Can a sixty-year-old novel still capture the imagination of today’s teens? Do the politics of some distant, hypothetical future have anything to teach the students of modern times? Honors English students at Star Valley High have something to say on the matter, as they were required to read the 500-plus page saga Dune over the span of a few weeks last trimester.

Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction epic has long been considered a monumental piece of literature, hailed by many as the gold standard in the genre. Dune blends ecology, politics, religion, and more in a cautionary tale that features protagonist Paul Atreides’ rise to power on desert planet Arrakis, which comes at a heavy cost. Herbert was initially inspired not by the deserts of the middle east, but by dunes of sand threatening to overtake the coastline town of Florence, Oregon in 1957. He was awestruck at the power of shifting sands, and began researching not just ecology, but also religion, hypnosis, Marxism, and more. The result of this compiled knowledge and Herbert’s imagination came to be the sprawling weave of different disciplines that we now know as Dune.

Herbert’s classic has been described as tough to get through, as it throws the reader right into the starfaring society it portrays with little exposition. Sprinkled in the text are mysterious fictional terms like “Bene Gesserit” and “Kwizats Haderach”, and they don’t exactly help an already-confused reader understand what’s going on. The dense worldbuilding is supplemented by Herbert’s use of internal monologues; as such, the pacing can feel slow when characters’ political machinations span pages upon pages while little action takes place. McKenna Klindt, senior English student, noted: “I didn’t totally enjoy the writing style… I just felt like the plot wasn’t going anywhere either.”

Dune is not like the stories of our day – not adventurous and heroic like Star Wars or hopeful and triumphant like Lord of the Rings. If Star Trek is a utopian “should-be” future for humanity, then Dune shows us a future to avoid. It’s a cynical, but starkly realistic glimpse into the future of mankind, which makes it feel bleak and purposeless to those expecting a traditional story. However, these are not weaknesses to all students; in fact, what makes the book so unpalatable to some is what others love it for. To many, Dune’s foreboding depth is exactly what makes it special.

Though challenging to grasp at first, the intricate world of Dune is critical to its success. Herbert uses real-world elements (ecology, elements of Islam, feudal society) mixed with speculative sci-fi stuff (space travel, the powerful spice, superhuman factions) to ground his tale in realism while portraying fantastical events, from brilliant assassinations to prophetic visions. Cooper Daniel, an Honors English student who’s read the book before, remarked that Dune’s biggest strength is “the attention to detail with the interplay between characters, politics and ideas.”

In fact, the delicate balance between factions is likened to an ecosystem in Dune, and the book is rich with layers of symbolism and metaphor. Lydia Clove, English student and avid reader, said, “You can treat it like history and view it through different lenses, and find different things every time.” This is what makes Dune so special. In being intricate, the book is both re-readable and fascinating for those who like reading between the lines. For example, you can read the whole thing as a cautionary tale on what happens when politics and religion mix, or as an examination of how society is merely an extension of ecological hierarchy. These are just glimpses of the thematic depth offered in Dune – but there is another strength to being so multifaceted. 

One of the biggest tests of any story is how well it communicates complex themes to a wide audience – because really, what makes books as a medium so profound is that they are the purest way to glimpse one’s consciousness and worldview. Herbert uses this to his full advantage, and despite being half a century old, Dune’s themes are profound and relevant even today. English student Hailee Myers watched Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films upon their releases, but noted the depth of the book after reading it in class, saying, “Dune is applicable to our modern day. The whole book centers around politics, which have become more forthright in the last few years. It has layers of themes that readers can relate to.” By having varied and layered themes within themes, Dune makes itself applicable to an incredibly wide range of people without losing nuance. Anyone can read the book and learn something from it a number of times.

So, does Dune capture the imagination of today’s teenagers despite being 60 years old? Much like the book, the answer is complicated. While Dune’s complexity gives it profound depth, Herbert’s prose and the unorthodox style may be off-putting for some readers. However, the book’s challenges come with great reward, as its themes are life lessons that any reader can benefit from. In fact, teenagers just might be Dune’s most important audience, as their decisions in today’s world will shape the lives of generations to come. In fact, the politics of Herbert’s hypothetical, distant future are exactly what the students of today need in order to understand the present.