Even if you've never heard of Frank Herbert, you will have heard of Dune. His story of spice and political intrigue has overshadowed The Dosadi Experiment - a story of spicy political intrigue. But The Dosadi Experiment has something to say about humanity that is rarely discussed in print. Dosadi examines the inner human psyche and explores its ability to cope with extreme stress -- say, for example, the stress caused by 850 million beings confined in an area of 40 square kilometers for generations. Shut off from the rest of humanity, and confined with a race of frog-like beings called the Gowachin, humanity reveals its most basic instincts.

Onto the planet Dosadi comes Jori Mckie, an agent of the Bureau of Sabotage, and legum of the Gowachin bar. The best non-Dosadi has to offer, he soon finds that his years of training and experience are so inadequate, he can barely survive, let alone determine who started this illegal experiment in sentient beings. His only ally, Jedrik, is a local warlord who intends to kill him and use his death to escape Dosadi's confines. An intriguing back-drop to the story is the Gowachin legal system by which Mckie is bound. Under Gowachin law, the lawyers take their lives in their hands when they enter the Courtarena -- the losing counsel is slain by the victor; a practice which, in my humble opinion, we should seriously look at as a means of overhauling our own somewhat bloated legal system!

At 333 pages, The Dosadi Experiment is a comfortable read, and Herbert's style, although at times a little over-dramatic, should keep the attention of any sci-fi (and legal!) enthusiast who likes to look over the good guy's shoulder while he battles the forces of evil.