There's also the talent factor. Ransom has it, Brian Herbert doesn't.

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Well thank gawd the phone wasn't ringing while he was in the waiting room, eh! With her BEFORE her surgery and he's thinking about the writing environment. Does this mean he had a laptop with him? A notepad? Oh, no, it had to be the recorder!TheKJA wrote:Sitting in the waiting room with Reb b4 her foot surgery. Not the best writing environment, but at least the phone's not ringing.
about 19 hours ago from web
Reb out of surgery, everything fine. I've got a thermos of her favorite Starbucks waiting for her, as soon as she wakes up
about 16 hours ago from web
Back home with the patient, not groggy at all (me or Reb!). Will set up a table to keep keying in DUNE correx while we watch "Burn Notice."
about 13 hours ago from web
While Reb relaxes after surgery, watching Michael Moore's SICKO. Horrifying movie! Maybe not best thing after a day in the hospital.
about 6 hours ago from web
Willis McNelly died 07 April 2003.SwordMaster wrote:But again, my point about Dr. Willis E. McNelly maybe far fetched that he could write anything close to the same quality, but at least he would not contradict the entire story x 1000SandChigger wrote:Isn't part of the story that a fair number of people had contacted them over the years wanting to write stories in the Duniverse or collaborate with Brian? And that Brian was just coming around to the idea of doing something when Kevin went on the offensive? A matter of fortuitous timing for the hacks ... and continuing sorrow for true fans of Dune.
I'm pretty sure Byron said that the HLP contacted some people as well but were turned down. (I remember the name Dan Simmons coming up in some such connection, but Simmons refuses to even reply to inquiries about the matter.)
Any serious, intelligent author should realize how difficult it would be to write in someone else's universe, let alone Frank Herbert's Duniverse.
Fools rush in. Kevin gets to lead the pack.
Plus he is an actual literary mind on various classic poets, and novelists, like where did KJA get his community collage paper? Not that educational credentails matter but I still think The Dune Encyclopedia is the best non Frank work on Dune.
You should post this at the Amazon.com Dune forums!SandChigger wrote:
And again he's doing correction work while watching a movie. Says a lot about quality control, no? No wonder McDune is so fucked up: this shithead can't concentrate on one thing at a time.
I agree with this. The Dune Encyclopedia works as a fascinating tangent to the Dune universe that doesn't necessarily get it right, but it does work within the spirit of the Herbert Dune universe. The Dune Encyclopedia is a very interesting failure that offers something worth reading, unlike the novels of the HLP and KJA, which are completely worthless failures on every level.SandChigger wrote:Um ... yep, there is that.
The Dune Encyclopedia is interesting and fun as far as fanfic goes (far more fun than the officially sanctioned fanfic gruel being flogged about as canon in some quarters), but it's just plain silly in places. (The ornithopter clams is the example most often cited, but take a look at the article on Ecaz for another example: a habitable planet in the star system nearest to Earth that isn't discovered until something like 8000 B.G. And the entry for Galach, while written by a linguist, is completely unrealistic in terms of the changes that would occur in a language over a period of 20,000+ years. Plus it completely ignores the Slavic side of the Inglo-Slavic mix.)
Still, McNelly and his collaborators created something wonderful, however flawed. His/Their work certainly deserves more than the short shrift given it by the HLP. (Especially when it looks so much like they did refer to it in hiking McDune.)
Yah remember guys, McNelly wrote a chapter of Butlarian Jihad. Brian never even called him back. Sad he passed away a few years later. Now dont get me wrong Dune Encyclopedia is not the BEST, but I just dont see how KJA got the prize.GamePlayer wrote:I agree with this. The Dune Encyclopedia works as a fascinating tangent to the Dune universe that doesn't necessarily get it right, but it does work within the spirit of the Herbert Dune universe. The Dune Encyclopedia is a very interesting failure that offers something worth reading, unlike the novels of the HLP and KJA, which are completely worthless failures on every level.SandChigger wrote:Um ... yep, there is that.
The Dune Encyclopedia is interesting and fun as far as fanfic goes (far more fun than the officially sanctioned fanfic gruel being flogged about as canon in some quarters), but it's just plain silly in places. (The ornithopter clams is the example most often cited, but take a look at the article on Ecaz for another example: a habitable planet in the star system nearest to Earth that isn't discovered until something like 8000 B.G. And the entry for Galach, while written by a linguist, is completely unrealistic in terms of the changes that would occur in a language over a period of 20,000+ years. Plus it completely ignores the Slavic side of the Inglo-Slavic mix.)
Still, McNelly and his collaborators created something wonderful, however flawed. His/Their work certainly deserves more than the short shrift given it by the HLP. (Especially when it looks so much like they did refer to it in hiking McDune.)
At least there's an electronic copy of the DE around
Its no wonder why McNeilly wasnt chosen, he was too good of an author to co-writte anything with BH. Brian's ineptitude would just jump to your eyesight.SwordMaster wrote:Yah remember guys, McNelly wrote a chapter of Butlarian Jihad. Brian never even called him back. Sad he passed away a few years later. Now dont get me wrong Dune Encyclopedia is not the BEST, but I just dont see how KJA got the prize.GamePlayer wrote:I agree with this. The Dune Encyclopedia works as a fascinating tangent to the Dune universe that doesn't necessarily get it right, but it does work within the spirit of the Herbert Dune universe. The Dune Encyclopedia is a very interesting failure that offers something worth reading, unlike the novels of the HLP and KJA, which are completely worthless failures on every level.SandChigger wrote:Um ... yep, there is that.
The Dune Encyclopedia is interesting and fun as far as fanfic goes (far more fun than the officially sanctioned fanfic gruel being flogged about as canon in some quarters), but it's just plain silly in places. (The ornithopter clams is the example most often cited, but take a look at the article on Ecaz for another example: a habitable planet in the star system nearest to Earth that isn't discovered until something like 8000 B.G. And the entry for Galach, while written by a linguist, is completely unrealistic in terms of the changes that would occur in a language over a period of 20,000+ years. Plus it completely ignores the Slavic side of the Inglo-Slavic mix.)
Still, McNelly and his collaborators created something wonderful, however flawed. His/Their work certainly deserves more than the short shrift given it by the HLP. (Especially when it looks so much like they did refer to it in hiking McDune.)
At least there's an electronic copy of the DE around
Has anyone seen his wife? Not suprised she had foot and leg issues.