Great Stools of Dune predictions: here we go again!

[TheDukester]

Anything shaking with SMELLHOLE over on Amazon UK?

Not there ... but at the U.S. site, publication date has been pushed back to April 2011.

Amazon glitch?

Or publisher indifference toward this steaming pile ever actually getting onto shelves?

[TheDukester]

Impressive spin, even for a proven liar like Anderjacket:

[Nekhrun]

Another outright lie that his fans will lick up.

[DuneFishUK]

How many books will this series be? They said trilogy, but that was before they had 2 books of a 3 book contract to fill?

[A Thing of Eternity]

It'll depend how many things KJA says are Great Schools. Could be 10 of these fuckers.

[DuneFishUK]

Gods noooooo! Is there no rest for the bleeding anus of Dune?!?!?!

More likely 3 - the 2 books they still have to write, then they end it on a huge cliffhanger and hope that someone... anyone, cares enough to get them a new book deal.

[A Thing of Eternity]

Ah, yes I'd missed that point, that despite changing series they still have to finish out their deal.

I thought they had a 3 book deal that they've already done 2 of though? (Paul and Winds) Or did they in fact have the dreaded "Leto" under that contract as well?

Someone will publish whatever they put out. There's no chance of someone not publishing it sadly.

[TheDukester]

Yeah, at this point it's all completely open. If they are just going to flat-out lie about everything, it'll be impossible to track anyway.

I don't see too many more McDunes from Spanky & Bobo, no matter what label they decide to give them. Bobo will be 65 in the summer of 2012, when this whole Sisterhood thing is supposed to be out. How many more books does he have left in him, even supposing that AnderKeith does the bulk of the actual work?

[A Thing of Eternity]

65 is practically young. If his health is good he could be writing for at least another decade, if not more.

And, why would KJA stop just because BH did? He could still send BH copies to "edit" (just to get his name on the cover). Or he could just have his brainstorming sessions with BH and that would even be enough to give him co-author credit.

Even if BH dies, why would the HLP not get KJA to keep going?

[DuneFishUK]

Ah, yes I'd missed that point, that despite changing series they still have to finish out their deal.

I thought they had a 3 book deal that they've already done 2 of though? (Paul and Winds) Or did they in fact have the dreaded "Leto" under that contract as well?

Someone will publish whatever they put out. There's no chance of someone not publishing it sadly.

Paul of Dune was the completion of the Hunters/Sadworms three-book-deal.

[TheDukester]

65 is practically young.

Debatable. For some people, perhaps yes.

Not for Brian Herbert. Some of those were hard years, apparently.

Even if BH dies, why would the HLP not get KJA to keep going?

Because, historically, they have been incredibly — almost fanatically — resistant to outside projects. I really can't see them approving new novels without a family member involved. Hell, it could be Byron's big chance! But a "Dune" book will never carry Kevin J. Anderson as its sole cover credit.

[DuneFishUK]

65 is practically young.

Debatable. For some people, perhaps yes.

Not for Brian Herbert. Some of those were hard years, apparently.

Even if BH dies, why would the HLP not get KJA to keep going?

Because, historically, they have been incredibly — almost fanatically — resistant to outside projects. I really can't see them approving new novels without a family member involved. Hell, it could be Byron's big chance! But a "Dune" book will never carry Kevin J. Anderson as its sole cover credit.

Byron's name doesn't include that magic H word that gets them on the bookshelf next to the good stuff.

[A Thing of Eternity]

65 is practically young.

Debatable. For some people, perhaps yes.

Not for Brian Herbert. Some of those were hard years, apparently.

True, I'm thinking of people I know personally who were all in great shape at that age, but BH is definitely a case unto himself.

Even if BH dies, why would the HLP not get KJA to keep going?

Because, historically, they have been incredibly — almost fanatically — resistant to outside projects. I really can't see them approving new novels without a family member involved. Hell, it could be Byron's big chance! But a "Dune" book will never carry Kevin J. Anderson as its sole cover credit.

I don't know. I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure.

[TheDukester]

Byron's name doesn't include that magic H word that gets them on the bookshelf next to the good stuff.

Whoops! I didn't even consider that.

Let's see what the marketing department has for us:

"Dune of DUNE. By Byron Merritt, grandson of the legendary Frank Herbert!"


Hmmm ... I'll get them back to work on it.

[Nekhrun]

Byron's name doesn't include that magic H word that gets them on the bookshelf next to the good stuff.

Whoops! I didn't even consider that.

Let's see what the marketing department has for us:

"Dune of DUNE. By Byron Merritt, grandson of the legendary Frank Herbert!"


