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[eBook] The Great Dune Trilogy: Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert $4.99 @ Amazon AU

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From Amazon:

Three of the greatest SF novels in the world in one bumper omnibus

'An astonishing science fiction phenomenon' WASHINGTON POST

Herbert's evocative, epic tales are set on the desert planet Arrakis, the focus for a complex political and military struggle with galaxy-wide repercussions.

Arrakis is the source of spice, a mind-enhancing drug which makes interstellar travel possible; it is the most valuable substance in the galaxy. When Duke Atreides and his family take up court there, they fall into a trap set by the Duke's bitter rival, Baron Harkonnen. The Duke is poisoned, but his wife and her son Paul escape to the vast and arid deserts of Arrakis, which have given the planet its nickname of Dune.

Paul and his mother join the Fremen, the Arrakis natives, who have learnt to live in this harsh and complex ecosystem. But learning to survive is not enough - Paul's destiny was mapped out long ago and his mother is committed to seeing it fulfilled.

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  • +12

    2021 film by Denis Villeneuve covering the first half of the first book coming in October, starring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skasgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Javier Bardem.

    • +7

      Am looking forward to the movie. I hope its good cause then maybe we can get another game

      • +6

        I absolutely adored Arrival - one of my favourites. Here's hoping he does Dune justice as well. There's a TV series coming to HBO Max as well called Dune: The Sisterhood.

        • Nooo, I hated Arrival, now i'm worried about Dune being bad!

          I think I need to revisit Arrival, people seem to talk highly of it.

          • @Bren20: Please explain how you can not like Amy Adams

            • @WhyAmICommenting: It was a while ago, bit I think I found it contrived. I think I wanted it to be interstellar and it wasn't :(

              • @Bren20: Fair enough. I admit it was kind of a let down once the communication method was revealed but I enjoyed the build up.

              • @Bren20: It's easily one of the best first-contact examples with non-humans. Either you're too used to sci-fi, or not familiar with real life cases.

        • seriously? Arrival was a movie I struggled to finish, it was awful. I hope he does way better with Dune.

      • lol.. and who will make the game?

        • +5

          would love to see a remake of Dune 2 games (as in just updating to modern graphics, AI and effects, the mechanics themselves were superb). hate to think how many hours of my life in the 90's I spent on that.

          • +3

            @gromit: i'm with you on that. Dune 2 and WC1 were some of the most played games for me. I was disappointed with Dune 2000, the official remake. Emperor BFD wasn't bad.

            But who is going to make it? Westwood is dead. And who still makes RTS outside of indie developers? A company like EA is not going to back such a project. An indie will not be able to afford the Dune license.

            The last major RTS was SC2 which was long ago, and that took ages to finish.

            I've been planning to read Dune for a while now. Are the westwood games story representative of the book? I've heard Ordos isn't a thing. I sure hope the book story is better than the game at least.

            • +2

              @lostn: MS still spends a lot of RTS with the revival of a lot of the Age of Empires stuff. Really though as long as they aren't trying to reinvent it and just look to bring it into the year 2021 with graphics, sound, AI etc then quite a few companies are capable. Sadly most would try and "improve" it as they obviously know how to make it better.

              The Books are excellent, but don't expect them to be anything much like the game, elements and names and other snippets were used to make the games but that is really about it.

              Edit:Ordos is mercantile house in the Dune books. So yes they were part of the literature. (retract that, apparently ordos was only introduced in the games and non canon literature, been a long long time since I read)

              • +1

                @gromit: The problem is that not many want to make RTS. Or rather, not many publishers want to commission one. I'm sure plenty of devs can do it, but to do it with a budget and expect it to be successful is a big ask. Westwood spent big on their games, then EA bought them, and shut them down. Not many are willing to try another AAA rts. Blizzard is the only dev I can picture who would make one, and they have their hands full.

              • @gromit: You and me both re: House Ordos, as a young fella it was my first real exposure to games/movies being so different from books. I couldn't ever look at those green guys again after I realised they weren't 'real' haha

            • @lostn:

              A company like EA is not going to back such a project.

              I'm assuming that you haven't heard of Command & Conquer Remastered yet.

              • @bio:

                I'm assuming that you haven't heard of Command & Conquer Remastered(ea.com) yet.

                I think there's a huge difference between a 1:1 remaster of a 1995 game and a whole new game with a budget.

                The last real RTS I can think of by EA would have been C&C4 which was more than 10 years ago.

                • +1

                  @lostn: Fair enough, but the OP of the comment you were replying said that they "would love to see a remake of Dune 2 games (as in just updating to modern graphics, AI and effects…".

                  • @bio:

                    Fair enough, but the OP of the comment you were replying said that they "would love to see a remake of Dune 2 games (as in just updating to modern graphics, AI and effects…".

                    I don't think the market wants this in 2021 unless it's a $10 game like the C&C remaster.

                    You can remake Dune 2000 with the same treatment, but as far as I remember, that game was not as successful as C&C1, so fewer people would buy the remaster. I doubt EA is interested.

