Dune - Entry #7

The first and last time that Alia meets her grandfather, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, is so fabulously played.  She sits innocently on the dais beside Emperor Shaddam's throne when the Baron enters.  Of course, the Baron does not know that Alia is his granddaughter.  The introduction of the child to the Baron includes this passage:

"Unfortunately," the Emperor said, "I only sent in five troop carriers with a light attack force to pick up prisoners for questioning  We barely got away with three prisoners and one carrier.  Mind you, Baron, my Sardaukar were almost overwhelmed by a force composed mostly of women, children, and old men.  This child here was in command of one of the attacking groups."

(Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 447)

Alia's power is beyond what any of them had really imagined possible.  Consider this passage:

Of all the uses of time-vision, this was the strangest.  "I have breasted the future to place my words where only you can hear them," Alia had said.  "Even you cannot do that, my brother.  I find it an interesting play.  And ... oh, yes -- I've killed our grandfather, the demented old Baron.  He had very little pain."

(Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 454)

Both Paul and Alia are so different.  There are times that we, the readers, are made to feel in awe of them and there are times that we are made to feel sorry for them, sad for lost innocence in Paul's case and no innocence in Alia's case.

"I have seen a friend become a worshiper, he thought." (Dune, 40th Anniverary edition, p. 455)

I felt so sad when I read this line.  This is Paul thinking of Stilgar.  The respect Paul has for Stilgar is palpable but he can't stop the fanaticism surrounding him.

This book ends on page 474 with a whispered conversation between Jessica and Chani.  Powerful female characters are a cornerstone of the Dune story ... LOVE IT!!!

So I am moving on to Paul of Dune next, but before that I will post an entry about the Appendices provided in Dune.  These are more than a postscript and deserve thoughtful consideration by the reader.



Dune - Entry #6

I've come across a few quotes that just ring true or provide solid advice to heed so I thought this entry would be good for sharing a few of those.

In a spice-laced dream Paul had before awakening to his first test as a wormrider, he recalled a Bene Gesserit proverb that his mother had told him:

When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe that nothing can stand in their way.  Their movement becomes headlong -- faster and faster and faster.  They put aside all obstacles and forget that a precipice does not show itself to a man in a blind rush until it's too late.

(Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 372)

Rings true for me.  Can certainly picture some present day politicians riding with religion in their cart riding headlong thinking that right and might are on their side!

Then a few pages later, as Paul and the Fremen troop that accompanied him was preparing for the wormrider test, he recalled some advice from his father:

"Give as few orders as possible," his father had told him ... once long ago.  "Once you have given orders on a subject, you must always give orders on that subject."  (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 377)

 

Such good advice for a leader of any kind.  I need to remember this when at work.  I think I am pretty good at letting things be unless it requires my intervention but I should be more mindful.

For the following quote, I just liked the way it sounded.  It highlighted for me how we wear who we are like clothes.  Paul was considering a captive Sardaukar and what, exactly, to do with him.

Anger and confusion were betrayed in his manner, but still there was that pride about him without which a Sardaukar appeared undressed -- and with which he could appear fully clothed though naked.

(Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 407)

Some more good, simple advice can be found coming from Jessica's mouth to her son.  But this is rare advice for the Bene Gesserit to be giving to her child.  She says "choose the course of happiness" (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 420).  She actually tells Paul to marry Chani if that is what he wants!  A shocker since Chani is not noble born and Jessica had fully understood the role she herself played as concubine to the Duke.  She says this after Paul convinces Gurney that she was not the betrayer by giving a heart felt speech about the true love his parents shared.  She was overcome with emotion and grief for the lost love.

So that's it for some good advice for now.  I will end this entry with an odd statement by Paul after he awoke from weeks of being in a sort of coma from drinking the Water of Life. I am not sure I fully appreciate or understand the statement so if anyone has input, please put in.

Paul said: "There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and an ancient force that gives.  A man finds little difficulty in facing that place within himself where the taking force dwells, but it's almost impossible for him to see into the giving force without changing into something other than man.  For a woman, the situation is reversed." ... "The greatest peril to the Giver is the force that takes.  The greatest peril to the Taker is the force that gives.  It's as easy to be overwhelmed by giving as by taking."

(Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 431)

Dune - Entry #5

I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post.  My excuse for most of it is that I was away at a conference and then extended to a vacation.  I was away for two weeks and the time leading up to the trip was very busy trying to get ready and I have been just decompressing since my return.  My trip included Vancouver BC, Seattle, Olympic National Park, Columbia River Gorge, Mt St Helens, Mt Hood, and Mt Rainier.  It was a fabulous time!  If you ever get a chance to go to Vancouver, GO!  What a fabulous fun city!  All the rest was wonderful too but Rainier was simply awesome.  At over 14,000ft, it is certainly an attention getter as you can see in my new profile picture.

Most of the trip was in terrain so unlike Dune ... so much of the time was quite literally spent in rainforest!!! Except, however, the area around Mt St Helens where any little plant struggles to gain a foothold in the "blast zone".  What a contrast to much of the surrounding areas.

 Me on a hike in Mt St Helens' blast zone.

My daughter and I on the trail to a vista of Mt St Helens.  The trail became as scant as a trail a Fremen might approve of but was too narrow and treachorous for me, had to turn around.



So now back to reporting on my Dune book trek!  I have a few random things to mention. First, I just love when Paul and Chani first come face to face.  This happens on page 278 of my 40th Anniversary Edition of Dune.  She announces "I am Chani, daughter of Liet" (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 278) and then promptly begins to chastise him by telling him that he was "as noisy as shai-hulud in a rage"  (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 278).  Paul is overwhelmed by the vision of her although he had not foreseen the way he would meet her.  And she is sort of underwhelmed by him.  Love it.

On p. 289, the chapter starter is a quote from Princess Irulan's writings "In My Father's House".  I mention this chapter starter because of this part of the quote:

My mother obeyed her Sister Superiors where the Lady Jessica disobeyed.  Which of them was the stronger?  History already has answered.  (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 289)

Irulan is speaking of the fact that Anirul, her mother, had followed orders and not given Emperor Shaddam a son.  As the Kwisatz Haderach Mother, she knew how important it was for Jessica to give birth to a daughter and was, in fact, the one to give the order for Jessica to become pregnant with Leto's daughter.  Jessica did not know the import of her disobedience.  Anirul and even Margot had more information about the breeding programs then Jessica.  That said, it certainly took Jessica a lot of courage to disobey considering the training instilled in her by the Sisterhood.  It is too bad that Irulan never knew the important role her mother played and all the history that Anirul kept in her head that, unfortunately, drove her crazy.

One more little tidbit before I close out this entry.  Consider the following quote:

"There's a cone of silence between two of the pillars over here on our left," the Baron said. "We can talk there without fear of being overheard." He led the way with his waddling gait into the sound-deadening field, feeling the noises of the keep becoming dull and distant.  (Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition, p. 316)

Now remember folks, Dune was first published in 1965.  Get Smart (TV show) first aired in September 1965.  I have to think that Frank Herbert's "cone of silence" preceeded any other.  Anyone know of a "cone of silence" in fiction prior to 1965?  If you do, please share it with me!!!