So Excited about Dune and The Wheel of Time

The return of Dune to the Big Screen (and on HBOMax through November 21) and The Wheel of Time coming to Amazon Prime later this month are significant events for science fiction and fantasy fans. The question is will they be as significant to the genre as Game of Thrones when it first appeared on HBO?

Frank Herbert’s Dune is being approached differently than the two previous times it’s appeared in movie forms, first in the 1980s when it was adapted for the Big Screen, then later as a sci fi channel film in, I suppose, mini-series form best explains it. This time Dune’s being offered as two films and may have a better audience due both to that and all the changes in special effects and filming that are now possible.(Truth be told, I watched Dune on HBOMax moments after it became available—and, well, liked it a lot.)

The Wheel of Time (WOT) is an epic best-selling fantasy series by Robert Jordan that may give those who were or became fans of Game of Thrones something to truly cheer about. The world of WOT is one waiting for the wizard warrior, Lews Therin Telamon, once known as the Dragon, to be reincarnated. He basically shut away the Devil and his followers, but not for eternity. Their prison is slowly breaking down and only the Dragon Reborn can save the world.

Atop that, magic used by males drives those who use it mad and only those used and controlled by women, the ageless Aes Sedai, is stable. That’s all I’ll say about the background of the tale. However, the author died before completing writing his epic.

Brandon Sanderson wrote the last three books based on the author’s extensive notes, with the last chapters, written by Robert Jordan, completing the epic. I met Brandon and had dinner with him and a few other then budding authors back in 2011 at my first Superstar Writing Seminar, of which he’s one of the founding authors.

Brandon was a big fan of the series and wrote a eulogy online, which was read by Robert Jordan’s widow, who just happened to be his editor of the series for many years. She shared with the publisher that Brandon’s writing style was very similar to her husband’s and they should approach him to write book thirteen, which was supposed to end the series.

The publisher offered the contract to Brandon, who was handed a million words of notes on what came next along with the final chapters. Brandon shared that he then told the publisher he couldn’t do the ending in less than three books… which pleased the publisher no end. The rest is history and now I’m more than excited by the fact the series has come alive before me.

Whether Dune and Wheel of Time will gather fans, new and old, to the genre as Game of Thrones did is a question I’ll be exploring further on a panel at Chessiecon, which will be free and online over Thanksgiving Weekend.

Finally, I have a free novella this month: Apocalypse Knot, prequel to Bigfoot is Not Your Friend in the group promo YA & NA Books.

My novella, Nowhere to Go But Mars, is now featured in November Space Sale..

Dare to believe,

D.H.