Friend Review: Dune by Frank Herbert ★★★★★

As an added bonus (because who doesn't love a freebie?), I'm posting Kandice's review of Dune as well. Because her's is better than mine. And because she's just plain awesome. :)

For your reading enjoyment... Kandice's review:


"This was a re-read for me. Actually, probably more of a re-re-re-re...read! I love this book. I've read the entire series (that Herbert wrote himself), and they are all terrific, but this one is, by far, the best. We meet the Atreides and their retainers. We are introduced to the Guild, Fremen, other great Houses, the Bene Gesserit, Mentats, many religions and so, so much more. I'm amazed at how detailed a picture Herbert is able to paint in relatively few pages for it's scope.

This, the first in the series, is basically the end of status quo in the Empire. Paul Atreides and the Fremen bring about a new age, and it's long overdue. Dune is divided into three "books". In the first book that status quo is sketched out, but the other two books are devoted to the coming of the new age. It leaves me hungry for more. Thank goodness Hebert wrote more!

I hate to give away any of the plot, but I would like to praise Herbert's skill. He gives us characters that are super intelligent, intuitive, strong, excellent strategists, possessing any number of seemingly super-human abilities. His genius is in the way he shows us these abilities are aquired. These people work to become what they are. They train and study and practice. All the time. From birth sometimes. There are no born superheroes in Herbert's world. There are hardworkers, and yes, a little genetic help, but always work. I can trust these characters actions as true and believable because Herbert has presented them in such a flattering light. Even the bad guys work very, very hard for what they have. They lie, cheat, steal and kill, but they work hard to do so. I find it refreshing that things do not come easily. They require a price. Just like in the real world.

The other praiseworthy thing I feel Herbert accomplishes is giving us characters to balance each other out. Paul, who is arguably the main character, becomes less and less like us, so almost unsympathetic, and yet Herbert balances him with Jessica, who, even as she rises, stays emotionally accessible to us. We can sympathize and care about her. We have Stilgar who is honor personified, and yet also unsympathetic in his perfection. The foil to him is Idaho, as honor bound as Stilgar, and yet infinitely more approachable. I love Idaho. I could foil characters from this book off each other for pages, but the idea is the same. He gives us someone we can admire, and someone else we can love. Brilliant!

Now I want to go back a re-read them all. I may even break down and read the pre-quels Herbert didn't write. Maybe..."

Friend Review: The Shining (Audiobook) by Stephen King ★★★★★

As promised, here is Kandice's review of "The Shining" to accompany my own Friday Flashback review. Enjoy!! :)

Kandice's Review:

"I audio-ed the book this read. I have to say, although I am very, very familiar with the story because I've read it so many times, I felt differently hearing it as oppossed to reading. I don't know how much of that was King that I just missed before, or Campbell Scott, the reader.

Jack Torrence, head of his little family of three, wife Wendy, son Danny. He's a recovering alcoholic with quite a past of unacceptable behaviour. His family is in pretty dire straits because of his actions, and he's given, what he feels is his last best chance to pull himself up by his bootstraps. He has the caretaker job of a Colorado hotel so far in the mountains as to be snowed in most of four months each year. Not only can he earn a living, spend quality time with his family and get back on his feet, but he can finish the play he's been working on for years. Perfect opportunity. Or is it? This is King, remember?

Danny, Jack's five year old son has abilities. Hidden, un-talked about, only glimpsed abilities. He gets feelings and has a knack for knowing mommy and daddy's moods, and occasionally, their thoughts. The basic premise of the story is what the hotel, (perhaps haunted?) does to, and wants from Danny because of these abilities, and just how far it will go to get him. Jack is a tool the hotel uses, and this is just too much for the poor guy's psyche. He falls apart.

Every other time I've read this book my focus has been on Jack. Not everyone agrees with me, but I've always felt the hotel sped up his decline, but that he was headed that for it anyway. I like Jack. I get why his friend gets him the job and wants to help him. He's a nice guy, but he's also an alcoholic, and not a happy, slappy, fall down laughing drunk, but a mean drunk. You have to watch out for those. This time I was more fascinated with Wendy. The love she feels for Jack and Danny is so real you can almost feel it. She knows her husband is in bad shape, but she sticks by him. She's loyal. Jack questions her loyalty, but as the reader, I never do. When Wendy makes a decision Jack feels is against him, it's always, and only, for Danny's sake. Never her own. It's obvious she is the sort of person who will put her loved ones ahead of herself. Every. Single. Time.

Everything that happens, everything the hotel convinces Jack and Wendy of, is only possible because of their pasts. Neither one has had an easy row to hoe growing up. It's a credit to them as parents that they want their boy to have more, and of better quality than they did. It seems that should be a given, but it's not. They are sincere in this wish, and that's part of what makes them the perfect targets. Much in the beginning of their downfall is based on decisions they feel will better Danny's life. Being a parent myself, I understand that.

Danny is a pretty interesting character himself. I almost wish King would re-visit him, a la Jack Sawyer from The Talisman in Black House. I bet Danny is an interesting (to say the least!) adult. Will he be able to put what happens in The Shining behind him? Will he live a life of guilt? I hope he moves on, but I wish King would let us know for sure."