            • +1

              @lostn: The book is superb and everyone should read it. It's "sci-fi" only in terms of the setting. It's really a book about human nature.

      • +2

        So I know you mean Dune/Dune 2 on the PC (which I also loved, teenage me was so shook about House Ordos not being in the books when I was inspired by the game to read them haha), but if you're hankering for a Dune game and can kick it analogue, the new Dune Imperium board game is getting rave reviews:

        https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/316554/dune-imperium

    • +4

      Yeah this film actually has a hope in hell of being the first decent Dune adaptation, given Villeneuve directed Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, Enemy, Prisoners and Incendies (really enjoyed Blade Runner and Sicario), not to mention the ensemble cast.

      It's about time someone pulled off a Dune film adaptation that wasn't a complete dumpster fire. It's kind of become one of the two most cursed Sci-Fi franchises along with the Alien series (granted the first film still holds up relatively well but everything after that and especially after Aliens is extremely dubious in quality/canonicity).

      • +2

        The book has both minutiae (“plans within plans”) and grandiose - too much scope for the average. If Jackson could make three movies out of The Hobbit, Villeneuve could easily make four from Dune (borrowing from subsequent books), to give it justice but that’s too risky for investors. I’m not expecting much beyond better special effects compared to Lynch’s. Conversely, mini-series frugal attempt was acclaimed but failed popularity.

        • +1

          There was a Dune mini-series, which sucked, but also a 2003 two-parter called Children of Dune. It was both Children of Dune and Dune Messiah combined into one. Starred James McAvoy, Susan Sarandon, Steven Berkhoff. Quite good viewing, especially compared with the Dune miniseries.

          • +2

            @Aglet: I’m hoping that Apple’s Foundation will be good enough to revive science fiction and rightfully supplant MCU and DC nonsense.

            • +1

              @AlexF: No need to crap on other genres to lift up your favourite one. I love MCU, mostly awesome movies/series that tie together well. Lots of people love it with Endgame being the higheset grossing movie of all time.

      • +3

        I thought the david lynch one was awesome. Sting was a great baddie, the disgusting baddies were disgusting and the trippy elements trippy. If you've not watched it have a look.

        https://youtu.be/sKPHQ7ppIkM

        • which version to watch? Original or DC? Lynch didn't like the original (the studio did not let him make the film he intended), and he didn't make the DC.

          There is a fan cut that splices bits of both, but it's DVD quality.

          • +2

            @lostn: I find the fan cut is the best version to watch. If you can get over the inconsistent visual quality it goes a long way to address the inconsistent narrative of the original cut.

        • Same. I love it. It's a very unique film from the 80's and quite an ambitious one for its time.
          Definite cult classic.

  • Heard that the books are quite hard to read/follow as compared to the movies…. anyone with similar opinions?

    • +1

      It's not too bad I found. I finished the first book recently and for $5 I'd buy it again, especially since in this case you get the triology.

    • +4

      The first book is great. The sequels beyond Messiah are pretty hard work.

      • +5

        Over many years, I have read all of the original six novels and also many of the newer novels (post Frank Herbert), including the prequels and Butlerian Jihad. If you are a casual reader you could easily read the original Dune novel and get your money's worth and satisfaction from that one book alone. It's definitely essential reading. The other books, particularly outside of the original trilogy, not so much. I started losing interest after Children of Dune and by the time i finished reading Chapter House Dune I definitely had my fill of enough Dune novels for one lifetime.

        Don't get me wrong, they are great classic books filled with amazing characters and stories, but to the average casual reader, it's probably too plot dense and heavy to read.

        You can probably skip over the son of Herbert and Anderson novels too. They aren't essential reads and not part of the core cannon.

        Still, for someone that discovered it all from a 1998 PC game called Dune 2000, I'm glad I immersed myself in the rich tapestry of the Dune universe.

        • +1

          The son books are rubbish! Don't waste your time :)

          • @lainey13: I'll respectfully disagree - I thought Brian Herbert's teamup with Kevin J Anderson (an excellent if accessible scifi author) were a great way to delve a little bit deeper into some of the families as well as branch way out into things that were only alluded to like the machine crusades that led to the banning of computers. Very different to the originals of course, but it was what, 30+ years later? writing, tastes and sensibilities change.

            As for the later original novels, I personally loved God Emperor of Dune, for me that's when it really peaked. By the time it got to Chapter House I genuinely had no idea what was going on anymore but admittedly I was probably only 14 or 15 at the time.

      • +2

        100% agree with this. Books 1-4 were good but solid and took some effort to complete, 5-6 moved the series on but needed a concluding work which Frank Herbert did not finish in his lifetime. His son tried with two books - and they were lacklustre and relied too much on prequel books written by the son to make sense. Read 1-4 by Frank Herbert and avoid anything else in the Dune universe.

    • I found it hard to follow the audiobook a bit. Sometimes it was quite clear, other times I was like "who is this and where are we?"

      I think if this book were released this year, nobody would care about it. It was great for it's time in 1965, and I don't feel like it holds up to current sci-fi content.

