Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert (Hardcover)

by Brian Herbert (Author) "FRANK HERBERT'S paternal grandfather, Otto, was born in 1864 on a boat while coming to America from Bavaria with other immigrants..." (more)
Key Phrases: gom jabbar, submarine novel, kamani tree, Frank Herbert, Port Townsend, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Frank Herbert's oldest son (playfully called "number one son" by his father) paints an extraordinary portrait of the visionary behind the ecological SF classic Dune (1965), its bestselling sequels, the David Lynch film and many other works. Compulsively readable, despite the often extraneous detail, the biography explores the evolution of a "modern day Socrates" who "tore into... unexamined linguistic and cultural assumptions," extrapolating "words and traditions he thought might exist in the future." At age eight, Herbert, the child of impoverished, "on-again, off-again alcoholic" parents, announced, "I wanna be a author" and went on to sell his first short story at 17. Brian charts the influences on his father's masterpiece, from T.E. Lawrence and Jung to world religions, particularly Zen Buddhism. The author also depicts the symbiotic relationship between Herbert and his second wife, Beverly (Brian's mother), a talented copywriter, but admits that Herbert, an incessant nitpicker, never quite accepted "number two son" Bruce's gay lifestyle and regularly used a lie detector on both boys. Estranged for many years, Brian and his father eventually made peace, learning "how to talk story" and collaborating on Man of Two Worlds (1986) shortly before Frank's death from cancer at age 65. This moving, sometimes painfully obsessive biography is an impressive testament of family loyalty and love. A must-read for Herbert fans (both senior and junior), it includes family photos and a bibliography.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Arguably the most popular twentieth-century science fiction novel, Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) integrated social, ecological, and religious commentary into a new kind of world-building that captivated sf readers much as Lord of the Rings enthralled fantasy fans. Brian Herbert's heartfelt, if not highly polished, biography of his father portrays a man with large faults and virtues. Impatient with children, Herbert insisted on quiet and order to write, and when little, Brian and brother Bruce suffered their father's booming voice and such tricks as being hooked up to a homemade lie detector they were convinced revealed their every thought. While Herbert lavished affection on their mother, the boys felt dispossessed. Brian became a binge drinker, Bruce struggled with drugs and homosexuality. Half-sister Penny, child of a brief first marriage, enjoyed better relations with Herbert because she visited only occasionally. Herbert shone, however, when he encouraged Brian to write. Eventually father and son became companionable. Hard-won appreciation pervades a book also distinguished by commentary on David Lynch's film Dune and Herbert's passage from struggling to world-renowned author. Roberta Johnson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765306468
• ISBN-13: 978-0765306463
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #575,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A missed opportunity, but with some key aspects on Herbert, April 16, 2003

By	Pablo Iglesias Alvarez "Glossu" (Mexico City, D.F. Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I could call this book a "Family Biography" rather than only a bio on Frank Herbert. This is no surprise coming from the pen of his son, Brian Herbert and souldn't had implied something negative, nonetheless I feel that the result was not overall satisfactory, and an important opportunity missed by Brian Herbert.

On the good side, we get to know the intimate family life of Frank Herbert and specially his relationship with his wife Beverly and his sons.In this way we discover the man but we are far from discovering much of the writer. We hardly get any insights into many of his writings (the exception is of course Dune). I was eager to know about the origins of the Pandora Cycle, the Dune Sequels or many of the great short stories, but non of that is propoerly developed and sometimes it is only barely mentioned. We even get more details about Brian Herbert's own writings!, which seems to me a lack of sensibility on the author's part.

