seven things to know about the titanic work of Frank Herbert (to show off in the evening)

On the occasion of the release of the film “Dune: second part” by Denis Villeneuve, a look back at an extraordinary literary work that is difficult to summarize. Franck Herbert has created an original, complex universe with infinite ramifications. Be careful, “disclosure” guaranteed.

Ecology, artificial intelligence, despotism, eugenics, religion… The writer has taken up many subjects in his cycle. His novel Dune, shunned by publishers, was finally published in 1965 by… a publishing house specializing in automobile promotion and repair manuals, Chilton Books. The same year, the book won the Nebula Prize for best novel, then the Hugo Prize the following year. Seven keys to (trying to) understand the work that definitively marked science fiction.

1Where does the title Dune come from?

Dune, or Arrakis, is the planet on which the story takes place. A vast desert beaten by violent winds, it is the only place where the Spice is found. Only the Fremen lived there, before the discovery of the geriatric spice. Spice is essential for navigation. She is the oil of the 10,000s, after the founding of the Space Guild. Even more important than oil. Without it, there is no spatial navigation or prescience. He who holds the Spice, holds the power. The Fremen were reduced almost to slavery by the Harkonnen, before the arrival of the Atreides, one of the great families of the Imperium. For history, Dune also comes from the largest expanse of coastal sand in the United States, the Oregon Dunes. The young journalist Frank Herbert, fascinated by the water-saving grasses that fix the dunes, goes there for a report which he quickly forgets to devote himself to literature and imagine a universe governed by ecology.

2Why ecology?

Ecology is very present in the saga Dune, mainly in the early works. How to survive in an inhospitable environment? The Fremen develop ingenious means of survival to tame nature and live with it: distillates to collect water, hammerers to call the impressive sandworms, source of the Spice, and ride them, etc. More than anything, the Fremen have faith in the future. They are convinced that they can transform the desert into a lush, water-filled paradise. Guided by a planetologist, Liet Kynes, father of Chani in the novel, a role played by a woman in Denis Villeneuve’s film, they await their “Mahdi” (messiah in Arabic) to free themselves and complete their dream, a long-term fight. We will later understand where this belief in a savior comes from and how religions are born.

3Who are the Bene Gesserit?

They are the power behind the powers, they are on the periphery, but at the center of decisions. With them, girl power reigns, a gynocracy, a political system in which men occupy subordinate and well-defined positions. In their genetic program, Lady Jessica was to give birth to a girl. By choosing to give birth to a boy, Paul’s mother, herself a reverend mother, upsets centuries of preparation. In the first volumes of the saga, they are not very present. We especially see Lady Jessica and Gaius Helen Mohiam, Reverend Superior, using her two gifts: the Voice, which allows us to annihilate all will of the adversary and lead him to total obedience, and that of Truth Teller to whom we cannot lie. The Witches, so called by their adversaries, develop superhuman physical abilities, remain resolutely focused on the genetic program and… create religions which they implement with great patience. Later in the saga, they will take power in broad daylight to govern the entire known universe.

4Butlerian Jihad or total war against Artificial Intelligence

“Thou shalt not make a machine of the mind of the like man,” the law is final. It dates back 10,000 years before Dune. Unlike Asimov, Frank Herbert’s robots do not watch over the well-being of humanity, but methodically work to exterminate it. Why Butlerian Jihad? Frank Herbert does not define it in his works. We understand that this is a decisive step in the history of humanity, without other details. His son, Brian Herbert, and writer Kevin J. Anderson devote a lot of space to him in their prequel Dune, the genesis. The authors trace the Great Revolt of humans against machines to the assassination of Serena Butler’s son by the robot Erasmus. Serena then launches a holy war, jihad, against the robots. His cry will be echoed throughout the universe. Humans succeed in putting an end to the supremacy of thinking machines.

5God-Emperor

The pre-Dune universe is governed by a feudal system, with Emperor Padishah Shaddam IV at its head, the head of House Corrino, who relies on the Sardaukar, formidable elite troops. He must deal with the Landsraad, the assembly of the noble Houses of the Imperium. By defeating the emperor, Paul Atreides launches his troops into a galactic jihad and in turn establishes an authoritarian regime. The pinnacle of tyranny will be reached by his son Leto II who gains the status of God-Emperor by becoming a worm. All opposition is banned. From an enlightened despot, he transformed into an inflexible dictator. His 3,500 year reign was one of forced peace and great stagnation. If his father Paul used the Fremen to establish his power, Leto II made them beggars, living on reserves, just fit to be exhibited in front of tourists. Leto II prefers folklore to culture. He kills historians to impose his own vision.

6How many books are in the Dune saga?

In twenty years, from 1965 to 1985, Frank Herbert wrote six books (Dune, The God-Emperor of Dune, The Messiah of Dune, Children of Dune, The Heretics of Dune And The Mothers’ House). After having been the nerve center of the world, the planet Dune retains its special status because of the Spice, but loses all political ambition. With The Mothers’ House, Frank Herbert closes a fantastic saga by handing over the keys to the universe to the Witches of the Bene Gesserit while giving a glimpse of a possible evolution of the human species. His son, Brian Herbert, and SF author Kevin J. Anderson will add to the saga with nearly twenty books, drawing on notes from Frank Herbert, who died in 1986.

7How many times has the book been adapted for the screen?

There are two versions of Dune on the big screen, and many failed attempts. The first, a real industrial accident, was signed by David Lynch in 1984. Aged 36, the filmmaker had just finished Elephant Man. His film was panned by critics and shunned by the public. The filmmaker claims not to have had the final cut (final edit), which would partly explain the commercial failure of the feature film. The second adaptation, a critical and public success, is the work of Denis Villeneuve. The Canadian director plans to close his adaptation with The Messiah of Dune. For television, the first series with William Hurt and Alec Newman, directed by John Harrison, dates back to the year 2000. It is very faithful to Frank Herbert’s book. Three years later, Children of Dune, starring Susan Sarandon, was adapted for SCI Fi Channel, a miniseries that won an Emmy Award for Best Special Effects. The American channel HBO is currently producing The Prophecy of Dune.