Frank Herbert’s World of Dune

“A beginning is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the year 10191. The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, my father. In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice melange. The spice extends life, the spice expands consciousness, the spice is vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who the spice has mutated over four thousand years, use the orange spice gas which gives them the ability to fold space. That is travel to any part of the universe without moving. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, the spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe : a desolate, dry planet with vast deserts. Hidden away within the rocks of these deserts are a people known as Fremen who have long held a prophecy, that a man would come, a messiah, who would lead them to true freedom. The planet is Arrakis, also known as... DUNE.” (Dune by Frank Herbert)

This starts the beginning to one of the most memorable worlds in Science Fiction. Arrakis or Dune is the creation of SF author Frank Herbert. It is a world and universe full of complex cultures, histories and interactions. This world belongs in the same class as Larry Niven’s Ringworld. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, Philip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld and many others. Mr. Herbert created a world inhabited with complex characters and ideas as well. He explores Arrakis through several books in a connected series.

The exploration of this world begins with the author. Frank Herbert was born and lived throughout the Pacific states during his life time. He had several jobs in his life, but was primarily a journalist and photographer. Most of his knowledge was self-acquired in subjects like geology, marine biology and many others. His knowledge found its way into many of his books and stores. Mr. Herbert had a prolific writing career that ended in 1986 upon his death. Though he wrote many other books, the Dune books were his most famous works.

The idea for Dune came in 1958 when Mr. Herbert worked on a report to control sand dunes in Oregon. From this report, he came up with the concept of an entire planet covered by desert. He considered the science of ecology as “the understanding of consequences.” His novels are layered with the interactions of politics, religion, society and the environment, and the consequences of these influences on life. This led to a richly dense series of books that are classics to this day.

Dune was the first book in the series and became a classic rapidly. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides. He arrives on Arrakis with his father Duke Leto and mother the Lady Jessica. Paul meets the Fremen and learns about survival on the planet. The Atreides family must contend with the ruthless Harkonnens throughout the book. Dune is an important world because it produces Spice, a substance needed by starship pilots. Paul eventually becomes known as Muad'dib, leading the Fremen to their destiny. This is just the skeleton of an intricate plot that is full of layers.

The second book is Dune Messiah. Paul is an older man. He must deal with leading the empire. His visions of the future are becoming more unreliable as he tries to shape the empire in their image. Even the Fremen are no longer to be trusted. Conspiracies and intrigue abound. This novel is shorter, but paves the way for the next book in the series. It still shows remarkable developments leading to the future of Arrakis.

Children of Dune is the third book and tells the story of Paul’s twin children Leto and Ghani. They have inherited their father’s powers but refuse to use them. The twins fight other forces to rule the empire together. Dune is slowly becoming a green paradise. Out of the desert comes the Preacher to help the children. Is he Paul Muad'dib returned from the dead. This book brings to an end what is considered the first trilogy. The book is full of action and more intricate layers. It leaves a foundation for the next book.

A millennium has passed when the fourth book starts. God Emperor of Dune is the story of a slowly disintegrating empire. Only Leto, the immortal god Emperor lives from ancient times. He must find a way to introduce new characteristics into his people or all is lost. Leto is a giant sandworm and scatters the people of Dune to the universe. This complicated plot sets up the threads for the next book’s intrigues.

There is another jump of fifteen hundred years for the fifth book of Heretics of Dune. The scattered people are returning to Rakis (once called Arrakis). A young boy called Duncan Idaho discovers he is a clone. The Bene Gesserit are in a struggle with the Honored Matres for supremacy. On Rakis there exists Sheaana who can control the giant sandworms. All of these elements blend into one of the most intricate books of the series. It is full of Mr. Herbert’s themes of what it is to be a human.

The final book of the sequence is Chapterhouse Dune. Dune was destroyed. The Bene Gesserit offer the last resistance against the fanatical Honored Matres. They hide the last sandworms on their secret world and plan to create a new Dune with them. This last book ends the series with a powerful ending where everything comes full circle. Mr. Herbert’s complex layers completes the series forcefully.

Fortunately, the story continues thanks to Mr. Herbert’s son. Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson, has added three books to the world of Dune. They wrote three prelude novels to the original series. Dune:House Atreides is the story of Duke Leto’s and Lady Jessica’s love. Dune:House Harkonnen is the story of Duke Leto’s battle with members of the Harkonnen family. Duke Leto must stop the emperor’s plot of using a synthetic Spice in Dune:House Corrino. There are other books planned for the future.

Frank Herbert’s world of Dune is a memorable classic of the Science Fiction genre. The author gave his books a strong sense of “the understanding of consequences” by creating a complex world. He developed a system of layering religion, politics, society, ecology and other factors like the layers of an onion to create a world for his characters to live through. All of his characters are realistic in their reactions to this world. Readers can learn a lot from these intricate books. The “understanding of consequences” theme is very appropriate now since we entered a new era with September 11. Frank Herbert was an author ahead of his time.