Children Of Dune Questions
Posted: 26 Apr 2016 02:38
Fortune passes everywhere! It's been a while since I posted here . . .
Having just watched the TV miniseries of Children Of Dune for the first time, I was struck by the way in which it clarified some of that novels' plot points through necessary compression whilst making others very opaque (or more opaque, YMMV). Even though I re-read the book for the umpteenth time a couple of months ago, in between re-reading Gene Wolfe's Book Of The New Sun volumes (shameless plug), I find that the miniseries has made me seriously ponder a couple of points which I wonder if you guys can maybe clarify for me:
1. Is Alia actually prescient or not?
2. What exactly is the plan of the Cast-Out? What is their goal, who are they allied with & against, what do they hope to gain? I recall that Paul's guide's father (Namri?), as killed by Halleck, seems to be working for Alia, and that Javid is somehow connected to Jacurutu/Shuloch, but I recall there are also points in the narrative at which the Cast-Out are bitterly opposed to House Atreides. Are they playing both ends against the middle? For why?
It was quite nice to see Messiah & Children on the screen, but I'm sure we're all well aware of the shortcomings of the miniseries . . . though I thought that the actress who played the possessed Alia did a good job in context. The main achievement of the miniseries was to reinforce for me just how impressive a novel Children is (I've waxed lyrical about Messiah on this board before!), but also to underline that, for me, it is also the densest & the most opaque of the canonical six . . .
Having just watched the TV miniseries of Children Of Dune for the first time, I was struck by the way in which it clarified some of that novels' plot points through necessary compression whilst making others very opaque (or more opaque, YMMV). Even though I re-read the book for the umpteenth time a couple of months ago, in between re-reading Gene Wolfe's Book Of The New Sun volumes (shameless plug), I find that the miniseries has made me seriously ponder a couple of points which I wonder if you guys can maybe clarify for me:
1. Is Alia actually prescient or not?
2. What exactly is the plan of the Cast-Out? What is their goal, who are they allied with & against, what do they hope to gain? I recall that Paul's guide's father (Namri?), as killed by Halleck, seems to be working for Alia, and that Javid is somehow connected to Jacurutu/Shuloch, but I recall there are also points in the narrative at which the Cast-Out are bitterly opposed to House Atreides. Are they playing both ends against the middle? For why?
It was quite nice to see Messiah & Children on the screen, but I'm sure we're all well aware of the shortcomings of the miniseries . . . though I thought that the actress who played the possessed Alia did a good job in context. The main achievement of the miniseries was to reinforce for me just how impressive a novel Children is (I've waxed lyrical about Messiah on this board before!), but also to underline that, for me, it is also the densest & the most opaque of the canonical six . . .