What book are you reading...

So, you know when people harp on about books being better than the film/TV series, it gets a little tiresome, even though for the most part it's true.

Well, i'm halfway through Dune at the moment and by god, the Lynch movie doesn't remotely do it justice. Don't misunderstand me, i love his Dune movie, a childhood and frankly, still an adulthood favourite of mine.

However, the depth that was missed in the movie i'm finding in the book is shocking, I love it though as it's so much deeper than has hinted at in the movie. Feels like I know the bones of the story from the movie and the book is giving me the meat and muscle.

Baron Harkonnen being Jessica's father, that Paul isn't pure Atreides as a result.
The whole seeding of the muad'dib mythos by the Bene Geserit's for thousands of years, the pre-building of prophecy, seeing everything fall into place with a much bigger picture.
I like the greater understanding of Yuey and why he betrayed the Atreides for personal vengeance, it's barely covered in the movie.
Gurneys story and how he ended up with the smugglers, his past with Rabban.
That Jessica/Paul don't just immediately bump into Stilgar and co their first night in the desert, they spend some time having to survive without any help.
There are more but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

As I say, i'm only at the mid point of the book where they meet Stilgar so no book spoilers past there please in any comments ;)
 
The middle section of the WoT has a lot of good stuff but personally the Elaine/Nyaneve plots can grate. Also some of the rest of the plot can take far too long to deliver.


I've just finished the Expanse novels. Looking forward to the concluding novel it's been a really excellent series the mid section Free Navy part really flew by. Went off Naomi a bit in the middle but the character becomes more likable again in 7 and 8. Never sure why the Belters keep getting get out of jail cards for utterly outrageous opinions and behavior though.

Moved on to the latest 3 Rivers of London books. Farthest Station is ok but is more like an extended prologue to a proper novel and is a right rip of words per pound wise. Lies Sleeping is more rounded and better value for money. The main story arc is moving along at a nice clip. Be interesting to see how October Man is.
 
PlacidCasual said:
I've just finished the Expanse novels. Looking forward to the concluding novel it's been a really excellent series the mid section Free Navy part really flew by. Went off Naomi a bit in the middle but the character becomes more likable again in 7 and 8. Never sure why the Belters keep getting get out of jail cards for utterly outrageous opinions and behavior though.
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#Belterlivesmatter :D
 
SixTwoSix said:
So, you know when people harp on about books being better than the film/TV series, it gets a little tiresome, even though for the most part it's true.

Well, i'm halfway through Dune at the moment and by god, the Lynch movie doesn't remotely do it justice. Don't misunderstand me, i love his Dune movie, a childhood and frankly, still an adulthood favourite of mine.
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The movie is good fun, but one of the reasons it is considered so flawed is that it does lose so much of the depth of the books, though it does it's best. There is so much more information on the people and biology of Arrakis. The books explain how the worms and the spice are connected in their life cycle, Paul's prescience, and his connection to his ancestors, the fate of the characters, and just so much more.

The best books are great stories, great characters, and great events, and movies (especially at the moment) are only good at spectacular visuals. That's why reading the books are so important, because it gives you the full artistic vision of the storyteller in a way that a two hour movie made for the masses never can. Maybe that's why so many movies that are written by the director are so bad. They simply don't have the depth of characters and story that the best books do, and can't convey it on screen.

SixTwoSix said:
However, the depth that was missed in the movie i'm finding in the book is shocking, I love it though as it's so much deeper than has hinted at in the movie. Feels like I know the bones of the story from the movie and the book is giving me the meat and muscle.
Click to expand...

What I find amazing is that it was written in 1965, set thousands of years in the future, but it doesn't feel dated, it has that timeless quality of so many great books. That's probably one of the reasons that it is considered the sci-fi Lord of the Rings.

SixTwoSix said:
Baron Harkonnen being Jessica's father, that Paul isn't pure Atreides as a result.
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The Bene Geserit's original plan was to have Jessica bear a daughter, and she would then be married to Feyd-Rutha, which would then produce the Kwisatz Haderach under Bene Geserit control. Jessica introduces a wildcard because her love for Leto means she gives him a son (Bene Geserit can choose the sex of their babies). Trying to control Paul is the Bene Geserit attempt at damage control, which goes wrong because of his presence on Arakkis and the Harkonnens who force him to become one of the Fremen and eventually the Kwisatz Haderach.

