NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.Set on … the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for….
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
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Gotta get ready for the movie!
A classic not only of the science fiction genre but all fiction. Unbelievable world-building covering all aspects of society. Unlike the fantasy of Game of Thrones, Dune roots itself in science fiction, bordering on mystical. Religion, economics, politics, intrigue and more. Highly recommended.
I originally read this book as a teenager, and have re-read it too many times to count. Obviously, I’m a fan of the story, but if you haven’t read it, you probably should. Here’s why:
The plot of this tale is complex, bouncing from interstellar politics, to feudalism, to mercantilism, to slavery and oppression, to the drive for superhuman powers. The tale touches on many real-world models from the East India Company as a model for the Spacing Guild to the history of Iraqi oil production as a model for Dune and the Fremen. Yeah, it’s deeeeep. As deep as you want it to be, and probably more.
Beyond all that complexity, the story is easily accessible, which, given the preceding paragraph is a feat in and of itself. There are flaws to this book (as there are flaws to every book), but this book can be read cover to cover without noticing those flaws–another testament to Mr. Herbert’s writing.
Dune is a must read for any fan of science fiction.
I understand now why this is the world’s best-selling science fiction novel. Herbert unfolds a believable yet entirely unfamiliar world before you, and grips your imagination for a not-long-enough 900 pages.
It was fascinating, getting to live among a people whose stubborn existences revolt against their parched planet’s limitations for life. Their cultural, religious, and political ideologies are laid bare before you. In many ways, the book felt more like an anthropological deep-dive than a work of fiction.
Definitely recommended, whether you consider yourself a sci-fi reader or not. I’ll definitely be picking up other reads in the series later this year.
I’ve probably read Dune about eight times now, yet I keep finding small, amazing gems that I hadn’t noticed before, it’s that rich in detail. And each time I re-read it, I fall in love with the characters all over again. There aren’t too many books of any genre that can do that. Dune is, quite simply, special.
I finished Dune yesterday and loved it. A captivating read and a must for any science fiction fan!
One of the most spectacularly imaginative and emotionally involving science fiction series of all time, combining thrilling events, “mind-blowing” ideas, one of the first serious environmentally conscious novels, and an integration of scientific ethos and religious perspectives. It is also a novel that struggles deeply with the concept of “prescience” and the nature of time and causality. Unfortunately damaged by a series of very poorly realized film adaptations, the novels themselves are heroic in scope and accomplishment, and absolutely essential reading for anyone who is remotely interested in science fiction or modern ideas of humanity, spirituality, and the nature of reality. It is also a heck of a good yarn.
Finishing this book in our current political climate is an exercise in wondering if Frank could see the future like Paul Muad’dib. Paul is groomed to be a best of all worlds leader, except all he can see is war. Many of our leaders think they can see a similar future, that war is the only future, and some are all too eager to lead straight into it for personal glory. That would be the Harkonnen’s, the Spacing Guild, CHOAM, even the Emperor. Too few of our leaders are willing to fall on their swords to avoid war, too many unwilling to defer to their better halves for valued insight. Paul dances a fine line between fanatical warlord and wise beyond reason leader of humanity. But, it’s in that wiseness that Paul CHOOSES the path toward war, because that’s what humanity is begging for, and wholly unprepared for. Better to be a pariah than a martyr to an unjust cause. If only leaders of this early 21st century could learn that profiting from death and destruction only begets death and destruction. Even if that means losing your “followers.”
It’s also clear throughout the text Frank had intentions of spinning the Dune universe both forward and backwards in time. So, his son Brian and author Kevin J Anderson’s expanded universe entries become a vision fully realized. How well that’s executed is up to your opinion, but Frank Herbert wanted a universe as wide and old as the universe he lived in.
I enjoyed Dune and can see why people love it, but it felt dated to me. It has rigid and traditional gender roles; its only gay character is an evil, obese pedophile; it uses Russian-sounding names to imply evil; and it embraces government by hereditary nobility. Because of issues like these, I didn’t like Dune as much as The Fifth Season, a book with a comparable story, but characters and social structure that are more relevant to the world we live in today.
The remarkable thing about Dune is that even with all these anachronisms (and more I’m not listing), it was an engrossing, fun saga that I tore through.
Dune is a must-read for anyone who enjoys Science Fiction.
Dune is a desert planet, very important to the galaxy. Insert a family forced to govern there and a mob boss who is not happy to see a ruling family come on planet. The story that ensues is tremendous. There’s space travel, drama, and when precogniscence comes into the story, it gets even headier and more dangerous.
While this story is a fantastic Sci-fi story, it is even more a psychologically encompassing story. None of the movies have or probably can do it justice. Once you learn precogniscence, how does your life return to normal?
This is one of the books that I often recommend first to anyone who is interested in Sci-fi. It is the height of the art, in my opinion.
Probably the greatest Sci-fi novel ever written.
This fantasy or fantasy/science fiction classic is the most fully realized imaginary world I’ve ever visited. There are no innocents here, but there’s bravery, and daring, and devotion, and breathtaking drama. The characters, and the world they live in, are unforgettable. No one should miss this book. It can even be studied for insights into what makes a leader, and a vision, that can inspire an entire population for multiple generations.
