Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert in Dune Fanatics

Mar 06, 2012 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography

This is an essential read for anyone interested in the Dune series. I loved reading about Frank Herbert's evolution as both a writer and a person. Brian Herbert does an impressive job by writing about his father truthfully, examining both his strengths and weakness.

One paradox within Frank's character was how brilliant and gregarious he was with adults and yet was a vicious harbinger of discipline with his sons (Brian and Bruce). He went to great lengths to help his friends and was possibly the This is an essential read for anyone interested in the Dune series. I loved reading about Frank Herbert's evolution as both a writer and a person. Brian Herbert does an impressive job by writing about his father truthfully, examining both his strengths and weakness.

One paradox within Frank's character was how brilliant and gregarious he was with adults and yet was a vicious harbinger of discipline with his sons (Brian and Bruce). He went to great lengths to help his friends and was possibly the most faithful, loving, and devoted husband I have ever read about; yet, he would strap his children to a lie detector test when they misbehaved, spanked them, yelled at them, and never showed them any love until their adulthood. At first, I was disturbed to read about this tragic, cruel flaw in his character; by the end, I really admired and respected Frank as a person. He did change once his children grew up, and eventually he and Brian became the closest of friends. I actually cried reading a few places where Brian finally challenged Frank (as an adult) about the cruelty inflicted on him and his brother: Frank was unable to respond, and in one case shut himself in his room and sobbed over his failures. I admired Frank Herbert for coming to grips with his treatment of his sons and at least trying to compensate. At least, compensate where Brian was concerned.

I was not sure about how I was supposed to feel about Bruce, Frank's younger son who was also gay. Apparently, Frank could never accept this fact, nor could the rest of the Herbert family, and as a result, Frank and Bruce never fully reconciled. Unfortunately, Brian provides little details about his brother. He mentions how Bruce never truly stood up to his dad and gives a small amount of space to his drug use, but there is so much we never learn about him--the most startling fact being that Bruce died of AIDS ten years before this book was published! I do not know if his family always saw Bruce as an embarrassment or if Brian just wanted to protect his brother's privacy and legacy. It seems it could be a combination as we learn about how unhappy he was, but Brian makes it very clear he himself as well as his sister, mother, wife, and father, were not happy that Bruce was gay. I do not intend to make any assertions, but I came away from the book feeling Frank's prejudices left a residual effect on Brian, an effect of which I am not even sure he is aware. It reminded me a bit of when I listened to a recent interview with Richard Carpenter (Karen Carpenter's brother), who still did not seem to understand eating disorders. Some may find this irritating or selfish, but to me it was heartbreaking (both Richard Carpenter and Brian Herbert). I kept wanting to know more about how Bruce or Penny (Frank's daughter from his first marriage) related to their dad, but the book is mostly about Brian's experiences. Again, I really think this had to do with Brian's wanting to protect his siblings' privacy and not egotism, as some reviewers have alleged.

Honestly, this book provided so much insight into Dune, especially in regard to father-son relationships and the novel's treatment of gender. Herbert's wife Beverly, undoubtedly his soul mate, was the inspiration for Lady Jessica, which illustrates how he thought of her: beautiful, wise, prescient, sensitive, and, above all, completely devoted to her duke and son. What struck me was the on-going theme of father-son connections that completely contradicts his relationship with his own sons--at least on the surface. Frank's relationship with his own father was distant at best. Both of his parents were alcoholics in the 1920s, causing Frank at a very young age to completely fend for himself. I do not think he resented his parents for this, but there is an absence of love that undoubtedly affected his treatment of Brian and Bruce.

This theme carries through at least the first three Dune books, in which we see sons worshiping their absent fathers, almost revering the idea of them more than their actual personalities. In Dune, we see Paul revering his father, Duke Leto Atreides in spite of the fact that his mother and trainers were really the ones who raised him; in Dune Messiah we see Paul become a father, but leave (I won't say how to avoid spoilers!) when his twins, Leto II and Ghanima, are born; in Children of Dune, Leto has at best a subconscious relationship with his father--he relates to him through his collective memory. I think this springs from his own relationship with his dad and, perhaps, the way he viewed himself as a father. It is impossible to be certain, but I'm sure there is something to this. The paradox of this, though, is that he could imagine loving fathers and loyal sons, but he could not give this to his own children, mainly the boys. This, too, broke my heart for the whole family, and it provided a clearer prism through which to understand Dune and Frank Herbert.

There is so, so much more to discuss about this book, mostly because Frank himself was such a complex personality. I'll just leave with this thought: if you are at least mildly interested in Dune, then you have to read this book. ...more

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