Frank Herbert (1920–1986)
Author of Dune
About the Author
Frank Herbert was born Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. in Tacoma, Washington on October 8, 1920. He worked originally as a journalist, but then turned to science fiction. His Dune series has had a major impact on that genre. Some critics assert that Herbert is responsible for bringing in a new branch show more of ecological science fiction. He had a personal interest in world ecology, and consulted with the governments of Vietnam and Pakistan about ecological issues. The length of some of Herbert's novels also helped make it acceptable for science fiction authors to write longer books. It is clear that, if the reader is engaged by the story---and Herbert certainly has the ability to engage his readers---length is not important. As is usually the case with popular fiction, it comes down to whether or not the reader is entertained, and Herbert is, above all, an entertaining and often compelling writer. His greatest talent is his ability to create new worlds that are plausible to readers, in spite of their alien nature, such as the planet Arrakis in the Dune series. Frank Herbert died of complications from pancreatic cancer on February, 11, 1986, in Madison, Wisconsin. He was 65. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Please do not combine with the art historian Herbert Frank (1909-1979) (pseud. Frank Andermann)
Series
Works by Frank Herbert
The Dune Collection: Dune / Dune Messiah / Children of Dune / God Emperor of Dune / Heretics of Dune / Chapterhouse Dune (2012) 483 copies, 6 reviews
Four Complete Novels: Whipping Star / The Dosadi Experiment / The Santaroga Barrier / Soul Catcher (1984) 129 copies
The Dune Collection Box Set: Dune / Dune Messiah / Children of Dune / God Emperor of Dune (1990) 49 copies, 1 review
The Dosadi Experiment and The Eyes of Heisenberg: Two Classic Works of Science Fiction (2017) 23 copies
Four Unpublished Novels: High-Opp, Angel's Fall, A Game of Authors, A Thorn in the Bush (2016) 20 copies
Threshold: The Blue Angels Experience; The Text and Full Color Photos from the Motion Picture (1973) 11 copies
Ein Cyborg fällt aus / Adam, einer von uns / Das Evangelium nach Lump. Drei Science Fiction Romane in einem Band. (1987) 8 copies
Dune Genesis 7 copies
Classic Science Fiction Stories by Frank Herbert (Unexpurgated Edition) (Halcyon Classics) (2009) 7 copies
Série Duna. - 6 copies
Die Leute von Santaroga, Das große Abenteuer des Mutanten (Unterwegs in die Welt von morgen) (1991) 6 copies
Die Leute von Santaroga / Das Orakel der Fremden / Herrscher der Galaxis. Drei Science Fiction-Romane in einem Band. (1986) 6 copies
Worlds Beyond Dune: The Eyes of Heisenberg / The Dosad Experiment / The Godmakers / Whipping Star / Destination Void (1980) 5 copies
O efeito Lázaro - vol. 2 3 copies
Egg And Ashes 3 copies
O factor de ascensão - vol. 2 3 copies
A Praga branca - vol 2 3 copies
Five Fates, PB Library Sep 1971 2 copies
Hijos de Dune [Children of Dune]: Las crónicas de Dune 3 [The Dune Chronicles, Book 3] (2022) 1 copy
Chapterhouse: Dune (Dune #6) 1 copy
duna 2ed 1 copy
Heretics of Dune, ?? Asian? 1 copy
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) 1 copy
תחיית המתים 1 copy
Капитул Дюны 1 copy
Thorn in the Bush, WFP 2014 1 copy
Dune, Ace 79th ed 1 copy
Dune II, PC Game CD 1 copy
Dune: The Desert Planet 1 copy
Paul’s Friend 1 copy
Herbert Frank 1 copy
The Yellow Coat 1 copy
The Wrong Cat 1 copy
Wilfred 1 copy
The Waters of Kan-E 1 copy
Public Hearing 1 copy
The Little Window 1 copy
A Lesson in History 1 copy
The Iron Maiden 1 copy
The Illegitimate Stage 1 copy
The Heat’s On 1 copy
The Daddy Box 1 copy
The Cage 1 copy
Frogs and Scientists 1 copy
A Matter of Traces 1 copy
You Take The High Road 1 copy
Faktor nanebevzetí 1 copy
All Books by this Author 1 copy
Songs Of Muad'dib: 2 1 copy
The Chronicles of Dune (Dune (1), Dune Messiah (2), Children of Dune (3), Heretics of Dune (5)) 1 copy, 1 review
THE DUNE TRILOGY SOUNDBOOK (CASSETTE 1; BANQUET SCENE 2. SANDWORMS OF DUNE 3, BATTLES OF DUNE 4 , TRUTHES OF DUNE) (1999) 1 copy
A Praga Branca I Livro 1 1 copy
Dune: Bagian 1 1 copy
