Frank Herbert's Hugo and Nebula Award winner celebrates 40 years with this new anniversary edition. The sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, "Dune" has been a favorite among sci-fi fans for decades.
Paperback, 40th Anniversary Edition, 528 pages
Published
August 2nd 2005
by Ace Books
(first published January 1st 1965)
There's a characteristically witty essay by Borges about a man who rewrites Don Quixote, many centuries after Cervantes. He publishes a novel with the same title, containing the same words in the same order. But, as Borges shows you, the different cultural context means it's a completely new book! What was once trite and commonplace is now daring and new, and vice versa. It just happens to look like Cervantes's masterpiece.
Similarly, imagine the man who was brave or stupid enough to ...moreThere's a characteristically witty essay by Borges about a man who rewrites Don Quixote, many centuries after Cervantes. He publishes a novel with the same title, containing the same words in the same order. But, as Borges shows you, the different cultural context means it's a completely new book! What was once trite and commonplace is now daring and new, and vice versa. It just happens to look like Cervantes's masterpiece.
Similarly, imagine the man who was brave or stupid enough to rewrite Dune in the early 21st century. Like many people who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I read the book in my early teens. What an amazing story! Those kick-ass Fremen! All those cool, weird-sounding names and expressions they use! (They even have a useful glossary in the back). The disgusting, corrupt, slimy Harkonnens - don't you just love to hate them! When former-aristo-turned-desert-guerilla-fighter Paul Muad'Dib rides in on a sandworm at the end to fight the evil Baron and his vicious, cruel nephew, of course you're cheering for him. Who the hell wouldn't be?
So that was the Dune we know and love, but the man who rewrote it now would get a rather different reception. Oh my God! These Fremen, who obviously speak Arabic, live on a desert planet which supplies the Universe with melange, a commodity essential to the Galactic economy, and in particular to transport. Not a very subtle way to say "oil"! They are tough, uncompromising fighters, who are quite happy to use suicide bombing as a tactic. They're led by a charismatic former rich kid (OK, we get who you mean), who inspires them to rise up against the corrupt, degenerate... um, does he mean Westerners? Or only the US? And who is Baron Harkonnen intended to be? I'm racking my brains... Dubya doesn't quite seem to fit, but surely he means someone? Unless, of course, he's just a generic stereotype who stands for the immoral, sexually obsessed West. This is frightening. What did we do to make Frank al-Herbert hate us so much? You'd have people, not even necessarily right-wingers, appearing on TV to say that the book was dangerous, and should be banned: at the very least, it incites racial hatred, and openly encourages terrorism. But translations would sell brilliantly in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and a bad movie version would soon be made in Turkey.
I honestly don't think Herbert meant any of that; but today, it's almost impossible not to wonder. If anyone reading this review is planning to rewrite The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, you'd better make sure you get your timing right. Who knows how it will be interpreted five years from now?
DBR to follow, at Ceridwen's request. She must have used one of her Bene Gesserit tricks on me.
***
Dune. Dune is a fascinating book. A classic of science-fiction, it plays equally as fantasy and allegory. It is deeply textured, richly layered. And if you want to read a sensible review of it, I'd go read, say, Cedriwen's. This one is going to be full of silliness.
Arrakis. The desert planet. Home to spice and sandworms. Dune. You know, I went to the desert once. The Sa...moreDBR to follow, at Ceridwen's request. She must have used one of her Bene Gesserit tricks on me.
***
Dune. Dune is a fascinating book. A classic of science-fiction, it plays equally as fantasy and allegory. It is deeply textured, richly layered. And if you want to read a sensible review of it, I'd go read, say, Cedriwen's. This one is going to be full of silliness.
Arrakis. The desert planet. Home to spice and sandworms. Dune. You know, I went to the desert once. The Sahara Desert. It looked like this (ps I took this picture!):
I don't feel like tracking down a picture from the movie, so you have to imagine what Arrakis looks like. It looks a lot like the Sahara.
So anyway, one of the "things to do" when you're in Morocco is to drive out into the Sahara and go for a camel ride, stay overnight in a Berber tent. Ah, camels. I don't know if any of you have ridden a camel (but I'm sure if you have, you will back me up on this): not as much fun as you would think. Riding a horse is, let's face it, always a little uncomfortable. You have to straddle it (twss!), you have to keep your legs at a weird angle (twss!), it starts to hurt after a while (uh... twss?). Riding a camel, on the other hand, sucks. Camels do not wear saddles. They wear blankets. A camel's hump is not very squishy for something that is supposed to be full of water, if my elementary school understanding of why they can live in the desert is accurate. If kind of feels like you are sitting on a rock, and it feels like someone is repeatedly hitting your public bone with a baseball bat. This is not just a guy thing; my girlfriend confirmed that after about five minutes, riding a camel ceases being at all fun and becomes an exercise in pain management. It hurt like hell while it was happening, and it was hard to walk the next day (omg, twss!).
On Dune, the desert-inhabiting Fremen don't ride camels. They ride these:
Scary. But probably not more uncomfortable to ride than a camel.
Look, this is me with Fergie. I am smiling because I am no longer riding it.
Other than the sand and stuff, Arrakis is pretty different from Western Africa. Like the sandworms, which attack anyone who dares venture into the desert, there are the Fremen, a mysterious tribe of fighters who have a strange relationship with what they call "the Markers," there is this stuff called spice that must be carefully harvested from the sands, the risk rewarded by the incredible worth of the spice as a drug used by the Guild to gives the navigators the prescient sight they need to chart courses through hyperspace, and by the Bene Gesserit witches, why use it to preserve their ways from generation to generation. Also I don't think Dune had package tours.
Dune is a famously boring and complicated book. You may have heard that it has a lengthy appendix, and that when David Lynch turned it into a movie, the story was so complex that audiences had to be given cheat sheets along with their tickets. (Don't blame Frank Herbert for that, though. The Dune movie is just marvelously bad, as this chart will illustrate:
)
Don't let its reputation fool you. Sure, Dune is a little bit boring in parts (the characters like to philosophize redundantly and have prophetic visions). But it is also an awesome space opera, with an entirely transporting sense of place and vidiv world-building. The political struggles that drive the plot engine are fiendishly complex to the occasional point of obtusion (I can't believe that is a word), but also a lot of fun to read about, thanks to sneering villains like Baron Harkonnen, who isn't just any old bad guy, but a grossly obese, slithery, murdering, rapist pedophile. The Fremen, a tribe of deeply spiritual religious fanatics who control a natural resource and are willing to die for what they believe... in. Hmmmm. And then there are the sandworms. I loved everything about this concept, from Herbert's vivid descriptions, to their presence as an omnipresent threat throughout the book, to their epic inclusion in the explosion and violence-heavy climax. Awesome.
I haven't really said anything about the book. It's good. It's Dune. It is a super-famous classic for a reason. It has compelling characters (Lady Jessica is one of the most interesting female protagonists in classic sci-fi, and the book's take on gender politics, with an elite group of women are a powerful, secretive and controlling force in the galaxy , is worth examining.) It is epic in scope. It's nearly as deep as Tolkien (there's that appendix).
People often forget that this series is what innovated our modern concept of science fiction (up until Neuromancer and The Martix, at least). Dune took the Space Opera and asked if it might be more than spandex, dildo-shaped rockets, and scantily-clad green women. Herbert created a vast and complex system of ancient spatial politics and peoples, then set them at one another's throats over land, money, and drugs.
Dune is often said to relate to Sci Fi in the same way that Tolkien relat...morePeople often forget that this series is what innovated our modern concept of science fiction (up until Neuromancer and The Martix, at least). Dune took the Space Opera and asked if it might be more than spandex, dildo-shaped rockets, and scantily-clad green women. Herbert created a vast and complex system of ancient spatial politics and peoples, then set them at one another's throats over land, money, and drugs.
Dune is often said to relate to Sci Fi in the same way that Tolkien relates to Fantasy. I'd say that, as far as paradigm shift, this is widely true. Both entered genres generally filled with the odd, childish, and ridiculous and injected a literary sensibility which affected all subsequent authors.
Few will challenge the importance of Star Wars' effect on film and storytelling in general, but without Dune, there would be no Star Wars. Princess Alia, the desert planet, the Spice, the Bene Gesserit, and Leto II all have direct descendants in the movies. It is unfortunate that Lucas seems to have forgotten in these later years that his best genius was pilfered from Herbert, Campbell, and Kurosawa.
Though I have heard that the later books do not capture the same eclectic energy as the first, Dune itself is simply one of the most original and unusual pieces of Sci Fi ever written. Read it, Starship Troopers, Ringworld, Neuromancer, and Snowcrash and you'll know everything you need to about Sci Fi: that you want more.(less)
Like most of my five star books, I’ve read Dune multiple times. In fact, I’d say that what makes a book more than just enjoyable and instead truly amazing is that you want to read it more than once and are rewarded for doing so. I’ve probably read Dune six times, and I’ve never gotten tired of it but my understanding of the work has increased over time.
To begin with, the first time I read Dune, I got about three pages into it, realized I didn’t understand a thing and that I was hop...moreLike most of my five star books, I’ve read Dune multiple times. In fact, I’d say that what makes a book more than just enjoyable and instead truly amazing is that you want to read it more than once and are rewarded for doing so. I’ve probably read Dune six times, and I’ve never gotten tired of it but my understanding of the work has increased over time.
To begin with, the first time I read Dune, I got about three pages into it, realized I didn’t understand a thing and that I was hopelessly confused. I had to go back and reread what I had read, and then go back again and reread the whole chapter. I would excuse myself by saying that I was 10, but I’m sure I’m not the only one that has had that experience. Don’t be dismayed if it happens to you - whether 10, 18, or 45. If you are confused at first, consider that Paul is also confused and finds so much that happens strange and new. Understanding will come in its proper time.
At one time at least, there was a fairly famous website (at least among geeks) that humorously summarized books in thirty words or less. Maybe it still exists, but its name escapes me. The summary provided for Dune read something like this, “I’m Frank Herbert and I’m a lot smarter than you are.” When I was younger, this would have seemed a fair appraisal of the work. One of the most central aspects of ‘Dune’ is Herbert manages to write convincingly about people whose intelligence is supposed to vastly exceed that of the reader. More than anything, to create a believable Messianic story, the writer has to create a Messiah possessing believable Messianic wisdom and insight, and Herbert succeeds at this invention probably better than any other writer. We come to believe that the protagonists do have deep and profound insight into the question of ‘Life, the Universe, and Everything’ so that we do not immediately feel cheated and we are able to believe in the characters – even someone like Maud’Dib. As I’ve gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I’ve come to see that Herbert is not in fact possessed of superhuman intelligence, but that he creates the illusion of superhuman intelligence by a variety of clever devices. The appearance of a superhuman intelligence and wisdom is really a sham and the pool is really pretty shallow, but even this revelation does not reduce the esteem in which I hold the work. It’s not Herbert’s real job to be a prophet: he’s an artist. Herbert succeeds brilliantly in what he should be judged on – the ability to paint the illusion deftly and convincingly. If we acquire the sophistication to see through it, it shouldn’t reduce our appreciation of the artistic mastery used in creating it. I think now I would amend the summary of the work to be, “I’m Frank Herbert, and I’m a lot better writer than you are.”
