The need for this study has never been greater. More than 50 years since its appearance, Dune is only increasing in relevance, as the rise of ISIS in the Middle East has recently shown. Now Mahmoud Shelton examines a world of psychic confusion in the light of traditional knowledge, relying especially upon Frank Herbert’s specific influences: Islam and Buddhism. He also clarifies a strange relationship between Dune, Star Wars, and the works of David Lynch. In this book, the powerful forces beneath the surface of Dune may be truly discovered at last.

Mahmoud Shelton's qualifications to explore the Mysteries of Dune are more than academic. He is the son of the late Dr. Jack Shelton, a leading authority on the medical use of LSD when (and where) Frank Herbert was writing Dune. Raised in a West Coast environment in which Zen Buddhism was paramount, the author has been a follower of Sufism for more than 30 years.