Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

Okay, we all hate him, and in my infinite powers I have just given you the ability to replace him. Who would fill his tiny shoes? Because my infinite powers don't grant me the ability to bring people back from the dead, they have to be living authors. I would have to choose Kim Stanley Robinson.

tenfingersofdoom wrote:Okay, we all hate him, and in my infinite powers I have just given you the ability to replace him. Who would fill his tiny shoes? Because my infinite powers don't grant me the ability to bring people back from the dead, they have to be living authors. I would have to choose Kim Stanley Robinson.

Neal Stephenson.

He's a fan.
He's brilliant.
He's pretty well-versed in philosophy and not afraid to roll up his sleeves to get into a new subject (such as religion, ecology, etc.)
He writes convoluted and complicated stuff, but manages to make it entertaining and engaging, just like Frank.
He'd never do it, because he has his own ideas and universes to explore...

Robert Ludlum: The Arrakis Transformation

Bijaz wrote:Byron Merrit!

My Film Reviews of Dune, by Byron Merritt wrote:...
...
And then loads of other stuff happened, and Duncan became even more über, and even more gholas were spat out but behaved like retarded versions of themselves, and Arafel occured no matter what Leto II saw and then Omnious was banned by the almighty moderator.
And in the end Paul and Chani held hands and kissed and everything, and Chani said; “Hold me, like you did on Naboo!”
The end.

Probably wouldn't be that much different...

Fred Williamson.
Lets see him do any worse.

God bless Fred Williamson!

I don't know mate, I keep thinking of writers who might mirror an aspect of FH stile but to make a solid, 'Oh yeah! That's the guy!' choice... Mix Larry Niven with about half as much Harry Harrison. Allow this to set & find a voice. Combine with an equal amount of William Gibson( older stock, pre-Neuromancer if you can get it )
Before this new author completely gels, drag in & muder S.R. Donaldson so the mix won't go bad. Or just go with Fred.

Gee, infinite powers sounds good.

I think even this guy would do a better job!

In all honesty, my best bet is to find an unpublished thirtysomthing with some promise & cut him loose with all the "notes" with instructions to write as if nudune didn't exist. There's a thread about the direction Dune could've taken, they're all good suggestions. I can't find the topic, good stuff, but it's not where I thought it was.
I believe an established author, good enough to follow Dune, wouldn't. Hold a cattle call, an audition, whatever, but put your money on a new talent.

I like OSC and think he would be a good fit based on his disdain for superheroes and bureaucracy. He writes wheels within wheels stuff pretty well and would probably be meticulous with the stories versus the originals.

He is not a "prolific" as KJA and the HLP would have to wait longer between checks, I mean books. Plus he is much thriftier than KJA with words so there would probably be fewer books in total. His wife is probably less of a pig too.

Think he'd do it? Bring me the petition, hand me the sign, we'll march on HPL & protest till they start making books we're not ashamed to buy!

I'd cook Spinrad up a batch of bindweed seed tea and take him out on the Staked Plains
with a digital recorder and just publish that ...

No one.

Endless expansion, extension, and exploitation is what has turned the vast majority of SF into a literary ghetto. I have no problem letting the poor, abused DUNE series limp off for a well-deserved rest.

A Little Galach wrote:I like OSC and think he would be a good fit based on his disdain for superheroes and bureaucracy. He writes wheels within wheels stuff pretty well and would probably be meticulous with the stories versus the originals.

He is not a "prolific" as KJA and the HLP would have to wait longer between checks, I mean books. Plus he is much thriftier than KJA with words so there would probably be fewer books in total. His wife is probably less of a pig too.

I don't think he'd jive well with Dune's athiest (or at best agnostic) messages though, being a moron and all. Good writer from what I've read though.

I've said it before, but since this is the thread - BILL RANSOM hands down. If he refused, then I'd probably be torn between a long list of great writers (all older but still going).

I'm with The Dukester; though I don't think that a "rest" is in order. Dune needs to be put out to pasture forever. No more Dune shit at all.

Of course, anyone picking it up now would just be fully employed trying to retcon all the mistakes for the next couple decades, so it would be pointless anyways.

I'm merely fantasizing about who I would have replaced KJABH with at the very start of this debacle.

