This is a list of longer articles of a more scholarly nature, some are +5000 or even +10.000 words. Most touch on philosophical matters.
Frank Herbert
- Dune (1965)
On Paul as a tragic hero, and determinism as the foundation of Dune, amongst other things.
- Dune Messiah (1969)
A comparison between Dune & Dune Messiah, a part on Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence in relation to Messiah, and how that ties into Paul being a tragic hero and not an Übermensch. I end with a discussion on determinism & free will in Messiah.
- Children Of Dune (1976)
For starters Alia as tragic figure, and a discussion about an important thing that remains unclear: Paul’s relationship to the Golden Path. After that, 4 specific subjects: how I think ‘change’ is the central concept of this book, the prevalence of a Nietzschean Amor Fati, the book’s relationship with Nietzsche’s morality beyond good & evil, and finally, free will and its relation to Leto II’s specific version of prescience. Over 10,000 words in total.
- God Emperor Of Dune (1981)
Starts with a regular review, and after that examines Leto as the most tragic character of the series & the conceptual knot, also examines the nature of the supposed cautionary tale Herbert meant to write, the introduction of non-mechanical world building in the series, contrasting with its central theme of the absence of free will, the mechanics of no-room shielded prescience, the Golden Path, change & creativity, and a critical look at various inconsistencies in that novel. Over 8,700 words in total.
Yoon Ha Lee
- Raven Stratagem (2017)
On the morality of writing & enjoying violent fiction.
Hilary Mantel
- Wolf Hall (2009)
On the conflict between the two world views underlying the novel: pragmatism vs. Plato, and a wee bit on free will.
Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Ministry for the Future (2020)
A lengthy review backed by lots of fragments from recent KSR interviews.
W. Olaf Stapledon
On the conceptual & philosophical content, and its science fictional relevance.
J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Lord Of The Rings (1955)
A detailed exploration of LOTR‘s most basic problem: its internal contradictions viz. free will, and Tolkien’s own messy thinking on the subject.
Gene Wolfe
- The Knight (2004)
Not as long, but with a coda that is a response to Wolfe’s delusional reactionary politics as he expressed them in a 2001 essay on Lord of the Rings.
Consult the author index for all my reviews, the index of non-fiction & art book reviews, or my other lists.
