Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1)

Mar 20, 2009 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, if-research-were-romance

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 rewrite Dune...more 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 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?

This review is in my book If Research Were Romance and Other Implausible Conjectures
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Dec 19, 2012 John Wiswell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Terry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, sci-fi, space-opera

Is it space opera? Is it political commentary? Is it philosophical exploration? Is it fantasy? _Dune_ is all of these things and possibly more. One thing I do know: it's a kick-ass read!

I've loved this book since I first plunged into it's mightily constructed, weird and obscure world. Of course it's hailed as a classic, and I am one of those that agrees. The sheer magnitude of Herbert's invention, his monumental world-building tied with an exciting story of betrayal, survival, rebellion and ulti...more Is it space opera? Is it political commentary? Is it philosophical exploration? Is it fantasy? _Dune_ is all of these things and possibly more. One thing I do know: it's a kick-ass read!

I've loved this book since I first plunged into it's mightily constructed, weird and obscure world. Of course it's hailed as a classic, and I am one of those that agrees. The sheer magnitude of Herbert's invention, his monumental world-building tied with an exciting story of betrayal, survival, rebellion and ultimate ascendance are more than enough to guarantee that.

His characters too, are worthy of note: Paul Atreides the young heir to not only a ducal throne, but the hopes and desires of the oppressed population of an entire planet and the strange otherworldly powers of prescience and command that are his unique birthright; his mother Jessica torn between devotion to her family and her pledge to a generations-long plan spawned by a secret order bent on controlling the universe from behing the scenes; Chani and Stilgar the wild yet honourable representatives of a dangerous people just waiting to burst their chains and explode onto an unsuspecting universe. Add to these heroes the malign Baron Harkonnen and his debased nephews Feyd Rautha and "the beast" Rabban, the spiteful and covetous Emperor Shaddam IV, masterminds of the fall of Paul's House, and we have the recipe for an exciting contest of wills with no less than the future of humanity at stake.

Even without an exciting story to drive it, the book is almost worth reading just to experience the world created by Herbert. 10,000 years in the future mankind has experience the "Butlerian Jihad" wherein all "thinking machines" were destroyed and the hatred of the technological has a religious conviction. In their place there are the Mentats, the "human computers" able to utilize the human mind to nearly it's full potential, drawing accurate inferences and conclusions with minimal data. There is the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit, a community of women who have honed their mental powers to the point of a near magical ability to coerce, tied with a training in politics and influence that would make Machiavelli proud. Finally is the Guild: a community of mutated humans, the sole "pilots" able to bend space and foresee their path amidst the void and thus keep interstellar trade and community together.

Both the Siterhood and the Guild owe their great powers to the mysterious spice Melange, the only product of the planet Arrakis (known colloquially as Dune) and the society of the Empire in general also depends on it for its "geriatric qualities". Dune is thus the linch-pin for all Imperial power. Without the spice, travel ceases, trade stops, life ends. He who controls the spice controls the universe.

Upon this stage is born Paul Atreides, the son of the Duke who is to take control of Arrakis as a fiefdom for the emperor. Paul is not merely the heir to political power though, for he is the last link in a chain of breeding that has been going on for generations, part of a plan created by the Bene Gesserit in the hopes of breeding a superhuman whom they could control. But Paul was born too early, his mother's rebellion against her orders have brought about an unforeseen occurrence. Now in the midst of political betrayal and the loss of all he has known Paul must also fight for survival amongst the most merciless tribe of humanity the universe has formed. Greater powers than any human before him has known will be thrust upon the young man, and the mantle of messiah will be his to accept or reject.

Did I mention that I love this book? Well I do. I highly recommend it to any and all. I must admit that there is the occasional infelicity in some of Herbert's prose (and a too-heavy reliance on inner monologues to either state the obvious or convey information to the reader), but overall I can forgive him this for having crafted such an excellent tale. Woven into the story of a tottering space empire are real questions about ecology, responsibility and human life that are well-worth thinking about. Politics is not just a veneer, but the lifeblood of this story and, to me at least, it makes it all the more exciting.