If all that could be said in Dune’s favor was that it had one of the most convincing invented prophets in literature, it would still be a worthwhile work. But Dune has abundant pleasures beyond the richly realized illusion of philosophical depth and even the deftly realized setting. Chief among these for me is the truly deep and intricate relationships Paul has with the other characters. There is a real depth of feeling here, and I love the way each of the complicated nuanced relationships is portrayed as we are introduced to the cast of Paul’s complicated life. Each character feels a deep mixture of feelings for Paul who is boy, man, friend, soldier, sovereign, and Messiah and much else. There is tenderness to this work. We sense that complexity and tenderness right from the start, when his mother allows him to be tortured and to face murder, and then immediately thereafter experiences profound hope and joy: “My son lives.” We feel Paul’s boyish love for his friends and companions, who are also his father’s henchmen and his teachers and who he is in turn their future Lord. We feel the more mature manly love that these companions have for their young charge and future ruler. Even Yueh loves the boy he must destroy. We feel the boyish admiration Paul has for his father as he strains to be worthy of him and to make his father proud, and we feel the returned pride and satisfaction that his father feels. We feel the aching love of a boy for this Mother when has already lost everything else when Jessica is buried in sand, and we feel her returned love when she says, “I knew you would find me.”
And though there love is only briefly on stage, still I find the love between Paul and Chani among the sweetest and most charming in literature. Who cannot thrill when scarcely knowing each other, but seeing their lives together stretching out before them both good and terrible, the young becoming but not yet lovers promise with tender vows nonetheless to be forever each others comfort and joy and they feel their hitherto unseen future becoming a real solid now. Isn’t that how it is in some way for all of us when we meet the one who will be the one and we suddenly realize we want to and we will spend the rest of our lives together regardless of what will happen? And how often have we felt the total unabashed joy as Paul does when we know our lover is now near?
“That could only mean Chani was near by—Chani, his soul, Chani his sihaya, sweet as the desert spring, Chani up from the palmaries of the deep south.”
All that and ‘Dune’ is a wonderful exciting action adventure story filled with thrills and chases, fights and battles, and supersized edge of our imagination wonders. Worms.
It’s no wonder that this is one of the best beloved books of all time. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you have read it, read it again.
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When my grandfather died, he had a paperback of Dune sitting on his bedside table. Finding it there was like a revelation to me, like the sort of experience only Taoists and Catholic philosophers have a name. He was nearly 70 years older than me, a teetotaler, a hymn singer and dramatist in the Celtic vein, a schoolteacher, a ham. We didn't have a lot in common, as you may might imagine, two generations removed and a gender divided. But I loved him, and he was gone, and here was this book that w...moreWhen my grandfather died, he had a paperback of Dune sitting on his bedside table. Finding it there was like a revelation to me, like the sort of experience only Taoists and Catholic philosophers have a name. He was nearly 70 years older than me, a teetotaler, a hymn singer and dramatist in the Celtic vein, a schoolteacher, a ham. We didn't have a lot in common, as you may might imagine, two generations removed and a gender divided. But I loved him, and he was gone, and here was this book that was intimate to my adolescence, a shared experience revealed. Ah. Damn.
I sat on the edge of his bed and paged through the book. On the front page, in his spidery hand, he wrote page numbers with notes. I checked the page numbers and correlated passages, and found that many of the sections he marked dealt with fathers and sons: Mu'ad Dib and the Letos, the Old Duke. This shook me, shakes me still. A man, a man in his nineties, on the edge of his own death, whose father is long, long dead, noting the expectation, education, and disappointment that characterizes the relationship between father and son. Ah, and damn, again.
My relationship with Dune began with the Lynch film. As a young teenager, I watched it many times at slumber parties and the like. (I can be forgiven; I was young, and who didn't want to see Sting in rubber underpants in the late 80s? This is before he became embarrassing, smooth jazz Sting.) The movie was trippy and cool, even if it didn't make a lot of sense, and eventually lead to me reading the book. I wolfed Dune down, several times, and the following books.
Most science fiction occurs 10 years in the future, 25, 100. This all happens 10,000 years from now, in a future constrained by a past that is fully realized. At some point humanity develops AI. It goes badly, cylon-style. There is an event, a war called the Butlerian Jihad, that renders computers taboo. People are trained to become computers: the Mentats. Women start their own secret political guild, complete with a breeding program, much like you've always suspected they have: the Bene Gesserit. There is a drug/resource that makes instantaneous interstellar travel possible: the spice melange. Without the spice, travel between worlds becomes impossible, and commerce, communication, and the Empire end. The spice has mind-changing, anti-aging qualities, but like any drug is still addictive. The spice comes from one place, and one place only: Arrakis. Into this milieu, add a messianic figure: Paul Mu'ad Dib. He galvanizes a native, marginalized culture to reorder society, government and the environment through the control of a finite, indispensable resource.
Reading this time, again, using my grandfather's paperback, I noticed different things. I've been hanging out in Herbert's universe for so long that I forget that it doesn't, you know, exist as a kind of history that he just channeled into novels. It had to start somewhere, and that somewhere is here. Stray thoughts: There's a lot of world building to do, and while Herbert refrains from the most blatant info-dumps, the beginning is slow. Duncan Idaho, despite his almost constant presence in the later books, is almost a cameo role. Herbert has a tin ear for dialogue, sometimes. I'd forgotten/misplaced all the bull-fighting and its attendant metaphors. Grandpa may have noted the relationship between fathers and sons, but there's a lot about mothers and sons that he didn't note. Okay, that's enough of that.
I'd always taken home the society-is-shaped-by-ecology message in Dune. It's a good one, and one SFF writers would do well to remember more often. Herbert more or less proposes that harsh environments create cultures comprised entirely of bad motherfuckers. As an inevitable consequence of environmental constraint, a culture will develop the following attributes: ritualized violence without guilt, honor-bound individualism that translates to rigid adherence to a local clan-like leader and individual responsibility for collective failure. I personally think this theory may be bullshit, but it makes for a ripping story. (Go read Manny's review about having the revelation, as an adult reader, that Herbert is using Arabic words, for crying out loud, and that he's talking about the Middle East and nomadic, desert cultures. Fremen = Arabs, spice = oil, House Corrino = decadent West. Seriously, go read it.)
This is not the message Grandpa was taking home, insofar as I can divine his mind from a collection of page numbers and almost illegible notes. (I can barely read them now, and it makes me sad. There are many things you lose with the passage of time: the sharpness of grief, the presence of absence. You also lose the sense of an antique hand, I've found.) Each section of Dune starts with a quote from a mysterious source in a sort of long-form aphorism style: this is the future of the tale imposed on the events occurring in the “now” of the story. In later books, this gets painfully lame, but I think here it's done pretty well. Here's a few Grandpa noted:
p 41? “How do we approach the study of Mu'ad Dib's father? ...Still, one must ask, what is the son but an extension of the father?” (Why did he put a question mark on the page number? Damn again.)
p 102 “There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man – with human flesh.” Grandpa was raised in a steel town by a father who was a steelworker, and worked in the mills to get his education and get the fuck out out of the mills. Grandpa had no sons; this quote can only be about his own father.
p 172 “Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife – chopping off what's incomplete and saying, 'Now, it's complete because it's ended here.'” Judging by the notes, Grandpa never finished reading this book. This is the last one. The thing that blows my fucking mind is that this is the last thing he noted, before his life was chopped off and completed. (I have a tendency to drop f-bombs when I'm upset, and I'm sorry, gentle reader, just to pay homage to my Midwestern need to apologize for everything.) This was the end, or one of the ends, for him. Damn. Fuck.
This is where that difficult to describe emotion comes in. It kills me that he didn't finish it, that we didn't get a chance to talk about a book that has been near and dear to me for forever. I can see from the notes he took that he was reading an entirely different story, taking home an entirely different message. We were divided in life by age and gender, personality and distance. We were united by some things too: a tendency toward the maudlin, a love of Dylan Thomas and associated Welshiness, a chin. We read the same book. But, just because we both read the same book, doesn't mean we read the same book. Reading Dune again, with his notes, is like reading his diary, conjuring his mind. A novel written by another man, with a collection of notes in the margins, gives me a strangely intimate picture of my Grandpa, even if it's shimmery and insubstantial.
This is profoundly strange. Reading is profoundly strange. We sit, quiet and alone, and hear the words of other people in no ear, in the voice of the mind. Some books are comforting, something we return to again and again. I've read Dune a hundred times. A couple times, my husband and I have plowed through the series in tandem, making conversation out of the personal experience of reading. Each reading is a layer of experience, each experience of reading another layer. I love this book. It's bound up in my life, and each reading causes me to remember the bonds that readers share with other readers, not the least of whom is my grandfather, in the last days of his life. I miss him. The book brings him back.
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Recommends it for: Science fiction readers, fantasy readers, speculative fiction readers
No one should argue the importance Dune. It laid the foundations for a great deal of the themes and constructs in modern science fiction. Frank Herbert was as important to the genre as Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke. Unfortunately, just like them, he's quite dated, and his books can be a labor to read. One thing he maintained from old science fiction was prim and scientific dialogue that no one would ever actually speak. I've known many scientists, and they don't talk like this. You're not going...moreNo one should argue the importance Dune. It laid the foundations for a great deal of the themes and constructs in modern science fiction. Frank Herbert was as important to the genre as Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke. Unfortunately, just like them, he's quite dated, and his books can be a labor to read. One thing he maintained from old science fiction was prim and scientific dialogue that no one would ever actually speak. I've known many scientists, and they don't talk like this. You're not going to convince me a child does. The stuffy dialogue is inserted into even stuffier narrative, until it feels like nothing is organic about Herbert's prose. This is a terrible tragedy when you've got a world that he put so much effort into building - and it is an amazing feat of world-building. But unlike J.R.R. Tolkien, who he is so frequently compared to, Herbert didn't make sure to include a great story in his world. Instead he included a story that frequently illustrated how clunky an artificial world can be, even if it's lovingly crafted. One can't care about these characters who are more archetypes than human beings, whose logic races passed modern skepticism and whose dialogue is cloyingly artificial, the way people cared for the Hobbits, Dwarves and Rangers. In his world-building, Tolkien at least saved himself from being dated by antedating himself, and even with his illuminated prose, wrought more characteristics in just one protagonist than all of Dune's cast. Even the political intrigue Herbert tries to fall back on was overdone in the Spy genre decades before he started this book. All fans of the "Genre" genres should appreciate Herbert's massive contributions, but they shouldn't pretend to enjoy the books if they don't, and they should be wary of certain pitfalls typical of science fiction that survived into his radical work.(less)
John WiswellI don't think there was anything necessarily wrong with Herbert, especially not just because of his SciFi novel. Speculative Fiction history is full o...moreI don't think there was anything necessarily wrong with Herbert, especially not just because of his SciFi novel. Speculative Fiction history is full of flat characters, or characters who are primarily defined by their roles. There's even a strong vein in Hard SciFi today that prefers rigor over characterization. I would sooner suspect it was just clunky writing style; I've seen similar problems show up in plenty of workshops.(less)
Oct 20, 2011 09:46am
Peter SamuelsonStrange, I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put the book down. I didn't find the book clunky or slowed by useless jargon either. I do agree that each cha...moreStrange, I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put the book down. I didn't find the book clunky or slowed by useless jargon either. I do agree that each character was more of a single archetype lacking in depth.(less)
Nov 08, 2011 02:22pm
I guess I'm one of the few that bridge the gap between the Pride and Prejudice camp and the Dune camp. I loved both.
