Dune: A review

A friend let me borrow his copy of Dune recently. This December a new movie comes out based on the book so I thought I'd read it. I’m not much of a science fiction guy but this book is a classic. It was written in the late sixties and the author kept the series going for years with the same characters. At least that’s what I’m told. I love the coming of age progression of the main character, Paul or Muad’Dib. He has like 7 or 8 names depending on the context. One means spiritual leader, one is a tribe name or first name. Another refers to his royalty, as the son of the Duke. He's the hero of the story, the boy who would be king.

The story unfolds as Duke Leto moves his family to Arrakis where he is to rule, mine spice and set up a kingdom for his family. But betrayers in his house made a deal with another ruler for the seat of power. He gets sold out in short order.

The growth of Paul as leader plays out over the course of a few years as the House Atreides is scattered across the planet Arrakis after the betrayal. The powerful Duke Leto is captured and killed by a Baron from an opposing House (or family). His son Paul and Paul’s mother (Lady Jessica) are forced to hide out in the desert with sand people who live on very little water and stay underground. Called Fremen, they are skilled fighters that take Paul in and train him to live like them. Paul becomes their great leader and his mother becomes their mystical guru (Reverend Mother). She is originally from an order of physics that serve as concubines to powerful men. Arrakis is known for its spice which the sandworms create through their larvae. It’s basically a drug with mystical properties and medicinal uses. It’s also highly prized and dangerous to mine since the sandworms guard it.

 There are Islamic themes in the Fremen tribe which tells me the author got his inspiration in part from nomadic peoples in Saudi Arabia or Egypt. He uses the idea of jihad to describe a collective uprising and some of the names have an Arabic sound to them.

 To my mind he overbuilds the world a little bit. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the attention to detail he used, but I found myself tripping over the information while trying to keep up. Frank Herbert (the author) loves his terms. Mercifully there is a glossary in back to check on each word or concept. You can bet I’ve look it up a few times.

 I love the idea of the sandworms. What a crazy, brilliant idea. And he gives his Fremen the ability to tame them in a ritual, not unlike cowboys breaking a wild horse. They can ride a sandworm across the desert if done right. Everyone else is afraid of them. When walking in the desert one needs to shuffle in a certain irregular way or risk having one rise out of the sand and eat you. They respond to rhythmic patterns like walking. I think the Kevin Bacon movie Tremors borrowed a bit from the book. I’ve heard Dune fans complain that George Lucas ‘stole’ the sandworm idea in Empire Strikes Back. The Millennium Falcon nearly gets gobbled up by a giant worm with no eyes. Of if you’ve seen the Family Guy edition, it’s a giant Meg Griffin (hilarious)!

All the best stories require the main character to undergo some test of strength or conquest. Even the kid’s shows like the Lion King show a transition from adolescence to adulthood, a passing of authority, a reluctance of leadership. It’s a reminder that when the right people rule the land, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule the people mourn. I’m sure that’s a summary of a Bible verse but I can’t quite place it. Sounds like Proverbs to me. But the hero story is no accident. We love heroes and we love moral leaders.

Dune succeeded for me on the heroic level but failed to be enjoyable. I’m struggling to find a term for Herbert as a writer. It might be the dialogue and phrasing that turned me off. It wasn’t easy to read because I always felt like I was learning a new idea and not following the progress. As always though it’s my fault, not his.