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Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920 – February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel Dune
and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also
wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, photographer,
book reviewer, ecological consultant, and lecturer.
The Dune saga,
set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores
complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species,
human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.
Herbert began researching Dune in 1959. He was able to devote himself wholeheartedly to his writing career because his wife returned to work full-time as an advertising writer for department stores, becoming the breadwinner during the 1960s. The novel Dune was published in 1965, which spearheaded the Dune franchise. He later told Willis E. McNelly that the novel originated when he was assigned to write a magazine article about sand dunes in the Oregon Dunes near Florence, Oregon. He got overinvolved and ended up with far more raw material than needed for an article. The article was never written, but it planted the seed that led to Dune. Another significant source of inspiration for Dune was Herbert's experiences with psilocybin and his hobby of cultivating mushrooms, according to mycologist Paul Stamets's account.
Dune took six years of research and writing to complete and was much longer than other commercial science fiction of the time. Analog (the renamed Astounding, still edited by John W. Campbell) published it in two parts comprising eight installments, "Dune World" from December 1963 and "Prophet of Dune" in 1965. It was then rejected by nearly twenty book publishers. One editor prophetically wrote, "I might be making the mistake of the decade, but..."
Sterling E. Lanier, an editor of Chilton Book Company (known mainly for its auto-repair manuals) had read the Dune serials and offered a $7,500 advance plus future royalties for the rights to publish them as a hardcover book. Herbert rewrote much of his text. Dune was soon a critical success. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965 and shared the Hugo Award in 1966.1984 was a tumultuous year in Herbert's life. During this same year of his wife's death, his career took off with the release of David Lynch's film version of Dune. Despite high expectations, a big-budget production design and an A-list cast, the movie drew mostly poor reviews in the United States. However, despite a disappointing response in the US, the film was a critical and commercial success in Europe and Japan.
In 1985, after Beverly's death, Herbert married his former Putnam representative Theresa Shackleford. The same year he published Chapterhouse: Dune, which tied up many of the saga's story threads. This would be Herbert's final single work (the collection Eye was published that year, and Man of Two Worlds was published in 1986). He died of a massive pulmonary embolism while recovering from surgery for pancreatic cancer on February 11, 1986, in Madison, Wisconsin, age 65.Reviews
“This full-cast performance, augmented by sound effects and music, does justice to a classic of the science fiction genre…Euan Morton imbues Paul with an effective mix of vulnerability and conviction in his destiny…and others contribute to an engrossing presentation…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” - AudioFile
"Names of planets in Herbert’s Dune universe are now nomenclature for geographic features on Saturn’s moon Titan… the book …is so action-packed that it barely gives you a moment to stop and catch your breath.” - Paris Review
"A portrayal of an alien society more complete and deeply detailed than any other author in the field has managed...a story absorbing equally for its action and philosophical vistas ... An astonishing science fiction phenomenon." - The Washington Post
"Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious." - Robert A. Heinlein
"One of the modern monumants of science fiction. Stupendous!" - Chicago Tribune
“Unique...I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings." - Arthur C. Clarke
Audiobook on CD-ROM, complete with cover art on CD. Supplied in windowed CD sleeve, no case provided.
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