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A review by richardbakare
Dune by Frank Herbert
5.0
I am so torn by Dune. A sprawling space saga that artfully weaves religion, love, war, death, politics, and fantasy. That are some aspects that have not aged well, at least for me. I could do without the heavily patriarchal tone and the white savior narrative. Aside from those modern resentments, the story is gripping and perplexing at the same time. With every page I am either unable to pull away or reluctant to turn the page in fearful anticipation of of doom played out on the following pages.
I see now why Frank Herbert’s magnum opus is celebrated as one of the cornerstone’s of Science Fiction. A story as old as time of betrayal, conflict, love, and triumph is given new life by the setting that becomes a character in it’s own way. The thread of a unforgiving landscape that bends all to it’s will, pairs nicely with the fire of destiny that will not be tamped down of Paul’s journey to becoming the legend Maud’Dib. It is easier to see how this pairing of space, destiny, mystical powers, and lineage could inspire so many pop-culture films and works that came after it.
I said I was torn by Dune, because it is truly a great story, and well written. But all the while, something felt missing or there was a desire to pull it forward. In my own mind rewriting plot lines and characters to fit a modern lens. Science fiction for me has always been a carnival house mirror reflecting the failings and potential pitfalls of current man as represented in his future. In Dune, the one relevant judgment on current man that I find most concurrent with today, is the danger of fervent religious fanaticism. Herbert was spot on in waning that “When religion and politics ride the same cart, “the riders believe nothing can stand in their way.”
I see now why Frank Herbert’s magnum opus is celebrated as one of the cornerstone’s of Science Fiction. A story as old as time of betrayal, conflict, love, and triumph is given new life by the setting that becomes a character in it’s own way. The thread of a unforgiving landscape that bends all to it’s will, pairs nicely with the fire of destiny that will not be tamped down of Paul’s journey to becoming the legend Maud’Dib. It is easier to see how this pairing of space, destiny, mystical powers, and lineage could inspire so many pop-culture films and works that came after it.
I said I was torn by Dune, because it is truly a great story, and well written. But all the while, something felt missing or there was a desire to pull it forward. In my own mind rewriting plot lines and characters to fit a modern lens. Science fiction for me has always been a carnival house mirror reflecting the failings and potential pitfalls of current man as represented in his future. In Dune, the one relevant judgment on current man that I find most concurrent with today, is the danger of fervent religious fanaticism. Herbert was spot on in waning that “When religion and politics ride the same cart, “the riders believe nothing can stand in their way.”