Dune isn't a light, enjoyable read. At times it reads more like excerpts from geology, ecology, zoology, sociology, pscyhology, and political textbooks. The characters are more like mega-archetypes than real human beings.
The appeal of Dune is peculiar. In order to enjoy Dune you have to enjoy complexity. All authors create little worlds in their stories but ...moreI guess I'm one of the few that bridge the gap between the Pride and Prejudice camp and the Dune camp. I loved both.
Dune isn't a light, enjoyable read. At times it reads more like excerpts from geology, ecology, zoology, sociology, pscyhology, and political textbooks. The characters are more like mega-archetypes than real human beings.
The appeal of Dune is peculiar. In order to enjoy Dune you have to enjoy complexity. All authors create little worlds in their stories but Herbert created a world.
He doesn't just say that Arrakis is a desert planet, he engrosses himself and the reader into the geology.
He puts people on the planet, governments, conflicting cultures, conflicting religions, conflicting ways of life that are thought out to the Nth level above and beyond anything else I've ever read. You could write a sociology or politics dissertation on the societal relations Herbert conceived for Dune.
Now is complexity itself a thing to be admired in a work of fiction? Generally no, but Dune is so immense and so detailed that it creates and inhabits a category of its own. The very fact that it often reads more like a National Geographic article than a sci-fi novel speaks to its peculiar charm.
Admittedly, this will not appeal to everyone. In fact, odds are that it will appeal to hardly anyone. But limited appeal should in no way factor into a work's quality. Compare the Academy Award-winning films against the yearly box office numbers if you don't agree. I'm sure Armaggeddon outgrossed Monster's Ball.
And amidst all this complexity lies a kind of new myth that blends mysticism, religion, and crass real-world politics. It's a hybrid; it's not The Odyssey and it's certainly not Star Wars but I do find great appeal in its particular take on Campbell's hero's journey. And the fact that it plumbs the intricacies of Muslim/Arab/desert culture adds another layer of exotic flair to the work.
As if all that wasn't ambitious enough, it even articulates a fascinatingly dark but pragmatic destiny for humanity as a whole.
And all of these incredibly ambitious elements are all tightly woven together. Take out one element and the story loses its cohesion. Despite all the ridiculous amounts of detail there is nothing extraneous in this novel.
Dune is a remarkable, magnificent accomplishment. But it's okay if it's not to your taste.(less)
As kids, my older brother was a Dune guy, whereas I bowed at the altar of John Ronald Reuel—and neither of us could ever bring ourselves to meet fully in the other's territory. I have tried Frank Herbert's renowned series several times now but have yet to make it further than Dune Messiah, the succinct, but inferior, follow-up to his smash-hit series opener. Everything that constitutes this curiously prescient science-fiction champion appeals to me: an alluringly thoughtful and flush aeon-spanni...moreAs kids, my older brother was a Dune guy, whereas I bowed at the altar of John Ronald Reuel—and neither of us could ever bring ourselves to meet fully in the other's territory. I have tried Frank Herbert's renowned series several times now but have yet to make it further than Dune Messiah, the succinct, but inferior, follow-up to his smash-hit series opener. Everything that constitutes this curiously prescient science-fiction champion appeals to me: an alluringly thoughtful and flush aeon-spanning back story; a desert planet from which is harvested the priceless spice that allows interplanetary travel; feuding and scheming noble houses within a middle-eastern-flavored interstellar Empire; human computers and gaberdine sects that have replaced forbidden machines; the super-cool Sardaukar, the soldier-fanatics of the regnant Padishah-Emperor; the young Duke with mysterious portents and genetic mysteries interwoven about his young stud self and his formidable mystic mother, and so on and so forth. It's all there for something to scratch all those itches and stoke all those fires and hoist itself up onto the same level as Tolkien's epic saga.
Except that it didn't.
Every time that I have returned to read this novel, I marvel at how much the first two-thirds suck me in, ramping up the tension and tautening the various strands of the conspiracy-bound story—and the introduction of the Fremen and their austere, feral, and ritualized Neo-Bedouin culture developed amidst an endlessly severe and brutal wasteland is the most brilliant component of this story that has several. And every time I can't believe that Herbert put all of that thought and imagination and effort into this puppy only to sink it with that terribly rushed and anti-climactic ending. With whiplash haste the Baron is toast, his nephew is skewered, the Emperor is debased, the Sardaukar humbled, the Fremen ascendant, and Paul Atreides the smiling blue-eyed boy of the moment. It's the same undue haste and how-in-the-hell-do-I-wrap-this-up? palmball that he uses to hopelessly mar the ending of the already flawed Dune Messiah. The tangled plots and machinations and generational maneuvering and betrayals and...THE END! PLOTS UNRAVELED! BAD GUYS SMOKED! BLAME PLACED ON MEDDLING KIDS NOTED! NEXT!
It's quite obvious that I'm in the miniscule minority here—and I've heard similarly vehement complaints in a reverse manner from my brother concerning the good Professor—but the palpable disappointment I feel at what I consider Herbert's lamentable inability to finish a novel at near the same level with which he constructs the back story and fleshes out the opening sections becomes so intense that it bums me right the hell out. What's more, with nearly every reader warning me that the series gets progressively more obscure and turgid the further down the chain of sequels one ventures, I have never mustered the will to crack the spine of Children of Dune, let alone the infamous God Emperor. Ah, Frank, you brilliant innovator and miscegenetic culture breeder, how magical it could have been if only you had the moxie to finish what you started.(less)
I've read and reread this novel across the years, and I'll continue to do so.
Dune was Frank Herbert's imagination breathed into the pages of a single book. He wrote numerous others to follow it, all of which continue to explore and flesh out the world he introduced us to in this, the first of his Dune series. The world in its pages is so vast and so rife with potential that his son, Brian, has continued in his father's footsteps, writing further explorations of the history that led...moreI've read and reread this novel across the years, and I'll continue to do so.
Dune was Frank Herbert's imagination breathed into the pages of a single book. He wrote numerous others to follow it, all of which continue to explore and flesh out the world he introduced us to in this, the first of his Dune series. The world in its pages is so vast and so rife with potential that his son, Brian, has continued in his father's footsteps, writing further explorations of the history that led up to this book.
Dune introduces its readers to a planet called Arrakis, a desert world populated only by the occasional smuggler, swarthy profiteer, and a mysterious, scattered, and ferocious race of humans known as the Fremen. Arrakis is known and recognized in the universe only due to its primary and sole export: a highly addictive, mind and reality-altering drug called the Spice. Spice has made the relative backwater planet of Arrakis a point of universal focus, with collection and supply of the drug of utmost importance to millions. This collection, however, is hampered by Arrakis' only large (and I do mean "large") native life-form, massive, eyeless, impervious creatures referred to (in awe, loathing, and terror) as "worms". Spice production is an incredibly dangerous business, as worms are drawn to any sound upon the sand. They "hear" the vibration of anything that moves across the sand-washed surface of the planet, responding quickly and with deadly ferocity, tearing apart and/or swallowing whole entire ships, large machinery, or, if you're stupid or unlucky enough to be stuck out there solo on the sand, the occasional human being.
The elite of the universe, whom Herbert has crafted within a highly detailed, incredibly complex social structure and political strata, view Spice both as a luxury and a necessity, craving its affects both because they love it and because they must have it once they become addicted. Travel between planets is restricted to ships staffed and propelled by the Guild, ruthless interstellar businessmen who have taken Spice-addiction to a high unlike that ever experienced by others: they use Spice to literally bend space and time, moving spaceships, goods, and anything else that is paid for from here to there in the blink of an eye. They too rely on Spice for everything they stand for.
Throw into this mix an interstellar order of monastic witches called the Bene Gesserit (who through gene manipulation across thousands of years have sought to fulfill an age-old prophecy of a girl-child who would become one who could change and control the universe), and things get even more interesting.
This book is thick with treason, passion, wickedly intense political and familial warfare, complex social and spiritual explorations, and profound mystery. Herbert doesn't just create his own world with the Dune series: he creates a singular universe, an existence within which his own faiths and religions profoundly affect and shape his version of what humans will one day become. It's an amazing book, and I encourage you to read the others that follow, as well. They get more and more bizarre and utterly unique as they progress, but all are satisfying experiences.
Before I read this book, I saw the 1980's movie adaption, featuring the likes of Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young, and even an uncredited minor appearance by David Lynch. As a result, reading this book afterward was filtered through the visual and representational understandings/interpretations offered to me by the film. This was both a good and bad thing. The movie leaves out and simplifies a ridiculous amount of the subtle, many-layered wonders of Herbert's world, and does disservice at times to the characters Herbert created. As a sci-fi escape from reality, however, I didn't mind the movie at all.
Read the book, and then watch the film if you can find it.
Primarily, however, read the book.(less)
This is one of those books that I've always thought that I should read, but never actually wanted to read, simply because I thought that it would have to be tedious and dry and, I hate to say it, boring. Which goes to show what a poor book-cover judge I am, because this book was anything but tedious, dry or boring. In fact, one of the first things that struck me about this book was the readability and fast-paced action and intrigue. So much happened in such a short amount of time, that I'd have ...moreThis is one of those books that I've always thought that I should read, but never actually wanted to read, simply because I thought that it would have to be tedious and dry and, I hate to say it, boring. Which goes to show what a poor book-cover judge I am, because this book was anything but tedious, dry or boring. In fact, one of the first things that struck me about this book was the readability and fast-paced action and intrigue. So much happened in such a short amount of time, that I'd have to go back and read sections over again to be sure that I understood everything that had happened. Good stuff.
I have to say that I loved Herbert's writing style. It's deceptively simple and to the point... until 10, or 30, or 100 pages later when you realize that what seemed so simple and unimportant was a set-up for a revelation later, and your brain (or mine, at least) has this little "AHA!!" moment, and you feel so smart for figuring out exactly what you were so expertly and subtly led to figure out. Just imagine the possibilities for multiple readings... This book is one which can be read a dozen times and still reveal hidden nuggets of goodness.
Herbert's world, or universe, was so intriguing to me. I loved the political structure of having major and minor power families, an emperor, a 3rd party Guild to manage trade, and the 3rd party Bene Gesserit women, who sort of control-prophesy-manipulate to reach an end. The skills of the people inhabiting Herbert's universe are incredible, and so much based on mind-control. Not necessarily power over another's mind, although there is that, but I mean control over your OWN mind, to the point where instinctive reactions and involuntary bodily functions can be subverted and held in check, simply by will.
