Dune Read-Along Discussion :: Part 3

Woohoo! We're finished! I ended up reading parts two and three all in a row. And wow! What an epic adventure it was. Mr. Herbert clearly was a very talented writer! The fabulous Kami hosted this discussion, head over here to read her answers. :)

And once again, my answers:

1. What are your overall thoughts? Did you like it?

The world-building is phenomenal! I was blown away by that. The story itself? Was interesting. But I could never connect with any one character. Oh, I liked a few of them. But I couldn't relate or connect to them. They all felt very distant. And characters are what keep me invested in a story usually. Although the suspense of what was going to happen next keep me hooked in. So ultimately I did enjoy it okay, but I didn't love it.

2. Do you think you could ride a giant worm?

NO! Absolutely not. I'm a wimp!

3. Paul's relationship with his mom, Jessica, dramatically changed and evolved over the course of the book. How did their relationship change and why do you think it did?

At the beginning, Paul is clueless about his true destiny and what will happen. He's relied on his mother all of his life, which is natural. But as the book progresses, he grows up. And with growing up (as well as what his destiny entails), children naturally come into their own. They start making their own choices and living their own life. Which is what Paul did.

4. What do you think about Paul's lack of emotion?

He irked me mostly. I need some emotion to be able to understand a character. I could never fully understand him or really even like him unfortunately.

5. Now that I've finished, I feel like I'd pick up on a lot more of the details and things if I read it again. Do you think you'll reread Dune? If this is a reread, did you catch different things this time around?

Maybe someday? But if so, not for a looonnngggg time. I do think I'd probably pick up on a lot more details the second time around. But I'm satisfied enough for now. The details I didn't get will just have to stay hidden.

6. How do you feel about the political arrangement at the end? Do you feel bad for Princess Irulan or Chani?

I wasn't sure whether Paul's desire for power was really a good thing, regardless of being this "messiah" or not. It kind of bothered me actually. But it does make sense. And I don't feel bad for either lady. They both know what they're getting into. Or at least they have a pretty good idea. Ok, I guess I felt slightly bad for Chani, but then she's already been with emotionless Paul for at least two years. So she knows what he's like. Or she should!

7. Will you read the rest of the series?

Very doubtful. But I could surprise myself someday! :)

8. Favorite character and why?

Gurney Halleck because he's awesome. He's just awesome! And I like Alia too. Her moment of awesome is pretty great! Never underestimate the littles! ;)

9. What did you think about the quotes at the beginning of each chapter? Did you read them? Were they interesting? Were they helpful?

I pretty much ignored them the whole time. I did notice who wrote them, but didn't know who this princess was until the very end.

10. Did you have fun during the Read Along? Was there anything we could have done better? Would you have read this book if you hadn't joined?

I did! Even if I did read a little slower than everyone else. I'm pretty positive that I would not have ever read this book if not for you ladies. And I'm glad I did! It's such a popular and well known book that it's nice to know what everyone is talking about. As much as I wish I could have liked it better, it really is an amazing story! As I said before, the world-building is fantabulous. And it was very clear to me that Frank Herbert had the story well planned out from the beginning. Not one detail was missed. (I tended to miss them, but that's neither here nor there.) So thank you ladies! Y'all did a wonderful job. Just as I expected. :)