dunePlanet hacking—in the era of climate change? Who knows? But when it comes to eco issues in sci-fi, Frank Herbert went there fifty years ago with the publication of Dune.

A new Guardian article reflects on the importance of the book. Excerpt:

“Though Dune won the Nebula and Hugo awards, the two most prestigious science fiction prizes, it was not an overnight commercial success. Its fanbase built through the 60s and 70s, circulating in squats, communes, labs and studios, anywhere where the idea of global transformation seemed attractive. Fifty years later it is considered by many to be the greatest novel in the SF canon, and has sold in millions around the world.”

Dune, of course, is about a lot more than eco-related issues. Love or hate Herbert’s work? Why? And what do you think of the Guardian piece?

1 COMMENT

  1. Dune was and is a remarkable book. Indeed, it is one of the few Science Fiction novels I have read that were written before the 1980s that doesn’t feel dated to me. Herbert, by cleverly taking computers out his world, allowed it to avoid the problems that most other writers of the period.

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