I loved Dune, as in the planet Arrakis, and the people who inhabited it, except of course for the Harkonnen jerk-faces. The Fremen are interesting and resourceful and bad-ass and wise, and are able to accept their lot, while trying to make a better lot for future generations. We could take a page out of their books, I think. We should be improving our planet, ensuring its inhabitability for as long as we're able (at least until the sun implodes and kills us all), but instead, we're polluting with reckless abandon, as if the planet is able to just reset with each generation.
Herbert's characters are some of the most interesting that I've read about as well. I loved that he infused a clear-cut Good vs. Bad struggle with deviousness and subtlety, and then on top of that, threw in characters that had to make choices that left you wondering who was real and whether they acted of their own accord or if there was something more... I loved the Atreides. They were, to me, the pinnacle of honor-bound deviousness. That seems strange to say, but I mean it in the best way possible. They were devious only to try to detect and prevent deviousness against them, and to right wrongs that have gone on for generations of animosity between houses. I do wish that there was a reason given that the Atreides house was singled out for this treatment, but reading between the lines, it seems that greed and power-mongering was the cause, and the Atreides were honest enough to stand against it, and so became the enemy.
This book is one that has a great many moral and religious and life-lesson undertones, which is a fine line to walk in any book for me, as I really, really dislike being lectured to. But I think that Herbert handled this all very well, and I was able to read it without feeling as though there was a wagging finger in my face.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. The only reason that I am not able to give this 5 stars is that I felt like the entire book was leading up to a spectacular ending... but the ending drug on for just a bit too long and wasn't as spectacular as I'd hoped that it would be. It was a good ending to a very good book, but I felt that it just could have been a little bit more.
I definitely recommend this book though. It's entertaining and informative and prescient and timely as well as timeless. Just go read it already. :)
Dune is a classic because it tells a classic story well. It combines two plots that I love: a vast political intrigue with an intimate family conflict. The Atreides and Harkonnens are related by blood; their feud is a blood feud going back generations. Yet their battles are political in scale, using vassals as soldiers and spies in an interstellar chess game where the throne of the Imperium itself is within reach.
In my first revi...moreSecond review (Reviewed on February 12, 2011).
Dune is a classic because it tells a classic story well. It combines two plots that I love: a vast political intrigue with an intimate family conflict. The Atreides and Harkonnens are related by blood; their feud is a blood feud going back generations. Yet their battles are political in scale, using vassals as soldiers and spies in an interstellar chess game where the throne of the Imperium itself is within reach.
In my first review, which I crafted hastily one day when I added this book to Goodreads, I pontificated on the role of science fiction as a setting rather than a genre. Frank Herbert chose to set Dune far into the future and across the galaxy. There are spaceships, shields, lasguns, and of course, the all-important spice. Yet, I argued, this changes nothing. Dune is not a classic work of science fiction; it is a classic, period.
I stand by this, and while I do not want this review to be a rehash of the first, I want to elaborate further. It has been at least five years since I last read Dune, and I knew going into this reading that I would see it differently, since I'm now an adult, with more experiences and more science-fiction books under my belt. Though nominally science fiction and science fiction and fantasy in its setting, at its heart Dune is an epic, a tragedy reminiscent of ancient Greece and pre-Enlightenment Europe.
House Atreides and House Harkonnen are embroiled in a bitter blood feud, and now that feud seems to be coming to an end in the form of a political gambit by the nefarious Baron Harkonnen that results in the destruction of Duke Leto Atreides, his family, and his new fiefdom on the desert planet of Arrakis. Backed by the Emperor, the Harkonnens seemingly wipe out House Atreides and re-assume control of Arrakis, the only planet known to produce spice. Spice is a panacea known for its geriatric properties, but more importantly, it is the only substance that gives Spacing Guild navigators the prescient visions required to navigate through folded space. Without the spice, interstellar travel would be limited to relativistic speeds. Hence the oft-repeated mantra: whoever controls the spice, controls the universe.
Aside from the occasional mention of sandworms and spaceships and lasguns, this could be set in Tudor England or fifteenth-century France. The Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV does exactly what kings of old used to do; he pits his nobles against each other so they do not succeed in uniting to depose him. His downfall comes from underestimating House Atreides and the Fremen inhabitants of Arrakis who align themselves with the fugitive Atreides scion, Paul, also known to them as Muad'Dib. He becomes a messiah for the Fremen, a dangerous figure indeed, and in so doing discovers he has triggered a revolution he cannot fully control, even with his newfound powers as the Kwisatz Haderach, the culmination of a Bene Gesserit breeding program.
I paid more attention to Paul's role as a messiah this time around. When I was younger, I didn't fully understand the ramifications of this role. (I remember rejecting Dune Messiah the first time I tried to read it because "it seemed to religious"!) Thanks to the two Sci-Fi channel miniseries that rekindled my interest in Dune, these ramifications are much more obvious. They inform the rest of the story, acting as a pivot point around which crucial events revolve. Paul's role as a messiah accords him great influence, great power—but as a role, it also restricts his choices as much as his visions of the future does.
What's amazing is how close Baron Harkonnen comes to winning. Paul might have chosen to live out his days among the Fremen rather than win back his dukedom (and more), but he doesn't. Jessica even urges him to do this at one point, but it is clear the decision is less Paul's than it is the Fremen. They were set upon this path long before the Atreides came to Arrakis, back when Pardot Kynes and his son, Liet, commenced a centuries-long ecological transformation plan. They hate the Harkonnens perhaps as much as Paul does, are eager to raid against the Harkonnen forces, so they wouldn't take "no" as an answer; if Paul were to take the safe course, he would not find acceptance among them. Finally, Paul-Muad'Dib is their messiah, the Lisan al-Gaib. There are prophecies about him, and having demonstrated his authenticity as the messiah, he must fulfil them.
Above all, Paul states several times he rejects the "temptation" to take the safer path. That's how his prescient visions manifest themselves—as potential paths the future could take, always twisting and snarling and reforming as each choice he makes changes that vision. He sees safer routes, but these, he says, lead only to stagnation. These are the routes the Guild navigators take, which has resulted in the Guild morphing into a parasite on the back of the Imperium. Having acquired prescience, Paul sees the potentialities for the human species, and he realizes he has the ability to effect change. But he has to be careful, because to know the future is to become trapped by it, even as one changes it.
I guess I just have a soft spot for tragic heroes. I like watching heroes fall, because it reaffirms their humanity by the very fact that, despite their larger-than-life actions, they are flawed. This is important when it comes to Paul, because as the Kwisatz Haderach, he has become something posthuman, more-than-human. He is colder, slightly more divorced from his surroundings, because he is mediating both the present and the many-futures. It would be a mistaken to say he is disconnected, though, for it is clear he still loves and cares for Chani; rather, he is heavily burdened by his roles and responsibilities. We don't see his actual fall in this book, but the seeds of it are there—as Irulan says, every revolution carries with it the seeds of its own destruction. Herbert foreshadows the trials Paul will face: the uncontrollable storm of revolution; his increasing alienation from those close to him, like Gurney and Stilgar and even his mother; and of course, opposition from external forces, such as the Bene Gesserit and the former Padishah Emperor.
A great hero deserves a correspondingly great villain, and the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen certainly fits this description. He is an intriguing counterpoint to Muad'Dib. Like Paul, the Baron is depicted as somewhat inhuman, but in his case it's because of his obese figure and his profound cruelty. This guy has his nephew murder the entire house seraglio as a punishment for discovering his nephew's crude plot to murder him! He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and his wants are many, varied, and perverse. His flaws, however, get the better of him. As a result of his overindulgence and his arrogance, the Baron ignores the real threat—the Fremen and their messiah, Muad'Dib—while spending too much time counting all the riches he'll have and plotting to make his nephew emperor. His downfall is as much his own as it is Paul's (or, as the case may be, Alia's).
So Dune has a great hero and a great villain. It also has plenty of morally-ambiguous characters who span the spectrum between. Jessica Atreides and Thufir Hawat fall into this category. Jessica was supposed to bear a daughter for the Bene Gesserit, who would in turn give birth to a Harkonnen son who might become the Kwisatz Haderach. They did not expect her, out of love for Duke Leto, to give birth to a son; they did not expect Paul's latent psychic abilities to come into full force through ingestion of spice. As a result of this act, Jessica irrevocably alters the Imperium. Though she claims she never regrets her decision, it is obvious that she struggles with her role as a Reverend Mother among the Fremen and how she influences Paul's actions. She is torn between being a mother and a Reverend Mother, between her son and her leader, her new duke.
Hawat is captured by the Harkonnens while still labouring under the false impression that Jessica is a traitor. Reluctantly, he works for the Harkonnens while seeking a way to destroy them. In this role as a captive Mentat, we see Hawat become trapped, unable to destroy his new patrons but unwilling to forgive them or abandon his desire for vengeance. His manipulations of the Baron and the Baron's nephew bely his supposedly tamed status, but he has lost some—perhaps even most—of his edge; he is broken, if not beaten.
I'm not sure what else I can say about Dune. It is a classic and a masterpiece because it takes a form and formula that are timeless and lays over this framework complex characters who struggle against each other and the circumstances in which they find themselves. Paul Atreides is a duke's son who becomes a desert fugitive, a reluctant warrior, and the figurehead of a revolution. Surrounding him are friends and family who soon begin to slip away, and enemies who underestimate him even as they plot to destroy his life and all that he holds dear. It's a story we've told time and again, but Herbert puts it in space, throws in some sandworms, and adds a little spice. Consequently, Dune stands on the shoulders of stories that have come before it, attaining its greatness because it is something both recognizable and unique.
First review (When Added to Goodreads, Last Read Pre-Goodreads).
Many people hear the words "science fiction" and run away in terror. They labour under the erroneous idea that science fiction must be some sort of fantastic space opera in which there are laser blasters, warp engines, teleportation, and all that jazz. Thanks in part to Star Wars, Star Trek, and the improvements of the special effects industry, science fiction is reduced that narrow category.
So what is science fiction? Science fiction is a setting, not a story. And no book better demonstrates this than Frank Herbert's Dune. Yes, Dune is set in the future (the distant future). Yes, there are spaceships, other planets (in fact, Earth isn't around any more), and bizarre things like prescience. But once you accept these and move on to the actual story, you'll find that it is an epic, dynastic tale of political intrigue. It's set in the future, but the environment is distinctly feudal. Frank Herbert incorporates a dazzling array of motifs, such as religion, drugs, ecology, rebellion, and prophecy.
Whenever I read Dune, I can't help but think about how big it is. The Dune universe operates on such a magnificence scope that it's hard to believe it came from the mind of one man. The story is timeless, because it is about the human condition: betrayal, love, murder, avarice--all of the characters exhibit the best and the worst of human emotions. In fact, Dune is devoid of alien intelligences. This isn't about humanity versus the Martians. It's about human versus human, one person pitting his or her intelligence against another. It's about the sacrifices necessary to achieve power or save a loved one.
Dune is a classic, a masterpiece of fiction, regardless its genre.
Recommends it for: anyone who thinks they love StarWars
I had never read Dune. I can’t put my finger on exactly why I hadn’t read it; although, I do have a nebulous memory of picking it up and not being able to get in to it. I know for a fact that I’d read the closing line previously, which is something I never do prior to reading a book; so that is really odd, perhaps it was quoted in either the movie or the miniseries.