What can one say about Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” a pillar in the pantheon of Science Fiction? I have read this book several times in my life, beginning as a young man. Last week, I found myself thinking of some passage from the book, and so another reading began.
To read “Dune” is read several books, books within books. One of the reoccurring themes in the novel is the concept of feints within feints, motives underlying motives. I suppose it should come as not surprise, then, that there are many levels to this novel. On the surface, there is a tale of wild adventure, set in a complex feudal system flung far into the future. The inventions of our era have, in the distant past of this tale, wrought havoc, bringing about a new structure. Computers, ‘Thinking Machines,’ have been replaced by special beings trained in these functions. ‘Atomics’ are heirlooms of the great feudal families, not to be used on pain of planetary obliteration. The warfare of this era has become personal, a warfare of edged weapons and poison-wielding assassins.
This story of adventure is the first tale, the presenting story. Young Paul Atreides, heir to a Ducal fief, is cast into a whirling storm of intrigue, feudal struggle, and blood vendetta. This tale is enough to satisfy the reader, a story full of adventure, danger, and struggle. There are heroes and villains, the valiant and the cowardly, the good and the despicable. It is a rollicking saga.
The basic plot-line of the novel carries with it many deeper stories, stories that will reward the thoughtful reader. There are far greater forces at work in Paul Atreides life, forces that are outside of his control, forces put into play long before his birth. Frank Herbert explores the ideas of destiny, predetermination, and the struggles of a young man coming to terms with his destiny. Will he accept the mantel that has been crafted for him, crafted without his consent? Will he fling the mantel away, forging his own destiny? As the story progresses, the layers of destiny and treachery become ever deeper, entwining themselves into the myth of a hostile planet.
An arid and frightening world, the planet Arrakis becomes yet another layer to the novel, an ecological treatise on the nature of human beings and their environment. Using the interplay between characters and the harsh landscape they inhabit, the author weaves a story of the land altering the people, and the people altering the land. Is the environment a product of human action, or is the environment shaping the human action? Could it be both?
Beyond all of this lies the mystery of the nature of myth and religion, human engineering of myth, and the impact of that engineering on the future. The building wave of religion and myth carry the story to a crescendo, standing on the knife-edge of cataclysmic warfare.
Rereading Frank Herbert’s “Dune” was a pleasure. The novel contains everything a reader could want: sweeping adventure, love, parental bonds, loyalty, treachery, suspense, betrayal and revenge. The hero’s journey is clearly mapped, convincing, and captivating. For the thoughtful reader, there is much more, a deeper examination of the nature of society, destiny, and religion. Never far from the thread of the tale is how human beings interact with the ecosystems they inhabit, changing them and being changed by them.
I highly recommend this novel. At the very least, the reader will be rewarded with an adventurous romp. Beneath the adventure lies a deeper examination of what forges destiny and purpose, religion and myth. I believe that many readers will be drawn back to this book, rereading it and treasuring it, as I have done.
This is on my short list of favorite novels in all genres. It’s quite simply Science Fiction at it’s very best. The author creates a world, then populates it with varied and fascinating characters and sets them in motion in a truly unique story. I didn’t care for the sequels as much but Dune is literally (and I mean literally,literally)awesome.
Even for those of us who are not great sci-fi, or mystical book readers, this is sort of in a class of it’s own. If you heard the reviews of the movie and decided to pass, ignore that. The book is just supurb. Ok, I did not get into any of the other books that Herbert wrote, but this one had me from page one.
My ‘changed your life or inspired you’ book is Dune. There is so much here: political intrigue, usages of power, environmentalism, economics, and science fiction of the highest order. The way everything in life is interrelated and that nothing is as simple as it seems on the surface was a lesson when I was younger that just gets affirmed with age.
Dune is one of the best examples of the hero’s journey in fiction. Most authors, myself included, need more than one book in order to tell an epic coming-of-age story. Herbert did it in one while also creating a unique and interesting setting. Part of his genius as an author was his ability to imply far more about his world than he actually showed. As a result, Dune feels as if it was written by an inhabitant of Herbert’s universe; no small achievement.
As with Anna Karenina, Dune goes beyond the usual surface elements that so much of fiction relies upon. It deals with questions of leadership, ecology, and philosophy (and so much more) while also telling a darn good story.
And it contains one of my favorite quotes:
“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.”
The book does have some flaws (the death of Muad’Dib’s son is dealt with too quickly, and the only homosexual character is the villain), but even with them, Dune is a masterpiece.
I have just recently read this book again. I am currently reading Dune Messiah and will read God Emperor of Dune when finished. This time around I am going to take my time and enjoy the complex universe created by Frank Herbert.
I first read Dune around 1975 and I was hooked. In the following years, I have re-read this series AT LEAST 20 times. I always find something new with each reading. I just bought an electronic version so I can always access it. A classic
What’s a good book to read in a snowstorm?
Having spent 24 years of my life in Wisconsin and Minnesota, I recommend Dune for snowstorm reading because what’s better than a desert planet filled with religious fanatics to warm you up after spending an hour shoveling in the cold? And, if your school district shuts down for a week when you get an inch of snow (due to the 2 inches of ice underneath, we’re not that wimpy y’all), there are 5 direct sequels to get you through as your children slowly succumb to cabin fever. I’ve only read Dune Messiah so I can’t comment on the sequels too much.