Dune (Dune #1) in Overdue Podcast

Mar 19, 2021 Chandler rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: books-for-boys, adult-fiction, 2-star, books-i-own, sci-fi, books-to-re-visit, classics, hugo-award, 700-pgs

My love for science fiction began when I was young and reading a book series called Anamorphs. This series featured a group of kids who got powers for an alien to stop other aliens from invading their planet. It was dark, gritty, and disturbing, and I loved it. A few months ago, I decided that I would begin my journey reading a classic of the science fiction genre, and what helped to make Anamorphs possible: Dune. When I got it, I was ready to see what the fuss was all about. Yet, sadly, I did n My love for science fiction began when I was young and reading a book series called Anamorphs. This series featured a group of kids who got powers for an alien to stop other aliens from invading their planet. It was dark, gritty, and disturbing, and I loved it. A few months ago, I decided that I would begin my journey reading a classic of the science fiction genre, and what helped to make Anamorphs possible: Dune. When I got it, I was ready to see what the fuss was all about. Yet, sadly, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I wanted to.

Firstly, let’s start off with the positives. I love the themes presented in this book. This story features struggles for power, greed, and revenge. Herbert shows us that, no matter how technologically advanced we get, people are still human, and we still have these flaws. This is very different from something like say Star Trek, where the Federation is almost always a utopia to be strived for, and I love the contrast this author presents.

I also love the world building here. The planet Arakas is wonderfully displayed for the reader to see. One truly gets the sense that Herbert somehow got into a spaceship, traveled in space, and found this planet and its people. The reader understands that there is a whole ecosystem here that we only see a fraction of in this book. Writing like this is something that few authors can do convincingly that Herbert pulls off beautifully.

That leads me into the negatives, of which, for me there are many, but I’ll just focus on the ones I found most glaring.

Firstly there is the writing style. Much like Tolkin (who many people compare him to) you are either going to love or hate Herbert’s writing style. It just sounds clunky and awkward, especially to my modern ears. One example of this would be the way that Herbert incorporates thoughts into a scene. He will do it, often, at the worst time, say in a moment of tension or action, which can slow the pacing down for me. Then there is how much repetition there is in this book for me. For example, at the beginning of the book, we see how a man is going to betray house Atradies, and work to kill the Duke. The main issue I have is that he announces this in some form almost every other line, as though this thought of betrayal is constantly on his mind. That may be true for his character, but for me, I just found it grading and repetitive.

Then there are the characters. In the novels I like best, I love to see a good emotional and physical character arc. I don’t just want to see the hero become a jedi for example, but how he changes from the farm boy he was to that jedi, and what effect this has on his personality, and emotional growth. That said, Paul, to me, is not a very interesting character. He doesn’t really change very much in this first book, often knowing what to say or do at exactly the right time to his best advantage. While this does show how good he is at being the hero he needs to be, the lack of internal change often causes me to lack any kind of investment. Perhaps this is going to be something to be reckoned with in the next book, but he seems too perfect here, and his having a savior-like complex can make for a less engaging character than I’d like.

I will sum up my feelings with this stipulation: I probably need to re-read this book in order to get the most out of it. While it is true that this book is one that has redefined the science fiction genre, and the space opera in particular, for me, this book was more of a slog to get through than an enjoyable romp in another world. I give it a two out of five. ...more

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Dec 27, 2020 Rachel | reads_with_rach rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, sci-fi

I was really intimidated by this book going in, but I actually found it surprisingly easy to read. I can definitely understand now why Dune is so important to the sci-fi genre. The scope of this story is impressive, and I actually really enjoyed the political and religious elements. If you enjoy science fiction and haven't gotten around to this one yet, I would give it a go. ...more

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