Frank Herbert

Book Hunting

Scott Andrew BaileyLeave a comment

If you are reading my blog then you probably agree that there is little better than browsing around a second-hand book shop. The smell, the atmosphere, it can’t be beat. And I am lucky to have some fantastic examples in easy reach.

I often just browse for the experience and the chance to be surprised by a good bargain, or for a book to catch me completely by surprise. As I seem to be doing this more lately I have had a few great finds.

This one for example – a real bargain as I can’t imagine the cost originally. A coffee table volume, 40 Years of Queen – my favourite band.

Another time, I was looking for a book on the origins of local place names – something I am fascinated with. I did not find anything but instead came across these beauties by Mark Forsyth. I have never heard of him but these are a great, light, but informative read. Great to dip into now and then.

In another shop, I spotted this, a collection from one of my favourite Podcasts – In Our Time by Melvyn Bragg. At the time I did not have enough money on me, but my wife, ever vigilant, noted my interest and went back to get it for my birthday.

But now a new theme seems to have entered my book hunting. One of nostalgia. OK – to be fair this has always been there. For one thing, I have many old copies of Enid Blyton’s books that are identical to the ones I had, the ones that sparked my lifelong reading passion. I brought these years ago when my eldest was first born, in the hope he would pick them up and do the same. That didn’t really work as expected but at least he does read, unlike many of his peers.

But the other day I spotted one that really stirred up the sentimentality. If you read my blog regularly you can probably guess that one of the early influences on my reading, writing and just life in general is The Lord of the Rings. I of course, already have a copy – I have always owned a copy since first reading it. The one sitting there calling out to me in the shop though was exactly like the very first one I owned.

Many years ago, in the dawn of time (or primary school as it was known) we were read The Hobbit by a supply teacher. It left a profound impact on me and that was when my dream of becoming a writer was born. I went home immediately and started writing a sequel called The Hobbit’s Cousin. A few weeks later I was visiting an Uncle and mentioned what I was doing. He explained to me that there was already a sequel and produced the above book – which he gave to me to read – thus changing my life forever.

Oddly, despite the fact that I had never seen this particular edition before in a bookshop, there were, in fact, two of these, I was sorely tempted to grab both but resisted that.

This experience got me thinking and I have decided to be a bit more purposeful in my book hunting – specifically looking for these old editions packed with nostalgia ( while still watching for new and exciting things). One of these is an edition of Dune.

Another life-changing book for me. I read this at a time when my interest in reading overall was waning (I was a teenager – other distractions were occurring). This rekindled it while also switching me from being a largely a fantasy reader to becoming much more of a SciFi fan.

So I have all my original Dune books still – brought in the 1980s. But there is an issue. As this was around the time that the David Lynch film version came out, I, of course, brought that version. The rest were not the same theme and artwork.

Now, I a not that OCD about these things, at least not these days. It would only mildly annoy me, and the fact is I have lived with it for years. But this particular set of books is special in that when they are all laid out open and in order the covers make one large picture. (See here and here.)

And I am missing the first part!

I have been traipsing around bookshops looking for that first one in the same cover variant as the others. So far, no luck. I have found all the others in plentiful supply but not the first one. It seems to be much rarer for some reason.

My son suggested going online and tracking it down. That would probably work, but where’s the fun in that!

Does anyone else like to track down original versions of books they read or am I just weird. What kinds of delights and surprises have you found in second-hand bookshops? Let me know.

Children of Dune (Unabridged)

Scott Andrew BaileyLeave a comment

I finished listening to Children of Dune (Unabridged) by Frank Herbert, narrated by Scott Brick, Simon Vance on my Audible app.

Try Audible and get it free: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd?asin=B004FTEVNE&source_code=AUKORWS071615904J

Audible Pleasure – Dune and Dune Messiah

Scott Andrew Bailey2 Comments

As mentioned in my last post, I have just finished listening to the Audible version of Dune Messiah.

I was reluctant to try Audible – but overall I would say it’s been positive. The main advantage has been a gain in “reading” time. I have more and more trouble finding time to read these days – when I have some spare time I usually end up writing before I start reading.

Audible has helped bridge that gap. On work days, I have at least an hour and a half commute. As its driving, I can’t read but I can listen.

But there is a weird effect when listening. The reader has a great impact – in ways you might not expect. Obviously, a bad reader would spoil any book but it becomes more subtle than that.

I recently listened to Rendezvous With Rama (Arthur C Clarke). Now that story is not brilliant – not bad but not up there among my favourites. However, the reader (Toby Longworth) was excellent. He really brought the story to life – so I enjoyed the Audible version more than reading the book.

