Letters from Arrakis

Let's read Dune together

Greetings, friends. It’s not the norm for me to post more than once a week, so I hope you don’t mind this little extra intrusion upon your inbox.

I mentioned a short while ago that several Substack writers—myself, Alexander Ipfelkofer, Claudia Befu and Vanessa Glau—were going to reread Frank Herbert’s Dune. That time has now arrived and we’d love for you to join us.

Dune deluxe hardcover edition cover, illustrated by artist Matt Griffin

Why am I rereading Dune?

Claudia asked me to. Or maybe I asked her? No, I think it was her asking me. Anyway. Sand. Also, I haven't ever reread a book before. I usually panic that there are still all the books left to read. But when Claudia asked me (I'm convinced it was her asking me), I figured sure, why not? After all, Dune is often hailed as the SciFi book, and Denis Villeneuve’s Part 1 is a masterpiece of film. With Part 2 inbound in March 2024, it seems apt to return to the book and ask some questions: Would I still enjoy it on a reread? Would my time on Substack trying to hone my own writing craft influence the way I approach the prose and worldbuilding? How does Denis’ own vision affect our interpretation of Frank’s world? And would immersing the book in sand really enhance the tactile experience of turning each page?

You can read the introductory thoughts of my fellow rereaders via the links below:

Alexander

“My interest this time is largely centred around the cinematic aspect, the choices, and changes, the adaptation for the screen, and whether it delivers on the original vision”

Link to Alexander’s post

Claudia

“Dune … continues to fuel my imagination and influence my fiction writing. I watched the new Dune film at least six times, and this will be my third time reading the book. I’m so excited to share one of my favorite books with you!”

Link to Claudia’s post

Vanessa

“It's my first time rereading a book I didn't particularly enjoy. Why not join us and watch me criticize Herbert to death or revise my opinion after all?”

Link to Vanessa’s post

How will this work?

Dune itself is broken into convenient sections, which Frank confusingly termed “books”. Our plan is to read each of these books over the next few months and then post about them. Each post will provide a short overarching summary followed by a conversation focussed on specific themes. We want this to be light and entertaining, but also stimulating and informative, and our hope is that you come with us for the journey.

The first discussion will drop in just over a month, on Friday the 15th December, covering Book 1 of Dune (214 pages in my 50th Anniversary edition), with a particular emphasis on the worldbuilding.

We invite you to join us in this reread and be Frank about Herbert’s writing. Perhaps you’ve never read Dune before. Perhaps you read it as a child and have forgotten the story. Perhaps you hate SciFi and wonder why anyone would do this. All are welcome.

Come now, join us. The spice must flow.