Ryan Britt to discuss his new book at South Portland Public Library

Author Ryan Britt is planning a discussion at the South Portland Library courtesy photo/ Ryan Britt

Local author, Ryan Britt, will be at the South Portland Library on Nov.16 at 6 p.m. The event will be a discussion about his latest book, “The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, From Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies.”

“The Spice Must Flow” is an exploration into the universe of Dune.

“I was inspired by the idea that nobody had actually tried to cover the history of Dune in one book.” Britt said. “I wanted to give readers something that didn’t exist in other books.”

Britt says the book aims to unlock the popularity of Dune, shedding light on its influence on art, music, politics, and as the pioneer of ecological science fiction narratives addressing climate change. Britt’s work includes interviews with actors and directors associated with the films.

Britt shared insight into the creation of “The Spice Must Flow” and the relevance of Dune’s themes in contemporary society. “I hope readers will have fun with the book, and that hopefully it will help, in a small way, for Dune to shake its reputation for being dense and hard to get into,” Britt said.

Regarding the challenge of accessibility for both devoted fans and newcomers, Britt said, “I tend never to worry about the die-hard fans with my books or articles. In terms of making it accessible for newcomers, that was the entire goal of the book. I wanted to write a book that was fun and also straightforward. This is my third nonfiction book about sci-fi and pop culture, so making these things “accessible” is kind of like a career-long goal. The idea that it was an ecological text made it more accessible, not less.”

While researching his book, he said the biggest insight he gained was the way that Dune’s reputation changed from 1963 to 1970. He said at first, it was really only something known in science fiction circles. “Once environmental activists got ahold of it though, Dune became more mainstream,” Britt said.

The transition of Dune from a cult novel to visionary sci-fi movies had a variety of adaptations.

“The bonkers Alejandro Jodorowsky attempt is well-known, but the earlier attempts from Arthur P. Jacobs, who had produced Planet of the Apes, are even more interesting,” Britt said.

The book also has interviews with actors who portrayed Paul Atreides in different adaptations.

Britt said he recently learned that used Christmas trees were being placed at Willard Beach in South Portland to help rebuild and stabilize some of the sand dunes. “This technique of using different foliage to control dunes was literally the inspiration for the novel Dune, he said. “So, something that inspired Herbert way back in 1957 is still a practice that exists today.”

Britt’s upcoming Author Talk at the South Portland Public Library will be an opportunity for fans to interact directly.