What Do We REALLY Know About Brian Herbert And The HLP?

HoosierDaddy · Post by **HoosierDaddy** » 18 Jul 2008 00:25

Aside from putting his family name on a bunch of crappy Dune books since his father died, what do we know about this man, as a person, and the HLP?

This subject is fair game, IMO. Normally I would give most people their privacy, but the HLP is a company that uses their family name to market books.

I'm talking EVERYTHING. No stone left unturned, nothing sacred.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Jul 2008 01:48

The Advance Uncorrected Proof of Sadworms that we saw last year came with a few pages of PR crap which I did make copies of and from which the following quotes are taken:

Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert, is a multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. In 2003, he published Dreamer of Dune, a Hugo Award-nominated biography of his father.

BRIAN HERBERT: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Brian Herbert, the author of numerous novels and short stories, has been critically acclaimed by leading reviewers in the United States and around the world. The eldest son of science fiction superstar Frank Herbert, Brian moved his home twenty-three times before graduating from high school. Finances were tight in those days, as his father (with success still years away) working on and off as a newspaperman and sometimes solely as a writer, neither of which brought in enough money to support a family of three children, including Brian, his younger brother, Bruce, and their older sister, Penny. Life was never dull, however. An impulsive, restless man, Frank Herbert constantly sought out new opportunities and fresh adventures. This included two writing sojourns with his family in Mexico, including one with fantasy author Jack Vance and another in an old Cadillac LaSalle hearse—the family car.

An honor student, Brian was skipped ahead, so that he graduated from high school at the age of 16. He married at a young age as well, and while a full-time student at UC Berkeley (where he received a BA in Sociology), he worked in order to support his wife, Jan, and their first daughter, Julie. The marriage has been going strong for more than three decades and has produced three daughters. [NB. I knew I'd read they had more children than Kim somewhere! —SC]

Brian has been involved in a wide variety of professions and endeavors, including work as an author, an editor, a business manager, an inventor of board games, and a creative consultant for both television and collectible card games. He did not begin his writing career until he was nearly thirty years old; prior to that he worked as an insurance underwriter and agent, an award-winning encyclopedia salesman, a waiter, a busboy, a maid (not a typo), and a printer. He and his wife once owned a double-decker London bus, which they converted into an ususual gift shop. Brian also operated a mail-order record and tape business, in which he sold "golden oldies" music to remote regions of the world, including the Australian outback.

Brian Herbert's first two books were humor collections, Incredible Insurance Claims and Classic Comebacks. After that, a steady stream of novels ensued, including Sidney's Comet; The Garbage Chronicles; Sudanna, Sudanna; Man of Two Worlds, with Frank Herbert; Prisoners of Arionn; The Race for God, a preliminary Nebula nominee in 1990; Memorymakers, with Marie Landis; and Blood on the Sun, also with Marie Landis. In May 2005, Brian published the non-fiction book, The Forgotten Heroes (Forge) about the history of U.S. Merchant Marine. Among his work as editor are The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune and Songs of Muad'Dib.

When Brian was in his late twenties and early thirties he began to grow closer to his father, who was a complex, enigmatic man. Brian's efforts to unravel the intriguing mysteries of his father began with a detailed journal that Brian maintained for years, chronicling the fascinating events of the Herbert family—a document which ultimately included the tragic deaths of his mother and father, and which he expanded into a comprehensive biography of Frank Herbert. Tor Books published this work, entitled Dreamer of Dune in April of 2003. The quest to understand one's father—which Joseph Campbell has described as one of the epic hero journeys of mankind—continued as Brian studied the entire six-volume Dune series and created a massive Dune Concordance. This would prove to be an invaluable reference book during the writing of additional Dune books in the three-volume Prelude to Dune series, which Brian undertook with Kevin J. Anderson in 1998, and with the publication of the new Legends of Dune series books, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (Tor, 2002), Dune: The Machine Crusade (Tor, 2003), and Dune: The Battle of Corrin (Tor, 2004). The pair have since collaborated on The Road to Dune (Tor, 2005), Hunters of Dune (Tor, 2006) and most recently, Sandworms of Dune (Tor, 2007).

FWIW.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Jul 2008 01:55

NOW, what they don't mention in that prettified version...

Brian used to be an alcoholic.

He was once in some sort of small plane crash (no real details to be found on the Web) and has never flown again since. It's unclear whether he was physically injured or whether the damage was completely mental.

He's a Luddite or technophobe (great qualifications for a science fiction writer, no? And it shows!) and does not "believe in the Internet" or even have an email account if reports are accurate. Byron will tell you that this (Internet phobia?) is due to "philosophical reservations", that Brian believes the Net is "not all it's cracked up to be".

