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October 8, 1920

 

Frank Herbert (October 8, 1920 to   February 11, 1986) is the author of the book some have called the best-selling science fiction title ever: Dune (1965).

You might not think much would happen in a world where many have psychic abilities -- wouldn't you assume that surprise would be gone in such an outer space space? But no, Dune is the first in a series of books, and they feature cat cliches used millenia earlier by writers on planet earth, such as "feline movement", and "cat-footed" and "cat-stalking" behavior for warriors. Where these phrases could have come from, excluding a terrestrial origin, is a bit of a mystery, until we find that Children of Dune (1976) has Laza Tigers. These creatures are authentically fearsomely feline.
 

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