I can't think of examples at the moment but there must surely be a precedent for a biographer choosing his father for a subject, though their numbers must be quite small. Even smaller would be the number of those biographers who are also fiction writers working in the same genre as their father. Even smaller than that would be the group of biographers who not only have penned their father's life story but who have written additional volumes in a best-selling series created by him.
Of this latter group, I only know of Brian Herbert, though there may be others who have slipped my mind. Herbert, of course, has written many books of his own, including a number of science fiction titles, but he is best known for continuing his father's Dune series of science fiction novels.
Frank Herbert wrote six volumes of the wildly popular Dune series in the two decades between the publication of the first book, in 1965, and his death, in 1985. Following his demise, son Brian Herbert stepped in, with co-writer Kevin Anderson, and turned out another six novels, not to mention assorted and sundry Dune-related works.
So it was probably a fairly logical notion that Brian Herbert should write his father's biography, even though it might seem a bit off the wall at first. The perspective Herbert brings to the proceedings is about as close as you can get, but it does take a while to get adjusted to the fact that he's not just writing about famous, best-selling novelist Frank Herbert, but also about Dad.
As for the content of the work itself, it's kind of a slow go for the reader - just as it was for Frank Herbert himself, in real life - until the point where Dune finally sees the light of day. Though Frank Herbert would publish many other books in his lifetime, including somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 novels, it was Dune - as the title of this biography clearly illustrates - that he'll be remembered for.
Brian Herbert doesn't really shy away from presenting a warts and all portrayal of his blustery, often overbearing father, though the revelations are hardly of a magnitude that would make this a Daddy Dearest. In his earlier years Herbert and his father clashed often, but as the years passed they became very close. This was not the case with Frank Herbert and Brian's gay younger brother, who apparently never managed to win his father's approval.
Brian Herbert, who took up journal writing at some mid point in life, seems to rely quite heavily on those journals in the later parts of the book. At times it seems that he was reluctant to omit even some of the minutest details. And while the book reads as much like a memoir in places as it does a biography Dune fans will want to seek this one out nonetheless - not like they haven't already - for the additional insight it sheds on the creator and creation of one of science fiction's great multi-volume epics.
William I. Lengeman III is a freelance journalist, food writer and book reviewer. More info at http://wileng3.blogspot.com/.
© William I. Lengeman III
Ultraverse e-zine of science fiction and fantasy is Copyright 2003-2006 Parola Scritta and Chris Africa.
All stories, artwork and articles published in this e-zine are copyrighted by their creators, with limited publication rights given to Ultraverse. All other rights are reserved by the author or artist. Distribution without permission is a violation of copyright law.