Dune [BOOK DISCUSSION] 1 copy
More Fantastic Stories 1 copy
The Prophet of Dune 1 copy
O Factor de Ascensão 1 1 copy
Associated Works
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune [2003 TV mini series] (2003) — Screenwriter — 185 copies, 8 reviews
Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow: A Discursive Symposium (1974) — Contributor — 102 copies, 2 reviews
The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000) — Contributor — 100 copies, 2 reviews
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 38 (2022) — Contributor — 42 copies, 8 reviews
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVI, No. 1 (January 1976) (1976) — Contributor — 39 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVI, No. 2 (February 1976) (1976) — Contributor — 33 copies, 1 review
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCIX, No. 2 (February 1979) (1979) — Contributor — 30 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVI, No. 3 (March 1976) (1976) — Contributor — 26 copies, 1 review
Maailma mielen mukaan : yksitoista tieteisnovellia kolmeltatoista sci-fi -sarjan kirjailijalta (1986) — Contributor — 24 copies, 1 review
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCVIII, No. 12 (December 1978) (1978) — Author — 23 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. LXXVII, No. 6 (August 1966) (1966) — Contributor — 20 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. LXXXV, No. 2 (April 1970) (1970) — Contributor — 17 copies
Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction: Vol. LXXII, No. 6 (February 1964) (1964) — Contributor — 11 copies
Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction: Vol. LXXIV, No. 5 (January 1965) (1965) — Contributor — 11 copies
Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction: Vol. LXXII, No. 5 (January 1964) (1964) — Contributor — 11 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 004 5 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 011 4 copies
ANALOG - Science Fiction Science Fact - Volume 96, number 1, 2, 3, 4 - January Jan February Feb March April 1976: Childr — Contributor — 2 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 045 2 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 047 — Contributor — 2 copies
Children of Dune: Episode 3 — Original author — 1 copy
Children of Dune: Episode 1: Messiah — Original author — 1 copy
Thrilling Science Fiction, December 1973 — Contributor — 1 copy
Children of Dune: Episode 2 — Original author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Herbert, Frank
- Legal name
- Herbert, Franklin Patrick, Jr.
- Birthdate
- 1920-10-08
- Date of death
- 1986-02-11
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Washington (no degree)
- Occupations
- journalist
editor
writer
author
novelist
photographer - Organizations
- United States Navy
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
University of Washington (lecturer) - Awards and honors
- SF Hall Of Fame (Posthumous Inductee, 2006)
- Relationships
- Herbert, Brian (son)
- Short biography
- Né le 8 octobre 1920 au Etats-Unis à Tacoma dans l’état de Washington et mort le 11 février 1986 . Franck Patrick Herbert commence à publier de la science fiction en 1952 dans Starling stories. Le succès arrive en 1955 avec la publication de son premier roman « UNDER PRESSURE » dans Astounding magazine.Homme de science, il a effectué des recherches dans divers domaines tel que la géologie sous-marine, la botanique des régions tropicales , la psychologie , l’ethnologie…
En tant qu’expert , il a participé à l’instruction de pilotes de la NASA. Il a aussi enseigné a l’université de Seattle.Avant son décès , il vivait à Port Townsend ou il menait un projet de culture écologique ( le Projet Biosphère -à vérifier).
Il est l’auteur d’une des œuvres majeurs de la science fiction : Le Cycle de Dune(quasi 20 millions d’exemplaires, des ventes digne de la Bible). Le livre de Dune a été rédigé en 1964/65 et valut a Franck Herbert le prix Hugo et le prix Nebula .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 whole series is widely considered to be among the classics of the genre.
