Dune Mystery Uncovered--HUZZAH!

Occassionally I'll reminisce fondly with my high school friends about the joys of playing Pong. Recently, I had a similiar techno-flashback when I came upon a Dune FAQ that was electronically published in black Times New Roman on a white background--just like in the "olden days" (as my students might say).

The really cool thing was that the FAQ actually had some information I had been searching for, although it may in all likelihood be outdated. When I first began this blog (and even now as it continues to evolve--or devolve, depending on your perspective), I had wondered just how many languages Frank Herbert's Dune novels had been translated into?

According to the alt.fan.dun FAQ, at least some of the books in the original Dune series have been translated to: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Rumanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish (and Catalan), Swedish and Turkish.

This FAQ was last updated following the release of Anderson and Herbert's prequel Dune: House Atreides, which at this point had been translated into only Czech, Dutch, French, Hebrew, Italian, Polish and Spanish (slackers!). Given the success of the sequels since then, my guess would be that the number of langauges into which they have been translated into since has only grown...

"The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future."--from "Collected Sayings of Muad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan

Dune: From Russian with Spice

While trolling the net for some imagery of interest, I came across an interview that was given to Central Russian Portal of Dune and famous Russian Sci-Fi Magazine The World of Science Fiction by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Of course, it is not the interview itslef which is of interest here, but the fact that there is a website eminating from Russia (with Spice!).

Fortunately, the article was published online in English, while the rest of the site was in Russian (I assume). I reckon that most Russian Dune fans are bi-lingual, otherwise why bother presenting the interview in English, rather than offering a translation? There was one Russio-centric question which the authors did address:

Q: What can you wish to Russian Dune-fans and "The World of Sci-fi"readers?

A: Science fiction should be a genre that is relevant for the entire world. We are very pleased that we are writing books that can be enjoyed in many countries beyond America. We hope we can sustain a global outlook and keep readers happy in many countries outside of our own borders. (And we very much hope that one day we can visit Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union, so we can meet our fans in person.)

If you can read Russian, or are interested in "reading" text that was completely indecipherable to this average victim of American public education, check out The Dune: Russia website.

We came from Caladan--a paradise world for our form of life. There existed no need on Caladan to build a physical paradise or a paradise of the mind--we could see the actuality all around us. And the price we paid was the price men have always paid for achieving a paradise in this life.--we went soft, we lost our edge.
--from "Muad'Dib: Conversations" by the Princess Irulan

L'Empereur-Dieu de Dune (God Emperor of Dune): France 2005

Perhaps my favorite of all the Dune novels, other than the original, is God Emperor of Dune, or as published in French, Cycle de Dune, Tome 5 : L'Empereur-Dieu de Dune . Although my given name is French, I do neither speak nor read any of the langauge, but I can infer that for some reason this novel is the fifth tome (book) in the orginal Dune series, as published in France.

Let's see... first came Dune, then Dune Messiah followed by Children of Dune, later came the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune... yup, four novels. So why the difference in numeration? If I read French I might be able to figure it out, but for now I'm stumped.

This particular cover for a published God Emperor novel is unique (to me) in that it offers a clear artistic vision of what Leto II looked like following the evolution of the worm skin. The original American publication offered a puffy distorted imagery, more like a sandy snowman than King of the Universe. There exists plenty of cool fan art of the character online, but this cover carries a pretty high coolness factor.

"Enemies strengthen you. Allies weaken. I tell you this in the hope that it will help you understand why I act as I do in the full knowledge that great forces accumulate in my Empire with but one wish--the wish to destroy me. You who read these words may know full well what actually happened, but I doubt that you understand it." --The Stolen Journals

From God-Emperor to Goat-Man

As I nestled in with my children to check out the latest cinematic adaption of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face (rather than voice as in Liam Neeson's Aslan work).

Looking to be the first Dune mini-series veteran to find new American stardom following a role in the miniseries', James McAvoy is doing some wonderful character work as the friendly fawn, Mr. Tumnus. Disguised in a number of prosthetics, and clearly comfortable working with (and as) a special effects, McAvoy charms as the decidedly British gentle-fawn.

