Frank Herbert |
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Frank Herbert is mostly known for his Dune series. He was the first
to take Tolkien's idea of creating an entire universe as you write a story within it,
and expand on it. Even Middle Earth is not as richly detailed and vivid as the world of
Dune.
But to me, the most interesting book by Herbert is The Dosadi Experiment . The universe in this story is the one first created in Whipping Star and is as fully realized as the universe of Dune. The books illustrates what kind of society would evolve if an artificially maintained scarcity of all resources was the permanent condition. Dosadi is a planet sized experiment in the survival of the fittest. Only those with the highest intelligence, the finest judgement of people and events, the best planners and thinkers, and the most ruthless can survive. The result is the creation of a race of conquerors the likes of which the rest of the universe has never seen. The book illustrates what it means to be a human who must compete, and what it takes to survive and conquer. Herbert's books are characterized by their imaginative worlds, their unique characters, and his integration of plot with societal questions and problems. He always asks the right questions, and startles us with the meaning of our own answers. |