Dune

[adam]

MINOR SPOILERS AHOY

One of the things that I love is the richness of the galaxy he's described. Like, you could just read the glossary to the first book and have some pretty interesting ideas. The Orange Catholic bible and all that.

It is a terrible pity he didn't get the chance to wind up the series himself. Supposedly his son is working on the final novel from his notes, but my instinct is to stay away. This isn't, perhaps, fair to his son, but it is out of respect for his father's work.

The thing about the first one is the sense it gives you of watching genius at work. I mean, through out the entire novel, you're getting glimpses of brilliance set against brilliance. Leto is involved in a chess game of such complexity you can barely grasp it. And the snatches of insight into their trains of thought, doom, I think, any translation into film to failure. They can grasp the surface of the book, but never the substance.

Paul's duel is riveting (He gives water to the dead!). As was his blinding. I loved The Prophet character.

I loved the descriptions of their hyper-senses, like when they're detecting secret passages by wind drafts and such.

And, the, of course, there is the litany against fear:

"I must fear. Fear is the mind killer. It is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will let my fear pass over me, and through me, and when it is gone I will turn the inward eye and see its passage, and only I will remain." <-- that's from memory, and I'm drunk, but it's pretty close, no?