I'll admit right here that I am one of the few who actually likes all of the original Dune books, though I must admit that after the original trilogy Herbert seems to lose some of the strands of his narrative thread and my admiration is mostly due to the character of (view spoiler) and the world-building. (But please avoid the prequels and sequels written by Herbert's son and Kevin Anderson in an attempt to cash in on the franchise, they are worse than anathema.)

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Nov 19, 2012 Rajat Ubhaykar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, must-read-at-least-once

In my head, the purpose of this review is very clear. It is to convince YOU to read this book. Yes, you! Waste time no more. Go grab a copy.

Machiavellian intrigue, mythology, religion, politics, imperialism, environmentalism, the nature of power. All this set in a mind-boggling, frighteningly original world which Herbert ominously terms as an "effort at prediction". Dune had me hooked!

First impression

The very first stirring I felt upon opening the yellowed pages of Dune was that of stumbling upo...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Joel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, book-club, classics, sci-fi-fantasy, wssfbc, sf-masterworks

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 Sahara Desert. It looked like th...more

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Jul 01, 2007 Keely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, novel, reviewed, childhood, american, space-opera

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 relates to Fantas...more

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Sep 04, 2008 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

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 hopelessly confus...more 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 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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May 10, 2009 Ceridwen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Grandpa, Sting, my son, Richard, Exxon Mobile

Shelves: sci-fi, the-future-is-now, space-the-final-frontier, grandparental-overshare

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...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Apatt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Does the world need another Dune review? I very much doubt it needs mine but that never stopped me before, saturation be damned!

Dune in and of itself, in isolation from the rest of the numerous other Dune books, is by general consensus the greatest sci-fi novel of all time. You may not agree, and one book can not please everybody but statistically Dune comes closest to achieving just this. Witness how often you see it at or near the top of all-time best sf books lists.

I never read Dune with the...more Does the world need another Dune review? I very much doubt it needs mine but that never stopped me before, saturation be damned!

Dune in and of itself, in isolation from the rest of the numerous other Dune books, is by general consensus the greatest sci-fi novel of all time. You may not agree, and one book can not please everybody but statistically Dune comes closest to achieving just this. Witness how often you see it at or near the top of all-time best sf books lists.

I never read Dune with the intent to reviewing it before, it makes for a more attentive and actually more enjoyable reading experience. When I first read it in my early teens I did not really appreciate it, I thought it was good but overrated. There are just too much depth for my young mind to handle. I got the gist of the story just fine but the richness of the novel completely escaped me.

What makes Dune superior to most sf books is the quality of the world building. Frank Herbert went into painstaking details of Arrakis without ever bogging down the story. During the main body of the novel (excluding the appendices) he did not once resort to making info dumps. How many modern day sf authors can do that? Still, world building alone can not possibly account for the legendary status of the book. Herbert places equal emphasis on the characterization, plot and prose. The book is full of memorable characters from the badass Lady Jessica, to Paul Atreides who starts off as a fairly generic Luke Skywalkerish “chosen one” kid to a messianic figure always ready with a sage comment for every occasion. The villains are even more colorful, especially the super-sized Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, so fat he needs anti gravity devices to help support his girth (cue worthless yo papa so fat he needs suspensors jokes). And his psychotic nephew Feyd-Rautha who is a ruthless natural born killer and seems kind of gay for some reason.

When I read it as a young lad the book seemed very long, but by today’s gigantic epic sf/f books standard Dune’s 896 pages length does not seems like much of a challenge if you take into account almost 100 pages of appendices and glossary. It is a highly readable and accessible book that transports the reader to a very vividly realized place. If you are looking for a bit of escapism you can not beat reading Dune for the first time.

That's enough review I think, I just want to make a few random observations for people who are familiar with this book (more than half the people who read this review imagine):

- Most memorable scene for me is the “Gom Jabbar” test where Paul Atreides has his humanity tested by the Reverend Mother. What is yours?

- I love the little quotes from all those Muad'Dib books by the Princess Irulan. How many are there? Is there a “Muad'Dib’s Cookery Without Water” or perhaps a Muad'Dib popup book for the kids?

- The stillsuits are great, I want one!

- What is with all the “ah-h-h” business most (lesser) writers make do with an "ah!" or an "aha!". Are the characters having orgasms?

