Dune

What is Frank Herbert Dune's difference from all other "just science fiction" stories? Well, to start off with, Dune is a complex work of art, where politics, religion, ecology, philosophy all mix up with SF. In the heart of this mixing lies the old Bene Gesserit theory, that a tripod is the most unstable state of power.

Power in Duniverse is divided between three main groups: The Emperor, who commands the Sardaukar, legions of fanatic fighters whose abilities cannot be matched by any other army in the universe(until the time the Fremen appear at least), the Counsil of Landsraad, where gather the Great Houses, and the Guild, an organization constituted of navigators who have built up a a monopoly in space journeys.

Should any of the three corners of power in this triangle ollapse, the known universe would also fall into anarchy. If the Guild fell, there would be no interstellar journeys, thus resulting in the Houses being condemned to live on their own planetary systems with no links between them. If the Landsraad council stopped functioning, then there would be nothing to stop the emperor from exterminating the Houses and dominating their planets one by one, using his powerful Sardaukar. And if the Emperor fell, then noone could establish a certainty that "the spice would flow".

Besides this tripod of power, we sdould mention the important role of the Bene Gesserit mental school, founded after the Batleriad Jihad, which carried for centuries a human breeding program.

More pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

If you have found Frank Herbert's book compelling we suggest you give a try either Dune 2000 by Westwood studios or Emperor Batlle for Dune. The Dune movie by David Lynch is not one of our mostly prefered, however it is an absolute must to fanatics!