I have read this book once every year for almost twenty years. I've had to replace the book twice. This is one book I'd take if I were on a deserted island.The story has never failed to draw me into its well written world. I am familiar with all its characters, good and evil. I enjoy the philosophy found in the book as well. ( )

I have read this book once every year for almost twenty years. I've had to replace the book twice. This is one book I'd take if I were on a deserted island.The story has never failed to draw me into its well written world. I am familiar with all its characters, good and evil. I enjoy the philosophy found in the book as well. ( )

I did not read this book when it first appeared in the 1960s even though I was a voracious reader of science fiction at that time. Fortunately it was more than a decade later that I picked up the novel, for I was better able to comprehend the enormous and wide-ranging themes of this work -- from Machiavellian politics to ecological change and its consequence, to mystical religious transformation. A teenager is seldom capable of understanding some of the ramifications of these ideas; however he could revel in the exciting story and wide-ranging nature of the action of this great novel. I enjoyed all of the above as an adult and was glad to add this award-winning book to the many classic science fiction novels that I have read over the years. ( )

I've read this four times. I was 16 the first time, late thirties the last time. ( )

The making of a man and the future of a planet are intertwined in this Science Fiction classic. Paul Atreides is the heir to his Father's Dukedom on th Planet Arrakis. The planet is the key to intergalatic commerece because of its large supply of spice. As Paul completes the rite of passage from child to man a new generation make their mark and it all begins in Dune.
Rarely, does a story capture me from the beginning like Herbert does here. The characters leave an indelible mark on the reader and move the story at a brisk pace. This is not an average sci-fi story. It has many levels of religious, political and ecological overtones that still hold significant meaning in today' world. I highly reccomend this brilliant Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel. ( )

Dune was so hard for me to get into. The first hundred pages dragged on and I often thought of just giving up on the book completely. Luckily I'm stubborn and kept with it because once I got into it, I really got into it. The last 400 pages flew and I began to understand why Dune is one of the most beloved science fiction classics. ( )

It doesn't get much better than the original Dune. Herbert is at his best in this classic science fiction novel. He creates a three dimensional world that is a believable extension of our own, give or take about eight millennia. Religion, politics, and sandworms collide in this excellent book. ( )

Read Dune and stop, all other books in the "series" ride on the back of the masterpiece and spoil the real thing. Read the original version the "complete" aniversary edition is overblown and not as tight. This is a seminal book of Science Fiction in the top 20 of all time (so far at any rate in our current reality).

I started reading this book in a bookstore in Chicago's O'Hare airport in 1974 between flights, where I had a four and a half layover. I was riveted. I had never heard of the book before. I finished the book, standing up in the bookstore reading it, thirty minutes before my flight took off. I never noticed the passage of time, I was so swept into Frank Herbert's world. ( )

Dune is hands down one of the most engaging and enthralling sci-fi novels I have ever encountered. The world and society built within it's pages is so in-depth and fully fleshed out that I don't know that I've ever met it's rival in the genre. The characters of Dune are at times harsh and bitter much like the environment itself, but it never detracts from their relatability. As a reader, you constantly feel for their struggle. And gain a whole new perspective on how vital necessities, when taken away, change the scope of life. ( )

A masterful creation of a world. This book is where I first learned the word Jihad -- and the tale it tells of intergalactic strife and machinations to secure the rare spice, melange, bears an uncanny resemblance to the current world situation with oil and the Middle East.

This is an excellent book. Well written with an excellent universe built around it. Very engaging. I read two of the sequals; "Dune Messiah" & "Children of Dune". Both were OK, but not that great. I started on the "God Emporer" but never finished it. Personally, I think this is a great stand alone book. I've reread it half a dozen times, but only once did I reread the sequals in the past 25 years or so. ( )

It took me a while to get into Dune but by the end I was pretty much won over.

This book is far from perfect: Herbert's characters, for the most part, feel like robots, written in a way that strips them of any real personality. Perhaps it's the aristocratic system which restricts the main characters; or maybe they simply aren't written that well. Regardless, the story of the planet and the conflict manages to move along nicely and despite the deficiencies in the writing I eventually got swept up in things.

That's after the very slow start. Pacing is another of Dune's weaknesses. The beginning is very slow and deliberately paced - one afternoon taking up a large number of pages. Towards the end the story skips several months here, then a couple of years there. That doesn't hurt the story necessarily, but I don't think it points towards Herbert being a fantastic writer.

