欧宝娱乐

In anticipation of the upcoming film I am rereading this. One of my children has become interested because Timothee Chalomet is playing Paul. Of course we had to watch the David Lynch epic and she is currently reading a gorgeous edition I acquired over the summer.

I know these reviews are supposed to be about the books, but I鈥檝e written a review of the book. I want to talk about the Lynch movie. It is simply gorgeous. The sets and costumes are stunning and seem very much in line with what I imagine as I read. Lynch managed to keep those living in the palace pristine and perfect, but everything else looks dusty, used and worn. Much like Lucas did with Star Wars. The stilsuits are especially perfect portrayals. The personal shields were clumsy, but that was hardly Lynch鈥檚 fault. The technology wasn鈥檛 there yet. The 鈥榯hopters, thumpers, maker hooks, sand crawlers, almost everything was perfect! Even the worms were good. Not perfect, but even in my imagination they don鈥檛 look great. That mouth. Those teeth. Living things just don鈥檛 look like that.

I hated the heart plugs, but I won鈥檛 even discuss those here. My one real complaint with Lynch鈥檚 version is the ending. The genius of the book is that Paul, Muad'dib, is just a boy. He becomes a man in the pages, but he isn鈥檛 Superman. He has no superhuman or otherworldly ability. Paul trains, learns, works, works and works. Oh, and he takes advantage of the Missionaria Protectiva鈥檚 sowing the seeds of superstition in primitive cultures, which grew to full-fledged legends. Paul was one of those legends personified. Lynch鈥檚 film made him a God. Paul makes it rain at the end of the Jihad. Book Paul could not have done that and giving him that ability on screen takes away some of the genius of the story.

I love Kyle MacLachlan鈥檚 portrayal of Paul, but I also know he was not quite right for the part. He owned it, but he was a little too healthy. A little too big and buff. He was gorgeous and angsty, but Paul on the page was wiry, small, looked easy to dismiss. Looks can be deceiving. I think Timothee will be a wonderful Paul. His body is more in line with what Herbert described and I know he has the acting chops to portray a boy growing into a man. A troubled, misplaced, mourning, angry man.

I cannot wait for Denis Villeneuve鈥檚 movie!

2018 -

This was a re-read for me. Actually, probably more of a re-re-re-re...read! I love this book. I've read the entire series (that Herbert wrote himself), and they are all worth the time, (view spoiler)[ I think only the first three are necessary for a complete arc. The rest are not as engrossing and can be skipped by someone who finds the number of volumes daunting. (hide spoiler)] but this one is, by far, the best. We meet the Atreides and their retainers. We are introduced to the Guild, Fremen, other great Houses, the Bene Gesserit, Mentats, many religions and so, so much more. I'm amazed at how detailed a picture Herbert is able to paint in relatively few pages for its scope.

This, the first in the series, is basically the end of status quo in the Empire. Paul Atreides and the Fremen bring about a new age, and it's long overdue. Dune is divided into three "books." In the first book that status quo is sketched out, but the other two books are devoted to the coming of the New Age. It leaves me hungry for more. Thank goodness Hebert wrote more!

I hate to give away any of the plot, but I would like to praise Herbert's skill. He gives us characters that are super intelligent, intuitive, strong, excellent strategists, possessing any number of seemingly super-human abilities. His genius is in the way he shows us these abilities are acquired. These people work to become what they are. They train and study and practice. All the time. From birth sometimes. There are no born superheroes in Herbert's world. There are hard workers, and yes, a little genetic help, but always work. I can trust these characters actions as true and believable because Herbert has presented them in such a flattering light. Even the bad guys work very, very hard for what they have. They lie, cheat, steal and kill, but they exert so much effort into doing so. I find it refreshing that things do not come easily. They require a price. Just like in the real world.

The other praiseworthy thing I feel Herbert accomplishes is giving us characters who balance each other. Paul, who is arguably the main character, becomes less and less like us, so almost unsympathetic, and yet Herbert balances him with Jessica, who, even as she rises in position and power, stays emotionally accessible to us. We can empathize with and care about her. We have Stilgar who is honor personified, and yet also unsympathetic and unapproachable in his perfection. The foil to him is Idaho, as honor bound as Stilgar, and yet infinitely more relatable. I love Idaho. I could foil characters from this book off each other for pages. He gives us someone we can admire, but also someone else we can love. Brilliant!

Now I want to go back a re-read them all. I may even break down and read the pre-quels Herbert didn't write. Maybe...