he World of Dune is a Web site that's almost as expansive as the deserts of its namesake planet. Frank Herbert's initial story about the barren world of Arrakis--a.k.a. Dune--spawned six novels, a movie, action figures and numerous games, and The World of Dune covers it all.
The site opens with a quick description of Herbert's series and a quote from the book before launching into 20 different subsections. The first, Dune Chronicles, introduces or reintroduces visitors to Dune. It starts before the beginning of the series, using a variety of sources to describe Herbert's inspiration for his saga. It concludes with an extensive index to the series that includes summaries of the six books as well as facts about their various printings and editions, magazine appearances, chapter headings and memorable quotes.
The next section documents David Lynch's Dune movie in all of its flawed glory. The known and alleged versions of the movie are reviewed in the section, which also lists links to movie-related Web pages. The gaming page lists the computer games, card games, and board games inspired by the movie, while the Upcoming New Books and Upcoming TV Miniseries pages give snippets of information about their respective projects.
On the multimedia front, the site has Windows 95 desktop themes, Dune-inspired artwork, music and poetry. Facts about book, movie and computer game collectibles can be found in the Dune Collector's Corner, while those looking for Dune-related items can find answers to their commonly asked questions in the Finding Dune Collectibles page. The site is rounded out by a frequently-trafficked bulletin board, a search engine and a reader poll.
Documenting a messiah
The chronicles of Dune tell the story of Paul Atreides, a young man who is destined to rule Arrakis and overthrow the emperor of the known universe. The science fiction classic has strong religious themes--the natives of Dune view Paul as their messiah--and a reverent feel to its text. The World of Dune reflects the feel of the books with its documentary-like approach to Herbert's classics. Site creator Alex Dunkel's respect for Dune and its children can be seen throughout the site, whether he's reviewing the Dune movie or documenting international variations of the various book covers.
The chapter headings and quotes from the Dune novels give old-time fans a chance to re-immerse themselves in the feel of the series while providing new readers with an idea of how wide-ranging the saga is. The map of Arrakis by the site's creator is a fantastic reference for anyone reading the books and looking for a little perspective on what's where.
The Finding Dune Collectibles page is a great resource for anyone looking for some of Dune's rarer novelties. There's frank advice on how to track down soundtracks and the different versions of the Dune movie, and it also tells readers what answers Dunkel doesn't have. The site's navigational setup is simple yet effective; those who've wandered off into some of the site's deeper crevices will find that it's always easy to get back to the home page.
Part of the allure of the Dune series is its excruciatingly detailed portrayal of the rise and fall of a messiah, with all the resulting plot twists, wisdom and treachery that one would expect in such an epic story. The World of Dune Web site captures this and many other aspects of the series in a way that most fans of the series won't want to miss.
