Dune by Frank Herbert. berkley Books. 1965.
So the Atreides are still preparing for their move to Arrakis. Paul is having more encounters with the Reverend Mother who thinks he may be the Kwisatz Haderach. The Kwisatz Haderach is a kind of chosen one - a male who is powerful enough to be able to join the otherwise exclusively female Bene Gesserit. Obviously this test involving the poisoned needle had some significance. Not only is Paul finding out more about the Bene Gesserit, but the reader also gets a glimpse into the Harkonnens plans. the Harkonnen house is the sworn enemy of the Atreides House. For one reason or another the incredibly fat Harkonnen Baron despised Duke Atreides and wants nothing more than to see him defeated. The mastermind behind the Harkonnen plot divulges this plan to the Harkonnen Baron's heir. He tells of several distractions being created once the atreides arrive on Arrakis. There will be an "attempt" on Paul's life, which if all goes as planned will not succeed and serve only as a distraction. In addition to this the Harkonnens will stir up uprosings in various areas if the planet. One House Atreides has been thoroughly distracted and stretched thin, the harkonnens will swoop in with two legions of Imperial soldiers disguised as Harkonnens. I am not entirely sure as to why Imperial soldiers are going to be used. the Baron says they are doing the Emperor's dirty work... Anyway, there should be some excitement coming up. I can feel the tensions building.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Independent Reading Journal 12-9-08
Dune by Frank Herbert. Berkley books. 1977.
So I've read on, and so far the biggest development has been the discovery of what the "gom jabbar" is. The Atreides are still on Caladan. The reader learns that Paul's mother Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, some sort of secret group or society comprised of women who seem to have some sort of supernatural power. The Emperor's truthsayer is a Bene Gesserit herself. In fact she is the Reverend Mother. Paul is supposed to meet with her, which he does. As Jessica had said, he does indeed learn what the gom jabbar is. Jessica leaves him alone in a room with the Reverend Mother, an old woman. She is not intimidated by his royal status, but rather treats him and speaks to him as if she is the superior (which she very well may be). Paul doesn't like this very much but he goes along with what she tells him to do. She informs him that he must undergo a test. The same test that his mother underwent. He is forced to place his hand inside a mysterious cube-like box. Once his hand is inside the box, the Reverend Mother informs him that he cannot move or take his hand out of the box. this is because she is holding the gom jabbar up to his neck and if he moves she shall kill him with it. The gom jabbar is a poison filled needle. A needle filled with the most poisonous of poisons. Paul's hand inside the box begins to experience extremely excruciatingly bad pain. It burned. "He thought he could feel skin curling black on that agonized hand, the flesh crisping away until only charred bones remained." Reverend Mother reminds him that he may not remove his hand for fear of death by the gom jabbar. Suddenly the pain ends, he withdraws his hand, and sees that his hand is perfectly OK. When asked what the purpose of the test is, the Reverend mother says it is to sort out the humans from the people. "Like sifting sand through a screen. ' She apparently used her Bene Gesserit gift of observation to examine him while he was in pain. Jessica then returns and is delighted to see that her son is alive. The Reverend Mother seems very excited about the result as she thinks in her head "could he be the one!?" I'm not entirely sure what all this means, but it certainly sets the reader up for an exciting and revealing remainder of the story. Dune wastes no time getting off to a good and interesting start.
