"...part of Herbert’s genius lay in his willingness to reach for more idiosyncratic sources of inspiration. The Sabres of Paradise (1960) served as one of those sources, a half-forgotten masterpiece of narrative history recounting a mid-19th century Islamic holy war against Russian imperialism in the Caucasus... ...Why is Blanch’s influence on Dune worth recognizing? Celebrating … Continue reading The Secret History of Dune