Herbert, Frank (1920-1986)
Science fiction writer Frank Herbert is ranked among such well-respected authors of imaginary worlds as J. R. R.Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Isaac Asimov. Though he wrote more than twenty novels and several short stories, his fame islinked to his "Dune Chronicles." His first book in the series,
Dune
(1965), won the first-ever Nebula award and shareda Hugo award for best novel. Although initially rejected by twenty publishers, the book became the best-selling sciencefiction book in history, with more than twelve million copies sold. By the end of the twentieth century the book had notyet gone out of print. Intended as the beginning of a trilogy,
Dune
instead spawned five sequels, with a sixth left unfin-ished at the time of Herbert's death in 1986.
Dune
was made into a major motion picture in 1984. The series, set on the planet of Arrakis, or Dune, follows the history of the Atreides family over thousands of years. The "Dune" saga is con-sidered one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written.Born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1920, Frank Patrick Herbert possessed a wide-ranging mind. He attended the Uni-versity of Washington for a year in 1946 before becoming a reporter. He worked as a reporter and editor of west coastnewspapers, including the
Glendale Star
(California), the
Oregon Statesman,
the
Seattle Star,
and the San FranciscoExaminer
,
between 1939 and 1969, and later an educational writer for the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
from 1969 to 1972.With the success of
Dune
in 1965, however, Herbert was able devote his attention to his novel writing. But he did con-tinue to lecture and act as a social and ecological consultant.A strong believer in self-reliance and ecological harmony, Herbert generated his own energy on his small farm withsolar heating, methane gas from chicken dung, and wind power (from animproved windmill design for which he wasawarded a U.S. patent). Herbert wove many of his ecological ideas into all his novels. Throughout his work Herbert provides his readers with complex adventure plots and probing questions about the cosmos, human nature, and society.
Dune
is a work of extraordinary complexity, telling the story of the desert planet Arrakis and its inhabitants. Set 25 cen-turies in the future, the novel introduces a universe that is controlled by two opposing political powers, the Imperiumand the Great Houses. The interstellar civilization is a precarious balance between the political, military, and economicforces of the largest powers as well as the disruptive smaller independent organizations, including the Spacing Guild(which has a monopoly on interplanetary travel), the Bene Gesserit order, the massive CHOAM trading company, andthe Bene Tleilax. The story is a remarkable metaphor of late twentieth-century American society with the blending and balancing of political, economic forces with religious, cultural, and business interests—and of course the ever present, but largely ignored, ecological phenomena.
Dune
successfully created the most complete and detailed imaginary worldever before written.The success of
Dune
was a turning point in science fiction publishing. The book's popularity broadened the audience of science fiction. It also "paved the way for large advances, bigger printings, best-seller status, and heavy subsidiary salesfor many other writers," according to Willis E. McNelly. The ecological thinking examined in
Dune
made it a collegecampus cult classic, in fashion with J. R. R. Tolkien's
Lord of the Rings
or the original Star Trek series. The attentiondirected toward
Dune
in the 1970s and 1980s was in many ways the predecessor of the type of fandom that sprang uparound
The X-Files
in the 1990s. Many young people strived to become more ecologically minded, patterning them-selves after Herbert's character Liet Kynes, the planetary ecologist, who was aware of and concerned with the con-sequences of human actions on the environment. The novel also attracted those interested in the effects of drugs on be-havior. The book discussed a substance called spice, which increased awareness and cerebral functions and allowedMentats (human computers) to pursue their vocation in a world that has banned thinking machines. Users of controlledsubstances claimed many of the same effects as those discussed in
Dune.
Although illegal, hallucinogens called "smartdrugs" were used in areas of California to aid complex problem solving and another street drug, named "ecstasy," re- portedly improved sexual awareness and pleasure.Despite the intense interest in turning
Dune
into a movie, a script written by David Lynch, and a 40-to 50-million dollar budget, the resultant film flopped in 1984. But the disappointing film did not damage the cult-like interest in Herbert'soriginal material. By the late 1990s, New Amsterdam Entertainment (NAE) announced that, in cooperation with ABCand The Sci-Fi Channel, it would produce a six-hour miniseries adaptation of
Dune
(although the future of this series isuncertain).Herbert's "Dune Chronicles" inspired several popular musicians. Iron Maiden, a heavy metal band, performed whatthey called a Dune song, "To Tame a Land," on their 1983
Piece of Mind
album. The Blind Guardian released a Dune
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Herbert really cared about the environment and science. The popular culture aspect that Dune permeated is most edifying coverage.