While not the best I would expect, "Dreamer of Dune" is certainly valuable for the most familiar aspects of Herbert which would have been unavailable otherwise. Nevertheless, we won't get the full picture of one of science fiction's grandest creators and I recommend to complement this title with other valuable sources to fully understand Herbert's achievement. Some recommendations are Frank Herbert by Timothy O'Reilly (found on the web at Tim O'Reilly's Web Page), The Maker of Dune, a collection of articles by Herbert himself on various topics and the academic works by William Touponce and Daniel Levack.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved it, but it's not for everyone, March 14, 2004

By	Bart Leahy (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A reader usually does not pick up the biography of an author unless seriously interested in that writer's work. I've bought and read most of Herbert's works, and have found them uniformly fascinating and mind-expanding. What interests me most about SF writers I admire is the intellectual content--the level of depth they put into their writing--and I'm always curious about where they get their information. Unfortunately, Brian Herbert did not deliver those particular goods.

That said, I gave this book four stars because it moved me. This was a very interesting, smart man, and his works have greatly impacted my views and my writing. He presents his father from a truly unique perspective. Perhaps Hemingway's kids wrote about life with "the great man," but otherwise I haven't seen many sons-writing-about-their-fathers books. Maybe I was just affected by the father-son dynamic of the book. (Herbert had another brother, Bruce, who was apparently estranged from his father because he was homosexual). Perhaps, if viewed from that perspective, Brian Herbert's book deserves to be called a triumph. You can read it and respond to it even if you aren't a science fiction fan.

This, then, is the story of the Herbert family, a group of itinerant travelers who centered its collective life around the father in order to ensure the success of his career-as seen through the eyes of the "number one son." There is also a remarkable love story here, that between Frank Herbert and Beverly Stuart, his wife. Fans can get some idea of this love between husband and wife by reading the postscript of Chapterhouse: Dune. The death of Beverly tugs at the heart, as does the death of the great man himself, when it comes. You can empathize with Brian Herbert and his struggles getting to know and love his brilliant, driven, and difficult-to-know father.

There are flaws with the book, though. There are many places where passages repeat. I also found it odd how Herbert would alternate between calling Frank "Dad" or "Frank Herbert." Sort of like the discomfort one might feel hearing a friend address their parents by first name instead of "Mom" or "Dad." One gets the feeling that anything the author experienced personally was attributed to "Dad" while anything the author looked up was attributed to "Frank Herbert." And, of course, the author didn't deliver the goods when it came to some of the intellectual aspects of his father's work. Everyone asks an author, "Where do you get your ideas?" Brian Herbert answers a few of these questions with regard to Dune and other stories, but not enough. I suppose one would have to read a more "lit-crit" analysis of Frank Herbert's work to know where he acquired his unique, super-cerebral style or lofty political insights. Having read a couple of Brian Herbert's books, I'm afraid he doesn't know, either. The prequels he's written have not matched the father's work, much to my dismay.

So, bottom-line, if you want a good father-son story that just happens to involve a famous author you might like, by all means, read this book. If you're looking for an intellectual analysis of this SF colossus, you will have to look elsewhere.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography of a unique person, July 17, 2003

By	Jim Morrison (Hansville, WA) - See all my reviews

I think that to appreciate fine art you must know the artist.
This book is a biography of Frank Herbert written by his son, Brian Herbert. Frank Herbert was best known for his Dune chronicles, but also wrote many other books including nonfiction and was a newspaper journalist for many years. Brian Herbert did a worthy job of providing vivid details about growing up with his father Frank Herbert. Frank Herbert was a rare science fiction writer who understood how to write about possible futures and hold the reader's interest. Brian Herbert follows closely on the heels of his father and writes an interesting and detailed biography. Frank Herbert, a highly acclaimed author, and justifiably so, had the ability to look beyond old habits, myths and superstition to go past the limits most people set for themselves. The book contains a medley of fascinating anecdotes as well as thoroughly researched accounts of the successes and failures of Frank Herbert. I especially liked the descriptions of how Frank Herbert worked at writing and how unbelievably energetic and exuberant he was in the many years before he was finally so very successful. The book is also a very personal and touching story of Brian's relationship with his father. Frank Herbert died in 1986, but we are still blessed with his literary work. I feel I can better understand his work having read this biography.