Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

If this post shows anything, it proves I like messing around with numbers

Here, for your delectation, are the current rankings for the Dune and McDune books according to the three English speaking Amazon sites:

Dune
com- 4.618 (1040), ca- 4.622 (849), uk- 4.838 (80)

Dune Messiah
com- 4.049 (183), ca- 3.985 (135), uk- 3.313 (16)

Children of Dune
com- 4.025 (122), ca- 4.069 (87), uk- 3.867 (15)

God-Emperor of Dune
com- 4.127 (158), ca- 4.128 (109), uk- 3.714 (14)

Heretics of Dune
com- 4.333 (72), ca- 4.446 (56), uk- 4.500 (8 )

Chapter House Dune
com- 4.198 (111), ca- 4.392 (79), uk- 3.667 (9)

House Atrocious
com- 3.505 (418), ca- 3.501 (379), uk- 3.431 (51)

House Hack-onandon
com- 3.458 (166), ca- 3.325 (151), uk- 4.067 (30)

House CorblimeyNo!*
com- 3.200 (125), ca- 3.137 (117), uk- 4.111 (18 )

Butt-Fingering Facade
com- 2.954 (262), ca- 2.804 (219), uk- 2.711 (45)

Milking Charade
com- 2.990 (105), ca 3.060 (67), uk- 3.111 (9)

The Bat of Lee Trevino**
com- 3.043 (93), ca- 4.000 (1), uk- 4.125 (8 )

Grunters
com- 3.127 (166), ca- 2.000 (3), uk- 3.308 (26)

Sadsquirms
com- 3.190 (137), ca- 3.000 (7), uk- 2.188 (32)

Pile of Dung
com- 3.705 (88 ), ca- 3.500 (2), uk- 2.167 (6)

As might be expected Dune quite comfortably has the highest ratings, though all six hold up reasonably well, particularly in the States. The McDune novels started 1/2 a point lower, and have generally deteriorated from there, though how Pile of Dung is so high is rather dubious. Interest in Canada for McDune seems to have well and truly ceased, only 13 ratings for the last 4 books! The lower amount of ratings in the UK means there's a more erratic look, but recent novels have horrendously low scores.

Here's a lovely graph of the US stats:



*to be spoken like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady
** too surreal I know, but once it was in the brain, it wouldn't go away.

Actually, I think it shows you have WAY too much free time.

The only downside of these results is ... the Canadians will use it as proof of the greater intelligence and taste of their reading public.

(Of course, it's hard to argue with numbers. )

Sev wrote:... though how Pile of Dung is so high is rather dubious.

"Dubious" is being kind.

Many of us here watched in horror as PoD (and Sandworms before it) benefitted from a blatant shill-voting campaign and the deletion of negative reviews at what seemed to be the whim of the publisher (or possibly KJA instructing his drones to complain about those reviews).

It was all just so obvious, blatant, and over-the-top that it's really made a lot of us think twice about trusting Amazon's ratings ever again.

Bottom line: at least one full star can safely be subtracted from the ratings of both of those books. I can't speak with any accuracy about any of the nu-Dune crap before that, as I wasn't monitoring the situation.

No, all this means is the marketing campaigns aren't as useful here in Canada as they are in the U.S.
That, and we're much more familiar with mediocrity as Canadians and thus, we know how to avoid it better

Too bad the ratings system isn't accurate because of all the 1 star deletions. Also, I started ranking them 5 stars and writing a more accurate review so it has a better chance of staying up.

It does support my theory that the books got progressively worse (sorta)

As far as Pile of Dung is concerned though, I don't know. Really though, who trusts online ratings for things?

Sev wrote:Butt-Fingering Facade

Oi, butt fingering can be fun, nu-Dune can only be meta-fun, if at all.

Schu wrote:Oi, butt fingering can be fun

Psss...call me.

Baraka Bryan wrote:

GamePlayer wrote:No, all this means is the marketing campaigns aren't as useful here in Canada as they are in the U.S.
That, and we're much more familiar with mediocrity as Canadians and thus, we know how to avoid it better

it's true. we've learned to avoid domestic tv shows for years

Canadian content = mind-melting boredom about the prairies, mosques on prairies, natives, natives on prairies and David Suzuki (likely being filmed on a prairie). If we want actual entertainment, we have to buy American, French or get lucky with the odd Canadian comedy/Cronenberg film

Well ... what can you expect when the talent heads south to greener pastures.

David Suzuku is okay, and there are some other good programs, like Rick Mercer... but yes, the absolute first thing that pops into my mind (or probably any Canadian's mind) when I hear "Canadian" in relation to any kind of film is: garbage.

SandChigger wrote:Well ... what can you expect when the talent heads south to greener pastures.

More true than you know.

A Thing of Eternity wrote:but yes, the absolute first thing that pops into my mind (or probably any Canadian's mind) when I hear "Canadian" in relation to any kind of film is: garbage.

An unfortunate reality.

I kind of like the Canadian TV-cheeze products. That SF show set in the Pacific Northwest about the disease that killed all the adults was pretty good. From a comic book? A French one? Jeremiah, I think it was called.

My favorite is this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088582/

Frank "Jambone" was my hero in high school!

This new "The Listener" show might have possibilities. And I rather liked "Charlie Jade".

Of course, it was joint Canadian-South African.

Well, to each their own I suppose. Apparently Flashpoint is popular abroad, enough that they are actually broadcasting it on American and Australian TV. Gawd knows why. But at least it proves we can make mediocrity on an internationally competitive level

Baraka Bryan wrote:

GamePlayer wrote:No, all this means is the marketing campaigns aren't as useful here in Canada as they are in the U.S.
That, and we're much more familiar with mediocrity as Canadians and thus, we know how to avoid it better

it's true. we've learned to avoid domestic tv shows for years

There are some good ones. Corner Gas was pretty solidly funny for a while, and is still good for a laugh now and then. Trailer Park Boys is great. Degrassi? Not the new one, but the classic series. And of course, THE LITTLEST HOBO!!!