I've been critical here yet I did get into the book after a while and I think it's still a good and worthy read. It's just not a top sci-fi read, is all. Back in the 60s it probably was; these days though things have been refined a lot more. ( )

Herbert, Frank: Dune
999 SciFi category (8/23/09)
PL 535 pages
My older son has been trying to get me to read this book for 20 years. I started it twice and just couldn’t seem to get into it so I gave up. After about 15 years of not mentioning it, he again asked me last year to read it and so, with a little help from Stasia who read with me, I finally managed to finish this book. A lot of readers on LT have mentioned how much they love this book, just as my son does, and I can see why. It’s a good story that keeps your interest, many of the characters are very well drawn, multidimensional beings, and there is plenty of action and suspense without being a “space opera.” It gives a lot of food for thought and definitely has a “philosophy” that has a lot of appeal for many readers that it is trying to illustrate. Before I go any further, let me admit that, although I found this novel “tough going” sometimes I really did enjoy it and have a great admiration for what Herbert has accomplished literarily. I’m glad I finally read it.

(Warning: If you really love this novel unconditionally stop here! I don’t want to lose any friends.) :-) Also—mild spoilers ahead.

So why did I find it difficult to read at times? Why, although I was enjoying it, did I find myself unable to really connect with the story or the characters? I felt like I was observing rather than experiencing or feeling the story. Stasia gave me the clue to my reservations about the book when she mentioned that she thought many of the quotes in the book seemed to sound Biblical. Below is the reply I sent to her:

I have noticed that there are a lot of quotes in the book that seem quite "Biblical". I assume they come from the "Orange Catholic Bible"--often referred to as the OC Bible or the OCB in the text of the novel. In the glossary of the book this is the definition of OCB: the "Accumulated Book," the religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: "Thou shalt not disfigure the soul."

This is an example of the philosophy of the book that makes me edgy. The novel was written in the sixties which was a time in our society when a lot of people started to believe in "everything and nothing"--at least in California, which is where I was then. I found it interesting that Paul did not come into his full power until he took a psychedelic-type drug. Some of the ideas of the Fremen reminded me of what the hippies were preaching back then. I kept wondering what "agenda" Frank Herbert had in writing this book. Did this plant the seeds of the "New Age" movement? I can see where this book would have a huge attraction for someone who was searching for something to "believe in."--and the sixties were definitely one of those times! It was the time of the "Beat" generation and the Viet Nam War. It was the end of the "Ozzie and Harriet" view of family and the age of the communes. It was one of those times when our society drastically changed its direction and never looked back. As with every historical upheaval, there have been many positives in some of those changes, but for some of us a lot was lost, also. I remember my mother sometime bemoaning what was lost as a result of WWII—this book helped me understand better how she felt.

Bottom line: A well written and interesting novel that deserves to be read. My rating does not necessarily reflect the merit of the novel. I do not buy into the author’s philosophy and world view and that influences my reaction. Guardedly recommended—3 ½ stars. ( )

I must admit that I recently repurchased "Dune" and read it for my third time. It was just as interesting in 2009 as it was in the early 1970s and in the 1980s. It holds up well for being 40 plus years old. The sub-plots are actually well developed (such as the Witch/Nun/Cloister Mother Bene Gesserit. I also was struck with the "arabic" and Middle Eastern flavor of the book, which post 9/11 takes on a new and deeper meaning. The use of the quotes at the start of each chapter, the use of "history" (told both in flash back and in flash forward style) holds up well. Also, the inclusion of arabic words (or at least to me they seemed to have that type of gutteral sounding words) is very interesting - post 9/11.
Finally, the plot holds up well - with gender issues (women and men) -- and heroism ... makes it well worth the read for the 3rd time. Frank Herbert was way ahead of his time..... go ahead, read it again. Paul Floyd, Mpls, MN ( )

I saw on an internet forum once, a user asked, "What's the proposed reading order of the Dune books?"

One such response was, "Start by reading Dune, then stop."

While just about every person on the face of the planet has a different opinion about all Dune books other than the first, the fact remains the same: Dune is memorable, classic sci-fi.