So I've read on, and so far the biggest development has been the discovery of what the "gom jabbar" is. The Atreides are still on Caladan. The reader learns that Paul's mother Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, some sort of secret group or society comprised of women who seem to have some sort of supernatural power. The Emperor's truthsayer is a Bene Gesserit herself. In fact she is the Reverend Mother. Paul is supposed to meet with her, which he does. As Jessica had said, he does indeed learn what the gom jabbar is. Jessica leaves him alone in a room with the Reverend Mother, an old woman. She is not intimidated by his royal status, but rather treats him and speaks to him as if she is the superior (which she very well may be). Paul doesn't like this very much but he goes along with what she tells him to do. She informs him that he must undergo a test. The same test that his mother underwent. He is forced to place his hand inside a mysterious cube-like box. Once his hand is inside the box, the Reverend Mother informs him that he cannot move or take his hand out of the box. this is because she is holding the gom jabbar up to his neck and if he moves she shall kill him with it. The gom jabbar is a poison filled needle. A needle filled with the most poisonous of poisons. Paul's hand inside the box begins to experience extremely excruciatingly bad pain. It burned. "He thought he could feel skin curling black on that agonized hand, the flesh crisping away until only charred bones remained." Reverend Mother reminds him that he may not remove his hand for fear of death by the gom jabbar. Suddenly the pain ends, he withdraws his hand, and sees that his hand is perfectly OK. When asked what the purpose of the test is, the Reverend mother says it is to sort out the humans from the people. "Like sifting sand through a screen. ' She apparently used her Bene Gesserit gift of observation to examine him while he was in pain. Jessica then returns and is delighted to see that her son is alive. The Reverend Mother seems very excited about the result as she thinks in her head "could he be the one!?" I'm not entirely sure what all this means, but it certainly sets the reader up for an exciting and revealing remainder of the story. Dune wastes no time getting off to a good and interesting start.
Independent Reading Journal 12-9-08
Dune by Frank Herbert. Berkley Books. 1977.
I have heard great things about this book and I have read part of one the prequels, so I decided to give it a go since I have read some nonfiction already. In a poll in 1975 Dune was voted as the greatest novel of imagination of all time. A pretty tough feat to accomplish when there are books like Lord of the Rings out there. From what I know of the story I understand that the books takes place on the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. The planet is home to the royal Atreide family as well as the Fremen and the giant sandworms. Sounds pretty exciting to me. Anyway, in the beginning the Atreides family is preparing to leave to go to Dune from their home of Caladan. Paul, a 15 year old son of the Duke, seems to be one of the main character. The readers are left with many questions at the end of chapter one. Paul seems to be having strange dreams. His mother tells him that he must tell the Emperor's truthsayer about his dreams. Paul is also left wondering what a "gom jabbar" is - a term he heard from an old crone who came to visit his mother. When Paul asks his mother what it means she hesitates ans then replies "you'll learn about it soon enough." Very mysterious.... It really draws the reader in.
I have heard great things about this book and I have read part of one the prequels, so I decided to give it a go since I have read some nonfiction already. In a poll in 1975 Dune was voted as the greatest novel of imagination of all time. A pretty tough feat to accomplish when there are books like Lord of the Rings out there. From what I know of the story I understand that the books takes place on the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. The planet is home to the royal Atreide family as well as the Fremen and the giant sandworms. Sounds pretty exciting to me. Anyway, in the beginning the Atreides family is preparing to leave to go to Dune from their home of Caladan. Paul, a 15 year old son of the Duke, seems to be one of the main character. The readers are left with many questions at the end of chapter one. Paul seems to be having strange dreams. His mother tells him that he must tell the Emperor's truthsayer about his dreams. Paul is also left wondering what a "gom jabbar" is - a term he heard from an old crone who came to visit his mother. When Paul asks his mother what it means she hesitates ans then replies "you'll learn about it soon enough." Very mysterious.... It really draws the reader in.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Independent Reading Journal 12-1-08
Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow edited by Reginald Bretnor. Harper and Row. 1974.
