In the case of Dune, Frank Herbert has created a universe which exists tens of thousands of years into the future, where human beings have “evolved” along political, social, and religious lines that had become blurred and intermingled at some point. Even the complacencies can be hazardous as if to suggest that we humans love nothing better than a good life-or-death struggle in any form. This new environment is usually fraught with dangers and hardships to challenge the hero in his quest. In science fiction and fantasy, this is “worldbuilding.” Worldbuilding (Part 1)įor a hero to tell his story and give us insights into his particular struggle to prevail, the author frequently builds an environment or even a complete universe-complete with maps, landscapes, and a backstory. If you are not yet familiar with Battlefield Earth, you can read the first 13 chapters for free or listen to the first hour of the unabridged audio production (a personal favorite). Whereas we earthbound citizens may wonder whether there is more to Heaven and Earth than can be currently seen, these speculations are fact to Paul Atreides and Jonnie Goodboy Tyler respectively, in their struggles for survival against formidable galactic enemies. These features are especially compelling where the boundaries of travel and conquest are extended out to near-infinite distances.
The key elements of an epic sci-fi saga are often a hero of larger than life proportions, advanced technologies not yet available to mankind, and an alien (to the reader) environment. Dune and Battlefield Earth are no exception. For a great saga is more than its bells and whistles, or rather black holes and quantum theory. Ron Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth and how these science fiction authors crafted the major components of most sci-fi epics: worldbuilding, future technology, and heroes-especially heroes.
In this three part series, I look into Frank Herbert’s Dune and L.
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