Jason Sand Popular Books

Jason Sand Biography & Facts

A sandworm is a fictional extraterrestrial creature that appears in the Dune novels written by Frank Herbert, first introduced in Dune (1965). Sandworms are colossal, worm-like creatures that live on the desert planet Arrakis. Their larvae produce a drug called melange (known colloquially as "the spice"), the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe because it makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible. Melange deposits are found in the sand seas of Arrakis, where the sandworms live and hunt, and harvesting the spice from the sand is a dangerous activity because sandworms are aggressive and territorial. Harvesting vehicles must be airlifted in and out of the sand sea in order to evade sandworm attacks. The struggle over the production and supply of melange is a central theme of the Dune saga. The sandworms are reverently called Shai-Hulud by the planet's indigenous Fremen, who worship them as agents of God whose actions are a form of divine intervention. Conception The sandworms in Dune were inspired by the dragons of European mythology that guard some sort of treasure. In particular, Herbert referenced the dragon in Beowulf that guards a hoard of gold in a cave, and the dragon of Colchis that guards the Golden Fleece from Jason. Like these dragons, the sandworms of Arrakis will attack anyone who attempts to take the treasure that is spice from the desert sands, as if they were guarding it. However, in the story, the sandworms are merely territorial and have no use for the spice, which is in fact waste matter produced by their larvae. In Children of Dune (1976), a character even refers to sandworms as "the dragon on the floor of the desert."In the plot of Frank Herbert's novel Dune, Herbert used the sandworms (along with the spice they produce) as a plot device to provide Paul Atreides with the trials through which he ascends to a superhuman state of being. Herbert believed that a memorable myth must have something profoundly moving that could either empower the hero or overwhelm him completely. The force in question must be dangerous and terrifying, yet somehow essential. In Dune, the sandworms serve this function. To earn the spice, humans must cope with sandworm attacks on their harvesting expeditions. To earn an even greater prize (his apotheosis into the all-seeing Kwisatz Haderach), Paul undergoes even more dangerous and transformative trials in which he risks madness and death, one of which involves the ritual sacrifice of a juvenile sandworm, and another in which he must learn to ride a sandworm. The elements of any mythology must grow from something profoundly moving, something which threatens to overwhelm any consciousness which tries to confront the primal mystery. Yet, after the primal confrontation, the roots of this threat must appear as familiar and necessary as your own flesh. For this, I give you the sandworms of Dune ... the extension of human lifespan cannot be an unmitigated blessing. Every such acquisition requires a new consciousness. And a new consciousness assumes that you will confront dangerous unknowns—you will go into the deeps. Sandworms are attracted to rhythmic vibrations in the sand, which they mistake for prey (smaller sandworms). To escape the notice of the sandworms, a traveller in the desert must learn to "walk without rhythm" in a manner that simulates the natural sounds of the desert. This element comes from Frank Herbert's experiences as a hunter and fisherman. He knew how to mask his presence from prey by techniques such as approaching from downwind and treading lightly. Frank Herbert's son Brian explained that "In Children of Dune, Leto II allowed sandtrout to attach themselves to his body, and this was based in part upon my father’s own experiences as a boy growing up in Washington state, when he rolled up his trousers and waded into a stream or lake, permitting leeches to attach themselves to his legs."John Schoenherr provided the earliest artwork for the Dune series, including the illustrations in the initial pulp magazine serial and the cover of the first hardcover edition. Frank Herbert was very pleased with Schoenherr's art, and remarked that he was "the only man who has ever visited Dune". Schoenherr gave the sandworm three triangular lobes that form the lips of its mouth. This design was referenced for the sandworm puppets that appeared in the 1984 movie adaptation of Dune. Description Sandworms are giant creatures found only on the desert planet Arrakis. They are reverently called Shai-Hulud by the planet's indigenous Fremen, who worship them as agents of God whose actions are a form of divine intervention. The Fremen also refer to the sandworms as Makers. Physiology Herbert describes sandworms as colossal terrestrial annelids with features of the lamprey. They have an array of crystalline teeth which are used primarily for rasping rocks and sand. During his first close encounter with a sandworm in Dune, Paul notes, "Its mouth was some eighty meters in diameter ... crystal teeth with the curved shape of crysknives glinting around the rim ... the bellows breath of cinnamon, subtle aldehydes ... acids ..."Sandworms grow to hundreds of meters in length, with specimens observed over 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and 40 metres (130 ft) in diameter, although Paul becomes a sandrider by summoning a worm that "appeared to be" around half a league (1.5 miles (2.4 km)) or more in length. These gigantic worms burrow deep in the ground and travel swiftly; "most of the sand on Arrakis is credited to sandworm action".Sandworms are described as "incredibly tough" by Liet-Kynes, who further notes that "high-voltage electrical shock applied separately to each ring segment" is the only known way to kill and preserve them; atomics are the only explosive powerful enough to kill an entire worm, with conventional explosives being unfeasible as "each ring segment has a life of its own". Water is poisonous to the worms, but it is in too short supply on Arrakis to be of use against any but the smallest of them. Life cycle Herbert notes in Dune that microscopic creatures called sand plankton feed upon traces of melange scattered by sandworms on the Arrakeen sands. The sand plankton are food for the giant sandworms, but also grow and burrow to become what the Fremen call Little Makers, "the half-plant-half-animal deep-sand vector of the Arrakis sandworm".Their leathery remains previously having "been ascribed to a fictional 'sandtrout' in Fremen folk stories", Imperial Planetologist Pardot Kynes had discovered the Little Makers during his ecological investigations of the planet, deducing their existence before he actually found one. Kynes determines that these "sandtrout" block off water "into fertile pockets within the porous lower strata below the 280° (absolute) line", and Alia Atreides notes in Children of Dune that the "sandtrout, when linked edge to edge against the planet's bedrock, formed living cisterns". The F.... Discover the Jason Sand popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jason Sand books.

