h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have the next book ready and waiting, but the first was so good - with such a nice ending i can't bring myself to start on the next.

I might just leave it at the first, are the sequels really worth reading, i mean are they as good as or do they add more to the original story?

Thanks i probabl;y will start it soon, for i obviously want to know what happens to all the characters.

The sequels tend to take things off in a completely different direction, although 'Dune Messiah' is probably the closest to a straight forward sequel. Worth reading (although I think that Dune is the best).

There are very mixed opinions about the books written by Frank Herbert's son Brian Herbert with Kevin Anderson, though.

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I no nothing of the later Dune books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson , although i know they exist, but i have heard the sequels to Dune are completly different. I'm so tempted to start reading Dune Messiah, it looks so small sitting next to the first book. I'm not going to though. I might even end up reading Dune again.

I hope you do read it at some point, but why not read 'Dune' again first if you'll enjoy it. If you do read it, let me know what you think.

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Yeah, i think i will re-read 'Dune'. I don't want to spoil the story it is just perfect. 'Then' i might bring myself to read the sequels.
I just don't want to spoil the ending. I know there are so many questions unanswered from the first novel but frankly they don't really need answering. To enjoy a story you don't need the gory details of the cast from cradle to grave to make the story work, it seems to me to just about perfect, a few years on Arrakis was like a lifetime; 'a lifetime' is enough for me, i think.

Btw i will let you know when i start re-reading 'Dune' and when i finish it i will compare then, how i feel about the book now.

I assume that as you'd seen the film you knew what was likely to happen first time around, but yes, let me know what you think after a re-read.

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yes i got the story basically from the film, the book fleshed it out considerable - especially the the beginning 'the leaving of Caladan' for the Atreides, that really did set the scene so well reading the book. The only thing the film never told me in depth was the emperors treachery, letting the sardaukar be used against the Atreides, and so the sweet revenge wrought on him at the end, which can be appreciated reading the book.

The leaving of Caladan, and destruction of the house Atreides to me is what permeates the story. The urgency of the move, the wheels moving at breakneck speed from page one, is about the best start to a story i have ever read. It is hard to forget the Atreides, the air of Caladan ( and the ghosts of so many memorable Atreides) was still in my nostrils all the while on Arrakis.

Yes, it does add more detail, especially the significance of the Sardaukar and how shocking it was that the Fremen defeated them. I must confess when I watched the film the first time there were definitely tears in my eyes when the Atreides were all but wiped out by Baron Harkonnen.

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You read the book first by the sound of it?
I will watch the film again soon, actually have bought the extended edition, which seems to have caused a bit of controversy. I just want to see the extra fremen scenes, like the fight with Jamis. Have you seen any other version of the film? I havn't been able to find an edition with subtitles (English as i'm hard of hearing), but i know it off by heart now almost i think.

To be honest, I played 'Dune 2' first, then film and then book. I was given a couple of the action figures as a child, too, but didn't realise what they were until I saw the film as a teen.
There are some good bits in the extended edition, but the opening is a bit tacked on. It's a shame that they didn't do a proper Director's Cut with the best bits of both versions, although I think they've only released one version of the extended version so far.
I think that by law all DVDs should have subtitles on them - they're useful not only if you are hard of hearing, but if you have loud children, a wife talking on the phone etc. I also often like to put the film's subtitles on when listening to a DVD commentary.

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Subtitles by law for sure!

Just saw the extended TV version a few weeks back. Yuck! It's nice to see a few of the deleted scenes but the original is sooo much better IMO. Well, David Lynch did originally plan on having a very much longer film from what i gather, so fingers crossed one day we will get a directors cut, it would be awsome, i could handle a 3hour movie of Dune no problem.

Yes, I'd agree that the original makes more sense and the prologue is just there to make the film longer, (television companies often paid film companies for the broadcasting rights according to length of the film in the 1980s) with some strange bits cut out. It would be wonderful if David Lynch would do a director's cut, but apparently Dune has bad memories for him so he has always been reluctant.

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Maybe they can get Alan Smithee, or joe bloggs to do it?

Still not tempted to start the next installment of Dune, i liked the way the book ended i would hate to mess about with such a satisfying finale.

All the elements are there ready for someone to do a proper version, combining the best of both - hopefully someone will, it doesn't really matter who.

Have you read anything else by Frank Herbert?

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First and only thing i've read by him. Any recommendations?

I enjoyed 'The White Plague', which is very haunting and is about a virus wiping out most of humanity, and 'The Santaroga Barrier' was a lighter mystery about a man investigating the strange inhabitents of an unusual village...

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Sounds like good stories. Sure i would enjoy. I'm into another writer at the moment: 'Robert Sheckley'. I love his short stories. The book that got me into him is named 'Dimension of Miracles', i love it, can read over and over - and still makes me dizzy and laugh in equal measures. I can honestly say it's the best science fiction story (most entertaining) i have ever read. DNA cites this guy as an inspiration, and they have very similar styles (it seems unclear if DNA did or did not read that story before writing H2G2, but they are both a work of genius).

I will have to get hold of some of Frank Herbert's other work.

I've not read anything by him, I'll have to keep a look out.

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"Dimension of Miracles"