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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Best Sci-Fi ever, liken it to LoR.
Dune is a classic sci-fi. The characters are interesting and the story is entertaining.
Best Sci-Fi book ever. Read this series in my twenties and loved the the action and adventure. Read this book in my thirties and took a much deeper dive discovering the unique philosophy, economic system, and religions of Herbert’s world.
There is nothing I can add that hasn’t been written about Frank Herbert’s “Dune”. I cut my science fiction teeth on it and Robert A. Heinlein’s “Stranger In A Strange Land” and feel they define the genre in the grandest manner possible. The books leave you hard to please in the future when these are your landmarks.
I read this (the first time) when I was 12 years old. It took me a while to sort the cast of characters out in my mind, but once I did, I was hooked on Herbert. I couldn’t wait for the next installment.
A classic science fiction novel. The world woven by Herbert is so lush and exciting that it often feel impossible to put the book down for even an instant. Enter the exciting world of Dune, the spice, and a universe in turmoil. Fueding houses are brought to life besutifully.
I like it , still like it and would and will continue to read and re-read it.
This is the opening chapter of a series of books that blends sci-fi & fantasy beautifully. Imagine an intergalactic, feudal society, with body sized shields (as in force fields) that have rendered projectile weapons (guns) obsolete so people have gone back to sword fighting as a sword or knife can be forced through a shield if the thrust is slow enough. Imagine a family (a noble house) the duchy of Atreides (history buffs might recognize that ancient, royal surname), who have mastered the art of fencing to a man and the art of War as a small but formidable army. Uproot them from their ancestral home and transplant them to a planet whose very climate negates the shield and you have not even begun to scratch the surface of this deep tale. (“Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love…” -the Princess Bride-) With the other five books in the “Dune Chronicles” it makes an epic masterpiece of storytelling so broad of vision and long of scope that it spans millennia. I know of only two series in the fantasy/sci-fi genre that equal it (The Lord of the Rings with The Silmarillion & The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien, and The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay)
Classic science fiction, wonderful world building.
I read this back in the day, and many times since. It’s an amazing creation and utterly believable. Futuristic and medieval at the same time. I’ll be very interested to check the new movie. Let’s see those sandworms in 2021 CGI!
This book was awesome. If you’re a sci fi lover(like me) you will love this book. I heard about this from my uncle and he said he loved it so I decided to try it. And I’m so glad I did. The story line is very complex and well done. Just go in a quiet space or else you won’t be able to concentrate. Happy reading!!!
Reading Dune is like going to a wine tasting; in order to get the full experience you have to pay attention to each note and appreciate how all the individual notes pair with one another to create the full flavor.
I’ve read it several times, seen the movies and reading all the Dune books. All. Even Dune Jr. The original books are the kind of experience that downloads into your psyche and becomes part of you. Hmm, sounds like a galactic symbiont when I say it like that.
This book, and the entire expanded series are by far my favorite.
Much “great” scifi isn’t actually well written, IMO. See Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, much of Heinlein, etc etc. Frank Herbert was, however, an honest-to-goodness fine writer, in the same league as Le Guin & Jemisin.
Reading this book again after over 30 years in preparation for the new movie release later in 2021. I love Science Fiction as it takes me away from everyday life while giving me an imaginary vision of what the future here and in other world may hold.
This review is for the audiobook version read by John Lee and others.
It’s Dune. It’s a fairly familiar story, but it’s also a LOOOONNNNGGG story for the little that actually happens. The audiobook version, however, does bring a faster pace to the story and makes it feel a little less of a slog to get through. Still, this is just never going to be one of my favorite tales. And to be honest, after this reading, I’m fully convinced I don’t like any of the characters in Dune.
The audiobook version, while it is well done and enjoyable, is odd. You get stretches of just John Lee reading, then out of nowhere there’s a cast reading. And there’s no consistency in this switching. It’s not like one chapter is just Lee, and the next chapter is a cast production. It goes for several hours with no cast, then I don’t know, the actors weren’tt busy with other projects so popped in to do a few minutes of Dune? It doesn’t ruin the audiobook by any means, it just seems like a weird call on the part of the producers..
I often tell people that DUNE is one of my favorite books of all time. Certainly it’s in my top 5, and it will remain there after this reading. In fact, I have a reader that’s related to Herbert! (Hello, friend, if you’re still out there!) Anyway, with the DUNE movie set to hit theaters and HBO MAX in the near future, I figured it was worth it to re-read this sci-fi classic. This is the first time I have re-read this book since I became an author myself, so I definitely put a more critical eye to it than I have in the past.
Overall, the story is still very strong and resonated deep in my heart. Arrakis still holds all the mystery and wonder that it did upon first reading, and the world Herbert built is equally fascinating, loving, and cruel, all at the same time. The flip-flopping omniscient narrator was a little tough to get used to this time around. I don’t think it’s a writing style used very often anymore. Late in the book, the viewpoints seem to stick harder per chapter, and that felt more natural to me.
I didn’t remember that there’s a huge time jump of many years in the book, and I felt a little sad that I didn’t see Paul and Chani’s relationship bloom on the pages. I just had to trust that their feelings happened whether I saw them or not.
Possibly the only thing I found annoying was the constant use of the word “presently.” I swear it was in there at least one billion times! This time around, I also paid more attention to the use of Arabic names and places and the borrowings from Middle Eastern culture. For the time this book was written, that was probably a very bold choice.
I always thought it was interesting that Herbert chose to end the book on a quote from Jessica about marriage and wives. It makes a strong statement for what the book is actually about — not Dune/Arrakis, not the Fremen, not the relationships between the houses, but instead, it’s about family, chosen or blood, and the love that binds them together.
Presently, I’m looking forward to the movie!
So happy I read this book. Definitelt didn’t feel like 800 pages. I am new to science fiction, I started last January with Ursula K le Guin and over the last year, read all of her novels (except the young adult ones). I think I am drawn more to “soft” sci-fi, I put more value in character building and psychological aspects than if the time travel is feasible or if all the science matches up. Dune has all the aspects I look for: great plot, just enough stress, great characters and lots of books to keep me going! Currently on Dune Messiah. So excited for the Dune movies coming out in October 2021!
I read the book over 10 years ago and did not really like the book. Not well enough to read any of his other books, alone it was a good enough read.