I first picked up Frank Herbert’s Dune for two reasons. Growing up in Rajasthan, I was fascinated with the rolling sand dunes that one finds in certain parts of the state. The cover of the old edition featured rolling sand dunes. Then, on the back of the book, I met the Muad’Dib. Now if ever there was a tasty word, this was it. It rolled off my tongue and I knew I had to buy the book.
The rest is history. I was fascinated with the amazing life history of the author and the dozen ideas he came up with for the book, all of which have dollops of the ‘ooh-wow’ factor. My friends avoid the bookshelf where the Dune books are arranged for fear of inviting a murderous attack loosely based on the unarmed combat style described in the book. And, earthworms are another issue. The book, set on Arrakis — a desert planet, with gigantic worms that move in the sand.
It is here that we first meet a young Paul Atreides, who will grow to become the mysterious and powerful man known only as the Muad’Dib. Science fiction combines with mythology and genetic manipulation meets political manoeuvring as the story unfolds over the six books that make up the classic Dune series.
As you read it, you will feel the sand grind between your teeth and you will feel the earth shake as powerful worms pass underneath. You will flail for breath as you try to emerge from the world that Frank Herbert transports you to. And every time you visit a desert, you will search the horizons for a lone man riding a giant worm.