Best Seller Jason Sand Books of 2024

  • Black Ice synopsis, comments

    Black Ice

    Brad Thor

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“[A]nother instant classic.” The Real Book Spy “The undisputed master of blending geopolitics with spycraft…a thriller aficionado’s dream.” The ...

  • Separation of Power synopsis, comments

    Separation of Power

    Vince Flynn

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Mitch Rapp series “knows how deliver action in his novels” (St. Paul Pioneer Press) and does so again with this thrilli...

  • Queenie synopsis, comments

    Queenie

    Candice Carty-Williams

    ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF 2019NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019 BY WOMAN’S DAY, NEWSDAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BUSTLE, AND BOOK...

  • The Last Second synopsis, comments

    The Last Second

    Catherine Coulter

    The New York Times bestselling Brit in the FBI series continues with this thrilling “popcorn movie in print form” (Associated Press) pitting special agents Nicholas Drummond and Mi...

  • The Maze synopsis, comments

    The Maze

    Nelson DeMille

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille returns with a “genuinely thrilling” (The New York Times) suspense novel featuring his most popular character, former NYPD homic...

  • Memorial Day synopsis, comments

    Memorial Day

    Vince Flynn

    When the CIA receives word about an upcoming terrorist attack, they immediately look towards their superagent Mitch Rapp to do whatever it takes to protect American lives in this “...

  • The Outsider synopsis, comments

    The Outsider

    Stephen King

    Now an HBO limited series starring Ben Mendelsohn!​Evil has many faces…maybe even yours in this #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King. An elevenyearold ...

  • Kill Shot synopsis, comments

    Kill Shot

    Vince Flynn

    #1 internationally bestselling author Vince Flynn delivers the young, hungry, and lethal Mitch Rapp at the onset of his career as a CIA superagent.In the year since the CIA trained...

  • Shock Wave synopsis, comments

    Shock Wave

    Clive Cussler

    A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily MailThe thirteenth adrenalinefilled Dirk Pitt classic from multimillioncopy king of the adventure novel, Clive Cussler.A hu...

  • Transfer of Power synopsis, comments

    Transfer of Power

    Vince Flynn

    This “rollercoaster, edgeofyourseat thriller” (StarTribune, Minneapolis) in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series follows the CIA’s top operative as he must stop a ma...

  • Extreme Measures synopsis, comments

    Extreme Measures

    Vince Flynn

    #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Vince Flynn delivers a whiteknuckled rollercoaster ride of a novel featuring “the best hero the thriller genre has to offer” (The Real Book...

  • Palace of Treason synopsis, comments

    Palace of Treason

    Jason Matthews

    Red Sparrow is now a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton!The thrilling sequel to Red SparrowCIA insider Jason Matthews’s compulsively readable New Yor...

  • Naturally Thin synopsis, comments

    Naturally Thin

    Bethenny Frankel

    From New York Times bestselling author Bethenny Frankel, the book that started it all: Naturally Thin. Bethenny Frankel, reality TV star, “Queen of Cocktails,” and “Mommy Mogul” ha...

  • Ghost synopsis, comments

    Ghost

    Jason Reynolds

    A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature Nominated as one of America’s bestloved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadGhost wants to be the fastest sprinter o...

