Spice World

We start to see just what powers Alia does have in chapter 7. Hormones and prescience are a dangerous combination. This manifests in a shadow form as Alia’s own Terrible Purpose. Irulan is able to maneuver the siblings together and things get sufficiently weird. Thank the Maker Stilgar is there to offer advice to the maiden.  Need More To Listen To? “Q & A” by Ben H. Winters

You could say there is scheming happening right under Paul’s nose in chapter 6. Irulan sneaks down to the basement jail to exchange hollow words with Gaius Helen Mohiam. We meet a new side of the Reverend Mother as no mercy is spared for Irulan. Cracks are starting to show in the conspiracy. I bet with the Dune Tarot we could see who comes out ahead. Need More to Read? "Locke and Key" by Joe Hill...

Love him or hayt him, the Duncan Ghola is here in chapter 5. Paul knows the game has started, but was this the right move? Even with two mentats we can’t get an answer to that question.  Need More to Read? “The Three Musketeers” by Alexander Dumas

Alia makes her debut in chapter 4! Stilgar fills us in on the state of the universe via his many folders. These issues barely register on Paul who once more weighs the fate of everyone with each word. It's not the jihad this time, but something deeply personal. Does Paul know a way out of the trap or is his fate sealed? Need More to Read? “The Wizard of Oz” by Frank Baum

Things really take shape when Scytale meets the greatest sweeper of all Sietch Tabr, Farok. We get to settle down for a dark tale from the jihad in chapter 3. Any time Scytale is present the intrigue gets kicked up to a ten. By the time the baliset ends and the darts have flown, we are left trying to figure just what the plan is. Episode Guide 01:00 Chapter Summary 01:42:15 Face Dancers 02:33:25 E...

Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. It's good to be home. We check in on Paul with chapter 2. While Paul’s with Chani we get to see good ol’ Usul from the block, but the fedaykin comes out when Irulan is around. Once more he readies to walk into the corrida. We see his free will slip away as terrible purpose emerges yet again. Leaving us with just one question: what is the price? Episode Guide 03:20 Cha...

We’re digging into the conspiracy and the conspirators this week in chapter 1! We get to meet two of the most mysterious factions in Dune right off the cielago; a Guild Steersman and a Bene Tleilaxu Face Dancer. They outline their plans, and bring Irulan into the fold. We get lost in the possible foreshadowing. Episode Guide 04:05 Chapter Summary 01:47:20 Tleilax 02:25:50 Edric’s Etymology on Onom...

We’re back! Mike and Derek are cracking open Dune Messiah and continuing the saga of Paul Atreides. Before we can get deep in the story, Frank has a prologue to set the stage. A certain Ixian has a lot of spoilers to share. We hope you’re all ready to come along for a wild ride. Will Mike fill that Piter shaped hole in his heart? Will Derek find a hill to die on? Will Giovani come back from retire...

We're not ready to leave Dune just yet. In this special retrospective, Mike and Derek look back on the major events and players in Dune. We talk about the overarching themes, alternate histories, and the plot lines Frank lost track of. Then we unpack chaos theory in Dune, and its echoes throughout the series. Featuring: “Plots within Plots...Patterns within patterns” Chaos Theory Concepts in Frank...

Mike and Derek are ready to close the book on this one. We rejoin the imperial negotiations just in time for kanly. Paul sees his chance to enter the corrida and takes it with “harlequin abandon”. Count Fenring, after all Derek’s build up, finally has his moment in the spotlight. We take our time examining where all the pieces land when Paul claims total victory over the universe... -Red rover, re...

We did it! We made it to the end of our journey. The battle has been won and now we must divide the spoils. Paul assumes his role as emperor, and Mike and Derek start seeing him in a different light. Hawat makes his final sacrifice for House Atreides. As Shaddam accepts his defeat we get down to negotiations. That is of course until Gurney sees a Harkonnen… -Don’t tell Gurney -Not Giaus Helen’s be...

It's one minute until midnight, so we check in with the other side one last time. The Emperor is scolding the Baron, but Alia steals the show upon her entrance. Alia is meeting her grandparents for the first time. She gives grandpa a great big hug before she runs outside to “play”. When the storm hits and the explosions tear the tent down around us, Mike and Derek run into the desert with Alia. We...