Whatever the truth is, Brian Herbert is apparently a very meek little man who's probably afraid of his own shadow and not completely in control of his own mind. No wonder Kevin is in control now.

waff · Post by **waff** » 18 Jul 2008 06:06

SandChigger wrote:
Whatever the truth is, Brian Herbert is apparently a very meek little man who's probably afraid of his own shadow and not completely in control of his own mind. No wonder Kevin is in control now.

I wonder if they play Omnius and Erasmus sex games?

Tleszer · Post by **Tleszer** » 18 Jul 2008 06:13

waff wrote:
SandChigger wrote:
Whatever the truth is, Brian Herbert is apparently a very meek little man who's probably afraid of his own shadow and not completely in control of his own mind. No wonder Kevin is in control now.
I wonder if they play Omnius and Erasmus sex games?

I could have done without that, but I suppose it was inevitable...

Lisan Al-Gaib · Post by **Lisan Al-Gaib** » 18 Jul 2008 07:45

The eldest son of science fiction superstar Frank Herbert, Brian moved his home twenty-three times before graduating from high school. Finances were tight in those days, as his father (with success still years away) working on and off as a newspaperman and sometimes solely as a writer, neither of which brought in enough money to support a family of three children, including Brian, his younger brother, Bruce, and their older sister, Penny. Life was never dull, however. An impulsive, restless man, Frank Herbert constantly sought out new opportunities and fresh adventures. This included two writing sojourns with his family in Mexico, including one with fantasy author Jack Vance and another in an old Cadillac LaSalle hearse—the family car.

Wow! Frank herbert was a crazy man, hahahaha.

I didn't know he had traveled so much with his family. Obviuosly, frank was a man without fear, who takes all the risks to follow his dreams.

But we can't say the same to brian...A man who don't like planes?? How he will discover the world and another cultures (duniverse is rich in different cultures) to improve his writing, if he don't get out of his garden!!

At least, frank traveled to mexico...

Nekhrun · Post by **Nekhrun** » 18 Jul 2008 08:13

Anyone know any of the board games he invented? I've got to see one of those.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Jul 2008 09:30

I just wonder who wrote that bio sketch. (It's not very well done, when you look at the mechanics aspects. E.g., Brian didn't "move his home", he was along for the ride.)

Oh well.

HoosierDaddy · Post by **HoosierDaddy** » 18 Jul 2008 09:53

"Used to be an alcoholic".

Did he stop drinking recently? I clearly remember a publicity picture of him and KA "collaborating", with booze bottles in the foreground.

Also, does anybody have access to criminal/civil records?

orald · Post by **orald** » 18 Jul 2008 10:00

Nekhrun wrote:Anyone know any of the board games he invented? I've got to see one of those.

Hikers And Hacks?

Nekhrun · Post by **Nekhrun** » 18 Jul 2008 10:53

orald wrote:
Nekhrun wrote:Anyone know any of the board games he invented? I've got to see one of those.
Hikers And Hacks?

It would be strange to play a board game where everyone loses.

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Jul 2008 10:59

HoosierDaddy wrote:"Used to be an alcoholic".

Did he stop drinking recently? I clearly remember a publicity picture of him and KA "collaborating", with booze bottles in the foreground.

Also, does anybody have access to criminal/civil records?

You mean this one, right?

Clicky-clicky for the bigger version.

Anyone recognize those bottles? Is it alcohol or just fruit juice?

Fantômas · Post by **Fantômas** » 18 Jul 2008 11:44

SandChigger wrote:

HoosierDaddy wrote:"Used to be an alcoholic".

Did he stop drinking recently? I clearly remember a publicity picture of him and KA "collaborating", with booze bottles in the foreground.

Also, does anybody have access to criminal/civil records?
You mean this one, right?

Clicky-clicky for the bigger version.

Anyone recognize those bottles? Is it alcohol or just fruit juice?

It looks like a bottle of Spanish olive oil and next to it a bottle of Italian Balsamic vinegar.

A Thing of Eternity · Post by **A Thing of Eternity** » 18 Jul 2008 12:04

I think Fantomas is right on that one. Balsamic, Olive oil and dipping bread.

Spicelon · Post by **Spicelon** » 18 Jul 2008 12:22

i will donate $20 towards the hiring of an investigator to find out the inner working of the HLP. I can do PayPal.

orald · Post by **orald** » 18 Jul 2008 13:27

Screw that. Spend your 20$ on something worthwhile, like buying materials for homemade exlosives, envelopes and post stamps for whereever the various HLP members live.

Post by **Omphalos** » 18 Jul 2008 13:29

A Thing of Eternity wrote:I think Fantomas is right on that one. Balsamic, Olive oil and dipping bread.

That's what it looks like to me too. though that glass on the far right in front of BH looks like a pint of red ale to me. Do you think KJA is feeding BH booze as a part of his plan to dominate him?

I think its cute that Bwian's widdle beer fwaggon has pictures of fishies on it!

