DISTANT FUTURE MONTH #11: Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)

Type of Media: Novel

Dune is one of the best-selling science fiction books in history. Dune is also super duper weird, which may explain why it’s largely absent from visible sci-fi fandom. Go to a science fiction convention and you’ll see plenty of people dressed in Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dr. Who costumes, but nary a Paul Atreides or a stillsuit or a sandworm plushy in sight. This is an absolute shame because Dune is the daddy of soft science fiction, most notably inspiring Star Wars, and even after 50 years still holds up as a fantastic sci-fi novel.

Set tens of thousands of years in the future, humanity has already endured enslavement by robots and fought to regain its freedom. So-called ‘thinking machines’ are then outlawed, forcing civilization to advance by exploring the boundaries of human potential and founding orders that train people to have quasi-mystical powers. Humanity spreads to thousands of planets, but also regresses to a feudal government ruled by an Emperor who is supported by a number of Houses that control planets as fiefdoms.

The story focuses on one of these Houses, the Atreides, as they take stewardship of the most prized planet in the Empire: Arrakis, known to the natives as Dune. Arrakis is extremely inhospitable, featuring a harsh desert climate that makes water a rare commodity, as well as giant worms that hunt in the sands. However, it’s also the only source of the most valuable resource in the known universe, a drug called spice that can extend lifespans, heighten senses, and enhance the mystical powers some people possess. It’s also especially dangerous for the Atreides because the previous rulers were their arch-enemies, the devious House Harkonnen, who left traps and agents on the planet.

Taking robots and A.I. out of the equation forced author Frank Herbert to really work his imagination to develop Dune’s universe, and since he was living in the 60s the result is novel with a heavy focus on ecology, mind expansion, and controlling perception. Arrakis is a vividly realized planet, with a lot of thought put into how its plants, animals, and native people survive with little access to water. I’ve heard some science fiction fans recently point out how it’s silly for planets in sci-fi to have one uniform ecology, like “temperate forest planet” or “jungle planet”, but Herbert backs up Arrakis’ climate with knowledge gained from years of writing about deserts.

Similarly cool is learning about the various methods of conditioning people go through as part of Dune’s various orders. Mentats use mnemonic devices to quickly memorize information so they can process and analyze it like a computer, and the all-female Bene Gesserit meditate to give themselves extreme control over their internal biology. Even people who lack the more exotic powers of the orders have still trained their brains to unusually high degrees, with the Atreides family often communicating secretly through hand signals and hidden code phrases.

However, this use of people in place of machines contributes to the feudal system, and in the universe of Dune there seems to be little freedom for people to choose their own lives. People who display certain talents get picked up by one of the orders and eventually wind up in a House for service. One order, the Suk school of doctors, even conditions their initiates so they can’t betray their patients. The main character, Paul, is destined to be welcomed among the native Fremen people of Arrakis because he’s bred to match the description of a fabled messiah (a fable that was itself seeded by the Bene Gesserit on Arrakis centuries earlier). Those in power can’t build machines for specialized purposes, so they breed and train people to fill their needs.

It’s incredible that a work that is such a font for inspiration in science fiction can still feel so unique. If you’re a fan of soft sci-fi like Star Wars and you want to see where it originated, pick up Dune. Also, if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones Dune is a natural recommendation, as it has the same sort of backroom intrigue and chapter structure as GoT. However, one thing I will advise about Dune is to start with the books, as so far there hasn’t been a film adaptation that measures up to the original source.