Well as you probably could have gathered from my last post, I have built up some negative feelings towards this book. I started out reading it because I thought it would be interesting. It is interesting. What I did not anticipate was the dry essay style in which the different pieces are written. This probably should have been expected since the book is a symposium including essays by scholars and such dealing with science and fiction. I have held off these complaints, but I am now nearing the end so I feel free to let them be heard. Anyway. The last essay is by Jack Williamson who I suppose is some sort of writer I should have heard of. He writes about the teaching and criticism of the genre. I hadn't really realized this, but apparently in 1974 there were hundreds of science fiction and fantasy courses being offered at various universities. Williamson is a science fiction teacher himself. He claims that the first science fiction course was taught at Colgate in 1962. Williamson says that academic science fiction is gaining ground and that the "unorthodox innovations" used in the classes make them fun to teach and take. According to Williamson, before WWII science fiction was regarded as "crude pulp stuff." Early searches for scholarly discussions about science fiction were hard to come by. He then goes on to say that the recent abundance of criticism about science fiction is thanks to H.G. Wells-"the chief inventor of the genre." Wells was once misunderstood and seen as a hollow-headed utopian. Eventually critics began to notice the "dark philosophic pessimism beneath the life and wit and rich invention of Wells's great fiction." They realized that his writing was not "crude pulp stuff." Many books were published about his work and the realm of academic science fiction took off. I suspect that even today, 34 years later, there is an even greater abundance of academic science fiction in the world and in America's universities.
Well as you probably could have gathered from my last post, I have built up some negative feelings towards this book. I started out reading it because I thought it would be interesting. It is interesting. What I did not anticipate was the dry essay style in which the different pieces are written. This probably should have been expected since the book is a symposium including essays by scholars and such dealing with science and fiction. I have held off these complaints, but I am now nearing the end so I feel free to let them be heard. Anyway. The last essay is by Jack Williamson who I suppose is some sort of writer I should have heard of. He writes about the teaching and criticism of the genre. I hadn't really realized this, but apparently in 1974 there were hundreds of science fiction and fantasy courses being offered at various universities. Williamson is a science fiction teacher himself. He claims that the first science fiction course was taught at Colgate in 1962. Williamson says that academic science fiction is gaining ground and that the "unorthodox innovations" used in the classes make them fun to teach and take. According to Williamson, before WWII science fiction was regarded as "crude pulp stuff." Early searches for scholarly discussions about science fiction were hard to come by. He then goes on to say that the recent abundance of criticism about science fiction is thanks to H.G. Wells-"the chief inventor of the genre." Wells was once misunderstood and seen as a hollow-headed utopian. Eventually critics began to notice the "dark philosophic pessimism beneath the life and wit and rich invention of Wells's great fiction." They realized that his writing was not "crude pulp stuff." Many books were published about his work and the realm of academic science fiction took off. I suspect that even today, 34 years later, there is an even greater abundance of academic science fiction in the world and in America's universities.
Independent Reading Journal 12-1-08
Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow edited by Reginald Bretnor. Harper and Row. 1974.
So far I've been blogging about pieces included in the book written by the editor Reginald Bretnor. While much of the book is written by him, not all of it is. I thought I'd talk about a piece written by Poul Anderson. Anderson was an author who wrote People of the Wind and There Will Be Time as well as other books. He received several awards dealing with science fiction writing from various organizations. This piece included in Bretnor's symposium is entitled "The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The World Builder's Handbook and Pocket Companion." To be quite frank this piece (much like most of the book in my opinion) is interesting but quite dry and boring. Anderson begins by criticizing science fiction writers for creating imaginary worlds that make no sense. He states that John Campbell created a planet which is "simply a chemical impossibility," saying that the two gases found in the atmosphere would "unite promptly and explosively." If this sounds boring that's because it is. Later on he is at least kind enough to exclude the creator's name when he criticizes a world devoid of plant life but full of thriving animal populations. I will not do too deep into detail, but Anderson spends a few pages giving tips and guidelines for creating science fiction worlds. He claims all that is needed is "a basic knowledge of current scientific fact and theory which any person must have before he can-in this day and age-call himself educated." He gives information on how bright the planet should be based on the distance from the nearest sun-like star, how important the content of the atmosphere is when deciding what type of life forms to have, as well as what the geography should look like. Anderson declares "the designing of a planet is fascinating-sheer fun." If you say so Anderson.
