Direct Descent [Paperback]

Frank Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1980

Earth has become a library planet for thousands of years, a bastion of both useful and useless knowledge—esoterica of all types, history, science, politics—gathered by teams of “pack rats” who scour the galaxy for any scrap of information. Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth, and knowledge can be a weapon. As powerful dictators come and go over the course of history, the cadre of dedicated librarians is sworn to obey the lawful government . . . and use their wits to protect the treasure trove of knowledge they have collected over the millennia.

Short Novel

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441148972
• ISBN-13: 978-0441148974
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,658,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Herbert (1920-86) was born in Tacoma, Washington and worked as a reporter and later editor of a number of West Coast newspapers before becoming a full-time writer. His first sf story was published in 1952 but he achieved fame more than ten years later with the publication in Analog of Dune World and The Prophet of Dune that were amalgamated in the novel Dune in 1965.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to science fiction!, February 10, 2003

By 

Georgie Cavitt "an avid book reader" (Evans City, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Direct Descent (Paperback)

Sharp art on cover draws one to this book. Good story and plot, certainly a great introduction to Frank Herbert's writing. Black and white drawings throughout this book are terrific and make it more interesting. I was impressed with this book for young people to enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Still, July 6, 2011

By 

Ionian Tinnear - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Direct Descent (Kindle Edition)

I got this for my Kindle since I hadn't read it in many years. The story has lately been popping into mind, so I got it and reread it. The story is still great, but the kindle edition has an amazing number of typographical errors, especially in the second half of the book. Most don't detract from the story, but when the character named 'Prue' is referred to as 'True', that's a little confusing!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars semi-illustrated novel, October 14, 2010

By 

Tami "ghart27" (Winnipeg Manitoba CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Direct Descent (Paperback)

This Frank Herbert novel will surprise you, since I know of no other novel by him which had occasional pictures (B&W) included. It IS entertaining, and has good continuity over ages of time, and will not require ages to read. Even though this author has passed on, there is still time to discover how GOOD he is!