Dune (Dune #1) in Overdue Podcast

Jul 28, 2020 Abigail Advincula rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

My thoughts on Dune are organized as follows:
-Overarching Thoughts
-An Appreciation for Desert Biomes & Scarcity
-The Genetic Breeding Program & The Bene Gesserit Order
-Cultural Fluidity
-Archetypes of Womanhood
-Regarding the Spice Melange

Overarching Thoughts
Dune is magnificent. The world is immense and blinding and takes some adjustment, but if you can get through the first half of the book, you are in for a ride. I found the book linguistically rich and expansive in scope. By the end, I was dee My thoughts on Dune are organized as follows:
-Overarching Thoughts
-An Appreciation for Desert Biomes & Scarcity
-The Genetic Breeding Program & The Bene Gesserit Order
-Cultural Fluidity
-Archetypes of Womanhood
-Regarding the Spice Melange

Overarching Thoughts
Dune is magnificent. The world is immense and blinding and takes some adjustment, but if you can get through the first half of the book, you are in for a ride. I found the book linguistically rich and expansive in scope. By the end, I was deeply invested in the fate of Paul Atriedes and the world of Arrakis (aka Dune). Frank Hebert blends hero narrative with themes from religion, sociology, and ecology.

As mentioned, the first half is hard to get through. The plot moves slowly and there is a lot of plot set-up/world-building; concepts and terms are introduced but not explained. I had an easier time of it when I realized there were appendices that explained the terms and the background of some of the factions (i.e. the Bene Gessirit, the O.C. Bible, the Guild Navigators, etc.) I counted at least 302 new terms in the index.

Frank Hebert does not deem it necessary to explain every bit of the universe of Dune, but instead of this being an annoyance, it heightens my intrigue for the book. What’s the backstory of the Bene Gesserit? How did the Guild Navigators come into power? What is the prison planet, Salsa Secundus, like? How did Liet Kynes go about ecologically experimenting with Arrakis? I have so many questions.

As of July 2020, Dune ranks among my top three books to take to a deserted island. Or a literal desert if I got stuck there. This book is a challenging, albeit worthwhile read.

(view spoiler) ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

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

Like · see review