In comparison – I also started listening to The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. That is a book I loved – one of my favourites! I found I couldn’t listen to this one. Something about the reader (Jonathon Keeble) just didn’t chime with me. It was not that he was bad. He has a good voice, reads well and has good contrast when changing characters. I can’t even put my finger on what it is that I didn’t like. Maybe it was that his tone or his way of interpreting the characters was different from what I had imagined in my head – though I can’t point a finger at any particular example of that.

Which brings me to the two Dune books.

Dune – read by Scott Brick – is in some way for me a conjoining of brilliance. Frank Herbert’s Dune is a strong contender for my favourite book of all time. It’s a masterpiece, it changed the way I think. I could go on – but I am not reviewing the book, just talking about the Audible effect.

So I was ecstatic that Scott Brick’s reading seemed to be the perfect fit. Again, I can’t really say why but he just fits. Maybe his tone and interpretation are on the same wavelength as me? Or maybe he pulls off something amazing and manages to breathe life and colour into the characters without impinging on my interpretation? Whatever the answer I would kill to have that skill.

So what about Dune Messiah?

Now while good, it’s a more difficult listen than Dune. Worth it but more difficult.

There are two reasons for this, the first is the reading. Scott Brick returns and is just as good. For some reason, this time, there are other readers interspersed. Some whole chapters are read by different people. Now while there is nothing wrong with them as readers – the switching grates, especially as one of them insists on pronouncing names and places completely differently than the rest.

The second reason is the book itself. Dune Messiah is in some way the weakest of the whole series. There’s a reason for that. It is a transitional book. It is tying up Dune and setting up the next book Children of Dune.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Dune Messiah was originally part of Dune and that the publishers made Herbert split it into two. I don’t know the reasons why but I can hazard two guesses. Firstly – it would have made Dune, already a long book even longer. Secondly, it would have given it a much more downbeat ending.

Cutting Dune Messiah off the end of Dune has had the effect though of many people missing the point of Dune.

It has been said that Star Wars was a rip-off of Dune. That they took the plot, dumbed it down for the masses and served up a blockbuster.

I don’t think that’s true. What I believe is that both Frank Herbert and George Lucas used the writings of Joseph Campbell about mythology. They both took his outline of a certain mythological common plot line and applied to their stories.

In George Lucas’s case, this was because he knew it would chime with people – it would echo stories they had heard all their lives. It would make his story familiar and comforting and it worked.

On reading Dune  – or watching the awful film adaptation – you might conclude the same about Frank Herbert. Dune Messiah though reveals the truth. Herbert is moving with much deeper motives. Dune Messiah shows how he was subverting that mythological story line. He was showing how easy it is to fall in love with a hero who follows the correct pattern.

Dune Messiah shows the consequences – the terrible dangers of hero-worship and the dark, dark places that it leads too.

Dune Messiah is a harder read, and harder listen but taken as a whole with Dune – worth it!

I haven’t listened to Children of Dune yet – but I have read it and I can only say that it adds more awesomeness to the series.

Review – Frank Herbert: The Works by

Scott Andrew Bailey1 Comment

I was asked – some time ago to be honest – to review this book –Frank Herbert: The Works by Bob R Bogle – who spotted me as a keen Frank Herbert fan – i.e. someone who has read more than just Dune. Anyway, I have finally got around to it and posted it on Amazon and Goodreads. It’s the first review I have ever tried so I thought I put it out on here as well.

For many, the name Frank Herbert is associated only with the sci-fi masterpiece that is Dune. Indeed for many, their appreciation doesn’t go beyond Children of Dune – a mistake in my view as God Emperor is the best!

There is, of course, a whole body of work left by Herbert outside of the Dune series, both before and after. Bogle presents an extremely comprehensive and in depth look at Herbert’s literary legacy.

From the early, faltering beginnings he takes us on a journey of development and we can witness the growth of Herbert’s, style and talent. This is is enhanced by the colour of the times he was writing in. Bogle gives a flavour of the politics and culture surrounding Herbert and therefore, on some level influencing his writing. Even the drugs he was dabbling in are given space. But he goes further, he looks at the very philosophies and science that Herbert was reading and digesting at each stage. And it is here that Bogle really shows real deep understanding. Whether it be the science of genetics or the concepts of higher consciousness Bogle has an astoundingly broad and detailed knowledge to back up his critiques of the works discussed.

If you are an ardent fan of Herbert’s then be prepared. Bogle does not pull his punches and is harsh in some of his appraisals – especially of the early books. It is not though like many critics, just bellyaching – he has good arguments for being hard on some of the works – though in some cases I find I can’t quite agree – in most I do.

In short, this book is a valuable addition to any sci-fi library. It will greatly enhance understanding and enjoyment of Herbert’s work but give a fascinating insight into the influences that work upon a writer and how they manifest themselves into plots, characters and good fiction.  If you are anything like me it will also leave you with a long list of books to get and subjects to read up on. Next up – researching Karl Jasper’s crises.