I do know people, a surprising number of people, who give Dune an almost Biblical reverence. It isn’t a selective groupi...moreI had never read Dune. I can’t put my finger on exactly why I hadn’t read it; although, I do have a nebulous memory of picking it up and not being able to get in to it. I know for a fact that I’d read the closing line previously, which is something I never do prior to reading a book; so that is really odd, perhaps it was quoted in either the movie or the miniseries.
I do know people, a surprising number of people, who give Dune an almost Biblical reverence. It isn’t a selective grouping either. A totally random swath of people I’ve known have considered Dune to have had a very formative role in their growth; one, in particular, credits it with her move away from conservative religion. It is a really big deal to some people.
While I don’t feel like reading Dune changed my life, I did really enjoy it. I suspect I partially enjoyed it just due to contrast. I felt so unstimulated by the Foundation Trilogy that I was thrilled to read something where a “hero” was doing something. It allowed for the “I can change the world” fantasy transposition of reader and main character that I was missing in the Foundation books. I think that having a cast of characters who are active in the whole of the book was an important factor in drawing me into the story.
I also enjoyed it for the richness of the world. That’s where most of the “science” in this fiction was found, and I find myself more drawn to science as I mature. [In fact, I have been disappointed thus far; I want more science, less fiction.] I have to constantly remind myself while reading through the books on this list that these were, presumably, the first books to use these concepts. Frank Herbert made a universe, complete, from Space Guild to sand plankton. Even after years of reading other stories by authors who have done the same, I can still appreciate the depth of thought and idea behind Arrakis and its surrounding universe. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book which had as great a handle on the ecology of the world in which is was set; if I were pressed, I can only think of Grass by Sherri S. Tepper as coming close.
Equally impressive was his treatment of religion. I especially liked the appendices, which moved even deeper into the evolution of religion over time. Herbert’s answer to how religion [and culture] evolved over the millennia[s] since “Old Earth” is similar in concept to the answer Joss Whedon gave with Firefly. Herbert saw the future as blend of Middle Eastern and Western ways; Whedon’s future is China/America. Being that his focus was religious as opposed to say, economic, this is understandable. It may even have been more base than that. Possibly he chose that direction because Arrakis is most similar to our desert regions where Islam originated, but I think it has more to do with cultural impact than mere climatic coincidence.
I think one of the strongest elements is the writing itself. It’s very well written. Although I had been exposed to 2 movie versions of Dune prior to reading it, almost none of the previous imagery colored my mental image of what the characters and settings were supposed to look like. Weaker writing would have easily allowed my perceptions to be molded by the theatrical versions. I really hate when that happens. I don’t even know how I used to imagine Harry Potter looking before the movies came out. If Paul Atreides looks like anyone in my head that I’ve seen visually, I’d tell you he looks like this kid I went to school with [coincidentally named Paul Strange] [anybody remember that kid?] albeit much more attractive.
I've spent a few days hoping that my thoughts and feelings about Dune will solidify into one coherent and brilliant essay. There's a lot going on in the book, and there's been a lot going on in my life, so coherency might not be forthcoming.
Dune is intricate, at times confusing, allegorical and meticulously researched story. Even though I didn't fall in love with the characters, I fell in love with the book. It's easy to see how Dune is a classic, often imitated.
I l...more I've spent a few days hoping that my thoughts and feelings about Dune will solidify into one coherent and brilliant essay. There's a lot going on in the book, and there's been a lot going on in my life, so coherency might not be forthcoming.
Dune is intricate, at times confusing, allegorical and meticulously researched story. Even though I didn't fall in love with the characters, I fell in love with the book. It's easy to see how Dune is a classic, often imitated.
I loved this book, but at least one of my GR friends who I greatly respect hated this book. Which is fine, because, hey, we all have different tastes. (And thank Odin we've got diverse authors and genres for all types!) But I couldn't help ponder which attributes might make Dune so disliked. Sure, it's long, it's complicated, and has a pretty big cast of characters. And despite the Reverend Mothers and their power, the book has that overall masculine appeal - testosterone in overdrive. I don't mind that, but I can see how it could bother some readers.
But I think there might be other factors that would cause people to not just dislike, but really hate Dune. My hypothesis, (which I admit is most likely completely wrong, but I'll put it out there anyhow): Dune will only be loved by hard-core science fiction fans. I don't mean this in any derogatory way, since science fiction doesn't and can't appeal to all tastes. And that's quite all right by me.
A year ago, Jo Walton wrote about a concept that she attributes to Samuel R. Delany, specifically from his book The Jewel-Hinged Jaw: Notes on the Language of Science Fiction. The thesis is that science-fiction has it's own language and protocols. From Walton's essay:
"He then went on to say that one of the ways of approaching SF is to look at the way people read it—that those of us who read it have built up a set of skills for reading SF which let us enjoy it, where people who don’t have this approach to reading are left confused."
For SF fans, it's fun to read a story and not fully understand the language, the technology, the aliens, or what have you. And Dune is extremely challenging in this regard. The desert dwellers, the Fremen, have a culture that can be shocking and overly practical to us Earth-dwellers. There is a whole language and terminology invented, complete with a glossary included with the book. Herbert drops facts about a pre-history into the readers lap as if the reader already has knowledge of those events. It's a challenge to read, and not all readers would find those challenges "fun."
Other fun things in Dune: Huge sandworms! Blue eyeballs! "Do as she says, you wormfaced, crawling, sand-brained piece of lizard turd!" Prophesies! Water-reclamation technologies!
OK, now that I've thoroughly pissed off my non-sci-fi-loving friends, let's totally shift gears here. In my 40th Anniversary Edition, there is a afterword written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, who has written many of the Dune sequels. Here's a few of the more fascinating revelations in his essay:
* "When he was a boy, eight of [Frank Herbert's] Irish Catholic aunts tried to force Catholocism on him, but he resisted. Instead, this became the genesis of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood."
* Herbert researched over a 4-year period, 1957-1961, then wrote the book between 1961-1965. The book was rejected by all the major publishing houses, but was finally picked up by Chilton, the publisher of all those car-repair manuals.
* Sometimes Herbert would write passages first in poetry, before he expanded and converted them to prose.
* Herbert took some inspiration of the Paul Maud'dib character from Lawrence of Arabia - the outsider who helped lead a desert revolt in Turkey in WWI.(less)
CindyYeah, I could picture that. Weren't the trilogy planned from the get-go, then Frank expanded that, then his son has done the rest? Or something?
...moreYeah, I could picture that. Weren't the trilogy planned from the get-go, then Frank expanded that, then his son has done the rest? Or something?
We'll see... I'm not too big into series for some reason, but I'd love to see how Herbert Sr. wanted the story to play out.(less)
Jan 30, 2011 02:18pm
JaymeYeah, I think you're right about the trilogy, Cindy. Then he wrote a second trilogy and it wasn't as good, but I still read all the ones he wrote. You...moreYeah, I think you're right about the trilogy, Cindy. Then he wrote a second trilogy and it wasn't as good, but I still read all the ones he wrote. You won't catch me reading any of his son's books though. I have issues with that.(less)
Jan 31, 2011 10:27am
Recommends it for: People with flexibly discerning taste, and who don't mind a lot of glossary checks..
Frank Herbert
Dune
Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1965
pp. 483 (without appendices and glossary), 539 (with app. and glos.), unpriced
ISBN: N/A
Commonly billed as the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, Dune, an expansive tale of intrigue, religion, and human nature set in a semi-recursive far future, is looked upon fondly by newcomers and diehard genre addicts alike. Even without its innumerable critical acclaims, the novel is counted among...moreFrank Herbert
Dune
Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1965
pp. 483 (without appendices and glossary), 539 (with app. and glos.), unpriced
ISBN: N/A
Commonly billed as the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, Dune, an expansive tale of intrigue, religion, and human nature set in a semi-recursive far future, is looked upon fondly by newcomers and diehard genre addicts alike. Even without its innumerable critical acclaims, the novel is counted amongst all circles as an irreplaceable cornerstone of modern speculative fiction. In fact, with its five sequels, three prequels, two spinoff series (and one more in development), two companion books, and numerous adaptations for media both static and interactive, Dune seems to be less a book in and of itself, and more akin to the desert spring at the heart of an oasis, a wellspring of creative energy upon which dozens of children feed. However, it is another aspect of Dune that is to serve as the basis upon which this review shall grow to fruition. The widespread influence and propagation of the concepts in Dune were made possible by the inclusion of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of cultural, historical, political, spiritual, and scientific details, scattered throughout the work and supporting its storyline. Dune itself acts far less as a novel than as a massive encyclopedia entry, a well-crafted chronicle of Herbert's imagined world and its myriad facets well-masked by a beautifully crafted, but ultimately ancillary, story.
The narrative of Dune is marvelous, rivaling that of many a better-critiqued author's magnum opus, and the characters, plot, and language are undeniably crafted as well as almost any other novel. However, the setting, in all its splendiferous nature and abyssal depth, is the main focus of the novel, the sole axis upon which the story-wheel turns its ponderous revolution. The main character, Paul, and his mother, Jessica, are an illicit trainee and a legitimate student, respectively, of the Bene Gesserit, an "ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students" (Herbert 10/x), whose interests extend into the realms of political manipulation of the various Noble Houses composing the Imperium, religious engineering, and the use of precise bloodline manipulation to create the Kwisatz Haderach, "a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers will bridge space and time" (Herbert 18/xviii). This sisterhood's existence stems from upon the outlawing of thinking machines and humanoid robots by the Butlerian Jihad, a pan-galactic religious movement which also produced the Mentat, a "class of Imperial citizens trained for supreme accomplishments of logic" (Herbert 20/xx); amongst the Mentat is counted Thurfir Hawat, under whom Paul (who may well be the Kwisatz Haderach) trains in addition to his mother and Duncan Idaho, a swordsman who teaches him to use the kindjal, a weapon bearing similarities to the crysknife, which is wielded by the Fremen, descendants of the Zensunni Wanderers and natives of the planet Dune... and so it goes. Every event, every personage, every act, even the most minor aspect imaginable, is a window into the vast backstory of the universe concocted in the alchemical labs of the author's imagination.
Even the writing style is possessed of many qualities of historically referential literature: it is succinct and dry without a hint of dullness; it utilizes a very particular form of figurative language that, while very evocative, is terse and short in presentation; and it depicts concurrent events, both physical and psychological (and there are many psychological events), with equivalent form and verve as it describes acts long since passed. In addition, the novel takes pleasure in self-referential historicalness, beginning each chapter, as it does, with an excerpt from any one of numerous fictitious book, which are themselves analytical delineations on the very events and characters featured in the novel itself. With this simple device, Herbert lends still more credibility, not merely to the legendary status of the story itself, but to the profundity of the world in which said occurrences take place.
In short, it is pure folly to so much as attempt to make the case that Herbert put little thought into either the novel's gloriously crafted storyline or its expansive universe. Each is as important as the other in the context of his novel, in contrast to many others that end up striking a horrifically uneven balance between setting and narrative. Dune has most certainly earned its place in science fiction history, for innumerable reasons in addition to its meshing of place and events, and it comes highly recommended to any who dare test the waters of such an enthralling limpid pool of refreshing novelty, a novelty still very much applicable over 40 years after its publication.(less)
In Dune, Frank Herbert sets his young hero, Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, on a course that will involve the loss of his father, isolation in a sandworm infested desert, a vicious and bloody revolution that will -- this is at worst a PG 13 spoiler -- result in him becoming the head of an intergalactic empire.
