Dune is a product of its time, with some ideas that seem a little backward when reading it more than a half century after it was published (I'm thinking primarily gender roles). But it is still a thrilling book to read. There were some things I wasn't fond of in the writing, especially Herbert constantly revealing the inner monologue of every character, but fundamentally, this is just a great story. The plot is fun. It has interesting twists, long lost reunions, intrigue, double crossings, etc... all great and exciting storytelling. It's a page turner.

The galactic Emperor had a hidden agenda when he ordered House Atreides to move to the Arrakis, replacing House Harkonnen as the planet's ruling family. Arrakis is a desolate wasteland covered almost entirely in desert, earning it the nickname "Dune"; but Arrakis is the only source of the spice melange - the most valuable substance in the universe.
Duke Leto Atreides's teenage son Paul is beginning to manifest mystical powers that will aid him in the coming battles and betrayals and in his fight for survival on a hostile planet.

Frank Herbert's classic novel "Dune" is the most complex science fiction novel I have read. In addition to an adventure story and a coming-of-age novel, the book includes insights into politics, sociology, ecology, economics, religion, philosophy, and language. Nearly every dialogue is layered with multiple meanings and nearly every action is a potential betrayal.

Herbert does an amazing job building the world of Arrakis and its people.

Among the creations of the book are:

-Sand Worms - giant tubular creatures that live beneath the surface of the desert sand, as sea dragons might swim in the ocean, breaching the surface from time to time to wreak havoc on protection of the spice.

-The Bene Gesserit - a cultlike group with impressive mental powers, who strive to produce a superhuman via their secret breeding program.

-The Fremen - a mysterious nomadic race that live in the deserts of Dune and have a special relationship with the sand worms.

-Mentats - humans with the ability to think like computers

Although "Dune" is set centuries in the future, technology has not advanced at the rate one would expect. Advancements have been stunted by humanity's distrust of artificial intelligence and a war fought centuries earlier. Things like interplanetary travel have been made possible by the powers of the Bene Gesserit and the Mentats and the mind-expanding abilities of melange.

The local water scarcity, the global spice monopoly, and the struggle for control between powerful factions serve as a metaphor for similar constrained resources and conflicts on the Earth of today and the effect on global politics. The vast sand oceans and the Fremen people are not far removed from the 20th and 21st century Middle East.

Through it all is Paul - son of a Duke and gifted with great powers that lead others to perceive him as a Messiah. How he uses those powers defines him and defines the power structure of the galaxy.

This was my third reading of this novel, which I first discovered in my late 20s. After all these years, it still holds my interest.

Well if Lonesome Dove is my Western genre comparison to A Game of Thrones, Dune is my science fiction comparison. It’s a long epic about shifting allegiances, dynamic power plays, violence, and unexpected deaths. Admittedly this book moved up my TBR list because of the upcoming film adaptation starring my boy Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho. I haven’t watched any other film adaptations, so I look forward to seeing how this story plays out on the big screen.

Aside from that, this book confirmed a suspicion about myself that I have theorized about but not really tested…hardcore science fiction and/or space operas are not really my jam. My lukewarm feelings about both The Left Hand of Darkness and this book have confirmed it. Of course this isn’t to say that I will never again delve into this literary realm…it’s just that it seems I prefer my science fiction to have a little more fantasy woven into it.

I was not a huge fan of Herbert’s writing style, but I do have to give him credit for his world building skills. The Appendices at the end of the book were helpful because there are many characters, planets, and legends to keep track of. I recommend glancing through it periodically as you read the book for clarity and context.

I will probably get a lot of hate for this, but Dune is NOT a well written book by modern Sci-fi standards (fiction 101 plot, pacing, narrative stuff...).

There are examples of all of the following items in the book, which would prevent any modern fiction from being considered good, let alone amazing.

1. Illogical character motivations/actions, which occur only to artificially carry the plot forward
2. Many overpowered/completely un-relateable characters
3. Uneven pacing, especially during dramatic/action sequences (making some sections downright boring or ridiculous to read)
4. Overlong philosophical exposition, often pretentious in nature
5. Lack of tension as heroes are rarely under real threat

Defenders of the book say that Dune is a book of ideas, not plot. Some also warn to not expect hero/anti-hero tropes. However, if I wanted a story of ideas that "subvert expectation" I'd almost rather watch Disney Star Wars (yes, parts of Dune are that bad once you get over hype, in the same way the recent Star Wars films were bad, but hyped).

As alternatives to Dune: for classic (50+ year-old) sci-fi, I recommend Asimov's Foundation novels. For a slightly more modern sci-fi with fantasy elements, I recommend the Hyperion Cantos series by Dan Simmons. Like Dune, these works also deal with of the direction of human society as it pertains to futuristic government, religion, and technology, but are executed far better than Dune.

In my mind, the book is living off its hype and impact on the sci-fi genre. It is getting a second wind from the upcoming 2020/21 movie. Some of the ideas are great (the spice, the feudal balance of power), but the story is poorly written.

Overall, would NOT recommend...try for yourself at your own risk.

What is going on with those soap opera sci-fi characters on this book ?! Everything else is perfect; lady Jessica cool powers , sandworms , mentat abilities, imperial politics, the mystery of the freeman , the rough landscape of Arrakis even stillsuits are interesting or the ships and I loved the culture aspect of the planets. Then ,halfway through the book, you get pages after pages of boring characters that I couldn’t care less about .

Solid read- I enjoyed the characters and the rich setting. However the ending was a little anti climatic and I disliked Paul in the concluding chapters.

Dune is a great book to read. The start is a little confusing but as the story goes on it becomes easier to understand. The author creates very real characters. He builds an interesting world to discover. The book is mostly set on a desert planet with giant worms that inhabit the dunes. The book starts with a Duke named Leto preparing him and his family to leave to go to a new planet called Arrakis. They suspect a trap from their rivals the Harkonnens. This is overall a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi.

A masterpiece of the science-fiction genre. An imaginative story with relevant themes.

1965 - 4.23

One of my all-time favorite books. I've re-read it a few times.