Hunters of Dune – Entry #3

     Now that I am back into Brian Herbert's writing, I feel like there will be fewer entries of remarkable quotes.  The story is just as good but it is told differently, more plainly.  For example, Master Scytale was considering his plight on the no-ship, Ithaca, instead of enjoying the meal brought to him by the "witches".  Looking at the plate of food he thought "Powindah food, unclean outsider food." (Hunters of Dune, p. 64).  Frank Herbert would have just used the word Powindah and left it to you to interpret its meaning from the context.

     On the next page, there is more detailed explanation than Frank Herbert supplied about how the Tleilaxu masters created gholas (clones, really) of themselves and then ignited their past memory in the gholas to unnaturally extend their lives.  It is also explained that they did not concern themselves with perfecting the genetics of these gholas and that the gholas "contained cumulative genetic mistakes" (Hunters of Dune, p. 65) that effectively shortened their lifespans.  They also hadn't worried about what might happen if a ghola of themselves was not available.  Hubris.

     Then there are other fun little tidbits like the first time the Litany Against Fear is recited in this book (p. 69).  Murbella's eldest daughter, Rinya, recites the Litany as she tries, unsuccessfully, to take the Spice Agony at an even younger age then Sheeana. Or when Murbella recalls the story Duncan had told her about the woman, Janess, who had saved him from the Harkonnens as a boy in his original life in Duke Leto's time (p. 69); a story described in detail in the Dune prequel (I think it was in the House Harkonnen book).

     I feel like I will be posting more of these kinds of little tidbits than quotes.  However, I really like the following chapter starter:

It is only through constant and diligent practice that we are able to achieve the potential -- the perfection -- of our lives.  Those of us who have had more than one life have had more opportunity to practice.

-- DUNCAN IDAHO

(Hunters of Dune, p. 73) 

     I like this quote because I have said something similar when considering my take on how reincarnation might work.  If your soul has learned a lot in its reincarnated lifetimes and has made many attempts at life, a young person or even child can seem quite advanced and knowledgeable whereas a soul that has had little practice with life is more prone to ignorant actions.