Bookmarked: The Dense, Dusty Desert of Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’

Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune” sanded science fiction to a polish.

In the 1965 novel, Herbert designed a distant future with a feudal lens. “Dune” follows the House Atreides’ reign over the desert planet Arrakis. Duke Leto Atreides, his paramour Lady Jessica and their son Paul navigate volatile politics and ecosystems.

Nearly 900 pages in length, “Dune” is brimming with Herbert’s vivid imagination. Set in a world with fantastical powers and species, the book grounds mystique with structures of hierarchy and commerce.

Arrakis is a planet desolate in appearances but rich in fortune. Harboring the cinnamon-scented spice “melange,” the natural dust produces hyper-awareness and precognition to its consumer. Blocking the spice’s production is an immense network of sandworms writhing under the planet’s desert-covered surface.

The novel’s arid setting contrasts with its otherworldly dangers. Conflicts of water supply and dehydration are just as enthralling to read as attempts to navigate the sands without arousing the gargantuan worms.

“Dune” is a literary feast of rich allegories seasoned with Shakespearean dialogue. Its core tenet claims no ruler can be just — even if well-intentioned. Herbert puts to bed the notion of a righteous colonizer along with the context of a gripping sci-fi odyssey.

The depth of story and characters is what allows “Dune” to be a climatic slow-burn rather than a desolate read. Oftentimes, Herbert’s writing illustrates several points of view within the same chapter. The reader knows every argument from each angle, allowing operatic drama to unfold.

The audience is practically a participant in the conflict instead of a viewer. Placed directly in the shoes of each protagonist and antagonist, the reader is almost playing against themselves rather than just watching it unfold.

Leading the House and its attainers is Duke Leto. A man of composed certainty, Leto’s aims to reshape Arrakis’ environment are undone when he’s made into a martyr. From the beginning, Leto suspects traitors in his midst — and only readers know who they are from the start.

Jessica is the unmarried lady to the duke. Regarded as a witch for her membership to a spiritual sisterhood, Jessica is capable of influencing others with only her voice. Her son Paul, the potential object of a prophecy, is a male with abnormal abilities similar to Jessica’s.

Paul fulfills the myth as a messiah figure who will lead all to freedom. At just 15 years old, he bears his father’s wisdom and mother’s courage while learning to be more than just a duke  — he’s also a savior.

Challenging the Atreides are Arrakis’ former rulers, the bloodthirsty Harkonnens and their glutinous Baron Vladimir. Usurped by the industrialist House, Paul and Jessica flee into the desert, planning an insurgency. Their rebellion consists of the resilient Fremen natives, whose stillsuit technology stores and repurposes bodily moisture.

“Dune” is rich in themes pertaining to both environmentalism and cults of personality. On the surface, Paul’s story is a classic hero’s journey. However throughout the novel, Herbert gives Paul visions of a future where his noble leadership inevitably leads towards war and destruction. 

Scarcity coupled with religious zealotry is a dangerous mix. Under Herbert’s pen, charismatic leadership inevitably takes advantage of the disenfranchised. Paul’s disastrous visions of the future are the natural end point for his godhood amongst desperate, warrior people.

Paul’s successes are shadowed by the culture he’s misused and the immeasurable suffering caused when his rebellious crusade turns into a conquering force. As Herbert illustrates, “No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.”

It’s a topic further compounded in Herbert’s subsequent novel “Dune: Messiah.” A third of the former’s length, “Messiah” acts as an epilogue to illustrate the disastrous failures of idol worship.

The heavy world-building and subversive themes of “Dune” has cemented it as a fixture in the fantasy and sci-fi mediums. Inspiring the political hierarchies and prophetic heroes in “Star Wars” and “Game of Thrones,” Herbert’s narrative voice to jump headfirst into the setting is an engrossing experience — that admittedly, isn’t the easiest to acclimate to. The many names and factions are explained through a drip-feed of information via dialogue and inner monologues.

Herbert penned six novels in the series covering Paul’s ascension and the consequences faced by offspring. Herbert’s son Brian and author Kevin J. Anderson followed with 20 spinoffs developing the universe in different times and settings. 

With “Dune: Part Two” approaching theaters and an adaptation of “Messiah” on the horizon, Herbert’s desolate world is finally finding life.

“Dune” is available online and in bookstores now.

Bookmarked is a recurring literary review column.

Featured image courtesy of Penguin Random House