Frank Herbert

by William F. Touponce

Book by Touponce, William F.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

136 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

William F. Touponce is a professor of English and adjunct professor of American studies at the Institute for American Thought at Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis. He is the coauthor, with Jonathan R. Eller, of Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction and editor of The New Ray Bradbury Review, an annual review of the life and works of Ray Bradbury published by The Kent State University Press.

Reviews

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated Touponce's articulation of the idea that Frank Herbert's Dune series is an "ecological fugue" and deeply dialogical. Toupence means not just Herbert's well-known theme of biological ecology, but that the various themes and ideas of the novels are themselves ecological (that is, major themes of politics, mysticism, and biological ecology are all interdependent). Furthermore, the style of the novels is dialogical in that we see perspectives from multiple characters with little sense of which one is the "right" perspective. Overall, Touponce helps me make sense of why I find the Dune series to be so deeply philosophical. While the plot summaries of the Dune novels get a bit lengthy, they're also good reminders even for readers who've read the series several times (or at least this reader). And the last chapter on Herbert's non-Dune novels and his overall reputation are interesting to consider as I'm trying to delve more into the non-Dune stuff and Herbert's legacy has only continued to expand in the 35 years since this volume was published.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim volume is an insightful study of Frank Herbert's literary career, focusing on Herbert's thematic interests and writing style. William F. Touponce argues that Herbert was interested in dialogue, dynamic ecosystems instead of stasis, and critiquing the human inclination toward hero worship. He resisted single interpretations of his "Dune" novels and tried to build as much debate and ambiguity into them as possible. Much of Touponce's book consists of lengthy summaries of Herbert's admittedly labyrinthine "Dune" plots. I don't mind the summaries, but more analysis mixed in would have been welcome.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointment honestly. There is some decent critical analysis of the themes in the books but the bulk of it read like an extended book summary.

[Netanel Miles-Yepez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good presentation of the literary sophistication implicit in the works of Frank Herbert with useful synopses of his most significant novels.

[Kerry]

This is pretty boring so far. We'll see.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting review of Frank Herbert's work, but not a very extensive review. I've read better criticism of Herbert.