Today is <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert">Frank Herbert's </a>Birthday.
Of course, he passed away in 1986, the year I graduated from high-school, but his work lives on. Mr. Herbert is primarily known for his seminal work, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=0441172717%26tag=fantasis…;, and the other books in the series that followed. Though, interestingly enough, he never intended to write sequels.
Often refered to as the science-fiction Lord of the Rings, the Dune series of books detail an amazingly rich science-ficiton culture. The novels are some of the first science-fiction to have detailed political and sociological sub-plots, not to mention ecological sub-plots! The way Mr. Herbert used religion in his work is quite interesting as well. In a genre that often avoids discussing religion, he explored the topic in detail and with a depth that was personally inspiring.
Herbert also wrote <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=0765342502%26tag=fantasis… Green Brain</a>, which is another ecological-message tied up in great science-fiction, as well as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=0399127216%26tag=fantasis… White Plague</a>, another of my favorite books.
There hasn't been anyone else quite like <a href="http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fherbert.htm">Frank Herbert</a> and I am in awe of the ways in which he influenced the genre, which is why I celebrate this every year.
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