The Publisher Says: Some writers build worlds. Others birth entire universes.

In the decades since its publication, Frank Herbert’s Dune has become arguably the best-selling and certainly the best-known science fiction novel ever written. So how did an ex-Navy newspaperman from Washington State come to write such a world-conquering novel? And how was he able to pack it with so many layers of myth and meaning?

Herbert’s boundless imagination was sparked by a dizzying array of ideas, from classical history to cutting-edge science, from environmentalism to Zen philosophy, and from Arabic texts to Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Beginning on Arrakis and going planet by planet, The Worlds of Dune offers a supremely deep dive into Herbert's universe—detailing along the way the many diverse strands that he wove into his epic creation to offer a visually rich accompaniment to this sci-fi legend.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Glorious illustrated companion to the Duneiverse was published in October 2023 to coincide with the pre-WGA/SAG strikes release of Dune Part Two. Now scheduled for release on 1 March 2024 in the US (per IMDb), the companion film to 2021's gorgeous Dune means we can finally show the marketing case for a beautiful, informative arty book about how Frank Herbert came up with the ideas, and examined the cultures, that he based his utterly engrossing work on.

Take a gander at this table of contents...the in-book design's beautiful to my eye, the clarity of information presentation is usable, and the synopsis is amply supported by the part and chapter titles:

Part One: ARRAKIS

Chapter One Desert Planet

Chapter Two The Fremen

Chapter Three The Spice

Part Two: CALADAN

Chapter Four House Atreides

Chapter Five Paul Muad'dib

Chapter Six Lady Jessica and the Bene Gesserit

Part Three: GIEDI PRIME

Chapter Seven House Harkonnen

Chapter Eight Piter De Vries and the Mentats

Chapter Nine The CHOAM Corporation

Part Four: KAITAN

Chapter Ten House Corrino and the Padishah Emperor

Chapter Eleven The Landsraad

Chapter Twelve The Spacing Guild

An introduction to Herbert's life whizzes along in just over ten pages, and there are the usual things in the back matter: An Epilogue, notes, credits, sources, etc.

This is not a long book, nor is it a scholarly evaluation of Dune in all its genre glory. This is a book for the aficionado of the world of to have for their display and their aesthetic pleasure. It will not elucidate matters of great debate within the Duneiverse, nor will it enlighten most long-time fans about most matters around the creation of the Duneiverse in print or on screens. The point of it is to make the reality of the great work beautiful and ready to seduce the eyes:

A gift to give that shows you listened, a gift to yourself if you're a genre fan, a beautiful object to have and enjoy. ( )

The Worlds of Dune by Tom Huddleston takes a detailed and fun look at the various influences that went into Frank Herbert's world (universe) making.

This volume is both an attractive volume and rich in the small elements that made the worlds of Dune seem so fully formed. Huddleston doesn't simply point out the influences, whether religious, cultural, or literary, but offers insight into how Herbert did more than borrow ideas, he engaged with them and by extension forced the reader to also engage.

Dune is one of those novels (and to a lesser extent, for me, the other novels) that will be different for the reader each time through it. My first-time reading Dune was junior high school, the early 70s, when this along with Tolkien and a few Bradbury and Asimov novels were required reading. It was mostly just amazing, what deeper thoughts might have hit me were barely, if at all, understood. Every rereading since has brought new insight into both the novel(s) and myself. This volume gives some background into many of those things that sparked fascination as well as consideration.

I don't think this would be an introduction for readers who haven't read or watched Dune, too many allusions to what happened and which characters reflect certain influences. This would, however, be ideal for someone who has just finished the novel(s) and is curious about what could possibly have contributed to such a realistic fictional world. And, of course, those who have been reading Herbert for half a century will both revisit things they knew and learn a lot of new tidbits. All in all a fun and informative read.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )