Dune at 50: Dune Gets Real

The Science of Dune, by Kevin R. Grazier
Lurk your way through any Dune fan forum and you’ll find all sorts of discussions about the nature of prescience and the reality of folding space. The concepts fit all nice and tidy in Dune, but what about our boring Tleilaxu-less world? Working out the in-universe intricacies is part of what sci-fi fandom is all about, but another, geekier part is trying to fit those intricacies into real life. That’s where The Science of Dune steps in, collecting essays from scientists with unique insights on the reality of things like stillsuits, long distance space travel, melange, other memories, and more. Don’t worry, it’s written for the layman; all that’s required is an unquenchable thirst for Dune, and you’re in.

Dune and Philosophy: Weirding Way of the Mentat, by Jeffery Nicholas
Pretty much nobody talks about philosophy these days, mainly because you can’t condense mankind’s greatest thinkers into a clever tweet. The fact that Dune and Philosophy: Weirding Way of the Mentat exists, then, is something of a minor miracle. The book takes a step back and examines the philosophical underpinnings of the series and its setting. Over a dozen essays focus on aspects of ecology, politics, ethics, heroism, and more, written by philosophers, professors, and generally clever people with seriously deep insights. If you really want to nerd out on Dune, this is the way to do it.

The Road to Dune, by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Frank Herbert
If you think of Dune-the-novel as a film, The Road to Dune would be the second DVD of bonus material. It’s stuffed to the catchpockets with unpublished chapters, short stories set in the Dune universe, correspondence letters written by Frank Herbert before the book’s publication, and the original newspaper article that inspired the book’s ecological themes. Possibly even more exciting than that is Spice Planet, a novelette written by Brian Herbert and Kevein J. Anderson based on outlines by Herbert-the-elder. The tale is strikingly similar to Dune, though some of the key details sound like they were ripped from a parallel universe drunk on a little too much spice beer. For example, what do you think about Jesse Linkam from the planet Catalan going up against House Hoskanner? I’m squirming in my chair just looking at all those proper nouns.

Dreamer of Dune, by Brian Herbert
If The Road to Dune is the DVD of extras, Dreamer of Dune is the glorious making-of documentary. This book collects information about Frank Herbert’s life leading up to Dune‘s publication. Everything from his time in the Navy, to living in poverty while he struggled to get his magnum opus down on paper, all written by someone who actually knows this stuff: Frank’s eldest son Brian. Surprisingly poignant for a biography about someone who’s “just” an author, but hey, the guy did create a character that enslaved all of mankind for thousands of years. That’s gotta count for something.
We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dune throughout 2015. View the complete article series here.