Hmmm ... I'll get them back to work on it.

How about Byron (Merritt) Herbert?

[Lundse]

It'll depend how many things KJA says are Great Schools. Could be 10 of these fuckers.

We might see Insures Salesmen of Dune yet!

[Tleszer]

Gods Below!

[SandChigger]

On the Official Dune & Dune Saga pages (on FB), they're saying it will be published "in early 2012". I'm thinking...

MOVIE TIE IN!!!

I would applaud the spin they're putting on this... except I remember that it took them HOW MANY WEEKS to come up with it?!

[Omphalos]

Janitors of Dune! The thrilling story of those who practice the custodial arts while working out some serious daddy issues!

Watch as they clean the floors of spice residue from the Guild's feeding troughs, thus saving them billions of solaris to the decagram!

Be enthralled as they take their breaks at 4:20 every afternoon!

Observe their spaztic reactions when barely missed by a 747!

[SandChigger]

You've probably all seen this by now, from The Dune Saga on FB:

Byron Merritt: The authors are going back to the exciting and unexplored territory of the first century after the end of the Butlerian Jihad for a trilogy that explores the formation of the major schools and political organizations that guide and shape the Dune universe. They'll describe the formation of the Bene Gesserit, the Mentats, the Suk Doctors, the Spacing Guild and the Navigators, as well as the solidifying of the Corrino imperium. It’s a big story over the course of the three books, all set against the great turmoil of continuing anti-technology fervor and the religious unrest of the C.E.T. The first novel is titled THE SISTERHOOD OF DUNE and will likely be published in early 2012. Anyone who’s attended their talks and signings knows they’ve been planning these books for a long time and, while they still have two more inquels to do, they found themselves much more engrossed with this story.

The FIRST CENTURY after the "B-Jihad" ... to explore the formation of the elements ... that guide and shape the Duniverse FOR THE NEXT TEN THOUSAND YEARS. These idiots really have no idea of how history works at all, do they?

And that last sentence (which I've underlined) is an implicit admission that they're aware of what we've been saying for the last two or three weeks.

And THAT, my fellow mujahideen, is what I call an OHJ SCORE!

[lotek]

It must be so frustrating for them to know they only get the dimwits that are easy to please... their dichotomic talk about the OHs, both we don't care but we still feel the need to justify ourselves? So funny! It's like they just want to win us over but by not changing a thing... because they know they are already doing the best they can!(which is shit btw)

@Chig: I think it's even worse than that, they have no idea how numbers work

[SandChigger]

Was talking to Teg earlier in the evening, and we got to wondering about the scheduling...

They're saying that this new book will be released in "early 2012". But why? SMELLHOLE #1 comes out this year, and Thunder Throne was scheduled for next summer (2011). So "early 2012" (whatever that means; late winter? Spring?) could be almost a half-year later than the originally scheduled release of the next McDune.

Why the delay? (Especially with the fanboys already clamoring like bints in a pee line that they can't stand the wait.)

Byron has posted (on the DN BBS) that "decisions are being made" with respect to the movie. Could they have set an earlier release date for it, say summer 2012? (We kinda thought a Dune movie in summer would make lots more sense than one in December.) Are they hoping that the building hype leading up to the movie will help boost sales of the book (especially with a gigantic DUNE on the cover)? Or are they afraid that a dud movie might seal the deal on McDune as well?

I can't help thinking there's some connection between the two....

[A Thing of Eternity]

Even a dud movie would probably just help them, it would just help them less than a good one.

[TheDukester]

Very few of their announcements in the last 12 or 18 months have made a lot of sense. It's like, after nine straight years of predictable annual McDunes, all of a sudden everything is chaotic, poorly planned, and contradictory.

But I agree with the sentiment above: this nonsense must involve the movie somehow. Otherwise, there would be no compelling reason not to release a new McDune in 2011 (2010 being a "Hellhole year" *snicker*). By waiting until 2012, that puts three years between McDunes ... hell, the worst of the preeks will have wandered off by then after seeing some new shiny piece of crap. And everyone — including people in the world of publishing — knows that Spanky can hike out a McDune in six weeks.

So, we know the movie is now due in 2012. We suspect it would be an obvious summer tentpole candidate. So it seems like a safe bet that My Sistahs of DUNE is being set up for a spring 2012 release ...

... complete with a big sticker that mentions the movie in all-caps.

[Sev]

Worrying signs that the hacks might be going for the erotica route for the next book. I've just been on to their UK publishers and here's their mock-up of the next book