Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune
By Frank Herbert

Dune presents the reader with one of the single best examples of science fiction world building ever written.  The forces at work in this novel bring politics, environment, science, religion and more all into play.  The story begins on the planet of Caladan and introduces the hierarchal life there but the family already knows that they are being transplanted to govern Arrakis, also known as Dune, a desert planet.  Arrakis is the only source of a spice which the entire universe needs.  Paul’s father will not survive long there, an assassination ends his reign and Paul must go into hiding.  He goes to live amongst the Fremen, the desert dwelling natives, and learns their ways.  Their legend of a messiah seems to fit Paul and he becomes Maud’Dib.  He learns to ride the giant desert worms and uses the spices to enhance the mental powers he inherited.   

It is an epic story so complex that to encapsulate it in a paragraph can only fail to do justice to the story.  Perhaps the best I can do is to explain how the novel affected me.  It drew me in and held me in thrall. The litany against fear is firmly entrenched in my mind.

I first read Dune as a young teenager.  My father had taken my mother out to dinner and a movie.  Apparently they went by a book store and he saw a copy of the book.  He remembered how much he had enjoyed it when my oldest brother recommended it to him, so he bought it for me. 

I was surprised and I don’t remember exactly what I thought, but I suspect I looked at it with distrust.  I doubted I would enjoy it but I didn’t want to let my father know that because I was so pleased that he had thought of me.  I took the book, said thank you and I don’t recall whether I started it right away or it sat on a shelf for a bit. 

I certainly never suspected how deep an impact it would have on my reading selections or my thinking.  I’m not sure how old I was exactly so I don’t know if I was already reading fantasy and science fiction.  I suspect I was.  I read this book several times over the years, and can quote quite a few paragraphs.

One lesson that has stayed with me over the years comes from this section –

 "Jessica, have you ever stopped hating me?" the old woman asked.

"I both love and hate you," Jessica said. "The hate -- that's from pains I must never forget. The love -- that's . . . "

"Just the basic fact," the old woman said, but her voice was gentle.

The concept of that duality helped me immensely over the years.  I remember a classmate in high school saying that she hated her father.  “No, you don’t,” I said.  “You don’t hate him, you just hate his behavior.” 

Even now, I come across the quote “A beginning is a time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct,” and my brain automatically continues, “This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad'Dib, then, take care that you first place him in his time...” 

Scary, right?  There was also a British accent in my head for some reason.

I can’t say how the new novels by his son Brian are, the continuation of the series never quite fired my imagination the way the first one did, and I’ve never seen the movie but Dune remains one of my all time favorite novels.  I highly recommend it.