Why should you read “Dune” by Frank Herbert? - Dan Kwartler

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

A mother and her son trek across an endless desert.

一位母親和她的兒子 艱苦跋涉穿過沙漠。

Wearing special skin-tight suits to dissipate heat and recycle moisture,

這兩位旅人穿著特殊的緊身衣，

可以散熱及回收濕氣， 不用擔心渴死。

the travelers aren’t worried about dying of thirst.

Their fears are much greater.

他們的恐懼更可怕許多。

The pair try to walk without rhythm,

兩人試著用沒有節奏的方式行走，

letting the vibrations of their footsteps blend into the shifting sands.

讓腳步的震動能夠融入流沙。

But soon, the sound of the desert is drowned out by a louder hissing.

沒多久，沙漠的聲音 被更大的嘶嘶聲給蓋過。

As a mound of sand races towards them,

隨著一堆沙追向他們，

the pair’s unnatural gait turns into a sprint.

兩人本來很不自然的步伐 轉變成了全力衝刺。

The two clamber into a nearby rock face,

兩人攀上了垂直的岩石表面，

as a sandworm 400 meters long bursts from the desert floor.

同時，四百公尺長的沙蟲 從沙漠地面衝出來。

This is the world of "Dune."

這就是《沙丘》的世界。

Written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965,

《沙丘》在 1965 年出版， 作者是法蘭克 · 赫伯特，

"Dune" takes place in a far-flung future,

故事發生在遙遠的未來，

where humanity rules the stars in a giant feudal empire.

在未來，人類在巨大的 封建帝國中統治眾星。

This medieval motif goes beyond just the government.

這種老式的主題不只 用在政府的設定而已。

Unlike most interstellar sci-fi,

和大部分的星際科幻小說不同，

Herbert's humans conquered the stars without any computers.

赫伯特筆下的人類 不用任何電腦就征服了眾星。

Following an ancient war with robots,

很久以前，和機器人的戰爭之後，

humanity has forbidden the construction of any machine

人類就禁止建造

任何「和人類大腦相似」的機器。

“in the likeness of a human mind.”

But rather than stifling their expansion,

但，這條命令並沒有 抑阻人類的擴展，

this edict forced humans to evolve in startling ways—

反而迫使人類 用驚人的方式演化——

becoming biological computers, psychic witches, and prescient space pilots.

變成生物電腦、靈媒巫師、

有預知能力的太空飛行員。

Members of these super-powered factions

這些具有超能力派別的成員

are regularly employed by various noble houses,

常會受僱於各個豪門，

all competing for power and new planets to add to their kingdoms.

他們全都在爭奪權力，想將更多 新的星球納入他們的王國版圖。

But almost all these superhuman skills rely on the same precious resource:

但，幾乎所有超能力

都仰賴同一種珍貴的資源：香料。

the spice.

This mystical crop also known as “melange” is essential for all space travel,

這種神秘的作物也叫做「美蘭極」，

太空旅行不能沒有它，

making it the cornerstone of the galactic economy.

使它成為銀河經濟的基石。

And it only grows on the desert planet Arrakis,

這種香料只產於沙漠星球阿拉基斯，

a dangerous and inhospitable world whose native inhabitants

那個星球是個危險的世界，

當地原住民長年來一直對抗帝國。

have long rebelled against the empire.

Arrakis, also called Dune, is the setting for Herbert’s novel,

阿拉基斯，也叫沙丘， 就是赫伯特這部小說的背景，

which follows Paul of the noble House Atreides.

故事跟著貴族 亞崔迪家的保羅進行。

The book begins with Paul’s family being assigned control of Dune

這本書始於沙丘的控制權 被交付給保羅的家庭，

as part of an elaborate plot by their sworn enemies:

是他們的死敵所設計的 精密陰謀的一部分：

the sadistic slave drivers of House Harkonnen.

死敵是奴役奴隸的哈肯納家族。

The conflict between these houses upends the delicate political balance on Arrakis.

