I just finished listening the Dune audiobook; it is without doubt a classic. I certainly didn't fully appreciate it when I read it as a child. Frank Herbert's restraint in writing is superb. Less is definitely more with Dune. I adore how events other authors would describe ad nauseam, such as the space travel to Arrakis or the assault on Giedi Prime, are skipped entirely by Herbert only for him to discuss their aftermath at length later. The book itself builds both the narrative and its elaborate mythos to a feverish crescendo. There subtleties layered upon subtleties, it's pure Shakespeare. It, like the spice melange, has left me craving more.
If, like me, you need a Dune fix I recommend this
YouTube commentator who has put out loads of great content from deep explorations of the Dune Universe timeline to honest reviews of the NuDune novels and thoughts on the forthcoming film. According to them the Children of Dune miniseries is really rather good. I plan on watching it after I'm done with Dune Messiah. I'm very much looking forward to revisiting David Lynch's Dune which was a childhood favourite of mine and, in terms of visual world building, is a seriously high watermark for cinema. I'm just torn whether to watch the original tonight or wait a few days for @"15MaF"'s new edit...
Regarding the new film I read an
article today that suggests the delayed release may well be a blessing on disguise. I was not aware of this but apparently Denis Villeneuve was feeling rushed to edit the film for its release and was hoping to do reshoots etc but the pandemic prohibited him doing so. So having an extra year may well allow the film to be closer to his intended vision.