What can I say about Dune and further the Dune Saga? Dune is a masterpiece! Dune is un-filmable! Dune is the cause of literally millions of lost man hours every year as fans argue about the smallest details, and if the books published after his death should be counted as Canon (the answer is no!!!!) Dune is single handedly responsible for increased demand for Cinnamon!
In this review I won’t be touching any (more) of the contentious subjects and will be reviewing the first Novel in the Dune Saga, the original, the best….Dune.
Dune is a Novel by Frank Herbert. It was first published in 1965, it won both Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1966. It is the far future, where personnel shields that are impermeable to all but the slowest blow make the weapons of choice blades and poisons. A secretive guild controls all interstellar travel. A future were society has rebuilt itself from a great Jihad against the use of machines in to tightly controlled Feudal Empire.
Into this arena steps Paul Atreides teenage son of Duke Leto Atreides. Paul's father is instructed by the Emperor to take control of the planet Arrakis, the unique source of the valuable spice Melange. This will mean Pauls Family replacing their arch-enemies the Harkonnens, but is everything as it seems for
"A popular man arouses the jealousy of the powerful." and Paul's father is a popular man. Meanwhile Paul's mother Jessica is brought to task by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, of which she is a member, who ordered her to bear only daughters. The Bene Gesserit have been controlling key bloodlines for generations in the hope of breeding a Kwisatz Haderach a super-being. Meanwhile on Arrakis a people known as Freman await their prohisied "voice from the outer world" who will lead them to there freedom.
The novel is comprised by three books, the First book "Dune", The second book "Muad'Dib" and the final book "The Prophet". I don't want to spoil it by going into to much detail, as it truly is a must read. It easily stands up with other classics of literature. Herbert thought every single little detail of the story out, and it really shows.
Herbert disliked the idea of the Übermensch "
The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes. Much better rely on your own judgment, and your own mistakes."- Frank Herbert, and although at first Dune seems a story of the rise of such an Ubermensch, on closer examination it becomes a man's struggle with his own destiny, or in Pauls case "Terrible Purpose". Where as the follow up Dune Messiah is an exploration of the limitations of ultimate power
"There exists a limit to the force even the most powerful may apply without destroying themselves" and
"People call it a power, a gift. It's an affliction!". Herbert always saw Dune Messiah as the fourth book of the Dune novel. Making the story not a story of the rise of a superman but the story of a man as he falls into than tries to escape the trap that is godhood
"His curse lay in the fact that he saw the cage."
Herbert also explorers the issues of the Decline of Empire's. With the rich tapestry he builds of the Empirieum we see an Emperor clinging to power, beset on all sides by intrigues and plans. Forced into actions he does not want to take in the possible futile attempt to keep his throne. Also Nature and nuture while Paul is the product of selective breeding and the Freman/Sardaukar are the product of immense selection pressures, it is made quite clear that what they are is as much from their training as their genes. That training was a large influence on a mind choosing hyper-alertness over unconsciousness when stressed.
"Unlike previous superheroes who acquire their powers suddenly and accidentally, Paul's are the result of "painful and slow personal progress." "
I can not recommend Dune enough. If i could only read one book for the rest of my life Dune would be the book i chose. The only thing wrong with Dune is the saga was never finished, Herbert died before writing the 7th novel). I quite like that however, as it gives the same feel to the last book as the first that you are actually looking into another universe. The story doesn't start with Dune neither does it end with Chapter House Dune. We are simply dipping into an on going history. Like a flower seen from a moving train, it grew before we saw it and will continue growing long after.
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For those that need closure, their is the fan fiction released jointly by his Son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson. I intend on reviewing them at some point, they are fun in their own rite but the quality just isn't there and they take far to many liberties with the story. That really isn't a criticism of those books they just pale in the light of the original works, even Herbert's own sequels never seem quite to attain the majesty of the first two books.