這些家庭之間的衝突破壞了 阿拉基斯上那脆弱的政治平衡。

Soon, Paul is catapulted into the middle of a planetary revolution,

保羅很快就陷入星球革命當中，

where he must prove himself capable of leading— and surviving—

他必須證明自己在這個 不友善的沙漠星球上

on this hostile desert world.

有能力領導和生存。

But Arrakis is not simply an endless sea of sand.

但阿拉基斯並不只是無盡的沙海。

Herbert was an avid environmentalist,

赫伯特熱衷於環境保護，

who spent over five years creating Dune’s complex ecosystem.

花了超過五年的時間去創造 《沙丘》的複雜生態系統。

The planet is checkered with climate belts and wind tunnels

這個星球有著多樣化的 氣候帶和風洞，

that have shaped its rocky topography.

塑造出了它的多岩地形。

Different temperate zones produce varying desert flora.

不同溫度區域產出各種沙漠植物群。

And almost every element of Dune’s ecosystem works together

幾乎《沙丘》生態系統中的 每一個元素都結合在一起，

to produce the planet’s essential export.

產生出該星球的重要輸出。

Herbert’s world building also includes a rich web of philosophy and religion.

赫伯特在建造這個世界時， 也將豐富的哲學與宗教交織在其中。

Paul’s mother Jessica, is a member of the Bene Gesserit,

保羅的母親潔西卡 是比吉斯特的成員，

an ancient cult of spice-assisted psychics.

那是個靠香料的巫師 所組成的古老神秘組織，

Sometimes called “witches” for their mysterious powers,

因為他們的神秘力量， 有時被稱為「女巫」，

the Bene Gesserit have operated as a shadow government for millennia

數百年來，比吉斯特 都扮演著影子政府的角色，

in an effort to guide society towards enlightenment.

致力引導社會朝向啟蒙的目標前進。

Similarly ancient are the Mentats—

門塔特也同樣古老——

human computers capable of processing incredible amounts of data.

門塔特是人形電腦， 能處理非常大量的資料。

While the Mentats are bastions of logic and reason,

雖然門塔特堅守邏輯和推理，

their results are not mere calculations,

但他們的結果並不只是計算，

but rather, streams of constantly shifting possibilities.

而是源源不絕 又不斷改變的可能性。

However, no group is more central to "Dune" than the Fremen.

然而，在《沙丘》當中， 最核心的團體非佛曼莫屬。

Natives of Arrakis, they are the keepers of the planet’s many secrets.

他們是阿拉基斯的原住民， 守護著該星球的許多秘密。

Paul’s journey takes him deep into the Fremen’s exclusive brotherhood,

保羅的歷險帶他深入 排外的佛曼群體，

where he must prove himself trustworthy

在那裡，他必須在一連串 越來越致命的挑戰中

in a series of increasingly deadly challenges.

證明他自己能被信任。

All these factions have deep histories that pervade the text,

文中各處都可以看見 這些派別的深刻歷史，

and Herbert also incorporates that sense of scale into the book’s structure.

赫伯特也將這種規模感 融入到該書的結構當中。

Each chapter begins with a quote from a future history book,

每一章的開頭，都是來自 一本未來史書的引述句，

recalling elements of the events that are about to unfold.

回顧即將發生之事件。

The book also contains in-universe appendices

這本書也含有書中世界觀的附錄，

that further explore the Empire’s history;

進一步探究帝國的歷史；

alongside a glossary of words like “Gom jabbar” and “Shai-Hulud."

此外還有詞彙表，內有 「高姆刺」及「夏胡露」等詞。

Dune’s epic story continues to unfold over a six-book saga that spans millennia.

《沙丘》的史詩級故事橫跨數百年，

用了六本書來呈現。

But every story of Arrakis’ future begins here:

但，阿拉基斯未來的 每一個故事都從這裡開始：

as Paul pursues a path that is dangerous, demanding,

保羅追尋一段危險、苛刻的路途，

and always on the verge of being consumed by the oncoming storm.

且總是身處在就要被即將 到來之暴風雨給吞噬的邊緣。