I agree, but this billionaire can do what few communities can: invest in scale.

Overall I still think this is good news.

Very well thought out! Coming at this question as a Dune fan and not an Isekai enjoyer, I would like to note that Dune does have its fair share of swords and magic.

I don’t know too much about Isekai but let me have a try at this following argument:

The Isekai element might not be that Paul moved from one planetary capital to another as the heir apparent to House Atreides, but that he had to flee into a world with much more limited contact with the wider galaxy: the world of the Fremen.

The Fremen of the deep desert live a life quite different than that of the average Imperial citizen. Life in a sietch is unlike anything Paul has ever experienced and he must learn to fit in, in order to survive.

All of this only concerns the first book of the Dune series. As the story plays out, you will find that the protagonist of the entire series is not a single individual but rather Humanity in its totality. I don’t think that’s very Isekai…

I believe some websites say “fuck it, fuck them” and block European IPs rather than put in the work to become GDPR compliant

Even if you limit it by range, like only recolouring things within 1 meter of where you touch… It’d still be a great power! Imagine the money you’d make, flawlessly painting whole rooms in seconds.

What are the titles of those books? I think there are six in the original series by Frank Herbert and there are many other books by his son Brian. I haven’t read all of those.

Yeah! The first sequel, Foundation’s Edge, was excellent! It was written with as much if not more depth as the original series. The second sequel, Foundation and Earth, however seemed like a pulp novel by comparison. The story was simplistic and the conclusion pretty disappointing, although it did bring up an interesting quandary about the future of the galaxy.

What slowed me down a lot with Dune were the many different, unfamiliar names. Once that clicked, the story started unfolding by itself and I could not stop myself reading. It’s been a long time since I first read the original books, but I think I finished all six of them in less than a month. I hope it clicks for you too!

I totally agree. This series, along with the original Dune novels, is the bedrock of my love for sci-fi.