Q&A with Dr. McNelly

[Mahdi]

I have just finished an e-mail Q&A with Dr. McNelly, the author of the Dune Encyclopeadia. Here is a quick sample of the 13 questions and answers:

Q) There are rumours going around that the Dune Encyclopeadia is going to be re-printed in electronic form on the internet. Do you know if this is true or not? And if it is, will be be free to read, or will you have to pay to dowload it?

A) I have conversations underway with two publishers concerning a reprint of the DE. Because I feel strongly about the 4th amendment and the sanctity of copyright as well as the fact that I like money, I do not envision that I will ever authorize the DE to be posted electronically without assurance of payment of some royalty to me. My attorney/agent agrees with me on this. See what has happened to Napster recently.

Q) As the original creator of House Ordos, did WestWood or EA contact you when designing the Ordos for there Dune games?

A) I know nothing about any Dune game. Am I given some sort of credit in its creation?

...remember, it's only fiction, no matter how real, so enjoy...

The other eleven questions deal with the Dune prequels, miniseries, and his Butlerian Jihad novel. To view them, click here. As my manual for Dune 2000 is long gone, does anyone know whether or not Dr. McNelly was given any credit for House Ordos?

Special thanks to Ed of the Dune Jihad website for setting this up, and also Gobalopper and Matthew (of The World of Dune RPG) for contributing questions.