And doesnt it look like KJA is holding a string in his right hand there? Hmmmm. I wonder what that string is connected to? It could be the control mechanism for BH's head, so he can make it nod yes or shake no whenever he wants, or it could be some sick game where BH likes to have a thread tied tightly around his genitals. Anyone have any ideas?

SandChigger · Post by **SandChigger** » 18 Jul 2008 20:19

I wondered about that, too.

Remote control for the camera, if it wasn't 'Becca or Jan taking the picture?

A pair of sunglasses?

No...could it be?! HIS RECORDER!!!

Whatever it is Kevin has in his hand, it certain looks like he and the HLP should let Brian out of the house more often. I mean, dayum, when was the last time he got any sun?!

(As for your last guess, Omph...it does look a bit like Bri-Bri's gots a chubby, no?)

Post by **Omphalos** » 18 Jul 2008 21:17

Wow. I guess KJA told him it was OK for him to have a hard-on for that shot.

Nekhrun · Post by **Nekhrun** » 18 Jul 2008 23:12

I thought it was a knife being hidden out of camera's view.

Serkanner · Post by **Serkanner** » 19 Jul 2008 04:49

"award-winning" encyclopedia sales man ...

...

Mr. Teg · Post by **Mr. Teg** » 19 Jul 2008 08:37

Boardgamenews.com
August 27, 2007

Dune Board Game Remake - Pretty Please?

Just about everyone Critical Gamer has read Dune – sometimes more than once - and all of us have marked it down as one of the top ten sci fi novels period. Hands down. Pencils down. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is down. If you like science fiction and you haven’t picked it up, then do so now.

For those who are already fans of Dune, you will want to perk your ears up. Last week at GenCon publisher Fantasy Flight Games noted that they were working on a remake of the classic board game Dune. The original Dune is also heralded as one of the better games from gaming history, and closely tied to the setting from Frank Herbert’s masterpiece novel. As a testament to its greatness and longevity, the game - originally published in 1979 - still holds rank #44 on Board Game Geek, and can be found passing through gaming hands via Ebay for upwards of $150-$200.

There is one problem, however. The rights to the Dune board game are locked-up by franchise owner Kim Herbert. And currently she’s not offering it up for sale, to anyone. Not even Kyle MacLachlan.

Due to this passive stonewalling, Fantasy Flight Games has decided to circumvent the Dune tie-ins. Instead they’re going to take the Dune gameplay and vaccum seal their Twilight Imperium universe around it. Hrm, we love T.I. and all, but this just isn’t going to cut it. We want the spice fields of Dune, and we want them now.

If you’re with us - then there is a glimmer of hope. An online petition has been formed in hopes that Fantasy Flight Games and Kim Herbert might at least talk about the idea of a Dune board game remake. After all, as of now, it seems like they haven’t even spoken to each other.

And that’s a pretty darn big shame.

trang · Post by **trang** » 19 Jul 2008 13:35

I find this an interesting topic, and I appreciate Chig's info, tells a alot.
I can research on my own of course, and will.
(by the way dreamer of dune is one book i havent obtained and I need to, think there was a copy at the store, will pick it up this weekend)

Questions on chig's info:

1. Did brian do all this study of the six on his own?
2. If he did where is this concordance?
3. How does the concordance compare to the Dune Encylcopedia
4. Not that im doubting, but where did you garner that Brian was an Alcoholic?
5. I remember a post or set of posts on DuneNovels shortly after I joined, byron had made a response about brians fear of flying, the accident, and his tech neanderthal thinking. Is this the source for your info or other?

Can we maybe start with some basics,
like who the HLP are? (links or something to help others search)

do they have a business website?
The individual names?

Who is in overall control? is it brian or a collective like the borg?

Is KJA an official partner, or just invited collabotuer? (might be coining phrase here, not sure)

This would be a good set of information to publish somewhere to the general reading fans of DUNE so they can know the facts and truth.

Again I APPLAUD (a solid thud to the chest salute) Chigs efforts on his blog site(and connected efforts), and the other folks hear ho have had their hand in the game for a long time.

Just thought it would be a good place to organize the information, and unifiy the broad shots across the USS HLP bow. Let the other fans see.

me thinks the HMS Orthodox Herbertarian be needing a "Jolly Roger" of sorts.

let the artists play with that one!

Trang

orald · Post by **orald** » 19 Jul 2008 17:11

trang wrote:me thinks the HMS Orthodox Herbertarian be needing a "Jolly Roger" of sorts.

let the artists play with that one!

Oh God no!

Do you have any idea what they'll do with a sandworm image?!

Anyway, by Mr. Teg's post it seems Kim isn't all innocent either...do I need repeat my plee to kill off the Herberts?

HoosierDaddy · Post by **HoosierDaddy** » 19 Jul 2008 22:44

So does anybody know how we can find out some more dirt on BH and the HLP? I'm willing to kick in some $$$ too if that's what it takes.