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I actually got here on July 26th I just forgot to update.

Book One of Dune is really good. Sumptuously atmospheric, lyrical and grounded in a fascinating sort of high concept political drama. It reminds me of Macbeth and Hamlet more than like, Star Wars or whatever. Herbert's prose is on fire in this book and his characters are richly realized too.

well that was charming

A number of typographical errors which weren't present in the original printing either. The most egregious one I've spotted so far is a missing close quote on page 103, and when Alice recites a backwards form of Jack and Jill, the jill is not capitalized.

Noted an unfortunate oversight on page 87, where in the original print (p. 117), a character remarks on the very turning of the page the reader must do to complete the sentence. In this edition, this sentence is uninterrupted and the effect is totally lost.

The Rift - Old Hundredth

The final story resolves Starswarm with a melancholic recollection of endings and transformations. A ghostly, contemplative eulogy which tugs at the symbols and theming employed across the rest of the collection to arrange them into new forms

Old Hundredth (1960) is collected here and the short story collections "The Airs of Earth" and "Who Can Replace a Man?".

Sector Azure - O Moon of My Delight!

The scenery, perspective and science of this story are vivid with clarity and color. Our narrator, on the other hand, holds a certain contempt for much of the cast, and none moreso than its women. Perhaps commentary is being given on the romantic dehumanization thrust at women; women as objects, especially poor women, seems to be on this story's mind

An update regarding the two sector stories I never reviewed:

Vermillion - A Kind of Artistry: Might resolve to be my favorite. The somewhat haunting wonders contained here give way to a formal exploration of suppression and evolution

Gray - Hearts and Engines: Dreary oneirism within a war story. Contains pulses of action -- though its more sad than thrilling; ultimately kept me at arms length

Sector Yellow - Legends of Smith's Burst

A whimsical, sidelong outwandering of something like "Science-Mythology"; picaresque and grimy. Set in a curdling world of contradictions, and weaving a tall-tale of known disrepute. The rather eye-rolling inclusion of a doting love interest feels tone-accurate yet questionable

Legends of Smith's Burst (1964) is collected here and the short story collection "The Saliva Tree"

Sector Green - Shards

Poetical, discursive and bawdy. A curious exercise in mystery and irony. One of the more comical in the collection so far; one of the more unsettling. Also, rather bite-sized

I've heard it theorized that hiccups are a remnant of our fish-brained ancestors. I got hiccups immediately after reading...true story

Shards (1962) is included here and the short story collection "The Airs of Earth"

Sector Diamond - The Game of God.

I've been impressed with Aldiss' skewering of certain oppressive systems and trends so far. This anti-colonialist novelette doesn't quite compare. A valiant attempt for 1958, which ultimately resolves with merely some trivial naval-gazing.

The Game of God (or "Segregation", "Planet of Death"), appears here, as well as in the collections Equator and The Airs of Earth by Aldiss.

I've made it. I made It. It made me, too. I'm exhausted and exhilarated and I've never been so frustrated with a single man as I am with Stephen Bloody King I Swear To--

a good book. a VERY good book. a sad, sweet, story of growing pains and fading stretch marks. It is an uncompromising tome, a messy, direct, indulgent disaster. It will be remembered in 200 years. I have already forgotten a lot of the first half.

there are times where an author can depict togetherness too directly

like this book is about a lot of things and a lot of very very bleak hopeless things but i think what its most about is how we are stronger when we're together, when we're loyal, when we're caring.

Genuinely very heartbreaking at times, but also genuine and sincere and kind.

addendum: its been longer than three years, in fact

in the final stretches now. only been working through this monster truck for NEARLY THREE YEARS.

Sector Violet - The Underprivileged.

Was very wowed by this one... a tense, uncertain tour through a Twilight Zone-esque cityscape. Any perceived dullness came from my underestimating the ferocity of the upcoming twist. Here we have a chilling, intricately woven parable.

The Underprivileged was published in 1963 and is included here, as well as in the short story collection Cities of Wonder edited by Damon Knight.

well then.

Plot keeps stumbling along, one foot after another. I guess you could call it "intimate" but its excruciating. More ground is covered than the first book but much less happens. Alice is as pitiful and sympathetic as ever, while she does at least attempt to grow a spine. VERY little tries to rhyme with the source material anymore. Hatcher has spent a fair portion of the story disposed of -- I really hope he dies.

more compelling than the first book, but I can definitely sense a lull coming on. There's a significant lack of brutalized women and sleazbags threatening to rape our protagonist, which I think is probably the source of this improved readability. To be fair there are also virtually no side characters characters in the story so far. Only one secondary character has been introduced. LOTS of Hatcher. I hope he dies

Okay, stop: how can I already have a problem with this book.

well the ebooks table of contents divides the entire book into TWO ENORMOUS CHAPTERS. I understand that the print version probably has none at all, but is this a joke???

Also so far the writing is considerably worse than the first book.

I don't think Hatcher freaking me out was the point.

Book continues to be provocative and undercooked + continues to have no apparent logic behind framing itself as an Alice retelling.

I still certainly sympathize with our protagonist, in that I feel really bad for her, but I wouldnt exactly say she's "interesting", or that I'm invested in her achieving her goals.

Hatcher freaks me out which I think is the point. By this point we've met Cheshire, who was fun enough.