So far I've been blogging about pieces included in the book written by the editor Reginald Bretnor. While much of the book is written by him, not all of it is. I thought I'd talk about a piece written by Poul Anderson. Anderson was an author who wrote People of the Wind and There Will Be Time as well as other books. He received several awards dealing with science fiction writing from various organizations. This piece included in Bretnor's symposium is entitled "The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The World Builder's Handbook and Pocket Companion." To be quite frank this piece (much like most of the book in my opinion) is interesting but quite dry and boring. Anderson begins by criticizing science fiction writers for creating imaginary worlds that make no sense. He states that John Campbell created a planet which is "simply a chemical impossibility," saying that the two gases found in the atmosphere would "unite promptly and explosively." If this sounds boring that's because it is. Later on he is at least kind enough to exclude the creator's name when he criticizes a world devoid of plant life but full of thriving animal populations. I will not do too deep into detail, but Anderson spends a few pages giving tips and guidelines for creating science fiction worlds. He claims all that is needed is "a basic knowledge of current scientific fact and theory which any person must have before he can-in this day and age-call himself educated." He gives information on how bright the planet should be based on the distance from the nearest sun-like star, how important the content of the atmosphere is when deciding what type of life forms to have, as well as what the geography should look like. Anderson declares "the designing of a planet is fascinating-sheer fun." If you say so Anderson.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Independent Reading Journal 11-20-08
Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow edited by Reginald Bretnor.Harper and Row. 1974.
In one of the included pieces written by Bretnor, he identifies a problem that the definition of science fiction has been confused by many. He states that the tendency of people is to "derationalize the field and give it a non-scientific orientation." He goes on to give his definition of science fiction. "Science fiction: fiction based on rational speculation regarding the human experience of science and its resultant technologies." I agree that the genre has been given a non-scientific field. Really, science fiction is based on real science and not made up stuff. If something is just made up entirely then it is fantasy. Science fiction deals with technology and reason.
In one of the included pieces written by Bretnor, he identifies a problem that the definition of science fiction has been confused by many. He states that the tendency of people is to "derationalize the field and give it a non-scientific orientation." He goes on to give his definition of science fiction. "Science fiction: fiction based on rational speculation regarding the human experience of science and its resultant technologies." I agree that the genre has been given a non-scientific field. Really, science fiction is based on real science and not made up stuff. If something is just made up entirely then it is fantasy. Science fiction deals with technology and reason.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Independent Reading Journal 11-17-08
Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow edited by Reginald Bretnor. Harper and Row. 1974.'
In 1972 a book entitled The Limits to Growth was published. This book is a study conducted by MIT students on the future of our society (the society of the early 70s). I, like Bretnor find this idea to be interesting. According to their research with the help of computer models and statistics, the study concludes that a catastrophic disaster awaits humankind within a century. So 34 years later we have less than 70 years to go. This conclusion was based on a population increase which goes virtually unchecked as well as natural resource consumption and pollution. Some saw this book as a "mathematically accurate forecast of doom," while others brushed it aside as meaningless. I, like Bretnor, remain skeptical of the accuracy of computer models in the early 70s when trying to compute the end of the world as we know it. What Bretnor uses this example to do is to distinguish science from science fiction. Over the years the line has blurred, but Bretnor redraws the line. He says that science fiction writers do not predict the future the way these MIT students did. Science fiction writers show many possible futures. Science fiction creates the future from imagination. Not from statistics and computer models.
In 1972 a book entitled The Limits to Growth was published. This book is a study conducted by MIT students on the future of our society (the society of the early 70s). I, like Bretnor find this idea to be interesting. According to their research with the help of computer models and statistics, the study concludes that a catastrophic disaster awaits humankind within a century. So 34 years later we have less than 70 years to go. This conclusion was based on a population increase which goes virtually unchecked as well as natural resource consumption and pollution. Some saw this book as a "mathematically accurate forecast of doom," while others brushed it aside as meaningless. I, like Bretnor, remain skeptical of the accuracy of computer models in the early 70s when trying to compute the end of the world as we know it. What Bretnor uses this example to do is to distinguish science from science fiction. Over the years the line has blurred, but Bretnor redraws the line. He says that science fiction writers do not predict the future the way these MIT students did. Science fiction writers show many possible futures. Science fiction creates the future from imagination. Not from statistics and computer models.
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