Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

This FH's book is very interssant because it isn't a Sci-Fi novel.
It is between fantasy (I think ) and thriller (I'm sure ). The themes related in Sabtarroga are quite close to Dune's one : it is about drugs (Jaspe, the local Spice) and humanity and consciousness.

I advise it to you!

I haven't read it yet(well, a new d/l will start soon ), but the Wiki' article strongly suggests it's sci-fi, and I see no problem about it.

We've just had a thread opened that also deals with what makes sci-fi.
Sci-fi isn't just robotic bears shooting lasers out of their eyes, though it'd be damn cool if it did.

The Santaroga Barrier is a wonderful wee book touching upon a few of Frank Herbert’s favourite themes of hive mentality/group consciousness, alienation and longing to belong. A must read, it’s hard to believe that it was published 40 years ago it still feels so fresh, unlike the cheese.

I've just downloaded it yesterday, but it'll be some time before I read it.

inhuien wrote:The Santaroga Barrier is a wonderful wee book touching upon a few of Frank Herbert’s favourite themes of hive mentality/group consciousness, alienation and longing to belong. A must read, it’s hard to believe that it was published 40 years ago it still feels so fresh, unlike the cheese.

A great read.

I'll give a brief recap with no spoilers.

Santaroga Valley is a region of CA, and is a "barrier" to normal business because the region is almost self-sufficient. No McDonalds, no Walmarts. No outside businesses exist. Major corporations can't figure out how to penetrate the local markets, and have huge issues with buying land to build.

So a psychologist is hired to study the area, and before he goes there, he is informed that the last 2 investigators sent died of apparent accidental deaths.

Now add mind altering/expanding "jaspers", and you have a great story. Must read obv.

In short, druggies(i.e the town/region's inhabitants) kill people.

orald wrote:In short, druggies(i.e the town/region's inhabitants) kill people.

In FH's style, how does a small (40K) community keep the world's biggest secret, secret? There are a few holes in the outline, but the story is excellent.

I'm surprised this wasn't picked up for a movie screenplay.

HoosierDaddy wrote:

orald wrote:In short, druggies(i.e the town/region's inhabitants) kill people.

In FH's style, how does a small (40K) community keep the world's biggest secret, secret? There are a few holes in the outline, but the story is excellent.

I'm surprised this wasn't picked up for a movie screenplay.

Im pretty sure its been optioned. If anyone has IMDB pro, maybe you can check for us.

Speaking of movie adaptations, with the success of SW and ST(contaning humans and lots of aliens) and various "detective" style movies, I'm surprised the ConSentiency hasn't been made into a movie yet.

I'm quite sure I've said that twice or thrice...

I've always wondered if Jaspers was some sort of alien growth or a native Earth fungus. Any ideas...

Spice Grandson wrote:I've always wondered if Jaspers was some sort of alien growth or a native Earth fungus. Any ideas...

I never got the impression that the fungus was alien. The feeling I got was modern day technology "discovered" it, and by nature, the first people to come under its influence were reluctant to share it with the rest of society.

HoosierDaddy wrote:

Spice Grandson wrote:I've always wondered if Jaspers was some sort of alien growth or a native Earth fungus. Any ideas...

I never got the impression that the fungus was alien. The feeling I got was modern day technology "discovered" it, and by nature, the first people to come under its influence were reluctant to share it with the rest of society.

It just seemed like an alien substance to me.

SPOILER ALERT...




When it was discovered that everyone in the town had a type of psychic/hive mind collective that operated almost independently (especially during the multiple "accidents" that almost occurred to Daisen), it seemed very un-Earth-like.

Spice Grandson wrote:I've always wondered if Jaspers was some sort of alien growth or a native Earth fungus. Any ideas...

You mean, after spending all those Thanksgivings with Frank you don't know !

(Ole'Spice Pussy posted awhile back that he spent many a Thanksgiving with Frank, so he knows more about Dune than we do. Anyway, just picked up the book at the local used book store and finished reading.)

Btw, Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

In absentia of the wee green men I say that it's native Earth/

Me favourite behind the dunes and the white plague Could be made into a very cool hitchcockian film.

Schu wrote:Could be made into a very cool hitchcockian film.

Aye perhaps it could, but there's a snowballs chance of that one happening.

SPAM ALERT ABOVE, WOW GOLD lol
~
What is great about this book is that, at first it seems like a utopian society with no flaws. Its perfect, in till you look under the surface. Classic FH style, everything looks perfect, and as soon as you go to lift up something to look under it, you find the cinders of hell. Love this book.

SwordMaster wrote:SPAM ALERT ABOVE, WOW GOLD lol
~
What is great about this book is that, at first it seems like a utopian society with no flaws. Its perfect, in till you look under the surface. Classic FH style, everything looks perfect, and as soon as you go to lift up something to look under it, you find the cinders of hell. Love this book.

Nuked him. He gone!

HoosierDaddy wrote:I'm surprised this wasn't picked up for a movie screenplay.

^ THIS! ^


It's shocking that Hollywood or the Herbert estate haven't cashed in on this yet.

A few years ago, this would have been a fine candidate for an M. Night Shyamalan film.
(From what I understand, his clout or bank-ability is not what it used to be.)

They would have to read the books to know which ones would make good movies.

Freakzilla wrote:They would have to read the books to know which ones would make good movies.

Or hire a consultant to do that for them. I am sure the Herbert estate knows one...

hollywood read books??

Those words don't go in the same sentence.