Having been the product of several failed movie attempts (some of which were actually released), Dune is not your standard sci-fi fare. It doesn't have robots (they apparently weren't 3-laws safe, and thus revolted, causing AI to be outlawed). It doesn't have ansible communication (most communication is done via couriers). It doesn't even have amazing intergalactic battles. It does have, however, interplanetary travel, and laser weapons, and flying ships, and giant sandworms that produce the geriatric spice called "melange."

If you're a fan of Asimov, you'll be used to just grinning and bearing it when he'd go off into a discussion of economics, or physics, or any other such thing he was an expert at. Herbert, likewise, fills his novel with warring political factions, socioeconomic studies, comparative religions, and just a dash of crazy.

The story tells of the House Atreides, whose patriarch, Leto I, is sent to the desert planet Arrakis (also known as "Dune"), to handle spice operations there. This isn't because the emperor wants the Atreides house to be rewarded by having direct access to the universe's greatest mind altering substance (which, turns out, is giant worm poo). In actuality, he just wants the Harkonnens (the fat, red-headed step children of the Empire) to get T.O.-ed at the Atreides, and, well, kill them, as the emperor clearly sees them as a threat to his throne.

Crazy, huh?

Well, add to that the fact that Leto's lady, the Lady Jessica, is a member of intergalactic witches, and the son she's carrying will be the most powerful player in the universe, for a time.

So, when they get to Dune, things seem to be all right, until the Harkonnens stick their big noses into everything, killing most of the House Atreides, exiling the rest to the desert. The rest, including Lady Jessica, her son Paul, a trusted family servant Duncan Idaho, and Paul's unborn sister Alia, all team up with the denizens of Arrakis, the Fremen, and wage war on the empire from their dry, precious, wasteland of a planet.

This book, one of the great sci-fi classics, is a must for any fan of sci-fi. Highly recommended for any fan of Herbert's other work, or those left disappointed by the abominations penned by his son and that Star Wars fan-fiction author. ( )

Technically it's not the best book, but if you're in a drought and you need to learn to be sensitive to water, this book'll do it. ( )

A complaint specific to the 2007 Audio book for Dune:

What the heck was the plan with the multiple voice actors? Don't get me wrong, when an audio book has a 'cast' instead of just a reader, it's often REALLY cool. In another audio book I listened to earlier this year, Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire, the multiple narrators helped emphasize that the character who was narrating jumped around from chapter to chapter.

But Dune's was done so haphazardly that it was just AWFUL. Some sections of the audiobook had a single narrator doing every voice, and then it would suddenly switch to cast-voices, with three or four speakers vocalizing their different parts. This got really confusing, as the single narrator often used a different accent or intonation to set the character apart that was not used by the individual's 'cast' voice. So the narrator might play a character with rather prissy voice, but the voice actor would use a deeper voice filled with cunning. At times I would have no idea who was talking until a name was used in conversation.

There was also no rhyme or reason (that I could tell) to when the switches between single-narrator and cast were made. At first I thought it alternated with the chapters, but it quickly became apparent that the switches were being made mid-chapter, indeed mid-conversation! After listening to the entire 18 disc book, I'm convinced that either:
1/ The production ran over budget and couldn't continuing using a full cast, so they kept the vocal clips they already made and had a single narrator read the remaining scenes
2/ The production coordinator or whoever came up with the concept was smoking crack.

Really disappointed. I enjoyed the story, but if you're checking out Dune skip the audio version. ( )

He tried very hard to set up a universe that the reader can understand and believe in, but he failed. The writing is awkward, the plot is clunky, and the final thrust of the book is misogynistic. Not worth being called a classic. ( )

The overall story idea of how one ruling empire gets overtaken by a new one is of course interesting. I'm also intrigued by how Herbert clearly bases the Fremen on Middle Eastern Muslim cultures, especially since he views the Fremen with such a sympathetic eye. However, the dialogue in general is awkward. Worse is the women's dialogue, which is completely laughable. Herbert obviously had no idea how women actually talk, particularly to each other. Further, the story can be hard to follow sometimes. He isn't very good at writing action sequences so that you can actually picture what's going on. I doubt I'll be reading the sequels. ( )

I read this years ago before I was old enough to really appreciate it, and after years of meaning to go back to it for a second try I finally got around to it. I was not disappointed.Dune is one of the great examples of how to write a good SF universe. Herbert drops us into a completely unfamiliar human universe with its own structure, culture, technology, and problems, with only the faintest echoes tying it to the universe of today. Yet there are few if any long explanatory digressions - what we really need to know gets slipped into the story in a natural way, and the rest you can either puzzle out yourself, or it remains a mystery. Done as well as it is here, this is a wonderful way of writing. It adds a layer of realism to the story by implying that it does not exist in a vacuum, and at the same time heightens the level of interest by leaving unanswered questions that hint at a vast number of fascinating yet untold stories about this universe and its people. (Although, given the number of lengthy sequels, perhaps fewer of the stories are untold than I imagine.)

