Dune 7 - told ya so! (www.dunenovels.com update)

[NeoDevilbane]

www.dunenovels.com has been updated (11/3), and KJA/BH have made their intentions for Dune 7, as well as their future novel/novella intentions quite clear.

Go here:

http://www.dunenovels.com/news/dune7announcement.html

- Neo

[NeoDevilbane]

On a second look at the "announcement," at the bottom is still says they may publish an "interim" of Dune short stories, missing chapters (why missing chapters? If Frank removed them from the novels, there was a REASON) and Frank Herbert's personal notes in a volume called "The Road to Dune."

I guess I could dig "The Road to Dune" as they describe it (no one can argue that seeing Frank's actual words again is a GOOD thing), what about you guys? I just don't like that last bit they include in the announcement about "while they prepare for DUNE 7"... I mean, what is that all about? They've been "preparing for DUNE 7" since they started writing House Atreides. How many more years of preparation is it going to take?

The thing I like about this "announcement" is that it makes no mention of the proposed, trivial gap-filler "Paul of Dune" trilogy. At all. Good. File that uninspired hunker under "U" for "Unnecessary."

- Neo

[Anathema]

I want Dune7 before my hair turns grey God dammit >:(

[nampigai]

again I would rather have franks notes for D7 than BH/KJA writing it

[BaronMoritani]

http://www.dune2k.com/forum/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=3294;start=30

[ra7968]

Hi, I'm Omar...new to this group. Between 1986 and 1998

I would have an occaisional dream that I'd be in a book store and stumble upon

"Dune7". Just as I reached for it, I'd wake up. Anyone

else have this psychosis???

Now for the thread relevance. I just received a personal

correspondance from KJA which you may find intersting. I feel

it is OK to pass this on, since it came from their official website.

We were discussing writing styles

and the possiblility of Dune7 being a trilogy. He writes:

Dear Omar,

Thanks for your letter. Frank Herbert's outline for DUNE 7 contains many

events and Frank's writing style in later DUNE books was to skip dramatizing

many major events. Our writing style is to show more of the action on

stage, which takes many more pages. Until we actually begin developing and

writing the story Frank Herbert outlined, we won't know how much room we'll

require.

Kevin J. Anderson

[AlteaDeo]

lol, that sounds a bit like he want to prepare the public to his writting style too much ;)

"Eh! Frank wan't that good at the end, we'll do better by writting much more!"

Still, I cannot wait to see that Dune 7, whatever it'll look like ;)

[NeoDevilbane]

Interesting. That blip from KJA about "the action on stage" only confirms what we already knew of his action scene tendencies.

The notion of a Dune 7 is still exciting, make no mistake. We already know the history of Dune -- they could write all the prequels and in-between-this-and-that novels they want to their hearts' desire, but NOTHING they could write in prequels would change ANYTHING of Frank's work.

Dune 7, for the first time EVER since his death, gives us Dune's future... and conclusion -- what's best, all of it just as Frank envisioned it, from a detailed fucking outline he himself wrote. I understand & agree (on some things, a LOT) with some of the resentment towards KJA/BH... but forgive me, what can be more exciting than that (ok, maybe short of Frank rising from the dead, typewriter in-hand)?

In my opinion, nothing.

- Neo

[Colonel_Worf]

Dune 7 - Yay!

Dune Short Stories - Yay

Road To Dune - So-so, it depends...

Paul of Dune - Okay

Paul of Dune as a trilogy - WTF?

[Acriku]

I think Kevin and Brian do excellent work, so I can't wait.

[ra7968]

It's been a while since we've seen a real "prequels Content" update on the website. I have this opinion that everything

that KJA and BH have been writing IS Dune7. I came to this conclusion after receiving the note above from KJA. The unattained FH Dune7 would have likely been one book with a lot of references to historical stuff, tales told about events not fleshed out. It would have been pretty philosphical and maybe a little stoney (my old debate coach used to light one up with FH on occaision). But BH and KJA are basically elaborating on everything possible and in the process they are giving us dune7...I could write more to back this up but I haven't figured out to to hide spoilers in those cute little boxes.

Also, my fiancee and I are laughing about how i am a sand flea! How do i "evolve"??? hahaha!

[Acriku]

Are you saying the continuation of Chapterhouse(Dune 7) would have been about the Butlerian Jihad, Battle of Corrin, and whatever the last legend is called?

[Vanguard3000]

I think that, overall, I'm looking forward to "the Road to DUne" because it at least has some exerpts of Frank's notes.

[TMA_1]

if you want great Dune-like reading that is written by Frank Herbert, then read whipping star or destination:void. Dont fool around with the prequels.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

I don't really care much for dune7, because I have not read the last original dune books. I am looking more forward to the machine crusade. :) I loved the Butlerian Jihad. It is one of the best books I have ever read, better than the other dune prequels.

[ra7968]

well, no. Dune 7 wouldn't have been about The Butlerian Jihad etc....but those stories, as written by KJA/BH, are "wrapped around" elements of Dune7. KJA's earlier response to the Baron makes that clear. So as you read the prequels, you are "set up for" Dune7. But another way of looking at it is that you are receiving bits and pieces of Dune7 the whole way.

Another thread would be: what would FH's version of the BJ been like, were it to come after his own Dune7?

It just makes very little sense to me that KJA and BH feel the need to "set up" Dune 7 with the BJ when FH would have written the two in the opposite order. Clearly FH needed no such setup. I think KJA/BH must underestimate the Classic Dune Audience, or having longer lifespans they have decided to just stretch things out a bit.

Like KJA implies in his email to me, Dune7 proper could be more than one book. I say it is already more than one book!

