Dune

There has been a lot of discussion of DUNE going around the web lately. Most of it seems to stem from the theory that the reader should read the first novel and then stop. The purists proclaim that the sequels and prequels are junk that muddies the original's beauty. I have never read the Frank Herbert-penned sequels and have no real intention of reading those books written by his son - not that I have anything against his stories, I just don't have that much interest in them.

I can understand the argument by those who say DUNE is perfect on its own. The story is a masterpiece of worldbuilding. The story is simple enough - a young man takes revenge for his father's murder. But the genius is in everything built around the story. The characters, the creatures, the organizations, the devices - all of it blends into a rich melange of science fantasy. From the beginning on Caladan to the ending on Arrakis, the book is a seamless introduction to the universe of Paul Muad'Dib and to his rise.

Just one reading of DUNE opens the imagination to this world. The reader sees the flapping of the 'thopters, the blue within blue eyes, the ever-present sand; smells the unwashed bodies of the Fremen, the lingering scent of spice; hears the roar of the sandworm, the hum of shields, tastes the spice coffee and so on. The reader can very well see inhabiting these worlds.

There's a reason this is one of the three books I recommend to people who don't read science fiction and that's because it can be a good, engrossing read that explains itself as it goes.

That said, I decided it was time to read DUNE again, but this time with my ears. The audiobook of DUNE is a strange creature. It alternates between a full-cast audio with sound effects and background music and a single narrator. When this change occurred, I was baffled by it. I had to go back and ensure that this was supposed to be the case. I liked both interpretations, although some of the full-cast section sounded like they were speaking through a box - isolated from the rest of the cast. I think I like the narrator (Simon Vance) best because it seemed to be a better interpretation. If his reading could have been combined with the background sounds, it would have been perfect.

The audiobook worked well because this is a well-constructed story. A clear story line is necessary for audio and DUNE is free of strange interludes and time shifts.

I think I'd reserve recommending this audiobook only for people who have read the book. My past reading probably made it much easier to follow - especially with the voice changes.