# dune questions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-questions/158466>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 1, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-questions/158466 "2003-03-01T22:39:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-questions/158466/21 "2003-03-07T00:26:45Z")

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**ed** : Don’t read the execrable Anderson prequels. Read The Dune Encyclopedia, which has entries on Holtzmann and everyone else. There’s a very interesting theory about why Alia succumbed to the inner Harkonnen involving Hardison’s Disease and the effect of an oxygen-poor atmosphere. The Dune Encyclopedia is a great read in and of itself.

**adam yax** : Could you post what Arafel is in the prequels? I refuse to read them after subjecting myself to the House Atreides travesty, but I am curious as to what they came up with. Use a spoiler box or something? Pretty please?

**Rawkstah** : I heard that the reason Herbert wrote so much sex into the later books is that his wife passed away, and that was part of his reaction to losing her. Makes it seem bittersweet, doesn’t it?

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-questions/158466/22 "2003-03-07T04:43:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Rubystreak \*  
> **adam yax** : Could you post what Arafel is in the prequels? I refuse to read them after subjecting myself to the House Atreides travesty, but I am curious as to what they came up with. Use a spoiler box or something? Pretty please?

You’ve got a short memory, **Rubystreak**. [Fans of DUNE, spoil me.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2956957#post2956957)

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-questions/158466/23 "2003-03-07T05:41:53Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tracer \*  
> \*\*  
> The Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson prequel novels **all** contradict _The Dune Encyclopedia_ substantially. _The Butlerian Jihad_ is especially grievous in its deviation from the established canon of _The Dune Encyclopedia_, changing everything from the name and identity/history of Holtzman to the triggering event of the Butlerian Jihad itself. Many _Dune_ fans are rightfully upset at the treatment Frank Herbert’s son and his Star-Wars-hack writing buddy have subjected the _Dune_ universe to. \*\*

Yes, Frank did give his blessing to the Dune Encycolpedia (by Dr. Willis McNelly), but not without some reservation (from FH’s forward to the encyclopedia):

> [@](#):
>
> Some of the contributions are sure to arouse controversy, based as they are on questionable sources.

Now, I can’t really fault BH for doing what he is doing because he needed to bring certain characters (Norma Cevna and Aurelius Venaport spring to mind, as does Holtzman) into a time frame that doesn’t match the encyclopedia in order to tell as much as possible about the history of the Guild. Plus, there still is a chance that Holtzman could meet the demise that was writen by McNelly, just without the expanded time frame.

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