If only the convoluted politics of contemporary America were as brutal and underhanded as Dune’s.
The release of the Star Wars prequel, Episode One: the Phantom Menace, made 1999 a milestone year. It gave the drooling masses another journey into a loved, fantastic and long-missed world. The universe of the Empire and Rebellion held together by the mysterious force has continued to enchant fans since its birth in the late ’70s. Frank Herbert’s Dune, however, snared fans more than a decade before.
In 1965, Dune was released and became a science fiction classic. Herbert created a deep, multilayered universe of warring houses and ruthless politics and mind-blowing technologies. Far beyond the history of Earth, man has conquered the stars, computers are outlawed and the galaxy is dependent on the chemical miracle of the spice melange. Found on only on the planet Arrakis, the spice allows great interstellar distances to be crossed, prolongs life and enhances the mind. Arrakis, a harsh desert world, is the center of the known universe and the focal point of an age-old galactic power struggle. The Fremen, native inhabitants of the planet who refer to their home as Dune, await a legendary hero to come, turning away the ruthless spice barons and making the planet lush and habitable.
Through six novels, Hebert crafted political intrigue, religion and high technology into a science-fiction epic. The Dune series embraced the concepts of honor over treachery, good over evil and the concept that hope conquers all.
Herbert’s son, Brian, and fellow sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson have come forward to continue the tradition of Dune with a trilogy of prequel novels. Dune: House Attreides, House Harkonnen and House Corrino. The series sets the stage for Dune, delving into the early lives of young Leto Attreides, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and one-day emperor of the known universe, Shaddam Corrino IV. Herbert and Anderson elaborate on past events only hinted at in the original series. They give background to the future events previously chronicled by the elder Hebert, based on the original author’s extensive outlines, journals and brainstorming sessions with son Brian.
House Attreides begins the trilogy, chronicling the rise to power of Shaddam IV along with the coming of age of young Leto Attreides. Shaddam plots to win the throne of his father, Elrood IX, while a conspiracy will bring tragedy to Leto’s world. Introduced is a young and physically perfect Baron Harkonnen, very different from the obese man (or the “floating fat man,” as he is in the movie) seen later, and young Duncan Idaho, pivotal character in the later novels, who escapes from Harkonnen hunters.
House Harkonnen continues the series with the origins of hero Gurney Halleck and heroine Jessica, who will later give birth to Dune’s messianic protagonist, Muad’Dib. The trilogy will conclude with the release of House Corrino in October of 2001.
The prequels remain true to the Dune mythos, in form as well as content. The young Herbert and Anderson’s style reads very closely to that of the elder Herbert. The depth and detail of content holds true to the high standard of the original with an almost fanatic reverence.
In contrast, though, the prequels are a brighter period in the known universe. Like The Phantom Menace, they are the calm before the storm; the reader knows of the dark times that lay ahead.
The trilogy is sure to satisfy the 10 million readers of the original Dune, chronicling the lives of characters who will become historical figures in the earlier series. Herbert and Anderson will continue to explore the history of Dune with a later series focusing on the Butlerian Jihad, the epic struggle of man versus machine only hinted at in the original novels. Also in the works is a proposed sequel, a grand finale, to the final Frank Herbert Dune novel, Chapterhouse: Dune, based on the author’s original outline.
Fans may also remember the cinematic failure that was David Lynch’s film version of Dune that premiered in the early ’80s. It stank. The movie was a travesty that ignored many aspects of the Dune mythos and failed to properly execute those they held true to. The Sci-Fi Channel is giving Dune fans a second chance to see their favorite character come to life. Expect a big-budget miniseries to be broadcast on the cable outlet next month. Frank Herbert’s Dune will be a three-part, six-hour miniseries adapted from the original novel.