New Dune miniseries - Page 4

Slick · #31 March 20th, 2003, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Anyway, I'll probably go to a bookstore and grab the books sometime, and read them over the summer.

I thought the books were great and the story had incredible depth. This series was one of the best I have ever read. I did find the story moved a little slow, though. I wouldn't change anything, but know that the "action per page" is kinda low.

I still remember while reading the first book "Dune" how guilty I felt taking a shower and seeing all that water just go down the drain. I also would have to periodically stop reading to get a drink because I would get incredibly thirsty - theory of suggestion, I guess. The only series to affect me that way. Wierd.

Even till today, when I start to feel stressed, that phrase goes through my head: "Fear is the mind-killer..."

Slick.

[ March 20, 2003, 07:18: Message edited by: Slick ]

kalthalior · #32 March 20th, 2003, 07:15 PM

I haven't read the entire series, (I am WAY behind on my planned reading -- SE4 seems to take up a lot of my spare time again lately!) but I enjoyed the miniseries quite a bit. As far as the Dune films go, I think the biggest problem people had w/ the Lynch Version when it was released is that so much was edited out to make it feature length that the film wound up having no continuity. Director's cut is much better IMO, I went from hating the movie to actually liking it (somewhat). I have to agree with whomever made the point about not including the sonic weapons in the Sci-Fi Version, they are emphasized as being really revolutionary tech in the book.

Instar · #33 March 20th, 2003, 09:33 PM

Anybody want my roommate? Hes annoying and a slob, any takers? ;P

Fyron · #34 March 20th, 2003, 11:25 PM

Instar:
Nah, I think I'll keep my room all to myself. No roommate is nice.

QuarianRex · #35 March 21st, 2003, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kalthalior:
I have to agree with whomever made the point about not including the sonic weapons in the Sci-Fi Version, they are emphasized as being really revolutionary tech in the book.

Are you talking about the weirding modules from the movie? The 'With a word I can shatter bones, burst organs, set fires' weapon? That was never in the book. It was an invention of Lynch. The actual 'weirding way' was the bene gesserit prana-bindu method of muscle and nerve training. Essentially it was hyper-advanced martial-arts/yoga. This is what is in the book and this is what is in the miniseries.

Granted, I didn't know this until I read the book many years after I saw the movie as a child. At first I was disappointed, since the weirding modules were a central aspect of the Dune mythos that I had built out of one of my favorite movies. Once I got into the books I changed my mind.

Raynor:
The Usul thing pissed me off too (and the mouse-shadow of the moon etc.). It was done quickly and well in the Lynch film so I don't understand why they didn't include it. The rest of the series was so well done, though, that I can't stay angry. The mini-sreies is faithful to the book in so many ways that it makes me wince when I watch the old movie (though I still love it).

Also, about the spice, its prime use (and therefore value) was as a tool for prescience. It allowed the trained user to see possible futures. Even the space-folding of the navigator guild was just a beneficial side effect of that. The problem was that the prescience was not perfect. There were areas that they could not see. To overcome this limitation the Bene Gesserit set out to breed one who would have perfect prescience. Enter Paul Muad'dib.

Melange in its raw form was a lot like cinnamon and could be consumed in much the same way. The processed life extension treatment was usually administered in beverage form.

Taz-in-Space · #36 March 21st, 2003, 05:57 AM

It's been quite a while since I read the book, but didn't it state that computers were outlawed technology?
If so, then what controlled the assassination weapon in Dune and what controlled the whirling blades in Children of Dune?

DirectorTsaarx · #37 March 21st, 2003, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Taz-in-Space:
It's been quite a while since I read the book, but didn't it state that computers were outlawed technology?

Well, sort of. The prohibition was something along the lines of "Thou shalt not make a machine that mimics the human mind".

Quote:

Originally posted by Taz-in-Space:
If so, then what controlled the assassination weapon in Dune and what controlled the whirling blades in Children of Dune?

The assassination weapon was either controlled by a simple motion-sensor or a human. The whirling blade thing was a standard combat training drone; again, IIRC, it used a variety of physical mechanisms to generate attack patterns. Since it didn't create it's own patterns, it wasn't considered a "thinking machine".

BTW, (and, yet again, IIRC

), supposedly House Vernius (the House in control of the planet Ix, where things like Spacing Guild vessels and the combat mechs were built) was constantly treading the fine line between "allowed" and "not allowed" technology. In fact, the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son discuss that idea... although they make it clear that the alleged violations of the prohibition were really just an excuse to oust House Vernius from Ix, and never completely proven.

Aloofi · #38 March 21st, 2003, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
BTW, (and, yet again, IIRC ), supposedly House Vernius (the House in control of the planet Ix, where things like Spacing Guild vessels and the combat mechs were built) was constantly treading the fine line between "allowed" and "not allowed" technology. In fact, the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son discuss that idea... although they make it clear that the alleged violations of the prohibition were really just an excuse to oust House Vernius from Ix, and never completely proven.

That sounds like the House Hussein.....

Master Belisarius · #39 March 21st, 2003, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aloofi:

quote:
Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
BTW, (and, yet again, IIRC ), supposedly House Vernius (the House in control of the planet Ix, where things like Spacing Guild vessels and the combat mechs were built) was constantly treading the fine line between "allowed" and "not allowed" technology. In fact, the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son discuss that idea... although they make it clear that the alleged violations of the prohibition were really just an excuse to oust House Vernius from Ix, and never completely proven.

That sounds like the House Hussein.....

Hehehe, the name of the Emperor in the first book was Shaddam... but think this time, the Sardaukars forces belong to the House Bush.