  • Pet Sematary synopsis, comments

    Pet Sematary

    Stephen King

    Now a major motion picture! Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller is a “wild, powerful, disturbing” (The Washington Post Book World) classic about evil that exists far beyond...

  • Pursuit of Honor synopsis, comments

    Pursuit of Honor

    Vince Flynn

    Mitch Rappthe “mainstay of the modern technothriller” (New York Journal of Books)returns in this exhilarating political thriller as he fights for the sake of his country and the pu...

  • The Survivor synopsis, comments

    The Survivor

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    The #1 New York Times bestselling novel that picks up where the “tight, right, and dynamite” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) The Last Man left off, The Survivor is a noholdsbarred race...

  • Term Limits synopsis, comments

    Term Limits

    Vince Flynn

    Politics and riveting suspense collide in this whiteknuckled thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of American Assassinsoon to be a major motion picture.In one blo...

  • Oath of Loyalty synopsis, comments

    Oath of Loyalty

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    Named the Best Thriller of 2022 by The Real Book SpyMitch Rapp confronts a very different kind of killer in this explosive “and entertaining from the first page to the last” (The P...

  • American Assassin synopsis, comments

    American Assassin

    Vince Flynn

    In #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn’s explosive and “captivating” (Glenn Beck) thriller, witness the young Mitch Rapp as he takes on his first assignment.Mitch Rapp...

  • The Last Man synopsis, comments

    The Last Man

    Vince Flynn

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn “has never been better” (The Providence Journal) in this highoctane thriller following Mitch Rapp as he searches for a missing CIA ...

  • Lethal Agent synopsis, comments

    Lethal Agent

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    An unprecedented and terrifying bioterrorism plot threatens to kill millions in the midst of a divisive presidential election in this “gut punch of a tale that exploits our greates...

  • This Will Only Hurt a Little synopsis, comments

    This Will Only Hurt a Little

    Busy Philipps

    A hilarious, heartfelt, and refreshingly honest memoir and New York Times bestseller by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, and Cou...

  • A Place of Yes synopsis, comments

    A Place of Yes

    Bethenny Frankel

    The fourtime New York Times bestselling author, talk show host, and “Mommy Mogul” Bethenny Frankel takes us on an empowering journey in A Place of Yes.Bethenny Frankel’s nononsense...

  • Long Way Down synopsis, comments

    Long Way Down

    Jason Reynolds

    “An intense snapshot of the chain reaction caused by pulling a trigger.” Booklist (starred review) “Astonishing.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A tour de force.” Publishers Week...

  • Red Sparrow synopsis, comments

    Red Sparrow

    Jason Matthews

    Now a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton! From the New York Times bestselling author and veteran CIA officer Jason Matthews comes the electrifying mo...

  • Order to Kill synopsis, comments

    Order to Kill

    Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills

    In the next thrilling novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series, the antiterrorism operative heads to Pakistan to confront a mortal threat he may not be prepared...

  • Freezing Order synopsis, comments

    Freezing Order

    Bill Browder

    Following his explosive New York Times bestseller Red Notice, Bill Browder returns with another “explosive and compulsive” (Stephen Fry) thriller chronicling how he became Vladimir...

  • The Sixth Day synopsis, comments

    The Sixth Day

    Catherine Coulter

    Special agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine take on a criminal mastermind in the next captivating thriller in the New York Times bestselling A Brit in the FBI series. “Coul...

  • My Pet Monster synopsis, comments

    My Pet Monster

    Jason Sand, Robyn Torry, Sharon Alfredo, Carl Barcelon, Renell Castro, Kurt Crawford, Jodeci Del Castillo, Killian Duignan, Dawn Garcia, Camryn Haines, Taylor Hipkin, Dominik Ho, Kade Loessl, Rylie Regnier, Maureen Sako, Adam Saxton, Tim Vargas, Hans Vallarica, Harvey Vo, Richard Wang, Logan Willness & Aiman Yaldo

    My Pet Monster is an imaginative book about what a pet monster could be like. This collaborative book began in the imagination of a grade 2 class and the images were refined by gra...

  • Executive Power synopsis, comments

    Executive Power

    Vince Flynn

    The New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series returns with this “fastpaced spy thriller” (People) following the country’s best assassin as he finds himself in the crossfire of A...

  • Dreamcatcher synopsis, comments

    Dreamcatcher

    Stephen King

    From master storyteller Stephen King comes his classic #1 New York Times bestseller about four friends who encounter evil in the Maine woods.Twentyfive years ago, in their haunted ...