I'm just finishing the first third of the Dune novel.
I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm surprised by one thing. The first third of the plot involves a traitor in the House Atreides who is going to kill the Duke Leto. We are told who this traitor very early in the novel (2nd chapter), removing all mystery from this plot. Why did Frank Herbert do this?
I mean without this reveal, the novel would additionally have the appeal of a mystery novel with the reader having the fun of guessing the traitor. I mean with a few small tweaks the novel would still have worked keeping this mystery. Surely, Frank Herbert must have realized this, so he must have had a reason. I didn't see any great need to reveal the traitor right at the start... he could have revealed there was a traitor, but why reveal the traitor's identity so soon?