title: The Maker of Dune: Insights of a Master of Science Fiction
author:  Frank Herbert 
description: Herbert, who died a year ago, wrote two collections of short stories and 22 novels, including the immensely popular, six-part Dune series. However, his short nonfiction essaysculled from newspaper features, correspondence, interviews, introductions to science-fiction anthologies and record-liner noteshave remained uncollected until now. Stimulating, cogent and thought-provoking, these pieces cover much of the same ground as Herbert's fictiondemonstrating his interest in ecology, the future, religion and the consequences of scienceand thus provide clues, as O'Reilly notes, to "the myriad threads that make up the cloth on which Frank's stories are so lavishly embroidered." One section is devoted to "The Origins of Dune," and the book includes a complete Herbert bibliography. <br />Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text:   
  
  Dune Genesis by Frank Herbert
  
    
  
    
  
  _**This essay was originally published in the July 1980 issue of Omni
  Magazine. It has never been reprinted, and most DUNE fans have not had the
  opportunity to read Frank Herbert's description of creating his
  masterpiece.**_
  
    
    
    
  
  Dune began with a concept whose mostly unfleshed images took shape across
  about six years of research and one and a half years of writing. The story was
  all in my head until it appeared on paper as I typed it out.
  
  How did it evolve? I conceived of a long novel, the whole trilogy as one book
  about the messianic convulsions that periodically overtake us. Demagogues,
  fanatics, con-game artists, the innocent and the not-so-innocent bystanders-
  all were to have a part in the drama. This grows from my theory that
  superheroes are disastrous for humankind. Even if we find a real hero
  (whatever-or whoever-that may be), eventually fallible mortals take over the
  power structure that always comes into being around such a l