Frank Herbert was born on October 8, 1920, in Tacoma, Washington, to Frank Patrick Herbert Sr. and Eileen (McCarthy) Herbert. Because of a poor home environment, he ran away from home in 1938 to live with an aunt and uncle in Salem, Oregon. He enrolled in high school at Salem High School (now North Salem High School), where he graduated the next year. In 1939 he lied about his age to get his first newspaper job at the Glendale Star. Herbert then returned to Salem in 1940 where he worked for the Oregon Statesman newspaper (now Statesman Journal) in a variety of positions, including photographer.
He served in the U.S. Navy's Seabees for six months as a photographer during World War II, then he was given a medical discharge. He married Flora Parkinson in San Pedro, California, in 1940. - Cause of death
- pulmonary embolism
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Tacoma, Washington, USA
- Places of residence
- Tacoma, Washington, USA (birth)
Hawaii, USA
Washington, USA
Madison, Wisconsin, USA (death) - Place of death
- Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Burial location
- cremated
- Map Location
- USA
- Disambiguation notice
- Please do not combine with the art historian Herbert Frank (1909-1979) (pseud. Frank Andermann)
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
Dune Limited Edition in Folio Society Devotees (June 12)
Centipede Press Dune in Fine Press Forum (June 11)
Dune Chronicles in Centipede Press (June 7)
Dune DLE in Easton Press Collectors (March 21)
Frank Herbert: Soul Catcher in Good Show Sir! — bad science fiction and fantasy covers (August 2024)
What's your vote for the worst movie made of a good book? in Jo's Book Group (September 2022)
Looking for Dune Signed in Centipede Press (October 2021)
Question about the Dune universe..... in Science Fiction Fans (August 2012)
Another Dune question. in Science Fiction Fans (August 2012)
Frank Herbert's Hellstrom's Hive reviewed by jseger9000 in Reviews reviewed (May 2011)
Reviews
My memory of my childhood reading of Dune Messiah held that it broke stylistically from the preceding volume of the series. But on this re-read more than forty years later, I found the prose and structure quite congruent with what had come before. It was a shorter book, certainly. Still, it gave the same sort of selectively omniscient perspective, sympathetic to Paul but with multiple glimpses of the machinations of his foes. It even sustained and developed the liturgical strand of the prior show more book.
Those who enjoyed the world building of Dune should not be disappointed here. There is more on the Spacing Guild, including an actual steersman character. More importantly, the story introduces the Bene Tleilax: an order less venerable but as inscrutable and threatening as the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. They are technologists of prosthetic devices who are so accomplished that they can virtually reanimate the dead.
I had forgotten the detail of the "Dune tarot." Evidently the new religion centered on Muad'Dib gave rise to an efficacious instrument of vernacular divination that could incidentally interfere with the cosmic Atreides prescience. Alia seemed especially vexed by it.
In the original Dune I read Frank Herbert to have been weighing in against the "great man theory" of history. At the same time Paul Atreides had a "terrible purpose" and would become the greatest human of his age, the storytelling was nevertheless clear that the times made the man, not the man the times. He often felt himself to be a tool of a greater collective impulse that his decisions could not divert or mitigate. That sensibility is maintained and further developed in the second book, which lacks the kinetic heroism of the first. Once the holy war has been accomplished, praeterhuman intellect and foresight hardly help in charting a course for empire. "To see eternity was to be exposed to eternity's whims, oppressed by endless dimensions" (211).
Now that I am a more mature reader, I was given to notice how these two books parallel--not in plot details, but in themes and broad motifs--Sophocles' Theban plays Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. I will see if Antigone is reflected in Children of Dune.
The Brian Herbert 2007 introduction is worth skipping, unless you think Donald Trump is saving America. Even then, don't read it if you haven't first read the book. It has one notable spoiler, but more significantly it sets up strange expectations by "defending" the novel against dusty criticisms from the 1970s. show less
Those who enjoyed the world building of Dune should not be disappointed here. There is more on the Spacing Guild, including an actual steersman character. More importantly, the story introduces the Bene Tleilax: an order less venerable but as inscrutable and threatening as the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. They are technologists of prosthetic devices who are so accomplished that they can virtually reanimate the dead.
I had forgotten the detail of the "Dune tarot." Evidently the new religion centered on Muad'Dib gave rise to an efficacious instrument of vernacular divination that could incidentally interfere with the cosmic Atreides prescience. Alia seemed especially vexed by it.
