marotta%lezah.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (06/15/85)
From: marotta%lezah.DEC@decwrl.ARPA My deepest apologies -- the previous mail message was accidentally cut off. I'll never get used to VMS quirks! My original point, however, was a discussion of the value of series in Science Fiction and Fantasy. I was just beginning to explain my feeling that Science Fiction authors (and, to a degree, authors of Fantasy) have a very special problem: how to describe a world that is alien to the readers' experience? Many short stories in the field exemplify the skill of certain authors in drawing from the readers' own experience to create the desired setting. But the books that really explain and detail the worlds, technology, and society in great detail are often enhanced by second, or even third volumes. U. K. LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy, for example, views Earthsea from three different perspectives, each focussing on a different aspect, while the three books cooperate to draw a realistic, detailed view. I share some of the opinions voiced here about the repetitive and trivial nature about some sequels, but I find them valuable at times, and often a great joy. One series, however, seems to have gone beyond the limits of good taste. I am a lover of Herbert's Dune since I first read it. The concept lost its flavor with the second of the books, and I mercilessly forced myself to read God Emperor. My latest visit to the bookstore showed me that there are at least 3 more in the series! Needless to say, I will not be so eager to begin them. But I find it highly amusing that the Dune Dictionary won the HUGO. I guess I'm not the only one starting to get lost! :-) But I'm not so relieved to find such a reference as those who choose the award winners. I'm not going to bother with any more Dune books. Frank Herbert has some fine and interesting publications that are totally unrelated to the series. I suggest White Plague as an interesting alternative.
ramsay@kcl-cs.UUCP (ZNAC440) (06/18/85)
<Munchkin, munchkin> In article <2288@topaz.ARPA> marotta%lezah.DEC@decwrl.ARPA writes: >One series, however, seems to have gone beyond the limits of good taste. >I am a lover of Herbert's Dune since I first read it. The concept lost >its flavor with the second of the books, and I mercilessly forced myself >to read God Emperor. I'm not going to bother with >any more Dune books. Frank Herbert has some fine and interesting >publications that are totally unrelated to the series. I suggest >White Plague as an interesting alternative. I would suggest any other books by Frank Herbert except the 'Dune' series. I find his other works so much in contrast to 'Dune' & Co. that it amazed me it was the same author. In particular, I recommend the Con-Sentiency stories, about BuSab, the Bureau of Sabotage.('The Tactful Saboteur' - short,from 'The Worlds of Frank Herbert','Whipping Star' - novel, and 'The Dosadi Experiment' also a novel.) Of these, The Dosadi Experiment is the best, and I put it as one of my top ten books ever. Frank writes good stuff. R. Ramsay <I am not a number, I am a free gift!>
dca@edison.UUCP (David C. Albrecht) (06/21/85)
> <Munchkin, munchkin> > > In article <2288@topaz.ARPA> marotta%lezah.DEC@decwrl.ARPA writes: > >One series, however, seems to have gone beyond the limits of good taste. > >I am a lover of Herbert's Dune since I first read it. The concept lost > >its flavor with the second of the books, and I mercilessly forced myself > >to read God Emperor. I'm not going to bother with > >any more Dune books. Frank Herbert has some fine and interesting > >publications that are totally unrelated to the series. I suggest > >White Plague as an interesting alternative. > > I would suggest any other books by Frank Herbert except the 'Dune' series. I > find his other works so much in contrast to 'Dune' & Co. that it amazed me it > was the same author. In particular, I recommend the Con-Sentiency stories, > about BuSab, the Bureau of Sabotage.('The Tactful Saboteur' - short,from 'The > Worlds of Frank Herbert','Whipping Star' - novel, and 'The Dosadi Experiment' > also a novel.) Of these, The Dosadi Experiment is the best, and I put it as one > of my top ten books ever. Frank writes good stuff. > > R. Ramsay > > <I am not a number, I am a free gift!> Disagree!, disagree! after reading Dune which I really enjoyed I proceeded to read the next two which I didn't. Well, I gave up on the Dune series (except for the first) and ripped through about six-eight of his other books just to see. I found all his other books I read just as bad as Dune followups if not worse (including "The Dosadi Experiment"). The one other Herbert I did find that I thought was good before I gave up on reading his books entirely was "The Godmakers". David Albrecht