It's a tough road, but Paul's up to it, largely because he has some of the greatest mentors in the history of science fiction and fantasy.
The list must surely st...moreIn Dune, Frank Herbert sets his young hero, Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, on a course that will involve the loss of his father, isolation in a sandworm infested desert, a vicious and bloody revolution that will -- this is at worst a PG 13 spoiler -- result in him becoming the head of an intergalactic empire.
It's a tough road, but Paul's up to it, largely because he has some of the greatest mentors in the history of science fiction and fantasy.
The list must surely start with Jessica. She is Bene Gesserit, which is similar to a witch but one that controls others through hypnosis, political intrigues, and genetic tampering rather than with spells. Jessica is loyal, intelligent, and resourceful. She does not hesitate to manipulate events so that they'll lend her son a messiah's authority.
As if that weren't enough, Herbert introduces a host of other mentors in Paul's life.
Thufir Hawat is the Master of Assassins and a Mentat, so he trains Paul in avoiding assassins as well as analysis. Gurney Halleck is a troubadour, a romantic and a skilled swordsman, a dangerous combination in any SFF novel. Duncan Idaho is the Atreides weapons master, and though he only shows up long enough to drunkenly complain about his lost home, he is pretty deadly because he comes back from the dead as ghola. Last but not least, Paul learns from Stilgar, a fierce Fremen warrior/ zealot that lives for "the good of the tribe."
Paul can see the past, the present and the future, and he's not bad with a crysknife either. Still, his mentors are actually much cooler than he is, even though (or perhaps because) they are less omnipotent than he is.
I can't help wondering if this rule is etched in stone.
Dumbledore is cooler than Harry Potter. Gandalf is cooler than Frodo. Obi-wan beats Anakin and Luke.
I've read this before and liked it; several portions stick vividly in my mind but I never read the rest of the series. I still don't expect to read the rest of the series, but my friend just read it and has brought it up a few times in conversation so when they had it on the "Librarians' Picks" shelf at the--guess where?!--library I grabbed it.
ADDED FEBRUARY 26:
The book has some odd characteristics of the writing that I am overlooking in favor of the story. I don't li...moreI've read this before and liked it; several portions stick vividly in my mind but I never read the rest of the series. I still don't expect to read the rest of the series, but my friend just read it and has brought it up a few times in conversation so when they had it on the "Librarians' Picks" shelf at the--guess where?!--library I grabbed it.
ADDED FEBRUARY 26:
The book has some odd characteristics of the writing that I am overlooking in favor of the story. I don't like the rapid jumps of point of view. I also think the "insights" provided by the jump into a character's thoughts are quite obvious and a poor strategy for alerting the reader of character motivations. It's actually kind of bad writing. But it gets better as the book progresses and more happens within each chapter to one or two characters only. I'm at Part II and the writing has improved tremendously.
I do think it's funny how little bits of "I'm writing in 1965" slip into what is a remarkably timeless story. One character consults a wrist watch, and it's called a wrist watch. They watch instructional films. There's an evil homosexual in power, which is supposed to be a radical idea the way it's presented. I am very impressed, however, with the way the powerful Bene Gessirit (sp?) women are presented as just being powerful without any of the "I Am Woman" overtones that appear in 1970s and 1980s post-ERA fiction. Perhaps it matters that a man is writing and lacks the outrage and indignation of the oppressed and does not exaggerate what women could accomplish if given the chance. He just presents them as a sect with influence everywhere that pass knowledge and information through female bloodlines. They are neither earth goddessy nor particularly nurturing nor acting exactly like men. It's very modern and quite prescient. I'm impressed.
ADDED FEBRUARY 28:
I dunno. The book petered out for me in part three. Maybe I'm just being harsh on books this month, but I couldn't keep track of it anymore. Nothing happened but you had to just keep reading. I think I got sick of all the telepathy and prescience. The paranormal is fine but everything was explained as known in some psychic way. No one ever did anything except look into future timelines and pick the one where you weren't dead or someone else was dead and then stuff happened with that result. It was like eating dinner from a pill in Willy Wonka. There'd be these comments from a character along the lines of "let's go kill all those hundreds of slaves now" and "we just killed six thousand people outside"--huge events mentioned in passing. If you have to mention something like that at all, shouldn't there be a scene detailing it? That's excitement, not wisdom gained by psychically uploading the wisdom of ten people older than you.
I remember really liking this book the first time I read it and now I don't remember why. Maybe it's because of all the jihad and bourkas and desert nomads in the book. I think we're Islamed out lately. I really would rather have started with the part where the Fremen were doing real work to transform the planet, but I already got that in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (interestingly, another book/s with direct tributes to Islam).
I guess in the end I don't care that much about courtly intrigue and want the book to be about something else. That's not the author's fault, I suppose.(less)
AsaInteresting review. Being someone who LOVED dune (multiple times) it's weird to see this perspective. I feel like the 6,000 peole dying is the boring ...moreInteresting review. Being someone who LOVED dune (multiple times) it's weird to see this perspective. I feel like the 6,000 peole dying is the boring irrelevant part and I'm glad they didn't show it. I don't feel like seeing into the future was a hindrance to liking it because to me it didn't seem like they were picking timelines because the timelines were muddled and from the start he's always second guessing himself and changing what's supposed to be the inevitable future. I think that it's quite the opposite of what you said and is still about making hard choices in the face of an undesireable inevitability because there's still hope of change. Seeing the future is often almost no different then reasoning the many options because there is still always room for change. Yes, sometimes things are just clear, but those things are clear because they're insignificant.
ANyway It's too bad you didn't like it this time. I understand about the over islamed. These days it is hard not to see the connection so clearly and have it relate to world events which is often not what you're looking for when reading fiction.
If this isn't a formative text, then I don't know what is. I figure evangelicals have the bible, and usually a regressive translation at that, while my family had weird science fiction novels. One that all ten of my brothers and sisters read was Dune. It's true. I grew up in a large family. A sprawling sort of California family of Hippie-Hillbillies positioned precariously on the edge of the continent that seemed to be positioning itself to dump us all into the ocean. We had a small herd of goat...moreIf this isn't a formative text, then I don't know what is. I figure evangelicals have the bible, and usually a regressive translation at that, while my family had weird science fiction novels. One that all ten of my brothers and sisters read was Dune. It's true. I grew up in a large family. A sprawling sort of California family of Hippie-Hillbillies positioned precariously on the edge of the continent that seemed to be positioning itself to dump us all into the ocean. We had a small herd of goats and lived on a dirt lot up in the mountains. Our home was an old sunday school bus, bought from a biker gang called "The Satanic Sluts" that roared around the streets of El Monte. We had one copy of Dune between us and my father would crouch in the gray dust next to the broken down VW Bug and he read aloud from this tattered and yellowing copy of Dune. As he read, the wind would blow through the wild flowers, and our little herd of goats would forage through the hillsides, trampling and collapsing the dens of coyotes as they went. At night the coyotes would emerge from their collapsed dens, shaking dust off of their bodies and they would trot off into the distance. When the wind blew, we gathered beneath our mother's apron and stuffed our mouths with wild blackberries. The sun rose and our ragged blond heads bobbed over those steep hills.(less)
This is the best book ever written. Cerebrally stimulating for anyone. When we attempt to understand why entertainment of this caliber (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) and mass appeal (Harry Potter) resonates so strongly with us, many are quick to utilize Jungian archetypes to support such effects.
I haven't heard it said for this novel and for good reason, I believe. Herbert didn't draw upon existing archetypes to flesh out his story, He created completely different new ones. Herbert'...moreThis is the best book ever written. Cerebrally stimulating for anyone. When we attempt to understand why entertainment of this caliber (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) and mass appeal (Harry Potter) resonates so strongly with us, many are quick to utilize Jungian archetypes to support such effects.
I haven't heard it said for this novel and for good reason, I believe. Herbert didn't draw upon existing archetypes to flesh out his story, He created completely different new ones. Herbert's vision was such that in his far-flung future, not only did he imagine how technological and socio-economic circumstances might change, which are defining factors for the SF genre, he drafted how consciousness itself would evolve. The characters in Dune may resemble some sort of Jungian / Campbellian hero vs. anti-hero but, their actions, thought patterns and mannerisms are effected by 10 thousand years of evolution. The same amount of time has elapsed since we as Cro-magnon stepped on the recently thawed lands as the last ice-age receded.
Herbert is able to draft these neo-humans not in a different, alienating light either. There is much in these characters that is to be admired, envied and adored. Paul Atreides, the main crux and fulcrum of the novel, is attempting to follow a dangerous path in life as he finds he has the choice to evolve even further to what very well may be a 'godhead.' Fueled by revenge for his father and hounded by his enemies and the very environment that surrounds him, he plays with fire as he discovers new found powers his perceptions of the universe offer him.
Guiding him is his mother, Jessica. She is the bound concubine of Duke Leto, Paul's father and a powerful priestess in a secretive sisterhood, the Bene Gesseret. She guides Paul to his new found provenance by instructing him in the secret ways of mind and body control espoused by the sisterhood. They both are refugees on the intolerable planet Arrakis, or Dune, where no rain falls and the planet is swathed in inhospitable dessert. They find unlikely allies in the Fremen, indigenous peoples of the dessert who live by hard means and hard ways.
All of this is surrounded by a backdrop of plausible political intrigue and complicated detante, certain morality tales and sub themes and action - that in perfect Herbert Style - hits the ground running.
If you have seen the David Lynch movie version or perhaps the sc-fi channel's mini-series adaptation, I still recommend you read this book. I would gather that about 85% of what occurs in the novel is purely cerebral and cannot be expressed visually. Besides, how could anyone hand over the muscal them for Muad `Dib, the Kwisatz Haderach to some washed up band like Toto? (Although, I do have to admit they did a good job of it.)
You should read this book!! If you don't own a copy, or do not intend on buying one. Get a hold of me and I will send you one.(less)
When I was a kid, I tried about a dozen times to get through this book. My mom loved it, so I figured I'd give it a try, but this book definitely has a high learning curve and I had low patience.
Years later, of course, when I knew something more about politics, religion, science and life in general, I raced through the book - I devoured it. It's a fantastic work, well deserving of its place in the science fiction pantheon. The movies are good too, though if I could find a way to cros...moreWhen I was a kid, I tried about a dozen times to get through this book. My mom loved it, so I figured I'd give it a try, but this book definitely has a high learning curve and I had low patience.
Years later, of course, when I knew something more about politics, religion, science and life in general, I raced through the book - I devoured it. It's a fantastic work, well deserving of its place in the science fiction pantheon. The movies are good too, though if I could find a way to cross-breed Lynch's version with the version done on the Sci-Fi channel, I think we might actually be able to come to something that really looks like what Herbert wrote. Unfortunately the novel is so dense and so complex that any attempt to put it on-screen is going to fall short.
