SUMMER BONUS: Dune by Frank Herbert (5)

 Dune has been a book that was on my reading list for quite some time, and with the summer finally upon us along with the opportunity given by this class I decided it was time. What really surprised me with this book is the entire world building and storyline. In fact, throughout the book, I didn’t really feel I was reading a science fiction work, I felt that the entire story seemed to follow some guidelines of the fantasy genre. 


    In fact, I have read my fair share of fantasy novels, especially the ones written by David Gemmel. Within the fantasy genre we often tend to see themes of power directly associated with religion within feudal societies; and quite surprisingly, religion was all the more present in Dune. As shown through Leto’s rank of Duke, the Baron Harkonnen and most importantly, the Bene gesserit, which for millennia have been silently guiding society to enlightenment. Additionally, Paul seems to be the perfect example of a messiah as he’s always considered as the man destined to cause great change. Even from page 16, the Reverend mother Mohiam suspects he is the ‘chosen one’, as shown in: “And if he’s really the Kwisatz Haderach”. This religious influence is atypical from science fiction as we usually see religions dissolve in futuristic works.


    In continuation, fantasy is often accompanied by magic which, through the Bene Gesserit, can be seen quite clearly as they have devoted their lives to the development of their abilities through training such as the Prana-bindu. What’s more, albeit being more subtle, it is not uncommon to see an item being the catalyst to one’s power, or rather the source of their strength. This can also be seen through the drug “melange” which allows them to increase the potency of their abilities.


    In conclusion, while I mentioned the presence of magic, what truly surprised me most is without a doubt, the importance of religion in his piece of work. Compared to other science fiction works at the time, Dune was truly different in its depiction of the evolution of religion in the future, which makes me wonder whether Herbert was himself religious or at least curious.

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