SixTwoSix said:
The whole seeding of the muad'dib mythos by the Bene Geserit's for thousands of years, the pre-building of prophecy, seeing everything fall into place with a much bigger picture.
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There is just tons of stuff like that, and you really feel how Paul is trapped by his prescience that forces the future to happen the way he has foreseen it, the fate of Alia in the third book is heart breaking, and the vast perspective of Leto II in the fourth book as he undoes his power to free humanity from his own future vision, and dooms himself in the process.

SixTwoSix said:
I like the greater understanding of Yuey and why he betrayed the Atreides for personal vengeance, it's barely covered in the movie.
Gurneys story and how he ended up with the smugglers, his past with Rabban.
That Jessica/Paul don't just immediately bump into Stilgar and co their first night in the desert, they spend some time having to survive without any help.
There are more but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind.
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SixTwoSix said:
As I say, i'm only at the mid point of the book where they meet Stilgar so no book spoilers past there please in any comments ;)
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There is just so much depth in the first four books, that a single film was never going to cover it. There are simply too many themes and ideas. The two Sci-fi mini-series did a better job of conveying the story, though without a big-movie special effects budget. If you enjoyed the Lynch film, you will enjoy the two mini-series that covers the first three books.

Rather like the LotR, it might be considered unfilmable without taking a lot of things out as was done with Peter Jackson's LotR, so I'm looking forwards to seeing what Denis Villeneuve can make of it. The movies are adaptations to a new media, but you can never forget that the source material, the full vision of the author, is only available from the books.
 
Steampunk said:
What I find amazing is that it was written in 1965, set thousands of years in the future, but it doesn't feel dated, it has that timeless quality of so many great books. That's probably one of the reasons that it is considered the sci-fi Lord of the Rings.
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Yeah, it flows so well, doesn't feel remotely dated and I can easily see myself chewing through the next few books after this in no time.

Steampunk said:
There is just so much depth in the first four books, that a single film was never going to cover it. There are simply too many themes and ideas. The two Sci-fi mini-series did a better job of conveying the story, though without a big-movie special effects budget. If you enjoyed the Lynch film, you will enjoy the two mini-series that covers the first three books.
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I did watch the two mini-series on release but found it hard to get into it as it had some terrible acting and poor effects/set, didn't allow for much immersion. I might try and source them and give another watch.

Steampunk said:
Rather like the LotR, it might be considered unfilmable without taking a lot of things out as was done with Peter Jackson's LotR, so I'm looking forwards to seeing what Denis Villeneuve can make of it. The movies are adaptations to a new media, but you can never forget that the source material, the full vision of the author, is only available from the books.
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I think DV is one of very few directors about who could possibly make an accomplished movie of this at the moment. I know his plan is two movies from the first book, I feel he'll probably use the point at which Paul/Jessica get to Stilgar as a cutting off point.
 
In currently reading 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Struggling a bit due to only managing to read a few pages before falling asleep (lockdown sleep issues :rolleyes: ) but it's starting to get really interesting and quite scary now. Now I'm having issues falling asleep after reading a couple of chapters :p

The main thing I can't get over is that it's short for Jerusalem's Lot. How the heck do you say it? I always thought it was set in the town of Salem, Connecticut which is obviously pronounced say-lum :o
 
SixTwoSix said:
@Scam in Kings fictional universe, it's just a town called Jerusalem in Maine, locals shorten it down to Salem. I believe he's got a bunch of novellas based there.
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But when you say 'salem as part of *Jerusalem* you say it like "sa-lum" whereas when you say Salem (as in the town in CT) it's "say-lum". It's going to bug me forever now :p
 
Salems Lot has a big tie in with the Dark Tower series - Father Callahan. Who appears at Wolves of the Calla.

I you like Salems Lot then The Dark Tower really is an epic read.
 
Edinho said:
I you like Salems Lot then The Dark Tower really is an epic read.
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I actually read the first Dark Tower book about 2-3 years ago and absolutely hated it. I love The Stand, Cell, 11.22.73 etc. but thought the DT a pile of guff :( (not for want of trying!)
 
The Tomb of Hercules by Andy McDermott. It's like reading a B-Movie action film. But sometimes, that's exactly what I fancy.

I'm going to start Lord of Chaos (Wheel of Time 6), this weekend.
 
RobDogDog said:
The Tomb of Hercules by Andy McDermott. It's like reading a B-Movie action film. But sometimes, that's exactly what I fancy.
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Try Matthew Reilly, his books are like Andy McDemott's but on speed (and better but that is my personal opinion)!

Also check out the Matt Drake series by David Leadbeater and the Joe Hawkes series by Rob Jones. Both free on Kindle Unlimited.
Strangely these two series and the Andy McDermott series have very similar main characters - wonder who copied who....
 
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A little light reading, should be interesting.
 
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