Dune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. It was awarded the Nebula award in 1965 and tied for the Hugo award in 1966. It was also a huge commercial success and has now sold more than 20 million copies. Dune was followed by five sequels. The Dune saga is considered by many fans of the genre to be the best science fiction epic ever written. It is certainly one of the most popular; Dune is number six in the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy list. Dune has been turned into a film made by David Lynch, a mini-series made by the Sci Fi Channel (United States) and a series of computer gamess.Warning: Plot details follow.
Herbert dedicated the novel to dry-land ecologists.
The success of Dune ensured several sequels. The consequences of the actions of superheroes form an overall theme in the Dune series.
Frank Herbert says:
Political themes in the Dune series include human beings' susceptibility to mass manipulation by political propaganda, religious dogma (e.g. The Missionaria Protectiva), and sexual temptation, and the importance of self-awareness and self-mastery in resisting these types of control.
From a historical perspective, many have noted similarities between the narrative events of Dune, in which a foreign-born native son of an old colonial order unites disparate and warring tribes of religious desert nomads to win freedom from a decaying Imperial power, and The Arab Revolt of early 20th Century Middle Eastern history, at which time a British liason officer T.E. Lawrence mobilized Arab fighters to break the power of the Ottoman Turks in the Arabian peninsula. While there are many parallels, one of the most trivial and bizarre may be that in the film adaptations Dune (1984) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), both characters representing the old Imperial order (Emperor Shaddam IV and the Turkish Commander, respectively), are played by actor Jose Ferrer.
Introduction
The novel was originally serialized as two shorter works, Dune World and The Prophet of Dune, in Analog, 1963-1965.Themes
The emphasis on ecological and religious ideas and the use of Middle Eastern cultural themes made the novel a provocative departure from previous science fiction.
This explains the tone of the following three novels: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune and God Emperor of DuneThe Dune Universe
In the Dune universe, advanced computers have long been forbidden due to the Butlerian Jihad, a rebellion against thinking machines, and as a replacement human skills have been developed to an astonishing degree:
When a Bene Gesserit acolyte becomes a full Reverend Mother, she gains her ancestral memories — the complete memories of all of her female ancestors. She cannot recall the memories of her male ancestors, and is terrified by the psychic space within her that the masculine memories inhabit.
The Bene Gesserit are conducting a breeding program to develop a superhuman male who can recall both his male and female ancestral memories, as well as the ability to see (and thus control) the future. They refer to him as the Kwisatz Haderach. This recall is due to an ordeal known as Spice Agony and involves overdosing on melange, which most men don't survive.
Against this background, Dune chronicles the conflict between the aristocratic House Atreides and its enemy the House Harkonnen, behind whom lurk the combined powers of the Emperor Shaddam IV, leader of House Corrino, and the Spacing Guild.
While the other noble houses including House Atreides and House Harkonnen do not individually approach the power of the Emperor and are in competition for fiefdoms, financial and political power, and Imperial favor, they are collectively represented in an assembly known as the Landsraad, which provides a check and balance against the power of House Corrino and the Emperor.
On the fringes of the Galaxy are the shape-shifting Tleilaxu and Ix, a planet whose history is lost in the mists of time and whose society is dominated by technology.
The Fremen are the native population of the planet Arrakis. They are a hardy people, used to the hardship and deprivation of their desert-planet. They await their Messiah because of a legend planted intentionally across the Universe by the Missionaria Protectiva, a division of the Bene Gesserit dedicated to religious manipulation. The Messiah legend is intended to ease the path of the Kwisatz Haderach when they bring him into being.
The Harkonnens are ordered by the Emperor to cede stewardship of the planet Arrakis (known generally as Dune) to the Atreides. The planet Arrakis is extremely arid and inhabited by giant, menacing worms which live under the sand (the Fremen call them Shai-Hulud). The Fremen, adapted to this harsh climate, are obsessed with water and consider the worms holy.
Dune is the sole source of melange, also known as "the spice" that gives limited prescience and prolongs the user's lifespan; with it the Guild Navigators see a path through foldspace, and the Bene Gesserit can enhance their abilities. The spice is the most valuable commodity in the universe and it is found only on Dune. Thus, the planet is the political fulcrum of the Universe.
List of characters
See the list of characters from Dune.
Dune is the tale of a political conflict among three noble houses: House Atreides, House Harkonnen and House Corrino, in the galactic Empire ruled by Shaddam IV of House Corrino, "Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe," at a time of great political instability.
House Corrino's power is supported by military might (their legions of 'Sardaukar' warrior-fanatics are a legendary force popularly considered unbeatable), economic power (they own a controlling stake in the CHOAM corporation, which oversees all interstellar commerce), and political influence, (support from the Spacing Guild, and the Bene Gesserit). Shaddam IV, however, succeeded his father due to the influence and assistance of the Bene Gesserit and the tacit approval of the Guild, who now enjoy considerable influence over the throne.
