It's too quiet around here...

[Jan]

...isn't there something nicely controversial we can talk about?

Jan

[Radhil]

Dunno 'bout anyone else, but I'm in full burnout. Back in the "crap happens" mode. Which is a bad place to be, but at least I've got it furnished.

Let's see... topics, topics, topics... when I think of something random enough, I'll let ya know.

[Kloreep]

Perhaps we need some forum games? E.g. "this or that"

[AaronB]

It's all Bush's fault!

Seriously though, it has been quiet but in my defense I have been busy setting up a new office for the company I work for and watching my beloved wife make sure we need a to get a new(er) car. Thankfully, she is OK.

[Reel 2 Reel]

And here I thought it was just me!...lol!..

Hi y'all!!!! I'm new to your forum here ...but have been a B5 fan since I was just a wee lad!....now I'm an old fart!...but anyway...I will chime in more as time goes on...and I git a feel for the way the wind blows in the station here!.....

[Andrew_Swallow]

The Senate committee used faked documents to accuse George Galloway. Consequently its arguments fell apart when he fought back. Does this mean that the oil companies will also get off? Was this the original aim?

[Jan]

And here I thought it was just me!...lol!..

Hi y'all!!!! I'm new to your forum here ...but have been a B5 fan since I was just a wee lad!....now I'm an old fart!...but anyway...I will chime in more as time goes on...and I git a feel for the way the wind blows in the station here!.....

Welcome, Reel 2 Reel! But...if you were just a wee lad when you first watched B5 how *can* you be an old fart now?? That's a cute cartoon...what's he smoking?

Jan
who may get old but doesn't plan to grow up any time soon...

[B5sweepsfan]

Coffee talk topic

The fact that Rhode Island is neither a road or and island.....discuss amoung yourselves. Heeeee

[David Panzer]

I've been busy reading "Dune" for the first time. And I'm also watching B5 when I'm not reading or looking for a job.

[Towelmaster]

I've been busy reading "Dune" for the first time.

You must be joking!!! And you are reading the first book I take it? So you have about 3 more worthwhile books, three that are not really very good, and then 6(very good!) prequels by Herbert Junior!


BTW Jan; we could talk about the European Constitution but I doubt whether Z'ha'Dum dweller could be seduced into a firey discussion about it...

[David Panzer]

No, I'm not joking. I'm not sure my reasons were for not reading it earlier. But yeah, I'm on the first book "Dune" by Frank Herbert. I checked it out on the 19th, and I'm just about 100 pages before the Appendices. Exlcuding my B5 DVD's, LotR EE DVD's, and my small collection of tradebacks, sci-fi novels, and 19th century Russian writers, my library card is my prized possession. (Ok, I've a view other possessions I value. But since I'm not a religious person, it can be excused.) Of course, I will read the other 5 books in the series written by Frank, but I'm iffy on the prequels.

[Capt.Montoya]

Dune is a great read.
The second book is good, and does set the stage quite well for the third one which is better.
And the other three of the original six ones are good too.
The last one however does leave many open ends... apparently Frank Herbert left an outline for a "Dune 7" book that would close those and end the story.

But I disagree with the recommendation of the prequels.

Even if in principle I was interested in how the stage was set for the original Dune, I only read the "House Atreides" prequel, it was disappointing. I preferred to ignore the other prequels because of that. The "legends of Dune" trilogy is from such an early period in the Dune cronology that it doesn't even interest me... I think Norman Spinrad, that great critic, satirist and writer of the SF field was quite right when he described B. Herbert and Anderson's efforts as "necrophiliac channeling acts" (I'm so much in agreement as to remember that phrase several years after reading it in a book review column by Spinrad).

I sincerely wish Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are finished with their damned prequels and get into writing that "Dune 7" book(s)!

If it's good I'll even forgive them making me waste my time on reading "Dune: House Atreides." In fact I'll generously think that the 6-book learning period could ultimately be a necessary evil for them to write a sequel worthy of the original Dune trilogy.


There... is that enough to start a controversy and get this going again?

[AaronB]

Dune is a great read.
The second book is good, and does set the stage quite well for the third one which is better.
And the other three of the original six ones are good too.
The last one however does leave many open ends... apparently Frank Herbert left an outline for a "Dune 7" book that would close those and end the story.

I read the first three but just couldn't get through the 4th and have since given up. I read one of the prequil books and it was "meh".

[Dr Maturin]

KJA is a pretty awful writer. He doesn't have too many Star Wars fans on his side.

[Towelmaster]

Well I agree when people say that Junior's books do not all have the same quality. But I recently read "The Machine Crusade" and that is a very good read. Also because(as in StarWars:Siht) it reveals how, when and where all the devices, mechanisms and preconceived notions(no computers!) came from.

As for the original bookseries; I thoroughly enjoyed Dune Messias and God-Emperor of Dune although most people don't like those two. Messias was a great political novel whereas God-Emperor was a courageous attempt to move on with the story by skipping 3.000 years.