- Hardcover: 526 pages
- Publisher: Putnam Pub Group (T) (Jun 1984)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0399129502
- ISBN-13: 978-0399129506
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.5 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,511,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Dune Encyclopeida was somewhat of a Holy Grail among Dune Fans for many years, especially before the days of Amazon and ebay. To this day, the book is still difficult to get hold of, with only a few tattered copies available for a reasonable price. If you are a serious Dune fan then this book should be high on your reading list, as it really is a fascinating tour through the world of Frank Herbert's brilliant sci-fi saga.
The book is essentially a collection of essays written by the late Dr. Willis E. McNelly, a professor of English and a friend of Frank Herbert.
First published in 1984, the book has been out of print for many years and was officially declared 'non-canon' by the Herbert Limited Partnership, run by Frank's son, Brian.
Certainly, many segments of the Encyclopedia run contrary to Brian Herbert's prequal novels, but having read McNelly's outlines of the Butlerian Jihad I found his ideas more interesting and plausible.
The book is also noteworthy in the way it expanded the Dune universe, explaining the origins and history of the great houses, and providing biographies of some of the figures from the novels, as well as those who are briefly mentioned in passing in Frank Herbert's original text. Other sections expand the information on the Fremen, Mentats, Spacing Guild, face dancers, and more.
What makes this Encyclopedia interesting is that it is actually set in the Duneiverse, with the author claiming to be a scholar who has analysed the writings contained in Leto II's libraries. This brings an interesting twist to the book, considering it is layered with deliberate anachronisms. One example would be the historical timeline given at the start of the book, which claims that Alexander the Great "created the first empire on Terra" or that London became the capital of the Terra Empire following the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Other highlights include a section on the chemical make-up of the spice melange, the anatomy of a spice worm, a short dictionary of Galach, a list of all the Padi-Shah Emperors, and an analysis of House Ordos,( that would later make an appearance in the Dune PC games). It should be noted that this book appears before the events of Heretics and Chapterhouse Dune, and as a result characters and events from those novels are not referenced.
Even if this book has been offically dismissed, it is still worth a read, simply because it's a fascinating addition to Frank Herbert's stories. Recommended for Dune fans!
The book is essentially a collection of essays written by the late Dr. Willis E. McNelly, a professor of English and a friend of Frank Herbert.
First published in 1984, the book has been out of print for many years and was officially declared 'non-canon' by the Herbert Limited Partnership, run by Frank's son, Brian.
Certainly, many segments of the Encyclopedia run contrary to Brian Herbert's prequal novels, but having read McNelly's outlines of the Butlerian Jihad I found his ideas more interesting and plausible.
The book is also noteworthy in the way it expanded the Dune universe, explaining the origins and history of the great houses, and providing biographies of some of the figures from the novels, as well as those who are briefly mentioned in passing in Frank Herbert's original text. Other sections expand the information on the Fremen, Mentats, Spacing Guild, face dancers, and more.
What makes this Encyclopedia interesting is that it is actually set in the Duneiverse, with the author claiming to be a scholar who has analysed the writings contained in Leto II's libraries. This brings an interesting twist to the book, considering it is layered with deliberate anachronisms. One example would be the historical timeline given at the start of the book, which claims that Alexander the Great "created the first empire on Terra" or that London became the capital of the Terra Empire following the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Other highlights include a section on the chemical make-up of the spice melange, the anatomy of a spice worm, a short dictionary of Galach, a list of all the Padi-Shah Emperors, and an analysis of House Ordos,( that would later make an appearance in the Dune PC games). It should be noted that this book appears before the events of Heretics and Chapterhouse Dune, and as a result characters and events from those novels are not referenced.
Even if this book has been offically dismissed, it is still worth a read, simply because it's a fascinating addition to Frank Herbert's stories. Recommended for Dune fans!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great work, even including a kind of parable about USUL, demons and the mouse. Explains all about the Duniverse (at least about Frank Herbert's first four books; Heretics and Chapterhouse are not included, although the times of the starvation and the scattering are mentioned briefly). An interesting essay on worm metabolism, lots of theories and stories about many members of the Atreides, a lot of information about the various Idaho Gholas, etc. etc. Also the truth of the Butlerian Jihad. Enjoyable reading all together.
I've just looked up all kinds of information again after reading some of the newest Dune books, and, admittedly it may be just an encyclopedia but many entries just read like a novel. Certain explanations are so much better than in the recent books. The more scientific parts are also highly informative, and I loved rereading them. I realise this encyclopedia may not be Canon - although I have always understood Frank Herbert during his life time thought it to be just fine - it sure is helpful in understanding the orginal Dune novels. I particularly like the idea that the entrees are based on findings in the primitive no-room of Leto II, as described in God Emperor of Dune. An interesting book in any case as it is a neat stand alone novel between two sets of story lines of which the last story line wasn't ended until recently (and regrettably could not be finished by Frank himsel).
I can and will advise all Dune fans to try and find a copy of this book. It's great fun to read, and it gives you insights you perhaps did not understand earlier on. Don't worry about the non-canon issue. A second piece of advice is to consider all the new novels as part of a separate universe - only partly stemming from the brains of the Master Author. The universe in there partly overlaps with Frank's imagination, and you will do just fine in maintaining this book as a wonderful source of information on the original Duniverse!
I've just looked up all kinds of information again after reading some of the newest Dune books, and, admittedly it may be just an encyclopedia but many entries just read like a novel. Certain explanations are so much better than in the recent books. The more scientific parts are also highly informative, and I loved rereading them. I realise this encyclopedia may not be Canon - although I have always understood Frank Herbert during his life time thought it to be just fine - it sure is helpful in understanding the orginal Dune novels. I particularly like the idea that the entrees are based on findings in the primitive no-room of Leto II, as described in God Emperor of Dune. An interesting book in any case as it is a neat stand alone novel between two sets of story lines of which the last story line wasn't ended until recently (and regrettably could not be finished by Frank himsel).
I can and will advise all Dune fans to try and find a copy of this book. It's great fun to read, and it gives you insights you perhaps did not understand earlier on. Don't worry about the non-canon issue. A second piece of advice is to consider all the new novels as part of a separate universe - only partly stemming from the brains of the Master Author. The universe in there partly overlaps with Frank's imagination, and you will do just fine in maintaining this book as a wonderful source of information on the original Duniverse!
Format:Paperback
For a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune, this is a wonderful book. Note that it is written "in character", the author claiming to be a scholar with access to Leto II's archives found in the Rakis hoards. Long out of print, it's not easy to find, but it's well worth the effort.
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