In the original Dune I read Frank Herbert to have been weighing in against the "great man theory" of history. At the same time Paul Atreides had a "terrible purpose" and would become the greatest human of his age, the storytelling was nevertheless clear that the times made the man, not the man the times. He often felt himself to be a tool of a greater collective impulse that his decisions could not divert or mitigate. That sensibility is maintained and further developed in the second book, which lacks the kinetic heroism of the first. Once the holy war has been accomplished, praeterhuman intellect and foresight hardly help in charting a course for empire. "To see eternity was to be exposed to eternity's whims, oppressed by endless dimensions" (211).
Now that I am a more mature reader, I was given to notice how these two books parallel--not in plot details, but in themes and broad motifs--Sophocles' Theban plays Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. I will see if Antigone is reflected in Children of Dune.
The Brian Herbert 2007 introduction is worth skipping, unless you think Donald Trump is saving America. Even then, don't read it if you haven't first read the book. It has one notable spoiler, but more significantly it sets up strange expectations by "defending" the novel against dusty criticisms from the 1970s. show less
A very good, if somewhat unusual, read. The pacing is fairly even, which is impressive considering the narrative dwells unexpectedly long on some things, and scurry fast past others. As a for instance, the second chapter informs the reader of an upcoming major and terrifying plot development as inevitable, only then to spend about a third of the book before this development comes to pass. This does contribute a terrific sense of foreboding to the early part of the book, true, but it also show more leaves a surprisingly small amount of space to deal with the repercussions that the narrative fairly early convinces one are really the point.
Which leads to a slightly unusual reading experience. Adding to this is Herbert's muddling of realistic (if heightened) skills and abilities, pseudo-plausible science fiction future skills and abilities, and outright mysticism in such a way that I as the reader am often not quite sure when something is a con the character is pulling to make it _seem_ like they have supernatural talents, when something is a non-supernatural talent so honed and skilled it legitimately seems (and might as well be) supernatural, and when something is actual, inexplicably supernatural. This, too, is not a bad thing -- far from it -- but it does contribute to the slightly unsual feel of the narrative. Finally, there is the use of third person narration with random insights -- a single paragraph can hop back and forth between several characters, showing you one's thoughts and then another's without warning. Potentially a confused mess in a less skilled writer's hands, burt Herbert handles it so elegantly I was never in doubt as to whose thoughts I was being shown.
The story itself is good, though it is the telling and the highly analytical, intelligent cast that populates it that makes it truly great. I'd not recommend the book to everyone, though. You should ideally have some slight liking of stories with political intrigue, I should think, and/or a well-developed science fiction backdrop to the same. Some tolerance for an occasionally dry narration style (as mentioned most of the characters are highly analytical, if with differing approaches and levels of skill) would probably be a boon, too. But for me, this was very good indeed. I recall trying to read it once at a young age and not getting quite into it, but as an adult, revisiting it was a decision I'm very happy I made. A classic for a whole bunch of good reasons. show less
Which leads to a slightly unusual reading experience. Adding to this is Herbert's muddling of realistic (if heightened) skills and abilities, pseudo-plausible science fiction future skills and abilities, and outright mysticism in such a way that I as the reader am often not quite sure when something is a con the character is pulling to make it _seem_ like they have supernatural talents, when something is a non-supernatural talent so honed and skilled it legitimately seems (and might as well be) supernatural, and when something is actual, inexplicably supernatural. This, too, is not a bad thing -- far from it -- but it does contribute to the slightly unsual feel of the narrative. Finally, there is the use of third person narration with random insights -- a single paragraph can hop back and forth between several characters, showing you one's thoughts and then another's without warning. Potentially a confused mess in a less skilled writer's hands, burt Herbert handles it so elegantly I was never in doubt as to whose thoughts I was being shown.
The story itself is good, though it is the telling and the highly analytical, intelligent cast that populates it that makes it truly great. I'd not recommend the book to everyone, though. You should ideally have some slight liking of stories with political intrigue, I should think, and/or a well-developed science fiction backdrop to the same. Some tolerance for an occasionally dry narration style (as mentioned most of the characters are highly analytical, if with differing approaches and levels of skill) would probably be a boon, too. But for me, this was very good indeed. I recall trying to read it once at a young age and not getting quite into it, but as an adult, revisiting it was a decision I'm very happy I made. A classic for a whole bunch of good reasons. show less
What a pointless slog of a story. "Dune" has been a part of my life since I was 5 or 6, and to see this part of it end like this is kind of... sad. Ah well. We all grow up.