The political instability of the Emperor is exacerbated by the Bene Gesserit, who have prevented Shaddam IV from producing a male heir and ignited competition among the Great Houses while undermining the power of House Corrino. Concurrently, their centuries-old breeding program to produce the Kwisatz Haderach is nearing fruition.
Shaddam IV sees House Atreides as a threat to his throne. Duke Leto Atreides has become very popular — and powerful — among the noble houses of the Imperium in the Landsraad. In addition, The Duke has created a military force similar to the Sardaukar in combat prowess and dedication, but on a smaller scale. The Emperor fears that it would be a matter of time before the Atreides forces could equal or surpasses his dreaded Sardaukar.
The Emperor decides that House Atreides must be destroyed, but realizes that an open attack on the popular Duke Atreides and his House could unite the individual Houses of the Landsraad against House Corrino (each nobleman would fear being the next House to be isolated and destroyed, and all might unite against the Emperor to prevent this). For this reason, the Emperor conceives of a devious conspiracy using the Atreides's ancient enemies, House Harkonnen, as a weapon against the Duke. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen willingly participates in the plot because of his personal hatred toward the Duke and his House and because he believes he will reap substantial gains in personal and familial power by serving the Emperor, potentially marrying his heir Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen to a Corrino daughter and placing him on the Imperial Throne.
The Emperor awards the Duke a fiefdom, previously held by the Harkonnens, on Arrakis, a desert planet which is the only source of the 'Spice.' Indeed the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit cannot function and exert power without spice — the Guild could not 'fold space' to navigate across immense distances in space, and the Bene Gesserit's powers of memory recall would be stunted. Civilization depends on the Spice, making it the most valuable commodity in the universe.
Despite their misgivings, the Atreides have no choice but to accept the honor and status accorded by this fiefdom, and must relocate to Arrakis. Unbeknownst to the Duke, the Emperor has enlisted the Harkonnens to attack the Atreides shortly after they are installed on Arrakis, under the pretext of their inter-House feud and the Harkonnen loss of Arrakis. They will be covertly aided in this attack by legions of Sardaukar dressed in the livery of House Harkonnen, so as to conceal the Emperor's hand in the destruction of Duke Atreides.
In addition to covert military assistance, the Harkonnen are aided by a traitor they have recruited in House Atreides. The Duke's only son, Paul Atreides, and Paul's mother, the Bene Gesserit Jessica, manage to flee into the desert to seek refuge among Arrakis's indigenous Fremen. Paul Atreides is able to harness the power of the Fremen by appearing to fulfill their religious prophecies while at the same time developing into the Kwisatz Haderach. With help of the Fremen, Paul launches a war to restore Atreides control over Arrakis, avenge the death of his father, assume the Imperial Throne, and become the most powerful man the universe has ever seen.
The Dune novels use a different calendar dating system than of present day Earth. Years are not based on the common era (BCE and CE), but before and after the formation of the Spacing Guild, measured as "Before Guild" and "After Guild" (BG and AG, respectively).
Using the information given by the Dune books, it is possible to determine how the dating system used in the novels corresponds to our own.
1. Butlerian Jihad
2. The 20th century
Dune begins in 10191 AG, so we simply add 10.191 to 13.200 together:
Thus, the year 10191 AG corresponds to the year 23.391 CE. That is, of course, assuming that the Dune chronology actually uses Earth years.
So there could be a maximum uncorrectness of about 400 years (we donôt know, when the Dune-Universe started using the "Standard" year)
Synopsis
Warning: Plot details follow. Please note the above background and definitions in "The Dune Universe."The dating system of Dune
Butlerian Jihad lasts "two cruel generations" Dune, Appendix II / V
201 - 108 BG
"Mankind's movement through deep space placed a unique stamp on religion during the one hundred and ten centuries that preceded the Butlerian Jihad. " Dune, Appendix II
~11.200 years
But Dune counts in Standard years:
"Taraza was momentarily abashed. This was an imposition. Teg was still a regal figure, tall and with that large head topped by gray hair. He was, she knew, four SY short of three hundred. Granting that the Standard Year was some twenty hours less than the so-called primitive year, it was still an impressive age with experiences in Bene Gesserit service that demanded that she respect him." CHoD ~Page 36Artistic works in the Dune universe
The original series
First Prequel
There is also a prequel trilogy to Dune, known as the Prelude to Dune. It was written by Brian Herbert (son of Frank) and Kevin J. Anderson and based in part on Frank Herbert's notes, found after his death. This trilogy is set in the years leading up to the events in Dune. Although highly unpopular with fans of the original series, these books have enjoyed commercial success, and have introduced the Dune universe to a new generation of fans. Critics of the Prelude to Dune series cite inconsistencies, plot and character liberties taken by the authors, and lack of comparable depth and quality to Frank Herbert's work.
Second Prequel
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson followed this with a second prequel trilogy called the Legends of Dune This trilogy is set at an earlier time of the history of the Dune universe when humans and sentient machines battle for supremacy.
Other artistic works based in the Dune universe
ISBN numbers
External links