But what do I know, I am just a sand flea :-) :-)

[ra7968]

Oops, In that last post, I was referring to an earlier

email from KJA to Neo, Not Baron Moritani....the one that justifies why Dune7 is being written after the House books

and the BJ books.

[NeoDevilbane]

What you suggest is just not possible. BH didn't even find out about his dad's floppy-disced outline of any Dune 7 until *after* he and KJA outlined the "Prelude to Dune" Trilogy and probably at that point even completed at least "House Atreides." And years before this, we already know that McNelly and Herbert had some sort of liaison cooking for a Butlerian Jihad book, and it's public knowledge that KJA/BH wanted to chronicle the Jihad ("... the fans have been clamoring for it for years...") for some time now, pre- and post-discovery of the FH Dune 7 outline in safety deposit.

Bottom line: If KJA and BH are to be believed, there are plot threads/characters/tantalizing tidbits directly relating to Dune 7 within at least the "Legends of Dune" Trilogy (Butlerian Jihad, etc.)... we don't know *what* they are necessarily (mum is the word from KJA/BH, but educated guesses would seem to loudly suggest the cymeks in some way), but they're there. However, the "Prelude to Dune" and "Legends of Dune" trilogies should in no way, respect, or form be considered, in part or whole, representative of any part of what Dune 7 will be, which is equally publically known to be a *direct sequel* to Chapterhouse: Dune (bringing the intended Heretics, Chapterhouse, and Dune 7 trilogy to a close). You can find several interviews in which either KJA or BH say they need to "build up to" and "warm up for" Dune 7 by the two prequel trilogies, but I'm guessing 99% of the *Real* reason in the latter.

Like I've said before, Dune 7, for the first time since new Dune material started being written, will be the first post-FH death novel in which BH/KJA will be *actively* trying to emulate FH (both prequel trilogies thus far have just been based off of loose FH notes here and there about misc. events pre-Dune... Dune 7 will be written off of a detailed outline FH wrote himself, chapter-by-chapter!) and KJA/BH know what they write in Dune 7 will be judged accordingly.

Filling in Big Daddy's shoes is nothing to be trifled with, and both their asses know it. :)

- Neo

[TMA_1]

hey, I think its great, I just can predict that it wont feel like frank's books. Frank had a subtlty in his style of writing. He made you feel like you were there and that you could actually be a character in his universes. Brian and kevin are great writers and I love their books, but they write differently. They try a bit too hard and it shows. They strain the storyline and make it so that its a little too "movie-like" and fantastic. Just isnt like frank, and that is why I suggest you guys read frank's other books. Another thing about his other books is I believe there is a connection to the dune universe in them. its pretty apparent.

[NeoDevilbane]

I agree, TMA-1... but with both KJA and BH going off (*directly*) Frank Herbert's chapter-by-chapter outline, Dune 7 might arbitrarily curtail their writing habits thus far. I give them the credit of putting myself in their shoes... Frank Herbert is dead, here we have in our hands is his *last* existential outline for what is to be the "Final" Dune novel that bookends the novels he wrote before he *died*... god damn it, we're gonna try our damned best to do it right, and god damn it, here's the chapter-by-chapter outline that is going to make sure it maintains the rest of the series' integrity. The "Prelude to Dune" and "Legends of Dune" trilogies are BH/KJA's ultimate brainchilds... Dune 7 will be Frank's, if penned by BH/KJA. Granted, I could see Dune 7 not totally *ultimately* meeting the standards of the philisophical/ecological/etc. standards of previous Dune novels by FH, but I can see it coming pretty... damn... CLOSE. And for that I remain cautiously optomistic, and thus I advise the rest of you FH Dune fans to be as well. I believe -- *with* FH's detailed Dune 7 outline -- that BH/KJA can pull it off, and pull it off damned well.

- Neo

[Andrew]

I can't wait for Dune 7, but i fear it will "sound" like their prequels(in the way they write). But I liked the prequels adn a 7th book is better than no book.

[Dante]

lets drown in the franchise, it'd be a good death...

[TMA_1]

"adn a 7th book is better than no book."

couldnt agree with you more andrew. :)

[Emperor Harkonnen]

I hope that dune 7 will be an action filled book like the prequels :) with a little more easy language than the frank herbert books. I really find those difficult reading. Dune though was good cus I read it in Norwegian. but the books written by Brian had an easier language for me to understand. I am not that good in english :-[

[ra7968]

I think one only has to go to the statement KJA makes (quoted earlier in this thread) to realize that he will not be changing his writing style for Dune7.

Not even fair to expect him to.

the thing to remember is that, no matter how Dune7 ends, or what KJA and BH ultimately end up doing. It will not in the least diminish from the whole series. FH's original books will never change. They will always be there

to be appreciated.

when you onsider the whole story arc, what would you say that dune is about?

The dangers of religion?

The dangers of a messiah?

Do you think the House Trilogy develops the arc at all?

Will the Legends Trilogy develop the ARC?

Man's reliance on machines = Dangerous.

Man creates the "ultimate machine": very bad.

This leads to a great revolt wherein humankind develops their powers.

Man ultimately creates the "ultimate man"

Man's reliance on Messiah (ultimate man)= Stagnation:Dangerous.

A Brave and forward thinking "ultimate man" seeks to solve this problem

by a reign of terror which destroys stagnation. At the right time He then destroys his own abilities. The question: Did he change the course of History?

Climax:

Human kind is again on the run from BOTH man made and artifical superpowers. What has man learned?

I would be very interested to hear other people's synopses of the

dune story arc. Even though the story isn't complete, you can extrapolate themes without knowing all the events. Are the prequels necessary if you view things like this?