This book is almost as garbage as "God Emperor of Dune", except more happens in it, so it wins by comparison. Though much of the story is again spent with characters internally debating or debating with each other about maybe doing something eventually. Though they do get around to parts of it. The frequent confusing POV show more switches were as confusing as ever, and omniscient until they weren't, which was also frustrating.
The constant references to sex magic (which we never actually see) were frustrating. People here and on Reddit call this the weird sex book, and it is, but it's all flash and no substance. The most graphic scenes we "see" are a furry/human orgy in the dark, vanilla shower sex, post-coital bed lounging, and the rape of a child, so that's... that. It also contains a ridiculous amount of rightwing griping about taxes and voting, about how ableism is cool, and also one of the weirdest instances of a Christian writing a group of Jews that was at turns stupid and incredibly offensive. We are not just Christians wearing yarmulkes, which is how Herbert writes them.
It's also painfully obvious that although Herbert possibly seemed to grasp that he needed to write more women in this universe, he has no idea how women talk or interact with each other. And it's uncomfortable to read.
None of the characters in this story are appealing. The narrative is miserable. The love "story" isn't compelling. It's a tired retread of the same characters in previous books, but worse. The "philosophy" and politics are pretty dumb. And somehow Herbert took one of my favorite artists - Vincent van Gogh - and made me dread every time his name was brought up.
I will give Herbert this, though: he added furries to the story. That's kind of neat. He didn't go very far with it, but it's amusing that that's in there.
Overall, this was a waste of time for a series that should have ended at least three books prior. People were writing better SF than this in the 80s (and Steven Brust had magic genetics, reincarnation, and past life stuff, too). And they're writing better now. As someone with a soft spot for all the "Dune" adaptations, I hope they never adapt this. show less
The constant references to sex magic (which we never actually see) were frustrating. People here and on Reddit call this the weird sex book, and it is, but it's all flash and no substance. The most graphic scenes we "see" are a furry/human orgy in the dark, vanilla shower sex, post-coital bed lounging, and the rape of a child, so that's... that. It also contains a ridiculous amount of rightwing griping about taxes and voting, about how ableism is cool, and also one of the weirdest instances of a Christian writing a group of Jews that was at turns stupid and incredibly offensive. We are not just Christians wearing yarmulkes, which is how Herbert writes them.
It's also painfully obvious that although Herbert possibly seemed to grasp that he needed to write more women in this universe, he has no idea how women talk or interact with each other. And it's uncomfortable to read.
None of the characters in this story are appealing. The narrative is miserable. The love "story" isn't compelling. It's a tired retread of the same characters in previous books, but worse. The "philosophy" and politics are pretty dumb. And somehow Herbert took one of my favorite artists - Vincent van Gogh - and made me dread every time his name was brought up.
I will give Herbert this, though: he added furries to the story. That's kind of neat. He didn't go very far with it, but it's amusing that that's in there.
Overall, this was a waste of time for a series that should have ended at least three books prior. People were writing better SF than this in the 80s (and Steven Brust had magic genetics, reincarnation, and past life stuff, too). And they're writing better now. As someone with a soft spot for all the "Dune" adaptations, I hope they never adapt this. show less
I am happy to report that the fifth book in the Dune series has pulled me back into the Duneiverse after the slog of God Emperor of Dune left me less than excited to carry on. 1,500 years after the dramatic demise of the Leto/worm (the best part of the fourth book), the descendants of the people of The Scattering -- the great dispersal of people out into the universe as part of Leto's Golden Path to the survival of humanity, are returning with lots of money, lots of weird new inventions, and show more a bizarro version of the familiar social structures of the old civilization that continues with their old tricks. This book is heavy on the female characters, which is part of why I liked it. Who could resist the Bene Gesserit (the all-female order that has hacked their minds, bodies, and breeding system)! Lady Jessica is still one of my favorite characters of all time show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 254
- Also by
- 97
- Members
- 147,882
- Popularity
- #42
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 1,741
- ISBNs
- 1,723
- Languages
- 31
- Favorited
- 468
