Millennia of personal despair

Last night after dinner, Ams and I stopped at the restroom on our way out. Per usual, I was carrying all of my earthly possessions with me. Improvising, I used the changing station as a stuff-receptacle saying, "I may not have babies, but I have crap."

Very eloquent.

We then decided this would be the title of my memoir. On the train we decided it was actually a horrible title for my memoir.

Then I thought of an even worse (awesome) title: millennia of personal despair.

Before you put me on suicide watch, know it is a Dune reference. Because I'm still obsessed.

I'm on book five: Heretics of Dune.


Get this:

Last book, Leto II (who turned himself into a giant worm to follow the 'Golden Path' and teach the universe a lesson) sacrificed himself and died-ish by splitting off into lots of smaller worms that would turn the planet back into the desert it should be.

So now, 1,500 years later there is this girl who can ride the worms - which is a big no-no - and she and a Reverend Mother (Bene Gesserit 'witch' aka part of a secret society of women with power) visit a secret stronghold from WAY back in the first book.

And what is there? A secret message from wormy Leto. And what does it say? Welcome to the depression party:

"I BEQUEATH TO YOU MY FEAR AND LONELINESS...WHY DID YOUR SISTERHOOD NOT BUILD THE GOLDEN PATH? YOU KNEW THE NECESSITY. YOUR FAILURE CONDEMNED ME, THE GOD EMPEROR, TO MILLENNIA OF PERSONAL DESPAIR."

Ouch. Leto bringing the etched in stone pain in ALL CAPS.

Bum. Mer.

I'm not finished yet. So I don't know if Teg is still alive or if the newest Duncan Idaho is going to get it on with the worm girl or if that old lady is a face dancer or if the Bene Gesserit are going to escape Leto's depressing edict.

What I do know is that I'm loving Heretics almost as much as the first book.

"Quite naturally, holders of power wish to suppress wild research. Unrestricted questing after knowledge has a long history of producing unwanted competition. The powerful want a 'safe line of investigations,' which will develop only those products and ideas that can be controlled and, most important, that will allow the larger part of the benefits to be captured by inside investors. Unfortunately, a random universe full of relative variables does not insure such a 'safe line of investigations'."
Frank Herbert