Posted: 21 Oct 2008 16:29
My concern about the new books is really about the lack of respect the new authors are showing the original series and the original author. As a fan who deeply respects the original author - even though I never met him - I fell like these "official" extensions to his universe are equivalent to someone constantly insulting FH. As long as the insults continue, I'm not happy - even if I don't read the new books.
Why do I consider the new books to show a lack of respect? Let me count the ways:
* lack of writing quality
* shoddy plotting
* inadequate research into the original universe
* lack of complexity of character and theme
* lack of concern about FH's intentions.
This is not just a matter of "taste". If you're going to write in someone's universe, you have to try to live up to the goals and standards that the original author did. You may fail, but you should at least try. Being content to churn out Star-Wars-style space opera using the characters and ideas of a great epic, all for your personal gain, is *not* respectful.
Then there's the lack of respect in the authors' behaviour. Someone who respected Frank's work would approach the task of extending it with the utmost humility - no matter how good a writer they were. They would hold the fans approval in very high regard, and consider the integrity of the original novels as paramount.
No so these two. They dismiss out-of-hand the opinions of the fans who care most about maintaining the quality and integrity of the series. They give haughty and snide responses to simple questions of fact about events and characters from the originals. In their latest offering, they have the audacity to make statements which *deliberately undermine* the reliability of factual statements in the originals, just to cover their own asses.
It is clear to me that the authors' contributions have nothing to do with continuing Frank's work, nothing to do with the fans, and nothing to do with Dune - they have *everything* to do with the authors' own fame and wealth.
Sorry that was so long, but I really needed to communicate that, for me at least, this is not just a case of a couple of guys writing books that I don't like.
HBJ
Why do I consider the new books to show a lack of respect? Let me count the ways:
* lack of writing quality
* shoddy plotting
* inadequate research into the original universe
* lack of complexity of character and theme
* lack of concern about FH's intentions.
This is not just a matter of "taste". If you're going to write in someone's universe, you have to try to live up to the goals and standards that the original author did. You may fail, but you should at least try. Being content to churn out Star-Wars-style space opera using the characters and ideas of a great epic, all for your personal gain, is *not* respectful.
Then there's the lack of respect in the authors' behaviour. Someone who respected Frank's work would approach the task of extending it with the utmost humility - no matter how good a writer they were. They would hold the fans approval in very high regard, and consider the integrity of the original novels as paramount.
No so these two. They dismiss out-of-hand the opinions of the fans who care most about maintaining the quality and integrity of the series. They give haughty and snide responses to simple questions of fact about events and characters from the originals. In their latest offering, they have the audacity to make statements which *deliberately undermine* the reliability of factual statements in the originals, just to cover their own asses.
It is clear to me that the authors' contributions have nothing to do with continuing Frank's work, nothing to do with the fans, and nothing to do with Dune - they have *everything* to do with the authors' own fame and wealth.
Sorry that was so long, but I really needed to communicate that, for me at least, this is not just a case of a couple of guys writing books that I don't like.
HBJ