Illuminating commentary
If you’ve never read Dune, this handsome Folio Society edition, enhanced by the haunting artwork of Sam Weber, will introduce you to one of modern literature’s most exciting and unforgettable books.
- Michael Dirda
Beautifully presented, the commentary opens with the four appendices and the Terminology of the Imperium. These are followed by an essay by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Michael Dirda, influential advocate of science-fiction as serious literature. In the construction of Dune, Herbert drew on a range of influences both literary and scientific, from the origin story of the Abrahamic desert religions and T. E. Lawrence’s Bedouin desert revolt, to cutting-edge terraforming techniques and the burgeoning environmentalist movement. Dirda’s essay examines both the origins of Herbert’s unlikely success and the hidden depths of his ‘grand operatic vision’. On the surface Dune is a classic adventure story, but soon Herbert strikes a darker vein, exploring the terrors of prescribed destiny and the problematic notion of hero-making. Dune is a compelling dissection of literature’s, and humanity’s, mania with the godlike ‘hero’ – as Paul’s friends become worshippers and his family become idols, the thin line between god, liberator and oppressor is increasingly indistinct.
Also included is an illuminating afterword by Brian Herbert, son of the author, who has penned a number of best-selling novels that expand the Dune universe. Together these pieces, included as the introduction and afterword to Folio’s collector’s edition, add greatly to the appreciation of this science-fiction classic. The stunning map, formerly printed on the endpapers, has been redrawn by Sam Weber. Presented as a separate piece for the limited edition, it nestles in a specially designed pocket on the inside front cover to complete the commentary volume.