Few fiction books changed my worldview as Dune did.
Weird, unique, foreign, and long thought to be unadaptable (we’ll see how this version lands. I’m cheering for you, Dennis!), Frank Herbert’s masterpiece twists your mind and your conceptions, forcing you to confront the uncomfortable.
After all, fear is the mind-killer.
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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More stories from Matthew J. Fromm and writers in Critique and other communities.
Throne of the Beast
“Lock and load.” Knight One’s command echoed through his helmet, drowning out the helo’s thumping engines. Knight Two sat across from him, his mechanical gloves thumbing the safety on his oversized auto shotgun clad in etched black metal. Knight Four scoffed silently, his face obscured by the jet-black helmet. An uncivilized weapon for an uncivilized man. There are already enough of those in this godless world. Two always seemed unsettling, like a big frothing dog in a constant internal struggle of, “Should I bite or hump my master?” It was no wonder Callsign General loved Two, even if Callsign Archbishop barely tolerated him. One was the Archbishop's girl.
By Matthew J. FrommExclusive • 2 years ago
Cassie and Johnny
I’m the kind of dame you notice. I’m no femme fatale, but you can’t ignore me, at least not until I warn you about what’s coming, then everybody ignores me. Hell, they usually blame me afterwards and give Johnny all the credit for saving the day, but my Johnny couldn’t save a seat at the movies without my help. Sure, he’s brawny, but brainy? Not so much. Like that time I asked him to spot me five bucks, and he said he didn’t see it anywhere on me, and believe you me, he looked but good.
By Harper Lewis7 days ago in Critique
‘We have enough’: Godfrey renews call for Black entertainers to stop seeking white validation after BAFTAs, praises Image Awards
DEI must die. It’s been far too long for Foundational Black Americans (FBA) and tethers to come up and say things like #OscarsSoWhite. So what? NAACP Image awards are about RAH, Representation, Agency, and Honor. Black people have to stop crying about their snubs at award shows that often overlook them.
By Skyler Saundersa day ago in Critique
I wanted to title this something different, but worried that my chosen title might cause problems entering the United States in the future so this is the new title. It's the greatest title. No one has ever written a title better than this. (All titles unrelated to content).
Let me be honest. I am finding this difficult. Now, I like a challenge, a stretch, a bit of an obstacle course. “Write about the decline of the British Empire in the form of a narrative poem in which your protagonist is an artichoke” I read, and flex my fingers. “Write a haiku to evoke the sensation of sibilance using only the first half of the alphabet.” “Well”, I think to myself, “this should be fun.” But “write about a system that isn’t working”? A system that isn’t working? Now? In 2026? ONE system? My favourite system that isn’t working? The sexiest system that isn’t working? The one giving me the most angst day to day? The one giving me the most existential dread? I am, as I say, finding this difficult. I will own that I have contemplated writing a thousand words on why the steady “all on” setting on my fairy lights is the EIGHTH of seven options which must be sequentially activated to get there, because that is a system that some fool came up with and it definitely doesn’t work, and now who is paying the price, eh? But how can I write about my fairy lights when…. When…. When….
By Hannah Moore7 days ago in Humans
Comments (8)
Great summary! Great critique! I don't know how I didn't see this when the challenge was open. Funny enough, I wrote two articles on Dune for the BookClub challenge.
I really have GOT to read this!
This is one I haven’t read but I am curious about!
Oooo, now I gotta read this! Loved your review!
Love the subtitle for this critique. If the book is anything like the first movie then I agree that its weird and out there.
Something I definitely need to read. Loved the bonkers original film with Kyle McLachlan and Sting to name a few. Not seen the new version. Shall pop it onto my list lol. Nice critique, Matthew. It's true, its influence can't be disputed.
great critique
This is on my reading list.... my immensely long reading list lol