    • I've read the first book. Definitely not hard to read, but you gotta pay attention to the constant subtle reveals.

      If you can understand a plot about kings and queens plotting to overthrow each other, that's about as complex as it gets.

  • +1

    I always preferred the Good-ish Dune Trilogy.

  • +1

    As SF trilogies go, IMHO it's hard to go past Asimov's Foundation.

    • +1

      Which ended up being seven books written by Asimov. I thought all of them were well worthwhile reading, and drew to an excellent conclusion with Foundation and Earth.

      • It gets a bit weird towards the end, the last few books have a bit of a different flavour than the earlier books.

        At one point in the earlier books Asimov goes into great detail describing a train ticket machine because it's a 'futuristic technology'.

      • +1

        The Robots and the Galactic Empire are related, read the other series too.

    • Dune is comparable probably even better to the Foundation (I read both series many of times). There are only a few authors that have world-building books. Dune and LOTR being one of them.

      Dune touches on all of the bellow:
      Biology, specifically of alien races (not really races in Dune, it is 1 race that became many)
      History and timelines
      Politics and religion
      Civilization's development
      Technological development and its consequences
      Cultures.

  • +2

    You can’t go wrong with the first book, that much is guaranteed

    • are the sequels any good?I really enjoyed the first one

      • I’m stuck on children of dune (book III), in my view it’s dull or slow compared to the first two and so haven’t felt compelled to finish it

  • I watched the 80s movie a few months ago and it was awful and stupid.

    Are the books REALLY that much better like I've heard? I'm having a hard time imagining that turd coming from something that great. I mean the fundamental plot is the same right? - That was the stupidest part of the movie.

    • +2

      The book is a lot better than the film, which tried to pack way too much into a 1.5 hour blockbuster. The plot is fundamentally the same, but the book fleshes out the world and characters far more than can be done in a movie

    • +1

      You ever see the hobbit movies?

    • Yeah the movie was not fantastic, but story wise not everyone will get engrossed in and like something. Perhaps it's just not for you. I really like the story and find the theme and characters fascinating. I liked the 2 mini series made in the 2000 and 2003 as well.

    • A lot of the satisfaction from the book comes from internal dialogue and the intricacies of the plot which were completely lost in the film.

      The first book is great. Definitely worth a read.

  • +1

    Great ! Torn about adding Audible narration for $15 though …

    • +2

      So I added Audible Narration and it only added Children of Dune to my library for $15 rather than the trilogy. I'm pushing for a refund.

      • Got a refund … on Audible portion

        • I've just fought my way into getting audible to provide books one and two as well as the third book since "that's what I paid for on amazon.com.au" (took almost an hour though!)

          • @graemearg: Lucky man, I asked for that and they said it was refund only … that said it only took ten minutes.

  • +3

    Price has been matched on Google Play Books for those that have the problem with amazon showing out of stock

    • Thanks!

      I tried reading Dune when I was a teenager but kind of bounced off it. $4.99 for the trilogy is a good enough deal to give it another try at some point. I prefer print, don't buy a lot of eBooks, but the ones I do buy I prefer to keep my all in one place on Google Play, so this was helpful information from you! :D

    • Can't find it there. Under the same title, or something different?

      • I found it there - do a search for "The Great Dune Trilogy" and it found it. If you just search "Dune" it's there, but a fair way down the list.

      • just use the link at the top of the page.

    • how on earth can an ebook go out of stock? :O

      • my thought too….lol

      • Discounted quota fulfilled

  • AU only unfortunately.

  • +2

    I absolutely adore the first Dune, I read it 5 years ago when I was looking for books similar to ASOIAF (PoV chapters, houses, twists). I thought I would have had difficult with the writing because it was 50 years old but it holds up extremely well. I have also read Messiah which I enjoyed but I think Dune works perfectly as a stand alone book.

  • And if you want to read the rest of the books, they're only $37!! What??

    https://www.amazon.com.au/Second-Great-Dune-Trilogy-ebook/dp…

  • Says "This title is not currently available for purchase"

  • +2

    This will be extremely controversial :).

    The best one IMHO is God-Emperor of Dune. When I first read it when I was growing up I thought it was the worst by far, boring AF. On my second read, I think I even skipped it. But after a while it actually made me think the most.

    The rest of the books are action, God-Emperor of Dune is philosophical.

  • +3

    Well done OzBargain, this is now the number one paid kindle seller on Amazon AU.

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/56747/86526/dune.png

  • +2

    Thanks heaps OP, been waiting to grab this for ages. Almost finished with malazan, next up dune!

    • +1

      I reread Malazan sagas last year (physical books) Good series. Better the second time around I think, as it has a lot going on.

      • I can definitely tell it would be heaps better on the 2nd read. So much details you would pick up and you wouldn't be lost at the start of each book learning new characters lol.

        Still loving the series though

  • I've read the first dune book and it is fantastic! Worth it just for that one.

    • how long ago was that?

  • thanks, sold these books many years ago. $5 for the trilogy is good value

  • Now $32.99…

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