Doubtless many more people refer to Dune than who actually have read the novel. The novel is more notable in hindsight than it was at the time, 1965, in its references to drug use, the dangers of artificial intelligence and a quasi Islamic culture, the Fremen, having an outsized impact upon a dominant culture. An ominous additional point it makes is how quickly an entire society can be transformed by a messianic figure. Frank Herbert wasn’t a very good novelist, but he did have a keen eye for social trends.