I was struck by the way the novel is paced, with Parts I and II unfolding more or less sequentially and then Part III picking up suddenly several years later, having skipped some arguably important events. It was jarring to see only the very beginning of Paul's integration into Fremen culture and then suddenly jump to the end of it, but this is ultimately the story of the planet Arrakis; Paul is important because his destiny is tied to the planet's, not the other way around. The inclusion of petty details of Paul's personal growth into the figure of Muad'Dib are not important on the planetary scale, and their inclusion would have diminished the power of the story and made it into just another tale about a hero's coming-of-age.

It may be a strange thing to say about a book in which arguably nothing but conversation happens for the first 150-200 pages, but I think that Herbert has actually given us a story pared down to only its essential parts. The slow buildup of the first half pays off in the second half.

I thought the ending was extremely abrupt, and the focus of the final few lines seemed to be aimed slightly to one side from where I would have expected it to be. I haven't yet read the sequels, so perhaps there is some reason for it that I do not yet see. This is one of those books I will probably reread every few years without enjoying it any less than I did the first time. ( )

People often forget that this series is what innovated our modern concept of science fiction (up until Neuromancer and The Martix, at least). Dune took the Space Opera and asked if it might be more than spandex, dildo-shaped rockets, and scantily-clad green women. Herbert created a vast and complex system of ancient spatial politics and peoples, then set them at one another's throats over land, money, and drugs.

Dune is often said to relate to Sci Fi in the same way that Tolkien relat...more People often forget that this series is what innovated our modern concept of science fiction (up until Neuromancer and The Martix, at least). Dune took the Space Opera and asked if it might be more than spandex, dildo-shaped rockets, and scantily-clad green women. Herbert created a vast and complex system of ancient spatial politics and peoples, then set them at one another's throats over land, money, and drugs.

Dune is often said to relate to Sci Fi in the same way that Tolkien relates to Fantasy. I'd say that, as far as paradigm shift, this is widely true. Both entered genres generally filled with the odd, childish, and ridiculous and injected a literary sensibility which affected all subsequent authors.

Few will challenge the importance of Star Wars' effect on film and storytelling in general, but without Dune, there would be no Star Wars. Princess Alia, the desert planet, the Spice, the Bene Gesserit, and Leto II all have direct descendants in the movies. It is unfortunate that Lucas seems to have forgotten in these later years that his best genius was pilfered from Herbert, Campbell, and Kurosawa.

Though I have heard that the later books do not capture the same eclectic energy as the first, Dune itself is simply one of the best pieces of Sci Fi ever written. Read it, Starship Troopers, Ringworld, Neuromancer, and Snowcrash and you'll know everything you need to about Sci Fi: that you want more. ( )

I liked the idea offered from this book. The adventure and the sci-fi elements were definitely promising. The planet and the ways of living of the people to cope with the harsh environment were interesting.

Too bad, the characterization plus some of the plots were not according to my taste. Some were killed off too fast, the others were...well,simply boring and predictable.

The first part was awesome, the second and the third lost me. The final battle did not offer the highest dramatic tension as hoped. Plus, I found the philosophical nuances (and whatnot) a bit tiring. I wanna see more action, for Verne's sake!

To complete my rambling here: I got the feeling that this book is somewhat misogynic. Not only because I don't like reading books with concubines in it, mind you.

But hey, since I appreciated the ideas offered, I'm still gonna give it a three-star rating. Doesn't mean I'm gonna read it the second time in the near future though. ( )

http://unabridgedopinions.com/2009/05... ( )

What's not to like - it's sweeping, it has a religious system you can almost believe in, it's a 'chosen one' story. Loved it as a teenager and still do. I can cope with the later books, but the real perfection is in this first one. ( )