“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”
The science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert is an exploration of many ideas in our real world. The storyline from a general perspective is genuinely simple: a royal teenage boy named Paul Atreides moves to a new planet with his family, where he fulfills his utmost potential and prophecy. Yet, underlying ideas beneath Dune come realms regarding government, economy and trade, religion and martyrs, and so much more. It is truly an exploration of the human idea and mind.
The world of Dune is a complex system that almost functions as a realistic society. The governing factions are by the ruling families, or houses, under one great emperor, such as the Atreides family and Harkonen family. The main economic system and trade among the members of the society is spice, a sort of drug, that is found in the planet of Arrakis in certain parts of the sand dunes. Among the spice lands are the mysterious native named Fremen who live in the seclusion of the sand dunes. In the drive for this coveted spice, factions fight for the good's worth, monetary value, and power over the spice harvest. Yet, spice is hard to find due to large monsters called sand worms that live and devour the land, and along with the search, the scarcity of water in the desert makes life a more hard task.
I read Dune over the summer (a while ago) on my trip to Korea. I finished half the book on the airplane going to South Korea, and finished while traveling on the trip. Although I usually do not enjoy science fiction novels, Dune really captured my attention. Many of the parts that drive the story are not scientific machines (machines are fully under the control of humans); it is driven by human action. The way the trade and the tensions regarding the spice trade intertwined with the scarcity of water drove the conflicts between Arrakis people and the interactions between the houses as a whole. The question of what method of governance is present and the most effective based on the differences between the Atreides family and the Haroken family. The religious affirmations of Paul Atreides and his mother and how his figure as a saint and religious figure is hopeful but also dangerous in the accumulation of power. In honesty, Dune feels more of a book of the human condition under , only dressed in intergalactic travel. I cannot explain my joy for this book more than anything.
Although this may seem more of a side note, I fully enjoyed the most recent movie as well. Many of the deep meanings in the novel were slightly less focused upon, but I still appreciated the movie in a different way. The details in the clothing, the setting, the colors, and the actors played perfectly into the storyline. The imaginative and the interpretation of the storyline impressed me because the images of the machinery, the sandworms, and the other components seemed so unique but also so right.
Overall, I would recommend the book to anyone who is willing to digest it. It is a large book, so it may not be pleasing for those who do not want to know their details, but it is my favorite book and I hope others will also find the beauty in it.
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