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Happy Holidays from the sietch! Come join us for a special Muad'Dib Folktale presented by the famous traveling face dancer troupe, Lord Giovanni's Men.

We're discussing chapter 15 in Dune Messiah.

We're discussing chapter 14 of Dune Messiah.

We get an incoming cielago from San Francisco with the hot goss from the 30-minute Dune feature held in cities across the states. Then, listen to our "Frank Takeaways" about the newest trailer.

We're discussing chapter 13 of Dune Messiah.

Whoa, make some room for Edric in chapter 12. He may still be in his pajamas, but the new ambassador is not pulling any punches. The conspirators begin suspecting one another of treachery; Edric is playing coy, Scytale is on edge, Gaius Helen is in jail, and Irulan has been missing in action for a few chapters. We ponder the state of our Ghola, and just what Scytale hopes to achieve. Then see what Mike can scry from the windpoles about Alia’s fate. Need More to Read? “Mort(e)” by Robert Repino

Paul continues to chip away at the Conspiracy in chapter 11. We take a long walk for a small drink of water, so to speak. Quickly moving this conversation into a more private setting Paul finds himself more alone than ever. Following the many motivations in the room, we start to see divisions forming. Just what are Alia’s powers? Need More to Read? “Berlin 1961” by Frederick Kempe

With enough spice you can see anything in chapter 10. The fates have decided on some course for Paul, and Chani for that matter. We tackle the meaning of the falling moon, and grasp at straws with Paul's vision. It seems the Zensunni way is to come out as confused as you went in. Need More to Read? “The Once and Future King” by T.H. White

We’ve been through the desert, and saw a girl with no name. It just felt good to fly with Duncan again. Over the desert, there was a tomb he could name, but I think those memories caused as much good as pain. Le-to Le-to Le-to …

Say what you will about him, and Derek will, Edric shows up in chapter 8. The Guild Navigator does not give an inch during his discussion with Paul. All this happens with the face dancer watching pleasantly from behind the tank. We see a Paul Atreides who is surrounded on all fronts. As he dismisses the exterior enemies, he has to confront the interior enemies Korba and Irulan. This is why we have Bannerjee. Need More to Read? Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

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 and Gabriel Rodríguez

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 Edric’s Etymology on Onomatology 02:45:15 Distrans Need More to Read? “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons

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 Chapter Summary 01:43:55 Lady Chani of House Atreides 02:01:50 Edric’s Etymology on Onomatology 02:09:30 Distrans Need More to Read? “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss

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 Onomatology Need More to Read? “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King, Book One of the Dark Tower Series

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 retirement? Hit play to find out!

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 Herbert's Dune Novels by Donald Palumbo

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, red rover -Dueling Haderachs -Fremen Imposters -Apollo...Ah-Paul-Oh! Episode Guide 04:05 Chapter Summary Begins 02:18:55 Was Paul Atreides an historical personage? 02:39:15 Daniels Dune Gazetteer: Arrakis 03:26:55 Distrans Wine King Rabbit Rose “Fresh, juicy, and so pink.” Need More to Read? "The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name" by Brian C. Muraresku