Frank Herbert's Dune
DUNE
What can be said about the “world’s best selling science-fiction novel” that hasn’t already been said? I could give my analysis after my second read through in six years—and I will—but this post will also serve as an opinion piece. Does the fifty-four year old novel hold up?
Short cop-out answer, it does and it doesn’t.
Plot
Dune is a hero’s story about a young man named Paul Atreides who fulfills prophecies and begins to save a planet and its inhabitants. The story takes place in the very distant future on a sparsely populated desert planet, Arrakis, which is under the control of intergalactic feudal-style empire. The empire is interested in Arrakis because of its Melange, or Spice, a drug that enhances mental abilities; to the point of minimal clairvoyance in some. They run into problems when they try to kill off Atreides family line, and force Paul into exile, because it’s in exile that he helps to turn the natives against the empire.
Analysis
1. Dune is one of the first major science fiction books to explore ecology, environmentalism, and sustainability in a thorough way. From what I’ve read, this book helped to inspire a generation of environmental scientists, and to shape the way readers think about the planet. Arrakis is described as more than a food chain, or a food web; it is itself considered an organism; a concept that has permeated throughout a number of science fiction and fantasy stories since Dune hit the scene.
2. Frank Herbert uses Dune to explore morality, humanity, and politics. I feel like this is Dune’s strongest contribution to literature, though I list it second behind ecology because I know that Herbert was only accidentally inspired to write Dune after years of ecological research. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be good? What does it mean to be a good leader? You’ll have to read Dune or a deeper more focused analysis to see how Herbert plays with those questions and posits a myriad of wise answers.
3. Herbert was clearly working with Middle-Eastern and Islamic cultural influences in Dune. Not only are many of the characters given Middle-Eastern names, but Herbert even uses terms like “jihad” and “Shaitan” in the novel. I was reminded often of Lawrence of Arabia as I read, because Dune is very much the story of an imperialist breaking from the empire to help desert people become self sufficient and rise up. (BTW, Lawrence of Arabia is just a little problematic upon a re-watch.)
Much of the plot and cultures in the book also feel like analogs of Middle Eastern culture and politics in Herbert’s day. The empire desires a natural resource, the desert people become powerful by reclaiming and utilizing that natural resource; spice = petroleum.
4. It is soft-soft-soft science fiction, with piece of hard science fiction dangling at the very end. If you understand what that means, then skip this point.
My first take on Dune was that it was more fantasy than science fiction. Yes, there are spaceships, new planets to discover, and fancy technology, but then there is also a lot of “chosen one” talk, supernatural powers, and a feudal style governing system to understand. I would argue that the bulk of the story is spent on politics, the main character’s supernatural abilities, and the culture of the desert people—the Fremen.
To understand what I mean, juxtapose Dune to a strictly hard science fiction book that came out around the same time. For instance, the plot to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) does not work without the science/technology. Take out the tech, and this could have been a straight fantasy that took place in a desert. Even Star Wars, firmly in the science-fiction fantasy realm, relies more on futuristic tech for its plot.
Being soft science fiction doesn’t make it bad. The book is great because of what it has to say about politics, the environment, and culture; not because of its contributions to speculative science. I’m simply making an observation and explaining...probably a little too much.
What is strange to me is Herbert’s decision to end the book with a deep dive into the ecology of Arrakis in the form of a character’s journal entries. From what I remember, this is the epilogue, but it still feels strange after an ascendant, climactic ending.
5. Dune is full of great wisdom and memorable mantras. Besides his obsession with ecology and sociology, Herbert also seems to have been a student of Eastern philosophy and religion. Here are some of my favorite lines out of literally hundreds across the full series of Dune books:
“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration” “Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”
“When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movements become headlong - faster and faster and faster. They put aside all thoughts of obstacles and forget the precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it's too late.”
"Hope clouds observation.”
“What is important for a leader is that which makes him a leader. It is the needs of his people.”
Opinion
Dune is well researched and well conceived, but...well…boring. I found flashes of excitement and interest throughout, but also found myself too often lulled by pontificating characters, and too much unimportant detail. Even the wisdom became tedious after a while. It was as if I were reading the Analects of Confucius.
Upon doing research, I learned that Dune was published in multiple parts by Analog (formerly Astounding) science fiction magazine, but that they struggled to find a publisher for Dune in its entirety. It was turned down again and again, not because of story, but because of length. At that time, science fiction was not consumed in such lengths, and many publishers were unwilling to bet on Dune.
Dune was and is a huge success, but—as someone who reads and enjoys science fiction of all stripes from the modern to Wells and Shelly—I do find the book tedious. It’s not until about a third of the way through the story that our main character is thrust into exile to become…interesting.
I don’t hate Dune. I admire Frank Herbert and his work because you can tell that it was a labor of love and fascination, and because it truly is one of a kind in its scope and detail. I enjoy the story in the end, I like many of the characters, concepts, and plot points, but I feel that the writing style slows a long story down too much, and that the story would be better if it lost a hundred to two hundred pages. Strip it down and Dune has a lot of important things to say; things that do get somewhat lost in the chapters that feel like homework.
Take It or Leave It?
If you are a fan of hard science fiction, where stories are driven by the amazing, interesting, and imaginative technology, then you probably won’t enjoy this book. I don’t know if I could say leave it, but save it for when you’re in a weird mood.
If you are a fan of lengthy fantasy books like Lord of the Rings, or even other soft science-fiction like Ursula K. Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness then you might be ready to digest and enjoy Dune. If the themes sound interesting, you’re into studying culture and politics in your books then I’d definitely suggest reading it; or just reading Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.
For nothing else, read it to pay your respects to the hard work that Frank Herbert put into it, and to experience a novel that had an impact on science-fiction and environmentalism.
You could also just watch the movie and t.v. adaptations, like the one that is beginning production sometime in 2019, since they will no doubt remove some of the chaff, and hopefully don’t throw too many babies out with the bath water.