Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (2005), Hardcover, 496 pages
Description
Frank Herbert's "Dune" is widely known as the science fiction equivalent of "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Road to Dune" is a companion work comparable to "The Silmarillion," shedding light on and following the remarkable development of the bestselling science fiction novel of all time. Herein, the world's millions of "Dune" fans can now read---at long last---the unpublished chapters and scenes from "Dune" and "Dune Messiah." "The Road to Dune" also includes the original correspondence between Frank Herbert and famed editor John W. Campbell, Jr.; excerpts from Herbert's correspondence during his years-long struggle to get his innovative work published; and the article "They Stopped the Moving Sands," Herbert's original inspiration for "Dune." "The Road to Dune" features newly discovered papers and manuscripts of Frank Herbert, and also "Spice Planet," an original sixty-thousand-word short novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, based on a detailed outline left by Frank Herbert. "The Road to Dune" is a treasure trove of essays, articles, and fiction that every reader of "Dune" will want to add to their shelf.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member NaleagDeco
If you are a Dune nerd, you will enjoy this book.
It gives you
1) A first draft of Dune, significantly different from the final product and about 50% smaller in content and themes.
2) A set of letters between Herbert, his agent and Joseph Campbell (the science fiction giant) giving some insight into
3) A set of out-takes from the Dune and Dune Messiah books, the latter outtakes suggesting a very different path than the one we saw.
4) A set of short stories written not by Frank Herbert but his son, Brian ... these will form various bridges to the sequels and prequels that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have undertaken ... and have left me wanting. I did not read them because I have not really paid attention to post-Frank books.
Frank Herbert's dune universe is of such import to me it's hard to say why you should read this book ... you already know that you will, or you won't.
It is a really interesting thing to read the short draft, to see the basic form of Dune that is so etched into my mind start off as this relatively mundane tale of ecology and economy, where the spice is not yet imbued with its mystical essence, where the Fremen have not of the deep Islam-steeped culture they would eventually get, or to see a Lady Jessica spelled out the way she reads in my heart but is, in the actual Dune universe, written far more obtusely (as generally everyone in the book is ... it's incredibly odd reading a draft that is brisk and with characters who don't feel opaque and mysterious)
It gives you
1) A first draft of Dune, significantly different from the final product and about 50% smaller in content and themes.
2) A set of letters between Herbert, his agent and Joseph Campbell (the science fiction giant) giving some insight into
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how a story that seemed to have mostly began with an ecological bent turns into this sprawling epic with political and religious and metaphysical implications.3) A set of out-takes from the Dune and Dune Messiah books, the latter outtakes suggesting a very different path than the one we saw.
4) A set of short stories written not by Frank Herbert but his son, Brian ... these will form various bridges to the sequels and prequels that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have undertaken ... and have left me wanting. I did not read them because I have not really paid attention to post-Frank books.
Frank Herbert's dune universe is of such import to me it's hard to say why you should read this book ... you already know that you will, or you won't.
It is a really interesting thing to read the short draft, to see the basic form of Dune that is so etched into my mind start off as this relatively mundane tale of ecology and economy, where the spice is not yet imbued with its mystical essence, where the Fremen have not of the deep Islam-steeped culture they would eventually get, or to see a Lady Jessica spelled out the way she reads in my heart but is, in the actual Dune universe, written far more obtusely (as generally everyone in the book is ... it's incredibly odd reading a draft that is brisk and with characters who don't feel opaque and mysterious)
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LibraryThing member dishdasha
There are around 3 major sections in the book. The first section is "Spice Planet", an alternate Dune story Frank Herbert outlined before writing Dune. The second part is a series of letter, and the third part contains scenes dropped from Dune and Dune Messiah.
This book is a great read for people
This book is a great read for people
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who likes Dune and want to know more about Frank Herbert's journey and thoughts while writing it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Waianuhea
A MUST-READ for fans of the series! Especially if you really enjoyed Dune Messiah. It's well worth it for the background info and the alternate ending.
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
This book's a collected 'leftovers' of the Dune universe, but ihis doesn't mean it's cheap... It contains the original 'Spice planet' short novel, some letters of FH, some unpublished parts of Dune and few shorts stories of BH and KJA. It worth to read if you are familiar with this world and like
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it. Show Less
LibraryThing member JeffV
Are you a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune series? A really big fan? If so, you might find this book to be of some interest. Compiled by his son Brian and his erstwhile coauthor Kevin J. Anderson, Road to Dune provides a lot of Franks notes, as well as a reconstruction of the prototype novel "Dune
Dune was serialized in a sci-fi magazine, and in the process, some chapters were cut and never restored tot he full novel. These are included -- I read Dune three times now, so I could place these chapters in the appropriate place. It might not make sense to other readers -- perhaps what is needed is a "author's cut" of the original Dune. Of course, some of these wayward chapters extended to the sequels, and a few late chapters relate to the prequel novels written by Brian and Kevin.
"Dune World" was a clearly inferior story compared with the with the final Dune. The only familiar character is Gurney Hallek (although the smuggler, Tuek is a general in this version, rather than a smuggler). Herbert had an interest in the subject of desert ecology, and a non-fiction article he had written is also repeated here. It tells us where the inspiration for Dune came from, but the prototype book lacks the complexity of the finished product.
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World." Dune was serialized in a sci-fi magazine, and in the process, some chapters were cut and never restored tot he full novel. These are included -- I read Dune three times now, so I could place these chapters in the appropriate place. It might not make sense to other readers -- perhaps what is needed is a "author's cut" of the original Dune. Of course, some of these wayward chapters extended to the sequels, and a few late chapters relate to the prequel novels written by Brian and Kevin.
"Dune World" was a clearly inferior story compared with the with the final Dune. The only familiar character is Gurney Hallek (although the smuggler, Tuek is a general in this version, rather than a smuggler). Herbert had an interest in the subject of desert ecology, and a non-fiction article he had written is also repeated here. It tells us where the inspiration for Dune came from, but the prototype book lacks the complexity of the finished product.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bemislibrary
This is an interesting behind the scenes look at how Frank Herbert developed, changed, and polished his now classic book “Dune”. The book is divided into three sections, an original three-part story called “Spice Planet”, the Road to Dune, and Short Stories. This book should be in the
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collection of all hardcore Dune fans. Aspiring writers will appreciate the trials and tribulation Herbert faced with publishers and editors. Show Less
Subjects
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
496 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
0765312956 / 9780765312952