where it came from, how it was made, and totally bought that the Baron would have one.
The only major quibble that I have with the film is a design decision. When it came to the costumes, sets, and even ships the film takes a minimalistic approach - probably to highlight how far in the future the story takes place. The books describe the noble houses living in much more opulence. A good example is the scene where the Baron is introduced. In the book his fat, ring-laden hand spins a globe of Arrakis made out of gemstones.
Other deviations from the book are necessary evils. The biggest one was how Lady Jessica acted when Paul was with the Reverend Mother. In the books all of her turmoil was internal and she was completely stoic. For the film it was necessary to have her show her feelings or do a Lynch style internal monologue.
If you liked the complete alien-ness of the people in the Dune movie you’ll love the books. Be warned that they get stranger as the series goes on, but that’s a good thing if you’re receptive to Herbert’s themes and ideas.
The only major quibble that I have with the film is a design decision. When it came to the costumes, sets, and even ships the film takes a minimalistic approach - probably to highlight how far in the future the story takes place. The books describe the noble houses living in much more opulence.
I actually preferred some of the production design of the Lynch film for this reason. Overall of course, the Villeneuve version is superior.
If you liked the complete alien-ness of the people in the Dune movie you’ll love the books. Be warned that they get stranger as the series goes on, but that’s a good thing if you’re receptive to Herbert’s themes and ideas
I’m actually glad he’s stopping at Messiah because it gets so weird.
I understand not wanting to continue and how hard translating God Emperor to the screen would be but I wish he would give it a go.
As @chaogomu said, Dune Messiah completes Paul's story arc but the comparison between Paul's unwillingness to take the golden path and Leto's acceptance of it could be a great thing to see.
Paul clings to his humanity and billions die in his name, Leto sacrificed it and changed the destiny of the human race.
To be fair to the Dune universe, the reason they used swords was because shields made projectile weapons useless and Lasguns and shields just killed everyone (like a mini-nuke on both sides).
I’m not even sure God Emperor would make a good movie,there’s some decent action but mostly off screen (well very short in the book I mean but most action is in Dune) and so much is Leeto just talking to Monro. Though it is my favorite of the series, I’d be curious how they portray Leeto.
As for the rest, I enjoyed them and listened to multiple times but more to hear the lore I may have missed than enjoying the entire story. I did like Teg and more Duncan and the Bene Gesserit more, but I didn’t care for the Honored Matres and other factions too much.
God Emperor would make a weird movie, but could probably work as a limited series. In my opinion, the two last books are the ones best suited for adaptation. Especially Heretics has a perfect balance between intrigue, drama, action and sex.
That’s a good stopping point. I would like to see Children of Dune on screen too, but beyond that I think it would be difficult to successfully translate the themes of the rest of the books onto screen for a broad audience like he’s managed to do with the first one.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the scifi miniseries of Children of Dune, but I remember enjoying it. First thing I saw James McAvoy in, he was pretty good.
It is the full story of Paul Atreides, following the Classic story arc.
I always point to the parallels between Dune and the Classic play Oedipus Rex.
Oedipus was born of a family that had sinned and was punished for it by the gods. That was why Apollo issued that prophecy. Oedipus then spends the first part of his story grappling with the questions of Fate vs Free Will.
Oedipus had his rise, and then his fall, and at that fall, he blinded himself and wandered into the wilderness.
Paul and Oedipus. They both were bound by prophecy, and both had very little say in it.
Oedipus' fall was engineered from the day he was born. Paul's... was slightly more complex.
I had forgotten that, mainly because it played such a minor role in the story.
Paul and Oedipus both accept their blindness as an indication that they had always been blind. They did not see that which they should have.
Not seeing was a major part of their fall. When they return to the story later, it's as a blind man who finally sees, and one who offers words of advice to their child who is about to make the same mistake that they did.
Then much later, Paul comes back as a ghola, but that part was written by Brian Hubert, who is not the best author.
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