Looking back...
Posted: 15 Mar 2011 23:04
Looking back over the decades since Frank Herbert first published Dune in 1965, when was the best time to be a Dune fan? I wouldn't know since I have only been a fan since late 2003.
The first decade of the twenty-first century is obviously not the best of times with all this New Dune business. Although the Dune TV miniseries is great. The 90's (including the year 2000) saw the publication first New Dune books but it was not so bad in the sense that the first major lie of Paul not being born on Caladan was not yet written. But the 90's saw the release of the Dune computer games of which I am a big fan as well as some other fanfic which are actually good reads.
Perhaps it was the 80's. Three new Frank Herbert Dune novels, a Dune movie, the first of a lot of fanfic to come and a Frank Herbert Dune Short story. 1984 was for sure a red letter year for all things Dune. The release of Heretics of Dune, the Dune movie and the Dune encyclopedia. Dune fandom was at it's height. But not a very good year for Frank Herbert himself. 1986 however was a sad year when Frank Herbert passed away leaving no way to protect his franchise from a man with a combover and a pig voice.
I don't know much about Dune fans of the 70's though. This decade saw the release of Children of Dune and the first of several Dune merchandise in the form of a board game (to be followed in later years by a card game, a role playing game, computer games, another board game and Dune comic books). Was Frank Herbert more famous in the 70's compared to the mid 60's?
And finally the 60's. Dune was first published in 1965 and Dune Messiah in 1969. I don't know exactly how fast Frank Herbert rose to fame. I know that Dune was actually first released in 1963 in a science fiction magazine. I wonder if there are any pre-1965 dune fans out there.
In my opinion the greatest time to be a fan of Dune was 1984. Maybe this decade will be better than the previous since the New Dune books are declining in popularity.
The first decade of the twenty-first century is obviously not the best of times with all this New Dune business. Although the Dune TV miniseries is great. The 90's (including the year 2000) saw the publication first New Dune books but it was not so bad in the sense that the first major lie of Paul not being born on Caladan was not yet written. But the 90's saw the release of the Dune computer games of which I am a big fan as well as some other fanfic which are actually good reads.
Perhaps it was the 80's. Three new Frank Herbert Dune novels, a Dune movie, the first of a lot of fanfic to come and a Frank Herbert Dune Short story. 1984 was for sure a red letter year for all things Dune. The release of Heretics of Dune, the Dune movie and the Dune encyclopedia. Dune fandom was at it's height. But not a very good year for Frank Herbert himself. 1986 however was a sad year when Frank Herbert passed away leaving no way to protect his franchise from a man with a combover and a pig voice.
I don't know much about Dune fans of the 70's though. This decade saw the release of Children of Dune and the first of several Dune merchandise in the form of a board game (to be followed in later years by a card game, a role playing game, computer games, another board game and Dune comic books). Was Frank Herbert more famous in the 70's compared to the mid 60's?
And finally the 60's. Dune was first published in 1965 and Dune Messiah in 1969. I don't know exactly how fast Frank Herbert rose to fame. I know that Dune was actually first released in 1963 in a science fiction magazine. I wonder if there are any pre-1965 dune fans out there.
In my opinion the greatest time to be a fan of Dune was 1984. Maybe this decade will be better than the previous since the New Dune books are declining in popularity.
