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justadrianareading 's review for:
The Great Dune Trilogy
by Frank Herbert
I'm so happy that the Dune trilogy renaissance is upon us because this is such brilliant books (and movies) that take on such heavy topics while interconnecting them with each other - mythology, religion, politics, imperialism, environmentalism, and nature of power - all while set in a beautifully constructed world.
This trilogy is set in a futuristic advanced world after the great war between Man and Machines, that eliminated all computers and prohibited the creation of "a machine in the likeness of a man's mind". At the center of the trilogy is a desert planet, Arrakis, and the secret desire of its inhabitants to transform its ecology, while the natives fight to preserve and maintain the ecological balance. The source of the galaxy's interest is Melange (spice) the most valuable substance in the universe, that grants one longevity and clairvoyant powers.
One of the most important themes of the trilogy is the interrelationships between the people and the environment, and the control religion exercises in vulnerable and hopeful people. The weight of these ideas is really all placed in the first volume, like humanity's return to medieval strategies, such as feudalism, the breeding program to create a Messiah-like figure who can guide humanity towards a peaceful future, and the replacement of computers with specialized people, averting technological advancement.
The following two novels encapsulate, completely, the themes set in the first novel, showing how inevitable it is the corruption of oneself by power and how religion and myth-making can sustain power when the world it lives in is surrounded by hopelessness and fear.
What makes this trilogy, not only brilliant but extremely enriching is the constant philosophical and moral debates that occur between characters, only made possible by the clear in-depth study that Frank Herbert did on human nature. Every single one of them is flawed, propelled only by their desires and needs, even when trying to be righteous.
Every fantasy and sci-fi novel reflects the place and time that created it. Dune reflects the environmental fear, the possibilities of human potential, the altered states of consciousness, the revolution against imperialism and the exploitation created by religion.
This trilogy is set in a futuristic advanced world after the great war between Man and Machines, that eliminated all computers and prohibited the creation of "a machine in the likeness of a man's mind". At the center of the trilogy is a desert planet, Arrakis, and the secret desire of its inhabitants to transform its ecology, while the natives fight to preserve and maintain the ecological balance. The source of the galaxy's interest is Melange (spice) the most valuable substance in the universe, that grants one longevity and clairvoyant powers.
One of the most important themes of the trilogy is the interrelationships between the people and the environment, and the control religion exercises in vulnerable and hopeful people. The weight of these ideas is really all placed in the first volume, like humanity's return to medieval strategies, such as feudalism, the breeding program to create a Messiah-like figure who can guide humanity towards a peaceful future, and the replacement of computers with specialized people, averting technological advancement.
The following two novels encapsulate, completely, the themes set in the first novel, showing how inevitable it is the corruption of oneself by power and how religion and myth-making can sustain power when the world it lives in is surrounded by hopelessness and fear.
What makes this trilogy, not only brilliant but extremely enriching is the constant philosophical and moral debates that occur between characters, only made possible by the clear in-depth study that Frank Herbert did on human nature. Every single one of them is flawed, propelled only by their desires and needs, even when trying to be righteous.
Every fantasy and sci-fi novel reflects the place and time that created it. Dune reflects the environmental fear, the possibilities of human potential, the altered states of consciousness, the revolution against imperialism and the exploitation created by religion.