Since we're sort of just riffing here, I do think that there's two separate questions:

1. Replacing Anderjakcet (and maybe even Bobo) now, with the intention of continuing the Dune EU.

2. Going back in time to remove The Journeyman from the equation completely.

I'll stick with my answer for the first one. For the second one — again, meaning Keith would never have been part of this — my first call would have been to Robert Silverberg. The second would have gone to Dan Simmons. Then maybe Gaiman.

I would have also set up a very specific list of parameters. One "Dune 7" novel, based on FH's notes (I'll just assume they exist, for the sake of argument). One book similar to "Road to Dune" (except better). And, maybe, let the new author have a little fun with one prequel novel. And that's it — we're done now.

I'd also open up the Dune IP to carefully selected publishers of computer games, boardgames, and comic books. And I'd be on the phone with HBO for a 10- or 12-part miniseries.

Then I'd take a little nap.

I agree, the only way I'd be game for a replacement of KJA now who would keep going is IF they had a mission statement like "everything KJA wrote is now considered fanfic, I will write the real version of the important stories, all else is to be disregarded."

Which will never happen, so yeah, I'm with Duke.

TheDukester wrote:I'd be on the phone with HBO for a 10- or 12-part miniseries.

That might be the best thing that could happen to Dune right now. I would be so excited for that.

A Thing of Eternity wrote:I agree, the only way I'd be game for a replacement of KJA now who would keep going is IF they had a mission statement like "everything KJA wrote is now considered fanfic, I will write the real version of the important stories, all else is to be disregarded."

Of course. The only other option would be to bridge the (increasingly slight) gap between NuDune and Doon and go all-out-comedy.

Although the juggling hypno-clowns and ultra-spice from the ultra-water-worms for the ultra-KH at the ultra-battle at the end of the universe did sort of jump that shark...

The sad thing is, as posted above, there were infinite possibilities without conflicting with what FH wrote, like The Scattering or Sheeana's Scattering, however, I think they look for ways to contradict what FH wrote in an attempt to make people think they are priviledged to the TOP SECRET notes of FH. Like, this is the stuff FH didn't get a chance to contradict himself about.



Even though almost anyone would be better, unless they start over and totally ignore what the Hacks Twain wrote, like the SW books from what I hear, it will now take a dozen books by good authors to correct their fuck ups.

I can only pray the next generation of the Herberts will have more respect for Frank's legacy.

Or they need to be bought out.

It can happen. Example: All of Robert E. Howard's works and characters, including Conan, have been owned for years by some company in Sweden, of all places. The ironic thing is that they've done a damn fine job of shepherding Howard's work and legacy.

Lundse wrote:

Bijaz wrote:Byron Merrit!

My Film Reviews of Dune, by Byron Merritt wrote:...
...
And then loads of other stuff happened, and Duncan became even more über, and even more gholas were spat out but behaved like retarded versions of themselves, and Arafel occured no matter what Leto II saw and then Omnious was banned by the almighty moderator.
And in the end Paul and Chani held hands and kissed and everything, and Chani said; “Hold me, like you did on Naboo!”
The end.

Probably wouldn't be that much different...

Byron? The self-published international renown author?
pussy

Ya know, it started out kind of tragicomic & fun but now i'm starting to get bummed for hoping. FH stands alone, no doubt.
Would it really have been that much more difficult to do even a better job? For goodness sakes! What a letdown.

To Brian Herbert,
There's a lot of great suggestions here among the cast out. About the haters, who didn't say that they bought into the invisible carrot of newfound notes. No OH was running with open arms to the new Dune but i've not seen one post saying I knew it would suck & didn't bother. Each of us no matter how cynical hoped to capture the magic again. We gave you a shot - a fair shot. Like you asked. You kicked us in the privates. Take your eyes off the fast buck for only the briefest moment & you'll see that a great thing is right there, waiting. True greatness, the kind you want. It's not to late! It may not look easy now but it WILL get better if you just try! Remember, the path of least resistance... We're NOT your enemy dammit. We're the reason it's been almost fifty years of Dune popularity! It's no secret you want your dads fans, we're waiting.

Bobo wont read this, he's afraid of the internets.