Review: Dune

Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the ‘Dune’ trilogy as a young teenager without knowing what to expect (before it obtained the level of fandom it now enjoys); it was one of the few great stories which helped establish my initial reading addiction. I immediately identified with the main protagonist, Paul Atreides, as he struggled to overcome tremendous adversity to reach his destiny ... his was the traditional ‘Hero’s Journey’ that forms the main plotline of the story. The most interesting aspect at this time was Paul’s Mentat (human computer) training ... which would morph into a pseudo-transhuman philosophy popularized by one of my favorite TV characters – Mr. Spock.

But there is more ... I reread Dune as a young (and better read) adult and I really appreciated that the author didn’t feel the need to spoon-feed the reader; he trusts us enough to figure it all out (with difficulty perhaps, but successful none-the-less). I started to use story elements to explore ideas outside of Dune ... such as the curious luddite aversion to [some] technology. This brought a new understanding of the power of creation and the responsibility of the creator. I grew fascinated by the very convincing religious concepts within the messianic/eugenic sub-plots, leading me toward further study (and acceptance of) of other religions (specifically Islam and Zen) and comparative mythology (popularized by Dr. Joseph Campbell). I even looked at the formation of the Freman society by the harsh conditions of the desert as a mini-Darwinian theme that would be duplicated in many of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy books I read after.

Every time I reread ‘Dune’ I find more to think about: ethics, politics, ecology, fanaticism, addiction, technology, etc. Frank Herbert has built a complex and enduring world which survives quite well outside his original stories; it is this world that inexorably pulls me into many of the lesser quality stories that continues to fill out Herbert’s universe based upon his surviving notes. Every time I come back to this world, I like it more then before.


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