On Wed, 2 Jun 2004, Casey Rousseau wrote: #David Dyer-Bennet writ: #> ... whereas Dune is a major classic. # #Agreed. My only complaint about Dune is the same complaint that I have #for Jane Eyre, another classic. It took me two tries to break past the #first 80 pages. Once the story really gets going though, I'm hooked. # #As for the subsequent Dune books, I've never successfully reread #Children, whereas Dune, God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse are #definite reread candidates. I read Dune and Messiah back to back on a #trip across country. I have heard that Dune was massively edited by the editor of Analog for its original appearance there (as "The Prophet of Dune"), wchich is where I first read it, and that after Dune's success Herbert said, in effect, "I'm so goodI don't need an editor. " And Dune had been so successful the publisher didn't argue with him. Hence the exhausting prolixity of the sequels.. -- So I have heard. -- Mark A. Mandel