- Don’t skip the appendices, they are well worth reading.(less)

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Jul 29, 2007 Keith Mukai rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Herbert created a world....more 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 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)

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Oct 05, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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-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)

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Sep 14, 2008 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 up to this bo...more 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 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)

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May 13, 2013 Otis Chandler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, favorites

When people ask me what my favorite book is, Dune is always my answer. Words cannot even do justice to what an epic tale this is. We learn about spirituality, human nature, politics, religion, and the making of a hero.

I loved the spiritual aspects of the book the best. The philosophies and practices and Pranu Bindu training of the Bene Gesserit that Paul learns and builds upon. The Bene Gesserit believe in a training regiment that results in a superior human being - one with every sense as refin...more

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May 01, 2010 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, classics, science-fiction, 2010, highly-recommended, political, religion-related, reviewed, blog_etb, challenge-1010

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...more 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 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. :)

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Feb 12, 2011 Ben Babcock rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, favourites, science-fiction, 2011-read, posthuman, religion-fiction, hugo-winner, nebula-winner, 2011-best10

Second 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...more

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Oct 25, 2007 Donovan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 grouping either. A...more 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 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.

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Jan 29, 2011 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, book-club, does-my-book-look-big-in-this, 2011-best-reads

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 o...more

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May 05, 2008 Cassidy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 amongst all circles as an irreplaceable corners...more 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 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)

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Jun 20, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 start with Jessica. She is Bene Gess...more

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Feb 29, 2008 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 like the rapid jumps of point...more 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 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)

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Feb 10, 2008 Jacob added it · review of another edition

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...more

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Oct 11, 2007 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everybody

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's vision was...more 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'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)

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May 09, 2013 Igor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, favorites, audible

Beside Asimov's Foundation and Clarke's 2001 Odyssey, Dune is one of my favorite sci-fi books, especially as I read it as teenager and later as an adult and still found it fascinating.

Additional info:
I read this for the first time in '93 and I still remember how I felt reading it as it is really outstanding read.
I updated edition to Kindle since I will reread it yet again thus will listen audio book from Audible

- 09.05.2013

So, what to say... Dune is a masterpiece. This time around I went for Au...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

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 cross-breed Lync...more 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 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)

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Sep 13, 2008 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, science-fiction

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 lot of books...more

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Jon Your comment about whether or not Paul was human got me to thinking. I can't remember if that subplot was every resolved or expounded upon later in th...more
Sep 14, 2008 03:53am

Allen Wright I & Worst If you liked Dune, and know that the sequels are not as good as the others but think you will enjoy the universe then I say go for it. I've read all o...more
Sep 17, 2008 04:13am

Benjamin Duffy "Now there's the question of whether or not to read the sequels."

I first read Dune when I was about 13, and in the intervening *cough* two decades *co...more
Oct 16, 2009 11:46am

Dec 22, 2009 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, hugo-winners

Vivid characters, wonderful story and lush world creation. Understandably a classic of the genre and I loved every page.

I have to say I am thankful I read this as a grown-ass man, cause if teenage Brad had gotten his hands on this, he would have gone down the path of nerd-dom so far that nobody would have ever wanted to shag grown up Brad! If you thought Oscar Wao was a sad bastard, just imagine him as a gumpy, corn fed white boy from the sticks and you'll get an idea of what could have been.

I...more

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May 26, 2013 Nibra Sitzpinkler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've only gone over a few pages but this book has already won me over. There's something that heightens the intrigue when a science fiction novel is written the way this book is: philosophical to borderline poetic. It pained me, at times, however, that there exists a gap between what Herbert is saying and what I understood. There are certain parts when some characters (Paul and Lady Jessica most particularly) venture their minds into cosmic explorations of mysticism that I am left wondering abou...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 read this boo...more

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Mar 09, 2009 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-fantasy, audio-books

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. I understood the setti...more

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Apr 15, 2010 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of sophisticated science fiction

Recommended to Tatiana by: Ryan

Shelves: sci-fi, 2010, nebula

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 Atreides. The plan is to...more 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 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)

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Dune (Dune Chronicles #1)

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