We are staring down an oil lens at the end of the book. Paul had gathered everyone, fremen and sandworm alike, along the shield wall for one last battle. When the storm hits, Paul will leave his mark on the shield wall and history. The day of maximum struggle. Everyone begins to make their way down, and we see Paul stop by the radio operator. By the look on his face and the muffled words from the...

Detective Chani arrives in style because she's allowed to use a thopter. We meet her with Otheym and get her caught up on the last thirty days. Inside, Jessica makes Chani jump through some formalities for no real reason before we get to Paul. Chani solves the problem in about the same amount of time that Jessica wasted. Paul steals the scene when he wakes up though; the Kwisatz Haderach has arriv...

We get deja vu as Paul deals with the Stilgar matter yet again. He does have that fancy piece of paper this time though. With little resistance the room burst into “Ya hya chouhada! Muad’Dib!” in no time. Paul gives us a signal to follow him and Jessica for a reunion with Gurney Halleck. The tension of the encounter is undercut by Paul’s odd entrance, but he uses that great control to keep us focu...

Paul's getting the band back together! With a storm oncoming, and Gurney by his side, the captured smuggler band is marched into the caves. Korba learns a lesson on saudaukar ingenuity that will result in many bald sardaukar before this war is over. Paul settles the matter with Stilgar and we all watch a Naib kneel to a Duke. Before the storm has passed we chat with the smugglers to hear the lates...

Great Mother Kubebe! That's a big worm! Once Paul mounted the great worm we climbed up with the rest of the fremen. Tensions rose as Stilgar made his way up through the ranks. He took Paul down a notch with everyone listening in. Shucks we all make mistakes, Paul. We offer some driving school anecdotes of our own to cheer up our favorite mahdi. Fortunately some smugglers show up to give us all a c...

Ladies, this chapter for you. Mike and Derek stick out like a city stillsuit in the southern sietch. Jessica invites us in and offers us cushions. We get to meet Alia for the first time, and see a whole new side of Harah. Honestly, it's just nice to focus on issues other than Paul for a bit. Alia brings the room to tears when she recounts her awakening. Once the evening prayer begins we don't have...

As Paul gets high before his driving test we’re reminded he is no role model. In this haze Paul fills us in on the past two years, like the new Atreides we can look forward to meeting; Alia and Leto II. We take some time to look at the plans within plans as we rush towards impending conflict. When Stilgar starts the rite, we join the troop on the ridge line to watch. We join our favorite fremen to...

Did the Baron hit his head on his way to meet Hawat? We continue to piece together what has happened during the last two year on Arrakis. There is talk of spies, prophets, and old friends. While Hawat tries to explain the sardaukar for the third time, we rummage around and find a bottle of Piter’s Sapho Juice. With properly stained lips we start trying to unravel all these plans within plan, withi...

New year, new Dune everyone! Frank jumps ahead two years, and has a lot to catch us up on. We find ourselves following the Baron around while he is throwing out death sentences left and right. Once Feyd shows up things get much more interesting. Mike and Derek pine for Piter while the Baron strikes his bargain with Feyd. Once those buzzkills leave, Nefud comes back with semuta to tell us all about...

Episode Guide 03:50 What Mike knows about the Great Revolt 07:20 Butlerian Jihad or The Great Revolt; Its Cause and Effect 37:50 Komos; History Prior to the Great Revolt 55:25 Jehanne Butler; The Life and Legend 02:21:25 Komos to IX

In a lot of ways its been a long walk for for a short drink of water. Jessica literally takes center stage for the last chapter of book two. We join the fremen for their most sacred ritual and get real close to Mike's dream of a rogue Bene Gesserit; sleepy Reverend Mother Ramallo will have to do. The lines between science and magic start to blur when Jessica drinks the water of life. Minds start m...

Close that door seal and relax that stilsuit, we've made it to Sietch Tabr. Mike and Derek reflect on just how damn long that took to get here with Farok. Meanwhile Paul is lead by Harrah to check out his Fremen Preoder Bundle. Paul's got a servant, a house, coffee service, not to bad for an outcast Duke. Since Paul's busy we get spice coffee with Farok and talk Tabr... -Farok's Sweeping -That big...

The Fenring's take us as their plus one to Feyd's birthday extravaganza. We get to mingle with some terrified nobles before grabbing box seats with the Baron. It takes us some time to unravel each character's plan. Distracted by the intrigue, Derek loses track of which blade holds the poison. Impressed that Mike did not, Hasmir refills our glasses and hums… -Baron Blunders -Leto's favorite conspir...