THE MAKER OF DUNE

by Frank Herbert ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1987

A Herbert (1920-86) miscellany, comprising essays, introductions, liner notes, interviews, journalism, and letters. One section, per the title, deals with the origins of the Dune books, as Herbert discusses superheroes and planetary ecology; one intriguing sidelight is provided by a letter from John W. Campbell (then editor of Analog, where Dune first appeared as a serial) and Herbert's reply. Although Campbell liked Dune, he rejected the sequel, Dune Messiah, when deep disagreements arose concerning what the Dune saga was about and where it was headed. Elsewhere, interviews reveal an introspective, even nostalgic side of Herbert (boyhood reminiscences, deer hunting, the Olympic peninsula). The journalistic pieces range from discussions of poetry and laments on the disappearance of the shipwright's art to overpopulation, pollution, and UFOs. The essays, alas, reveal the author at his most uncompromisingly didactic; his main points--ecology, raised consciousness, hierarchies, the nature of sanity, messianism--tend to get caught in the gears of Herbert's dense, clotted, sometimes impenetrable prose. The message gets across, eventually, but it takes considerable effort to hang in long enough. A volume that Herbert fanatics will snap up. More eclectic readers will find it a useful companion, but they won't forget that Herbert's genius resides in his novels, not his non-fiction.

Pub Date: May 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Berkley

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION