Dune: As I read

These are my impressions on Frank Herbert's Dune as I read.

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2 Apr 2011

I have reached as far as Paul's first visit to the Spice mining areas. So far the writing has been crisp. The writer gave away the identity of the traitor where others would have milked it for a surprise. It is as if he is telling "This is trivial. I have bigger things lined up further down". The descriptions of Arrakis are short and just as much required for the scene. All the characters brought on "screen" are important. There is no filling pages with bit parts and description of palace architecture like Robert Jordan. I can feel the weight on Duke Leto's shoulders. So many things in the air and an impending attack. I want to know how Paul fits into the local prophecies. Back to reading then.

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4 Apr 2011

I have finished book 1. The betrayal is done. I am still trying to digest the last couple of chapters. It feels like heavy reading when I did not expect it to. The interaction of Thufir Hawat with the Fremen was very interesting and puzzling. I am still trying to figure out the Fremen side of the conversation. Paul's interaction with his mother is too cold for my taste. The mother-son bond seems to be non-existent for Paul. Perhaps this is a part of the journey to become the saviour.

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8 Apr 2011

I have finished reading the whole book. I am left with mixed feelings. The most important part of the book is the planet Arrakis. The trickle of information about the planet, its people and its ecosystem kept my interest up when reading the book. The plot was fairly standard. A wronged prince finds followers in unexpected places and regains his inheritance. If set outside Arrakis, the plot would be unremarkable. The pace of the book which I appreciated in the beginning felt hurried by the end. On first impressions, it appeared as if Paul and his mother Jessica are the only two characters that are well developed. After thinking it through, Baron Harkonnen, The Emperor ,Feyd Rautha and the off-worlders are also well developed. Their motivations are clear. It is only the Fremen characters that are dwarfed in comparison to Paul and Jessica. The way Paul gains acceptance as the saviour among Fremen is covered in too few pages. The political games in book 1 were interesting. In summary, Did I like the book? Yes. Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it some one? May be.

An unusual Sunday

This Sunday was quite different from any I have spent in my stay so far in Bangalore. Today was the first time I took my cycle on non-commute/non-training ride. I was concerned about parking the bike safely in the city but I found poles/fences to chain the cycle at each place I stopped. I ended up riding 30 km through the city over the day including the Richmond circle flyover. :-)

I started the day with visits to two Music stores looking for notation stands. One in Koramangala and one behind Lal bagh. Then I grabbed a quick lunch at Indiana in Brigade road. I had plans for visiting friends in the evening. I had a couple of hours to kill. On an impulse, I decided to look for any books by John Arlott or Neville Cardus. Neither Blossoms nor Book worm had any. I have to continue my search for them. However I bought Dune by Frank Herbert, The Alexandria Quartet and Prospero's cell by Lawrence Durrell.

A visit to my friends in the evening and dinner at their place closed out an unusually active Sunday. Add to that this blog post and no office email check. This Sunday is going to be unique for some time.

On Gerald Durell

 My first introduction to Durrell was in early high school through the story "My Donkey Sally".  The story was about Gerry's family giving him a donkey as a surprise birthday gift. At that time, I found the story quite amusing. So one day when I chanced upon his book "My family and other animals", I bought it out of nostalgia. It took me an year to get around to reading it. Now Gerald Durrell is one of my favourite authors.  I have read about 6-7 of his books over the last year. This post is my attempt to capture some of my thoughts on his books.

His books I have read so far are in three broad categories.

• Animal books
• Family fiction
• non family fiction

The Animal books are his best. Here is where he talks about his work at the Jersey zoo and the animal collection trips he went on. You can feel his love for animals and passion for conservation when you read them. You can visualize yourself alongside on his travels. When reading "Two in the Bush", I had this urge to go to New Zealand and checkout all the beautiful birds he is describing. He describes an approach to Takahe valley through a gorge over a lake. You could feel how beautiful it would be if you ever made the trip.


In the "Family Fiction:", he presents a fictionalized account of his family's (mis)adventures during their time in Corfu. Each person in his family is painted as a uniquely idiosyncratic character. These stories make for a very humourous read.

His fiction with characters other his family is quite good too. While most of these stories are humorous, there is one "The Entrance" that surprised me quite a bit. This one is a ghost story. I had no inkling he would attempt writing such a story and he did a pretty good job.

All in all, pick up a book by Gerald Durrell if you find one. You will enjoy it quite a bit.

Rowling, Rowling!! Tell me why?

I don't normally blog and I am not much of a writer. But this news spurred me. Albus Dumbledore is Gay

Harry Potter is one series of books I have enjoyed. I celebrated when the author gave it a fitting climax. I felt even happier when he decided to leave the series at seven books. But this new revelation about Dumbledore ... . Was it necessary? Does it in any way add to the books?

I say it does not. I cant recall any passage in the book that can be seen in a new light due to Dumbledore's sexuality. Did Dumbledore choose any of his actions because of his sexuality? The books dont say so. In a world where the better halves of the teachers are never mentioned, I bet no one gave second thought to Dumbledore's. Perhaps the cares on his mind did not leave enough time for a relationship. Perhaps his sisters death made him avoid close relationships until Harry came along to be the son he did not have. Perhaps the joy of finding an intellectual equal blinded Albus temporarily to the true nature of Grindelwald.

The big revelation of the night came when she was asked if Dumbledore had ever found love. With a sigh, she seemed on the verge of saying no, but then revealed, "my truthful answer to you... I always thought of Dumbledore as gay."

Quoted from time.com, article by Gina Elliot

If some other writer had said the same about their character I would have dismissed it as a cheap trick to stir up controversy and generate sales. But this is JK Rowling. She has created a fantastic and memorable world. I , like other readers, have enjoyed and cherished every moment in her world. She owns the world. She has every right to imagine her characters in any way she wants. But please, please give us a clue in the books or please dont give us such facts. Please tell us something that would add to the world. Create some fantastic tolkienesque backstory or write a sequel without Harry Potter. But please dont give us such irrelevant titbits.

Another Time.com article. Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet