Frank Herbert's "Dune"
Book 2 of World Building
*Brief note on the current book club (the Western one): I was not able to bring in the books on Wednesday, so I’ll drop those off on 9/7*
Title: Dune
Publication Year: 1965
Plot: Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for…
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
Miscellaneous: The Dune series is a landmark of soft science fiction. Herbert deliberately suppressed technology in his Dune universe so he could address the politics of humanity, rather than the future of humanity’s technology. Dune considers the way humans and their institutions might change over time.
We got into A LOT with Dune. The readers loved the excerpts from other writings at the beginning of each chapter. One in particular states something to the effect of humanity at large believing learning is difficult, and how much this can inhibit someone. If people think learning is difficult and don’t give it a good effort, they become extremely limited in what they can do. There’s a quote on p. 370 (of our version) that reads “Fear is the mind-killer.” Fear is an option, but what happens when we give into it? What do we lose? It certainly limits our foresight, one reader pointed out. Another reader mentioned that it is reminiscent of Buddhist philosophy–don’t allow fear to take over your mind. Let your feelings pass by, but don’t attach yourselves to them. In prison, the readers said they are faced with questions regarding their incarceration: will this strengthen me or destroy me? And it’s a choice! Often times they said people are solely focused on getting out, and will occasionally miss other opportunities. Pay attention to the every day. There are things to learn along the way.
One reader got very personal and said he learned of some major, major news that impacted him a great deal this week. The idea of assessing feelings and understanding them, but not letting them take over allowed him some perspective in dealing with the news of this event.
Everyone loved the world building of Herbert’s novel. He carves out so many themes throughout the novel. Economics, religion, ecology, politics, recycling, and much more. It’s almost like you have to read it through a different lens every time you read it in order to soak it all in, or at least have a chance to soak it in.
Another reader pointed out a scene early one, where Paul is being tested with the legendary Gom Jabbar. His mother comes up to him, in preparation for the pain he will suffer and how he will be tested, and says, “Remember…you’re a Duke’s son.” This struck him as particularly comforting, and reminded him that we all are of worth. We’re all someone’s son and people love us. That gives us value.
This book was a smash hit. Everyone loved it, and a few even want to read it again.
Please leave comments on Herbert, Dune, or anything else below.
Next week, we’ll be reading the first two books in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars series.”
Until next time,
E.
If you’d like to purchase Dune, you can do so here: