I received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley.

As is usually the case with the giants of nerd culture, I'm pretty late to the party on Dune. I only got around to reading it before the first Villeneuve movie, after bouncing off of it as a young teen. But now I've read it, and it's good! (Still getting up the nerve to read Dune Messiah.) And now I've watched the Lynch movie and Dune pt. 2, and I get why, when gazing upon the vast expanse of Dune-lore, spreading out like the sands of Arrakis, you might want a guide through it all. A Muad'dib, if you will. (I forgive you if you hate this.) And if all you want is a broad overview of Dune and some fun facts, hey, this is the book for you.

Of course, because the writer is a fan and fan writing is specifically susceptible to the excesses of fandom geekery, we get way too many comparisons of the mythology of Dune to Star Wars. Yeah, Star Wars contains many obvious homages (or plagiarism, if you're ungenerous) to Dune, but I do not need half a dozen references comparing the genealogies of the Palpatines and the Harkonnens. Also, you would think reading this book that the sequels to Dune are just as good/ entertaining. Which I am fairly sure is not the critical consensus, but even if the author personally enjoyed them, this feels like a missed opportunity to talk about some of the weaknesses of the series.

Read this if you want to watch the movies but could give the books a miss, or if you're into retro pop culture.
Skip it if you already know what company first published Dune in hardcover.

A fascinating examination of the writing of Dune and its legacy across books and sequels, television, film, and beyond. Ryan Britt is a master of pop culture history and criticism-- his writing is fun and engaging but deeply insightful about the impact of media on our world.

this book is. It's by archgeek Ryan Britt of Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths fame, so he's got the chops and knows both the beat and the drill. Plume's published three of his books now, so clearly he commands the geek-culture street cred to make it profitable. Plus he's got a witty way with words that makes his deep familiarity with the subject less...creepy, more fun and funny.

This fictional universe has a lot of hot-button topics in it: Religion, climate change, religion, anti-technological bias, religion, and sheer unsurpassed-in-SF canon-guarding/gatekeeping/incel-friendly detail. Britt doesn't exactly dwell on the toxic parts of the fandom but neither does he ignore them. There are lots of worldbuilding details that he discusses and there are lots of ideas pinned under them, set in stories that are brimful of unapologetically partisan points of view. This is guaranteed to make some people go into full-on rages when their preferred interpretation of some detail is argued against.

This makes me sad, and reminds me of Kit Connor (of Heartstopper fame) feeling forced to reveal his private sexuality to stop muttered accusations of queerbaiting. As he said at the time this was occurring:
"I'm bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. *I think some of you missed the point of the show.* Bye."
(emphasis added to point up the disconnect between messages in the original and fannish gatekeeping)
That's the downside of passionate fandom. Anyone who has been in the Geek Culture world for more than A Minute has seen/been caught up in a pile-on when someone dares to be/say/assert an opinion or a take or even present a closely-reasoned analysis of that fandom's shared object that somehow rubs (some of) the fans the wrong way.

Quite a lot of people, myself included, stay away from fandoms for this reason. This book is a gentle, explanatory rebuke of our skittishness in the form of a reasonable geek-culture maven's informed, excited (almost besotted) explainer of just why this fandom came to be. Also a gentle chiding of the obsessive gatekeeping by some groups of fans. The book makes the point that Frank Herbert, and his son Brian after him, have created and are curating an immense, expansive Duneiverse of fiction, films, comics, and cosplay that contains literal multitudes. There is such astonishingly varied information in this fiction! Letting new players into the sandbox is Author Britt's aim in much of what he's doing...yet he never loses sight of the established fan's desire to see the whole Duneiverse from a wide-angled view...at least as far as the 2021 film...the 2024 one was filming as he wrote, so details and gossip were all embargoed.

I need to be reminded from time to time that fandom can be fun, and fascinating, and an all-around good experience. I hope this book will do the same for you, as a gift to yourself, and your other giftees

I love Dune and delving into so many aspects of how Dune has changed our world was fascinating! This book had a lot of research and I really enjoyed it!

I'm a big fan of the Dune books, so when I saw this I was excited to read it and I was not disappointed. The book was an interesting look into the series and its fandom.

As casual fan of "Dune", I really enjoyed reading "The Spice Must Flow" by Ryan Britt. Although it is not a "Cliff Notes", it does entertain the reader with a recap of the key points in the series. But more than that, "The Spice Must Flow" describes the history behind the original novel and covers the ongoing development of the succeeding novels and movies. Having read the first novel, and seen several of the movies, I really enjoyed reading about Britt's interactions with Herbert's family, and related actors, actresses, producers, and more. Britt very convincingly makes the case that "Dune" has had a massive impact on popular culture since the late 60's: Movies such Star Wars, Beetlejuice, music from Fatboy Slim, and so much more. Even though I consider myself a longtime SF fan, I came away enlightened about the interaction and development of the SF field since the 60's.

I completely recommend this to anyone with an interest in SF or "Dune". My only regret is that, having read "The Spice Must Flow", I can no longer put off reading the "Dune" series to the end.

I thank the Ryan Britt the Penguin Group for kindly providing an advanced electronic review copy of this excellent work.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit https://www.ManofLaBook.com

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Ryan Britt traces how Dune became the phenomena it is, from books to TV shows and films. Mr. Britt is a “geek-culture expert”, writer, editor, and teacher.

Even though I’ve never read Dune by Frank Herbert, I did enjoy the movies and show. I tried to read the book but was unsuccessful. However, I know that eventually I’ll get there.

In The Spice Must Flow, author Ryan Britt examines the influence of the beloved series in all forms of media. Art, music, politics, extended universe, and the inspiration it provided to such luminaries as David Lynch and George Lucas.

Mr. Britt had access to many people for this behind-the-scenes look. The leading actors of the shows and films, as well as those in the publishing industry. Mostly, however, Dune has been one of the first successful works of art concerned with ecology and climate change.

It is obvious that the author is very dedicated and excited about the book’s subject. He is also a good and enthusiastic writer that kept my attention without going on tangents or supplying too much fan-service. He does not judge the works in any media form, even the books written by Herbert, his son Brian Herbert, or Kevin J. Anderson who continued the series.

The book looks at the sci-fi market, the green movement, publishing, studio politics, as well the characters in the book. I enjoyed this book as a well-written, informative guide to the Dune universe in all its form.

One does not need to be a fan, or have knowledge of any of the stories before reading this book, even though it will certainly help. If you’re looking for an insightful crash course before delving into this huge universe, this will do it.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Dutton, Plume for an advanced copy of this history of the series dealing with the desert world Arrakis, the people who live on it and fight over its vast deserts, and the many forms of media that cover this saga, known as Dune.

Fear if the mind killer but the many creations that tell the story contained in the Dune saga have probably killed quite few relationships. Friends, family, professional, even in science fiction community,Dune is a series that seems intimidating, controversial, religious, environmental, dense, and yet draws many diverse readers. And diverse opinions. People love the original trilogy, hate he second trilogy, or vice versa. Or hate the new books, or hate this movie, love this one, and are waiting to make up their minds on the newest. People decry the politics, the feminism, the cultural appropriation, where others will defend it. My father was a huge fan, I remember him getting Heretics of Dune from the library in our town numerous and reading it, while trying to tell me the whole saga. As this was 1984 the David Lynch movie came out, and he was not a fan, though I loved it. However he did give me money to buy the movie version book from Scholastic Books, and I remember him reading it and laughing. Understanding the books seems daunting, the characters, the ideas, the time lines, but the books are really worth the effort. And the effort that Ryan Britt puts into The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies is quite apparant and make not only a good introduction to people new to the world of Arrakis, for older people like myself is a great reminder of how good these books are, and how they changed science fiction.

The book begins with a look at Frank Herbert, the author, a man with a mighty beard, a huge mind, a good sense of humor and an urge to make a career out of writing. Herbert had sold some fiction pieces, a western and a few shorter works but was working as a magazine writer, trying to get by, and not doing well. During the 1950's Herbert had the idea to write about efforts by the government to stop the growth of dunes in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually Herbert put this to the side, but still did research, thinking there was something there, but not sure what. Soon Herbert combined a few other ideas that he had and began to write a science fiction story, that his agent was able to place with Astounding magazine, and its editor John Campbell, and published over a few issues. The stories did well, generating word of mouth, but not enough to be be published until a publisher known for transportation books took a chance. Published as Dune, the book did ok, but won both science fiction awards for that year, and began to be discussed as not only a science fiction book, but as a book about the environment and the future. More books followed, and soon Dune and Herbert were famous, and science fiction would not be the same.

Ryan Britt is very good at writing about his subject, and the world around it. Britt looks at publishing, the science fiction market, the environmental movement, the problematic characters in science fiction, in addition to studio politics dealing with the movies, and other media. Britt tells a complete story without bogging the narrative down in fan service tripe, covering Dune in all its media forms, completely and with lots of new information. Britt interviews the cast of the new movie, the Lynch movie, and the miniseries from the turn of the century, which I will have to give a watch to again. Britt is non judgemental about some of the more controversial aspects of Dune, ie the books done by his son Brian, and Kevin Anderson, leaving it to readers to decide. The layout works very well, covering Herbert's life as the books were released, along with movies, and really covering every aspect in full. I would like to have known a little more about Herbert as I have heard some stories, but that's what biographies are for. This is a very well-written guide to a fascinating series.

Recommended easily for fans, and for people just starting on a Spice habit. Britt does a good job of showing how Dune influenced many popular works, Alien, Star Wars and more, and how different science fiction would be. Another great book by Ryan Britt, I can't wait to read more, and more importantly learn more about this genre I love so much.

The Spice Must Flow is a must read for fans of Frank Herbert and the Dune series. Ryan Britt allows readers to experience the journey from magazine story to one of the most beloved Sci-Fi series of all time. Britt shows us Herbert’s process and how people and life experiences shaped Arrakis and Dune.

Thank you NetGalley, Ryan Britt, Plume, and Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Spice Must Flow.

As of now, I have only read the first two books in the Dune series just before seeing the newer movie in theaters. Heads up, this book does seem to spoil certain things that might happen in the rest of the books. However, if you are like me, it is our own darn faults for not reading this masterpiece of a series sooner in life. The spoilers just made me more excited to read the rest and look forward to any subsequent movies.

The author did a great job organizing this book. There are several passages on how Dune came to be, interviews with some of the cast members of the original and newer movies, and mentions of how Dune inspired other sci-fi works.