For the two or three of you who don't know the story, know this: it is the year 10,191. The universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, my fath - DAMN YOU DAVID LYNCH!
Sorry, got caught up there for a moment. The Universe is ruled by an Emperor, and governed by planetary noble houses. For those with the resources to do so, travel within the empire is instantaneous, from one corner of the universe to the other. The Spacing Guild, with their space-bending Navigators, hold society together. What gives the Navigators their power is the Spice, and that can only be found on Arrakis. On Dune.
House Harkonnen, a bloodline of deception, pain and malice, has been removed from Arrakis, replaced by the good and noble House Atreides. Duke Leto the Just is set over the planet, and would probably rule with kindness and generosity. But kindness and generosity don't make money, and there are plans within plans within plans, all of which are bent on destroying the Atreides. But what the Emperor and his servants cannot know is the role that the Duke's son, Paul, will play in re-shaping the entire order of the universe.
There. Now go read.
There are more books, sequels to this, but most sources tell me that they're disappointing.(less)
I've never given a book 5 stars instantly upon finishing it. My 5-star favorites became favorites after they had time to stick around in my mind for a year or so while my devotion to them grew. It's entirely possible Dune will join them in the future, but right now it's hard to tell. If I could, I would give it 4.5 for now.
Dune has the qualities that a lot of my favorites have. It's an epic, sprawling story with its own vocabulary, a fully-realized world and deep characters. Like a l...moreI've never given a book 5 stars instantly upon finishing it. My 5-star favorites became favorites after they had time to stick around in my mind for a year or so while my devotion to them grew. It's entirely possible Dune will join them in the future, but right now it's hard to tell. If I could, I would give it 4.5 for now.
Dune has the qualities that a lot of my favorites have. It's an epic, sprawling story with its own vocabulary, a fully-realized world and deep characters. Like a lot of books with these characteristics, the first few chapters are difficult to absorb. I had to go back and reread them a few times as I learned more and had to remind myself to be patient.
Patience is also required for the rest of the book, since it's not a quick read. I can normally knock out a book in a day or two, but Dune required much more time than I expected. The perspective changes from character to character without any warning; while the book is written well enough that it's not confusing, it definitely requires close attention.
Now there's the question of whether or not to read the sequels. They don't seem to be very well-liked by Dune fans, although the same thing could be said about Ender's Game's sequels, which I really enjoyed. (less)
Recommends it for: people with interests in vermiculture, genetic engineering, and people facing water rationing
Sitting here on the desert planet -- uh State, Arakkis -- I mean California, I'm staring in amazement as water actually falls from the sky.
This grand sprawling book has a lot to offer: genetic engineer witches, religion as premeditated social engineering, amazing heroic islamists -- I mean Fremen battling the decadent western -- uh Harkonen imperialists, ecology, jihad, water conservation tips, really crazy drugs, vermiculture on a grand scale and a Messiah. At age 11 when I first r...moreSitting here on the desert planet -- uh State, Arakkis -- I mean California, I'm staring in amazement as water actually falls from the sky.
This grand sprawling book has a lot to offer: genetic engineer witches, religion as premeditated social engineering, amazing heroic islamists -- I mean Fremen battling the decadent western -- uh Harkonen imperialists, ecology, jihad, water conservation tips, really crazy drugs, vermiculture on a grand scale and a Messiah. At age 11 when I first read this book, I missed some of this. But as a So Cal girl living through water rationing, I REALLY identified with the Fremen, and their handling of water. I wanted a stillsuit. The drug addiction part made lots of sense to me too, as did the ecology. The other aspects of the book were more obvious in subsequent readings, and sometimes I rolled my eyes. That said, the book is amazing. (less)
Don't mistake me, Dune, the novel, retains its 4+ stars in my heavens. This audio version gets the lesser rating because of deficiencies in presentation.
The good side of the CD is that, as happened while listening to Tolkien's The Silmarillion, I heard a lot of things I had missed or glossed over in my many rereadings of the book. (I first read Dune when I was 12 or so.) For example, I had never really grasped the "ecological" theme of the novel that many critics point to. ...moreDon't mistake me, Dune, the novel, retains its 4+ stars in my heavens. This audio version gets the lesser rating because of deficiencies in presentation.
The good side of the CD is that, as happened while listening to Tolkien's The Silmarillion, I heard a lot of things I had missed or glossed over in my many rereadings of the book. (I first read Dune when I was 12 or so.) For example, I had never really grasped the "ecological" theme of the novel that many critics point to. I understood the setting of Arrakis but it was just that - the scene where much of the action takes place. The CD brought out Arrakis' role as a character in the book that my readings hadn't. Which is good - I like discovering something new when I reread a book.
On the downside: The discs keep going back and forth between the narrator who reads all parts - dialog and narrative - and a cast that handles the dialog. And there appears to be no rhyme or reason for when this happens. In the first case, the narrator is fine when he's reading the story but his vocal range is limited. I wouldn't have minded him reading the entire novel but I think the production should have been consistent - all reader or reader + cast.
As to the cast-read parts, most of the speakers are seriously miscast in my opinion. Particularly egregious were the actors who voiced Gurney Halleck and Stilgar. Gurney's tone and rhythms are all off; and Stilgar's delivery is stilted and suffers from a bad pseudo-Middle Eastern accent. (I admit, however, that the fault may not be entirely the cast's fault. Listening to Dune does highlight the fact that Herbert's ear for natural-sounding dialog is not always very good.)
Recommended if you liked Dune and need something to listen to on a long road trip or to-and-from work, but one could wish for a better adaptation.(less)
I like books for different reasons - characters, writing style, exciting plot. I will remember "Dune" for its remarkable world-building.
Dune (or Arrakis) is a desert planet. It is barren, almost waterless, and it is the only source of melange - a spice with unique geriatric qualities - it extends lives, enhances mental abilities, and is necessary for space travel. Dune is at the center of an Imperial scheme to bring down the influential House of Atreides led by Duke Leto At...moreI like books for different reasons - characters, writing style, exciting plot. I will remember "Dune" for its remarkable world-building.
Dune (or Arrakis) is a desert planet. It is barren, almost waterless, and it is the only source of melange - a spice with unique geriatric qualities - it extends lives, enhances mental abilities, and is necessary for space travel. Dune is at the center of an Imperial scheme to bring down the influential House of Atreides led by Duke Leto Atreides. The plan is to give Leto the rights to extract spice on Dune, the rights that previously belonged to Atreides' century-long enemy - House of Harkonnen with Baron Vladimir Harkonnen as its head. The feud between the Houses is later used as a cover-up for the extermination of the House of Atreides. This plan however has a flaw, as it doesn't take into consideration that Leto Atreides's 15-year old son Paul is not an ordinary child, but the end product of a long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human. It's Paul's destiny to give Dune back to its native people - Fremen and to upset the power balance in the Universe.
Having finished "Dune," I now understand why this book is considered to be for science fiction what "Lord of the Rings" is for fantasy - basically, it's a standard all other works in the genre are compared against.
The world of Dune has an unprecedented depth to it. Herbert creates an entire culture built around the world that simply has not enough water. This planetary condition affects Fremen tremendously - they constantly wear stillsuits that are designed to conserve and recycle bodies' water emissions, dead bodies are processed to extract water, the population is controlled to accommodate the a total amount of water available. I found this world extremely interesting and well thought out.
The concepts of Bene Gesserit (a school of mental and physical abilities whose hidden mission is to advance humanity through various genetic manipulations), Mentats (people trained for supreme accomplishments of logic, human computers), Missionara Protectiva (a wing of Bene Gesserit order whose goal is to plant superstition on primitive worlds to later make these regions easier for the order to manipulate), etc. are equally fascinating.
The depth of the world, however, is the biggest weakness of the book as well as its biggest strength. It takes a while to figure out various concepts and terms which are introduced early on (thankfully, there is a very helpful glossary at the end of the book). The narration is a little too dry at times, especially when characters' mental abilities are explored. The book is in many ways happens inside people's minds, so there is a lot of thinking and analyzing involved.
But these negatives aside, "Dune" is rightfully called a masterpiece of science fiction. It is much more that a story about aliens and space travel, it is an ambitious philosophical work which explores the issues of ecology, cultural identity and the nature of religious leadership. Although I am not sure I will read the rest of the books in the series (as far as I know the total book count is now 16), I will always remember "Dune" as an impressive work of literature which will definitely stand the test of time.
P.S. I also watched David Lynch's movie adaptation of the book. My advice - spare yourself, DO NOT watch it. (less)
Dune, by Frank Herbert, is by far one of the most thought provoking books that I have ever read. It has been described by critics as a “triumph of the imagination”, and is often cited as the best-selling science fiction novel ever to be written. It is set thousands of years in the future, in which mankind now inhabits far-flung regions of the galaxy. The story delves deep in the life of a young boy named Paul Atreides, who being intellectually superior to us in the 21st century, enjoys greater a...moreDune, by Frank Herbert, is by far one of the most thought provoking books that I have ever read. It has been described by critics as a “triumph of the imagination”, and is often cited as the best-selling science fiction novel ever to be written. It is set thousands of years in the future, in which mankind now inhabits far-flung regions of the galaxy. The story delves deep in the life of a young boy named Paul Atreides, who being intellectually superior to us in the 21st century, enjoys greater awareness, or a raised consciousness, allowing him to think and feel beyond our current limitations of thought and cognitive capacity; even allowing him prophetic glimpses into the future. He moves with his aristocratic family to a desert planet called Dune at the request of their Emperor. Little does young Paul Atreides know, he is to become far more than a co-inhabitant for the long hunted indigenous people of Dune commonly known as Fremen. He soon discovers that his arrival on the planet was predicted by these long suppressed natives thousands of years ago, and that his purpose there goes far beyond anything he could have possibly imagined. Deeply satisfying; many people go as far as to give this epic novel a somewhat biblical reverence. This is a story of betrayal and liberation, love and the power of integrity, the need for a savior, and the quaint idiosyncrasies that make us human. I would highly recommend Dune to any native reader of the English language. It is engrossing, highly intelligent, awe inspiring, and let it be written on my grave; Literature at its absolute finest!
Since majority of my goodreads friends have read this book, I see no reason to re-tell its plot etc. All I have to say is that it is incredibly fun read and probably second fantasy book I really ever liked after Lord of the Rings. Evil is rarely that vivid and hateable, Freemens are totally cool. I feel sad that I was fooled by bad David Lynch movie and didn't read this book in my teen age. I believe I would enjoy it even more back then. It was hardly D. Lynch's fault with "Dune" thoug...moreSince majority of my goodreads friends have read this book, I see no reason to re-tell its plot etc. All I have to say is that it is incredibly fun read and probably second fantasy book I really ever liked after Lord of the Rings. Evil is rarely that vivid and hateable, Freemens are totally cool. I feel sad that I was fooled by bad David Lynch movie and didn't read this book in my teen age. I believe I would enjoy it even more back then. It was hardly D. Lynch's fault with "Dune" though , you can read its story in Lynch on Lynch book. At the same time I remember playing strategy based PC Game "Dune" which kinda took me away from univercity class for a week or so (17 years ago, oh man...)
