Dune...Arrakis... Desert Planet
Categories: Award Winners , Movies & Books , Science Fiction & Fantasy
I was in the eighth grade in 1968 when I first read Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965). I told everyone I knew that it was the best book I had ever read, and probably the best book ever written; I am not ashamed to admit that I uttered those words again as recently as last week.
This fabulous Science Fiction story won the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. It is an ecological cautionary story about dependence on energy and political control, about ecological change and disaster, about people's need for leadership and the temptations of corruption, and mostly about one remarkable man: Paul Atreides, whose fate it is to become Maud'Dib, the leader of millions.
Dino de Laurentis made a truly terrible movie based on the book; the SciFi Channel made a better mini-series adaptation in 2001.
Fremen...Bene Gesserit...House Harkonnen...sand worms...Spacing Guild...planets Arrakis, Geidi Prime, and Caladan. Come join us in the universe of Dune.
Dune has stood the test of time. Frank Herbert wrote a total of five more books in the Dune saga, and since his death his son Brian has continued the story with a series of prequels.
Frank Herbert's original Dune saga, the story of Paul Atreides: Muad'Dib.
An accompaniment to the books is The Dune Encyclopedia by Willis Everett McNelly, a somewhat complete compilation of information on the first 5 books.
Herbert's son Brian, along with Kevin J. Andersen, has written more books, fleshing out the history of the universe before Paul became Muad'Dib. Prelude to Dune novels:
Legends of Dune novels:
Last year an excellent book, The Road to Dune, was published. It includes Frank Herbert's original story that was the germ for the novel as well as background and correspondence about the development of the book and Herbert's struggles to get it published.
