02-07-2003 20:09									#1
	started reading Dune Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Inspired by Brians comments in the SMAC manual, ive strarted reading Dune by Frank Herbert.

I find the beginning slow going (gom jabbar? Finding if youre human?) but skipped ahead to the ecology of Dune - cool and (not surprisingly) SMACish - terraforming, giant sandworms, etc.

Anyone else have thoughts on how the book relates to the game?

	02-07-2003 21:22									#2
	Full PM-box? Change here!

There is a tiny problem: the worms in Dune are hundreds of meters long. Dune was good with lots of atmosphere, but it can be a bit obscure.

The mindworms in SMAC are a dead ringer for another book, where masses of little semi-sentient worms attack and cause psychic paralysis. I think the name of the book is The Jesus Incident - I'll look in my library this evening. It even has Lab One (destroyed), a crazy unethical scientist, and a pitiful remnant of humanity struggling to survive on an alien planet that is Gaian/conscious via interconnected kelp (sound familiar?). There are so many parallels that it makes me think of copyright infringement. Brian did give credit to this book in his SMAC manual as inspiration.

Hydro

	02-07-2003 23:00									#3
	Increase Your PM Length

The beginning of Dune is one of the best bits...it's after when it gets slow
Testing to see if people are human or animal is a brilliant concept, and I love the Reverend Mother She's so palpably neutral that it's almost evil.

	03-07-2003 01:08									#4
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

I would not go so far as to describe the Rev. Mother as neutral, she's an elitist, an unsuprising trait in someone trained in a sect devoted to eugenics.

	07-07-2003 22:29									#5
	Increase Your PM Length

oh, the other thing in Dune that seemed Smacish was the use of the term 'vendetta". I returned the book to the library however. Couldnt find "the jesus incident"

	08-07-2003 04:33									#6
	Inflate your Upload Space

After finally getting my butt in gear I checked my library. The Jesus Incident was written by Frank Herbert with Bill Ransom and published in 1979. I found this copy in a used book store a number of years ago. Perhaps its similarity to Dune isn't such a coincidence?

Hydro