I, for one, relish the connection between the cinematic presentations of Lewis and herbert's masterpieces. While I will always associate a certian stage of my life with the feverish reading of the Dune novels in a single summer, I likewise recall with fondess reading C.S. Lewis' series of novels as a youth. In fact, I remember that Prince Caspian, besides being the title of one of the series' novels, was also the name of my best character during the many summer Dungeons & Dragons games played in my parent's basement on the unused pool table...

"Oh the landscapes I have seen! And the people! The far wanderings of the Fremen and all the rest of it. Even back through the myths of Terra. Oh, the lessons in astronomy and intrigue, the migrations, the disheveled flights, the leg-aching and lung-aching runs through so many nights on all those cosmic specks where we have defended our transient possession. I tell you we are a marvel and my memories leave no doubt of this."--The Stolen Journals

Der Herr des Wüstenplaneten (Children of Dune): Belgium 2001

Who can forget the first time they read Wüstenplanet-Zyklus 2. Der Herr des Wüstenplaneten? If you're Belgian, you may not be able to forget it, and as a citizen of the United States, I can't even pronounce it! Heck, reading Children of Dune was challenging enough in English.

It continues to intrigue me how different the covers for the Dune novels are when released oversees. Maybe it has something to do with what Amercians subconsciously look for in their Science Fiction-- something dark, subversive and shadowy. I somehow have impression that most books in the Science Fiction genre utlizing very dark hues in their cover art.

If there is indeed a relationship between the two, it would appear as though European countries have a much brighter or optimistic view of the future. Given the inherent messaged implied in the images that are use to sell the Science Fiction genre their communtiy is so bright they'll need to wear shades. Calming, more grounded earth-tones which create a brighter, more "sun shiney" in nature cover images seem to be the norm for covers prepared for the release of such books to the European marketplaces.

Challenge: "Have you seen The Preacher?"
Response: "I have seen a sandworm."
Challenge: "What about that sandworm?"
Response: "It gives us the air we breathe."
Challenge: "Then why do we destroy its land?"
Response: "Because Shai-Hulud [sandworm deified] orders it."
--Riddles of Arrakis by Harq al-Ada

Duncan Two: James Watson

When a new Dune miniseries was announced, I looked forward to the (re-)casting of Duncan Idaho. The challenge in taking on the role of Idaho is that it is really not much of a role. In the first book of the series (so first miniseries), it would amount to little more than a cameo. The upside, of course, is that were it a hit worthy of a sequel, the role would grow considerably in any potential sequels.

Little many of the actors cast in the new Dune (2000) miniseries, producers went with an unknown. Scottish actor James Watson (pictured to the left)was cast as swordsman Duncan Idaho. Oddly, the one major scene Idaho does have in the novel, during which he sacrifces himself to save Paul Atriedes, was re written. No longer does Idaho die a heros death, going down fighting, but instead is "shot" by a short range missle(!).

A genuine success when broadcast on the SciFi Network, a second miniseries which would combine story elements from both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune was announced shortly after the mini's first airing. Unfortunately, James' career as the Ginaz Swordsman was not ment to last, as the role was recast for the follow-up miniseries.

"I give you the desert chameleon, whose ability to blend itself into the background tells you all you need to know about the roots of ecology and the foundation of a personal identity."-Book of Diatribes, from the Hayt Chronicle

Dune Messiah: United Kingdom 1972

Quick Quiz: How many international Amazon.com sites are there? Answer: Too many ;-)

To the right is the cover for the United Kingdom edition of the second book in the original Dune trilogy, Dune Messiah. This edition was originally released in 1972 and published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.

This Dune Messiah cover, and actually most of the Dune covers in Great Britain, use a much lighter, earthier color pallette mixing in some much lighter blues and greens creating a fairly lush tone. Even after having read this novel twice, it is hard to identify just what exactly that thing is flying in the center of the cover... spice harvester? Imperium ship? Arrakeen flying mollusk?

