Leto of Dune - the fourth 'Heroes of Dune' book

[Dunenewt]

THREE MORE DUNE NOVELS -- JESSICA, IRULAN, AND LETO

Brian Herbert and I are pleased to announce a new deal with Tor Books for three more Dune novels to follow PAUL OF DUNE. These novels -- JESSICA OF DUNE, IRULAN OF DUNE, and LETO OF DUNE -- will also flesh out and fill in the gaps in Frank Herbert's original three Dune novels. The new novels will focus on each of the title characters.

The first book in this sequence, PAUL OF DUNE, is in effect a direct sequel to DUNE, filling in much of the story of Paul's Jihad, and will be published this September. JESSICA also fits mostly into this time period. IRULAN is a sequel to DUNE MESSIAH, taking place after blind Paul has walked off into the sand, leaving his empire in the hands of Alia. And LETO OF DUNE takes place immediately after the end of CHILDREN OF DUNE, showcasing the first years of the God Emperor's reign. (This latter novel is the story most requested in the fan letters we receive.)

These novels will be published every other year (or perhaps sooner, depending on our writing speed and on our duties for the upcoming Paramount film version of DUNE).

Taken from KJA's MySpace.  I've never heard anyone ask for a book about Leto II's early years personally, but nevertheless it would be interesting, however I am annoyed that the title is not Leto II of Dune in a way, because it is not about Duke Leto I.

[Andrew]

Leto of Dune does sound bad. There were two Letos on dune before God Emperor Leto.

Paul's father and Pauls first son.

[Dante]

Blah blah cashing in blah blah no integrity blah blah don't have Frank's notes blah blah I'm a broken record blah.

[Edric O]

Well, there is a huge time gap between Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, so I can definitely see why a novel about that immense unknown period would be the one most requested by fans.

I can also see a good reason for a novel covering the gap between Dune and Dune Messiah, if only because Paul's claims that he couldn't have stopped the Jihad always seemed absurd to me. I would like to see just what the hell made the Jihad so inevitable.

The other two sound like superfluous cash cows, though.

[Anathema]

Well' date=' there is a huge time gap between Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, so I can definitely see why a novel about that immense unknown period would be the one most requested by fans.[/quote']

I'm not really sure about that one, either.

I liked GEoD partly because it had something of a "stranger in a strange land" feeling for the reader, like Duncan felt. All the stuff you recall from Muad'Dibs times are ancient history. You learn that LetoII took control over one thing, and over a course of 3,500 years turned into something else entirely.

Knowing these two they'll probably just write a story that describes the "final transformation" of the Fremen into its museum descendents, when Leto finally abolishes mentats and shields, Duncan leads the Sardaukar revolt, and every other major occurrence hinted at in GEoD over a period of maybe ten, twenty years tops so that they can compress it all into a single novel  ::)

If they absolutely have to do it, I'd recommend them that they write a collection of short stories spreaded across that vast stretch of time.

Nevertheless, I stopped reading their books after the first part in the Butlerian Jihad trilogy and I don't intend to read anything more from them, so I probably shouldn't be complaining about it.

[Dunenewt]

To be honest, I was hoping they'd cover more of the period between House Corrino and Dune, as there were many unanswered questions there.

Edit - This book isn't going down to well at all over at the official message boards, everyone's slated it.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

This sounds great! I am really looking forwards to the one about Leto II!  :)

[Vanguard3000]

It would be neat to see a series of short stories based on Leto II's reign, each taking place at a different time, with a different Majordomo, and a different Duncan.  Some of the Duncans from the Dune Encyclopedia were pretty interesting.

[SandChigger]

Well, needless to say, I'm appalled.

Dunenewt, I've just been reading your comments on the thread over at the "official" board.

Brian Herbert's "right" to continue the series created by his father is a purely legal one. As holder of the copyrights on the books, he can do what he pleases. (He could even go back and change the original books to conform to the new ones, if he wanted.) That doesn't make what he and Kevin are doing "right", however.

In my opinion, the new books show that Brian either did not understand his father's works or (worse, actually) chose to mangle the universe they portray in order to let "best-selling" hike-writer Kevin crank out yet another series of his third-rate pre-teen-targeted word masses. Whatever the legalities, he really didn't have the "right" to do that, now did he?

The fact that the first new books were best-sellers is probably due mainly to the Dune and Herbert names. The fact that subsequent ones have also sold well is also due to that name value, plus the "hope factor": the belief that the next book HAS TO BE better...'cause Gor knows it can't possibly be worse!

By the time Kevin and Brian finish, there will be 21 books with the name "Dune" on them. Frank Herbert will have written only 6 of them.

Enough is enough.

[MrFlibble]

Will they ever stop? >:(

I think we'll have more new series soon. How about "Insignificant Characters of Dune"? Starting with the trilogy "Lingar Bewt of Dune", "Soo-Soo of Dune" and "Aramsham of Dune". Fans will wait for the continuation of the series in "Arkie of Dune" and "The Harkonnen Guy Who Died Delivering a Fake Message That Hinted at Jessica Being a Traitor of Dune" :P

[SandChigger]

Will they ever stop?

Yes. Brian can't live forever. Both of his parents died from cancer-related illness; I'm not sure how old Beverly was, but Frank was 65 when he died. Brian is now 61 or so. But he could live another 20 years or more.

