Un-American Dreams: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Disimagined Community, and Bad Hope in the American Century by J. Jesse Ramírez (review)

developed perspectives come from the Bene Gesserit, Mentats, Fremen, and Great Houses, and he offers a study of each group in relation to its view of humans. Weyant then concludes that Paul’s character represents the most complex perspective, since he is a synthesis of these four groups and can thus take a broader view of humanity. In “Belief is the Mind-Killer: The Bene Gesserit’s Transcendental Pragmatism,” Kevin Williams argues that the Bene Gesserit attempt to avoid assumptions in language and to see beliefs as maps for action, demonstrating a transcendental pragmatism in their outlook and operations. Williams focuses on examples of Bene Gesserit trying to educate or indoctrinate others across the series, showing that their rigorous approach to thinking means that they have no fixed philosophy and rely on being masterful and adaptable communicators. This essay collection offers a welcome addition to the field of scholarship on the DUNE series as it matures in the twenty-first century. Within the space constraints of an edited collection, it manages to cover a broad range of perspectives and includes analyses of the entire series rather than just the first novel. By relying on close reading approaches and providing explanations of key theoretical approaches, it makes itself accessible to a wide audience, and it can be dipped into and out of depending on a reader’s areas of interest. Released during a time of increasing interest in sf classics that are being adapted for the screen, this collection should satisfy seasoned sf scholars as well as new entrants to the study of this bestselling series.—Kara Kennedy, Independent Scholar