What I would love to talk instead is why we like fantasy. I have to confess - even enjoying this book a lot I felt kind of shame. Like avoiding late work when deadline is near and you still looking for excuses not to do it. I felt like I'm spending my time for something I should not, and I know I would never feel anything like that readin Tolstoy for example or whatever, you know. My next read will be Gamsun's "Hunger", that I took in a local library and I KNOW I won't feel guilty for reading it, regardless of liking or not liking it. But I did feel that way reading "Dune" which I enjoyed a lot. Yes, this is totally neurotic reaction, I just wanna know if someone can share it with me.
UPD: I just re-watched D.Lynch film (actually Alan Smithee film :) that's the name directors use when they don't want their name to appear in credits). It actuallly starts off not that bad. While he introduces characters, main themes, enviroments, while we see how that Harkonenns' trap catches Duke, everything is going on more then allright, but then IMO mr. Lynch stalks the problem of plot development.
The thing is now I know that in the book from certain point whole drama more or less going on on sub-levels, inside new visions of Paul, inside his mother's body and etc. This is very hard if even possible to actually film such things in the movie. And because of that whole plot and characters development seems very scrappy and sometimes even goofy. If I was in the Lynch's place I would try to create my own plot mechanism, which would accumulate all cool Herbert details, instead of trying to project his litaraturе visions on the screen.(less)
Dune is a fantastic book. The confusion of the first few pages as you enter a new world quickly dissipates as you feel yourself drawn in and understanding begin to seep from the pages of the story. The imagery is amazing, the attention to detail enthralling and the characters deep and well-developed. This easily fits into my group of most favorite books.
A section of the story that I really enjoyed was the mention of Heisenberg. The reader is engulfed in this alien world and suddenly...moreDune is a fantastic book. The confusion of the first few pages as you enter a new world quickly dissipates as you feel yourself drawn in and understanding begin to seep from the pages of the story. The imagery is amazing, the attention to detail enthralling and the characters deep and well-developed. This easily fits into my group of most favorite books.
A section of the story that I really enjoyed was the mention of Heisenberg. The reader is engulfed in this alien world and suddenly there is reference to something in recent history. It pulled me out of my reverie as I was reading, jolted me actually. It is during the time that Jessica and Paul have been discovered in the caves by the Fremen and Paul meets Chanti from his dreams. The lines from the story states, "A kind of Heisenberg indeterminacy intervened...". This was actually a great comparison to Paul's inability to completely pinpoint time, the fact that his visions flowed from past, present and future, but left him without the capability to exactly pinpoint in which time they were. This coincides with Heisenberg's "uncertainty principle" which theorizes that locating a particle in a small region of space makes it impossible to determine the certainty of the velocity of the particle; and conversely, that measuring the velocity of a particle precisely makes the position uncertain. Time can never accurately be measured. I found it rather shrewd that Herbert threw Heisenberg's name in there to begin with as Heisenberg was in the employ of the Nazi's and that in itself is representative of the oppressive similarities between the Fremen and the Jews.
This striking bit of intellectuality is just one example of the amazing intelligence behind the writing of this book. This intellect is further emphasized by Herbert's capability to create his novel from articles and ideas written about and visits to the sand dunes of Florence, Oregon where scientists were working on slowing down the growth of these dunes and the feared encroachment into local cities and highways. The brilliant vision of Herbert morphed this real problem into a whole book centered around ecology and the human ability to survive through adaptation and education.(less)
Like many, my relationship with this science-fiction classic has changed as my life has progressed: too dense for me when first attempted as a young teen, by the time I was an undergraduate it was one of my all-time favorite novels; but then while reading it again near the age of 40, found a lot more problems with it than I had before, and more parts that made me roll my eyes and quietly laugh. Maybe this is why so many people over history have enjoyed the first novel but never read any of the r...moreLike many, my relationship with this science-fiction classic has changed as my life has progressed: too dense for me when first attempted as a young teen, by the time I was an undergraduate it was one of my all-time favorite novels; but then while reading it again near the age of 40, found a lot more problems with it than I had before, and more parts that made me roll my eyes and quietly laugh. Maybe this is why so many people over history have enjoyed the first novel but never read any of the rest of the saga? It's definitely a great book, for those who have never read it before: a combination of elaborate cultural backstory (ala JRR Tolkien), the far-flung future of humanity (ala Asimov's Foundation series), and a grand Eastern-influenced vision that evokes "Lawrence of Arabia," the original novel combines a Shakespearean tale of family intrigue with the trippy '60s elements of alternate realities and messiah-figure destiny. But yeah, let's face it; the older you are, the faster you'll be skipping over the pages upon pages of ponderous purple prose on display here, muttering to yourself the whole time, "Okay, okay, I get it, Paul senses something wrong. Now what happens next?"(less)
I first read Dune one summer sitting in an old arm chair in the basement of my grandparents house in rural Minnesota. I found a copy of Dune on the book shelf next to Louis Lamour western and Readers Digest Condensed Books when I was 14 or so. A battered musty original print run version that had belonged to my uncle. I read it in 3 days sitting in the basement in a chair that is probably older than me.
I still have that copy of Dune — it’s held together by a strip of Duck Tape along t...moreI first read Dune one summer sitting in an old arm chair in the basement of my grandparents house in rural Minnesota. I found a copy of Dune on the book shelf next to Louis Lamour western and Readers Digest Condensed Books when I was 14 or so. A battered musty original print run version that had belonged to my uncle. I read it in 3 days sitting in the basement in a chair that is probably older than me.
I still have that copy of Dune — it’s held together by a strip of Duck Tape along the spine. Has that lovely quality of curling into the palm of your hand naturally when you read it but still manages to close flat. The well used nature was hard won by repeated readings over the years.
I think I have read Dune 10 times, give or take. I read it in high school on the bus. I read it in college late at night and in the student union. I read it on planes on my way to business meetings. I keep reading it because it blew my mind the first time.
There are so many interweaving topics in Dune: It deals in ecology, psychology, philosophy, politics, physics, and a myriad of other subjects. Most good Sci-Fi and Fantasy books have politics and religion but only at a very shallow level. A 'look, back-story! Now over here…' level. Frank Herbert weaves them into the core of the story in a mostly coherent way that is missing from most Sci-Fi and Fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien excepted.
Maybe it appeals to me because I like complected, epic stories. I know that each time I re-read Dune it looses a bit of it’s magic. The story is not high fiction and it doesn’t grow up like I do. But it’s still a good story, and one of my favorite. Dune is one of the books I would want with me if I was lost on an island or, lost in space.(less)
Dune is a difficult read. I'd tried to get through it twice before this, over a period of a couple of years; neither time could I get past the first hundred or so pages. But as a sci-fi fan, I felt somewhat obliged to finish it, since it's considered a classic of the genre.
And it is an excellent book. Once I got through the dense, boring exposition, I found myself in a complex and fully-imagined universe. Although the political intrigues weren't really my cup of tea, and the myst...moreDune is a difficult read. I'd tried to get through it twice before this, over a period of a couple of years; neither time could I get past the first hundred or so pages. But as a sci-fi fan, I felt somewhat obliged to finish it, since it's considered a classic of the genre.
And it is an excellent book. Once I got through the dense, boring exposition, I found myself in a complex and fully-imagined universe. Although the political intrigues weren't really my cup of tea, and the mysticism was a nonsensical mishmash of contemporary world religions, this book really does have something for every taste. For myself, I loved the way the action sequences (which were plentiful) were interspersed with the discussions of ecology and lifestyle (which were fascinating). The main reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, was that the characters were fairly flat and much too "superhuman". I wasn't able to relate to any of them, and empathy is a crucial factor in my enjoyment of a book.
Although I liked the book, I at first had trouble figuring out what the big deal was, why it's considered the epitome of science fiction. But I realized that the reason I find it so ordinary is that so much of modern sci-fi has been influenced by Dune. I've read a lot of Herbert's contemporaries, and while they have their charms, nothing in the genre that was being published in the 60's was anything like this book in depth and scope.
Dune didn't change my life or alter the way I think about sci-fi, but it was a good read and, I have to agree, a must for any science fiction fan.(less)
I've loved science fiction my whole life, but I was finally told that I couldn't call myself a SF fan if I hadn't read Dune. So I read it. I know Dune is worshipped as a paragon of groundbreaking SF, I can witness and acknowledge Herbert's genius, and I can understand that when it was written it was certainly seminal, but I still don't think much of it.
Aside from Herbert's horribly annoying use of 3rd-person-omnipotent viewpoint, he's just not a good writer. For clarification: he'...moreI've loved science fiction my whole life, but I was finally told that I couldn't call myself a SF fan if I hadn't read Dune. So I read it. I know Dune is worshipped as a paragon of groundbreaking SF, I can witness and acknowledge Herbert's genius, and I can understand that when it was written it was certainly seminal, but I still don't think much of it.
Aside from Herbert's horribly annoying use of 3rd-person-omnipotent viewpoint, he's just not a good writer. For clarification: he's a fantastic story-teller and creator. He has an incredible imagination and a talent for world-building and interweaving complex storylines. But the actual craft of writing, well, he just can't write worth 2 beans. As a result, I found Dune nearly impossible to get through.
Story-wise, I got bored with all the political stuff because it's not my thing, and I got bored with all the preaching about ecology. But I loved the elements that dealt more closely with the human drama, the personal choices characters make, their interactions with others, how they cope internally with themselves and their own strengths and weaknesses. Those are the stories I like. There was enough of that here to make me check out the sequel from the library, but after about 10 pages of Herbert's writing I just couldn't stomach any more.(less)
AaronPresently revisiting Dune, at nearly thrice the age I was when I originally read and adored it. And I can only concur. Since I originally read Dune,...morePresently revisiting Dune, at nearly thrice the age I was when I originally read and adored it. And I can only concur. Since I originally read Dune, I've read much other planetary romance and science-fantasy. And yes, I've encountered much unconvincing dialogue, and bland characterisation, to read of wondrous unearthly worlds which are the salvation of otherwise problematic works. But never did I think that upon revisiting Dune, I would find it to resemble its lesser peers. Dune seems now, to me, to be a book which never stops to smell the roses - to develop itself as a novel, or even as a worthwhile hard sci-fi 'what if' (which might be excused its poverty of good writing by virtue of its wealth of insight). I am a disappointed man, at present, and this review concurs with my feelings, where so few here seem to do.(less)
Oct 05, 2010 08:46pm
SteakboneI agree with you completely, Katie. Thank you for stating my thoughts so perfectly. After 200 pages of deep insights into shallow characters and dul...moreI agree with you completely, Katie. Thank you for stating my thoughts so perfectly. After 200 pages of deep insights into shallow characters and dull action scenes, I just had to give up on Dune.(less)
Oct 07, 2010 03:36pm
Critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author.
He is best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. The Dune saga, set in the distant future and taking place over millennia, dealt with themes such as human survival and evolution, ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, and power, and is widely considered to be among the classics in t...moreCritically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author.
He is best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. The Dune saga, set in the distant future and taking place over millennia, dealt with themes such as human survival and evolution, ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, and power, and is widely considered to be among the classics in the field of science fiction.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
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2,026 people liked it
“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”
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128 people liked it
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