Kevin, on the other hand, just recently turned 46. (We're the same age now...for the next two months at least. ;) ) And he HIKES, so he's probably healthy as a horse and could keep on squirtin' 'em out for another 40 years.

The thing that gives me cold sweats at night is the thought that he has somehow conned the HLP into some arrangement whereby he could continue to write "Dune" books even if/when/after something happens to Brian. :O

That fear and the above-mentioned potential reality (40 MORE YEARS OF KJA SWILL?!) is why for the last few days I have been setting aside a few minutes to visualize Kevin hiking on a mountain path and a boulder falling on him.

Sending positive energy out into the world! ;D

(Brian I wish no ill. He obviously really wants to be a writer someday. I hope he gets those 20 or more years to see if he can become one. :P )

[Dunenewt]

Then Byron Merritt starts writing them...?

[Edric O]

The year is 2048, and Kevin J. Anderson has just finished writing the 37th Dune book, a children's colouring book entitled Team Atreides versus the Harkobots. The plot revolves around a defeated Omnius travelling back in time and opening an interdimensional rift to summon forth legions of unstoppable cymek warriors known as Harkobots. But a ghola of Paul Atreides follows him into the rift and accidentally gets thrown into an alternate universe where he meets Harry Potter. Paul and Harry must then fight their way through Death Eaters, Harkobots and thinking machines as they prepare for their final showdown with Omnius.

[Dunenewt]

But I didn't see a mention of Norma? ;)

[Dante]

She's busy giving birth to the half robot half sandworm half klingon two thirds angel mega-ultra-super-giga-Kwisatz Haderach, whose coming was prophesised by Jessica Atreides as she lay on her deathbed a billion years ago. This shall be the child who can rearrange the universe with a thought and his name will be Kevin.

[Dunenewt]

Y'know, we should right up these ideas into a fan fiction.

[MrFlibble]

Yeah, we must do that before they occasionally get "borrowed" by Kevin and Brian and Edric O and Dante will get no royalties ::)

[Edric O]

Well, maybe we should write a fanfic spoof of the BH/KJA books. But, having not read most of them, I'm not sure I'd be very good at it.

[SandChigger]

Fanfic about fanfic...doesn't that like create a black hole or something?  :O

Oh, no, it makes a HELLHOLE!  ;D

<b>COMING SOON!</b>

SMELLHOLE!

SMELLHOLE INFERNO!

SMELLHOLE IMPACT!

"Ooh...the SMELL of it!"

[Colonel_Worf]

They'll keep reading them as long as people (obviously in the millions) keep buying them. I doubt millions of people out there keep buying books just because they "hope" for them to be good. If you don't like the first one or two books in a series or by an author, you quit reading unless you're brain damaged. The majority of people like these books. You can keep your six Frank Herbert Dune books on the shelf and ignore everything else.

[SandChigger]

There are other motivations possible besides being "brain damaged."

[Beonid]

I reckon $18 is bit on the expensive side for firestarters, don't you agree?

Dammit - I just realised that people that pre-ordered Poor Ole Dune *shudder* also ordered Battlestar Galactica...

*strikes DVD off the 'to watch' list*

[SandChigger]

Well...I enjoy BG...but have also pre-ordered the <i>PoD</i> PoS. (Piece of Sh*te)

I suppose I could wait until used copies become available, but there's that petty little desire to be among the first to read it. (No, as a child I never played in my poo.)

Another way I rationalize it is this:

Sure, I'm giving them money and encouraging them to continue what they're doing.

But at this point, that's the BEST THING we can do. They haven't the sense to stop, obviously, so the thing is just going to have to run its course, like the disease it is. The more successful the books are, the more full of themselves they will become, and the more outrageous and assinine the things Kevin will try to incorporate into the Duniverse. Eventually even the most psychofantic ;) and barely literate fanboys will come to their senses and realize how they're being made fools of. The books will stop selling, TOR will hack off its ties to the two hacks, and "New Dune" will eventually be seen for the colossal mistake it was. And forgotten.

So while it may not look like it yet, <i>Paul of Dune</i> will actually be a good thing.:D

[Khan]

Let me get this straight, you are buying the books in the hope that they will stop selling? Why would you even want to read them in the first place?

[SandChigger]

Take a deep breath and a long view. :D

I'm committed to reading and slagging off every fricking thing they write. They are BAD WRITERS and if, like those Shakespeare-targetting simians, they ever do manage to put something good together, I want to be there to witness it. (Naturally, I'm not holding my breath...because years of smoking have decreased my lung capacity.)

In the long term, I think they have misjudged the situation and didn't know when to stop or change tactics. (What they should have done is try to placate the older fanbase a bit by releasing something more along the <i>Road to Dune</i> line, giving us some more original Frank Herbert materials, maybe even the "Dune 7" outline. But they consider us a "small but vocal minority" that they can afford to ignore, so....) So they're barging full steam ahead along the same old path.

What I'm hoping will happen is that even their most attention-deficient, borderline literate fanboy supporters will read these pointless "Heroes of Dune" books and finally start to wake up and...stop buying their crap.

The world doesn't need these books. It would be nice to see what Frank Herbert wrote or sketched out without it first being filtered through the mental fuzziness of a former alcoholic who didn't even read <i>Dune</i> until he was nearly 30 and the egotistical additions of a megalomaniac hiker with an IC recorder. >:(