This remain just another of the many mysteries left unexplained in the Dune-iverse, but I reckon this one won't be addressed in the forthcoming final novels of the original Frank Herbert planned series...

Here lies a toppled god--
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and tall one.
--Tleilaxu Epigram

砂丘 (Dune): Japan 1965

In 1965, Frank Herbert's Dune novel was translated, illustrated and released in Japan in four volumes, each volume featuring a different manga-esque cover. This edition was translated by Yano Tetsu and illustrated by Ishimori, and published by Hayakawa Paperbacks SF. This particular cover (as well as the publishing infromation) was found at Takahashi Makoto's fansite. This interesting site (which does not appear to have been updated since 1999!) includes what would appear to be a fairly (if not exhaustive) comprehensive collection of Herbert titles, with the crown jewel being the Dune covers.

A onetime otaku myself, I would love to get my hands on a couple of these editions for my own collection of original editions.

"Control the coinage and the courts--let the rabble have the rest." Thus the Padishah Emperor advises you. And he tells you; "If you want profits, you must rule." There is truth in these words, but I ask myself; "Who are the rabble and who are the ruled?"
--Muad'Dib's Secret Message to the Landsraad from "Arrakis Awakening" by the Princess Irulan

Cultural Differences: International Releases

After posting the new artwork for the next Dune book on this site, and reading a post on the Dune 7 blog by Kevin Anderson (co-author of the current series' of novels), I became curious about the covers used for the international releases of the Dune-iverse novels.

Like many fans, when first becoming interested in the Dune mythology, I performed some global on-line searches for all things Dune. Among the myriad of images I came across were some of the covers Kevin speaks of in his post entitled "Cultural Differences":

Previously, when describing the development of cover art for the US and UK editions of HUNTERS, I made it clear that the two editions -- and the two audiences -- have entirely different ideas about what makes a good cover.

How fascinating that a novel composed of a thick internal dialect all its own should be itself translated into existing languages. In fact, the Dune novels have been published in many languages, including most European tongues. So where am I going with this?

Periodically, I will post a few of the covers prepared for the international releases of the Dune novels (focusing primarily on Frank Herbert's original series).

"There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man--with human flesh."
--from "Collected Sayings of Muad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan

Coming Soon: Dune 7... Sort of

It's been a while since I've searched on "Dune" for new information regarding possible movie adaptations and novels. I was pleased (okay, ecstatic!) to read on the Official Dune Website that two new novels based on Frank Herbert's own notes/outline for the legendary final installment in the Dune saga, until this time, dubbed only Dune 7. What seems to have been originally intended as a single final volume, will actually be release as two, Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. According to the website (run by the authors--one of whom is Frank's son), authors Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have crafted nearly 1300 pages which are currently being edited for publication.

What was once a book (Dune 7) I could not wait to get my hands on, has become two books I nervously anticipate. Although the books that are part of the Dune mythos NOT written by Frank seem to me serviceable science-fiction, they are of course pale by comparison. Very pale.

Although I read all six of the original Dune novels in a single summer, I actually quit struggling through the more recent novels halfway through The Machine Crusade "chapter" of what has been called officially, The Legends of Dune series. I am sorry to say that even after purchasing all things Dune in hardcover up to this
point, I have yet to even buy a paperback copy of the most recent new Dune product, The Battle of Corrin.

What all this says about me as a true Dune fan is debatable, but what is not, is that I look forward to revisting my old friends from Chapterhouse:Dune to see where they have been. The rub is this--unlike the previous "new" books, Anderson and (Brian) Herbert will be picking up and completing an existing storyline... a huge challenge to follow the Master in this endeavor, for sure.

All this talk of new novels based on Frank's outlines begs the question: Will the outline written my Frank ever be released for the completist Dune fan who has been part of this world for so many moons? My gut says they will nvere see the light of day, esepcailly if fan resposne to the new version of them is poorly received by fans.

"The person who takes the banal and ordinary and illuminates it in a new way can terrify. We do not want our ideas changed. We feel threatened by such demands. 'I already know the important things!' we say. Then Changer comes and throws our old ideas away."--The Zensufi Master, Chapterhouse: Dune