For Frank Herbert, The Dune Novels Weren't Just Epic — They Were Personal
Frank Herbert explored his history and interests in writing his seminal Dune novels.
Both installments of director Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise have been box-office hits. It's not surprising that each release caused a spike in sales of the novel Dune by Frank Herbert, on which both films are based. Many people who seek out the original book won't be looking for anything all that different from, say, the experience of revisiting one of the previous cinematic adaptations of the science fiction franchise. That is, one more telling of the tale of the Fremen of the planet Arrakis, and of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). But Dune has inspired passionate (to say the least) fans for decades, and some will want more than just another telling. They'll want to know what this book meant to Herbert, its author, and how the story of Dune was born. Luckily, this is a pretty exciting time to take up an interest in what Dune meant to Frank Herbert, personally. Alongside the release of Dune and Dune: Part Two, new research into Herbert's past has added a lot of intriguing new theories as to what may have motivated his writing.
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