I just got done reading Dune. I got the impulse to do so from this article on Television Without Pity (I'm starting to wonder if I should fear that website's influence on me) about how there's a new film version of it just getting underway. Also, there are lots of references to it in Questionable Content. And Neal already had it, so it was right there. Plus, it doesn't hurt that reading Dune apparently bolsters my nerd cred (although, let's face it, my nerd cred is never going to be wholly legit until I finally cowboy up and read The Lord of the Rings. Siiiiiigh).
I thought it was pretty good. It's one of those books that lets you try to figure out what's going on on the story's universe before it explains it to you, which is fun--although at the end I often have the feeling that not every loose end was as tied up as I would like. Also, I agree with my mom, who had told me that she read it and enjoyed it, but when she went back to re-read the good parts, she couldn't find any. It was interesting as a whole, but I can't think of any particular scene that had me glued to my seat. There are some pretty great secondary characters, though. My favorite (and I suppose you could count this as a spoiler) is the main character (Paul) 's little sister, Alia. That little chick crazy.
Despite the engaging characters, sweet sci-fi settings, and big actions scenes, I can see why attempts to make it into a movie have not been well received. It's pretty complicated, riding on understandings of complex religious and political structures. Besides that, a lot of the book is made up of characters very closely observing others and unraveling their motivations. How do you do that on film? Or rather, how do you do that well on film?
I haven't decided whether I'm going to read the sequels or not. I hear they get weirder and also, they aren't right here in my apartment so I'd have to put some actual effort into getting a hold of them. Decisions, decisions.
Finally, when I Google image searched "dune," it gave me suggested related searches of "dune movie," "sand dune," "dune book," and "fjord." If that doesn't crack you up, then you and I are very different people.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Dune
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5 comments:
Spoilers ahead.
What make "Dune" really interesting is that Frank Herbert does not seem particularly interested in providing a conventional moral for his story. After his father is betrayed and murdered by his enemies, Paul does not learn some Judeo-Christian lesson about turning the other cheek or triumphing over adversity through the power of love.
No, Paul becomes the undisputed leader of a race of desert supermen and utterly annihilates his enemies and all who oppose him. This might explain the book's popularity among nerds. It's the ultimate revenge fantasy. Oh yeah, Paul also gets to have sex with his desert concubine AND marry a trophy wife. Score!
We watched this Christian-themed movie the other night, The Last Sin Eater, and I really wanted to see some revenge killing at the end, but I was predictably denied.
I don't think I've ever seen the words "cowboy up" and "nerd cred" in such close proximty. Kudos.
"It's the ultimate revenge fantasy."
I couldn't disagree more.
Paul ends up as the head of a fanatical army of Jihadists leaving a wake of blood behind him. And he knows it will happen whether he lives or not. And he hates it. And he tries to live in the shadows of prophecy, where he can't see the future and therefore (for a moment) can live in the past.
It's a good story because there isn't a conventional moral. It's also a good story because it isn't conventionally amoral. Paul doesn't get what he wants, though he does get and enjoy some measure of vengeance. But he does stuff, and while no-one wants his life the moral ambiguities (and straightforward scope of accomplishments) make him an exceedingly popular author.
But the revenge fantasy is only part of it. In a way, it is Paul's multifaceted concern with "softer" subjects such as ethics that makes him even more badass. After all, anyone can turn themselves into a killing machine--just look at Conan.
Sure, Paul has doubts about what he's doing or going to do, but in the end, he makes sure that the people who hurt him and his family are destroyed. Take The Lion King. (I'm basically ripping this off from Neal, but this speaks to Craig's pet peeve.) If Frank Herbert had written The Lion King, Simba would have been pensive for a while, but in the end, he would have gathered an army of warthogs to march on Pride Rock. Then he would have killed Scar personally, none of that leaving the dirty work to the hyenas stuff.
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