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Loading... Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) (original 1965; edition 2005)by Frank Herbert
Work InformationDune by Frank Herbert (1965)
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I'm glad I finally read it. The complexity and completeness of the vision is impressive and absorbing. The ecological project and life-ways of the Fremen, the double-edged power that comes with foreknowledge of the future, the twists of political intrigue -- all fascinating. However, I found the lack of imagination about the possibility of change in gender/power relations tiresome (the Bene Gesserit are powerful females, so of course they must be "witches," and really, all the ambassadors to the Commission of Ecumenical Translators are men?). I found the markers of the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's evil nature (his fatness, his sexual abuse of young male slaves, his Russian name) to be rather embarrassing projections of mid-20th century prejudices. And I cannot help but wonder why so many sci-fi classics are so "medieval" in their language and aesthetics: thousands of generations from now we still operate under feudalism and have an aristocracy that we address as "M'Lord"? Herbert's story that I'd really like to hear is just hinted at in this book: the Butlerian Jihad in which humans successfully revolted against "thinking machines." What was the world like when humans revolted? How did they organize? Who were their leaders? How did the humans defeat machine consciousness? I'm not going to rate this, because I didn't finish it, obviously. This is just one of those books that isn't my cup of tea because the pacing is completely bogged down in the first book by political intrigue, made-up fantasy jargon and too many characters to keep track of. I don't find that particularly entertaining, and there are definitely parts where it comes off as preachy and intentionally obscure. Maybe, Frank Herbert would have been a good poet. If you didn't get the memo this book is a pretty clear allegory for colonialism in the Middle East and the spice is oil, like it doesn't take a genius. I've heard that if you have seen Lawrence of Arabia, Dune is just Science Fiction Lawrence of Arabia. I read this because the movie is coming out like, tomorrow, and hopefully that is better. I started it, dnf-ed it and then picked it up again and dnf-ed it again. I tend to have a problem with overly didactic science fiction that is meant to teach you something and writing that doesn't get to the point. My favourite scene in the book - when Paul meets Gurney and takes him to Jessica, I love it. It's one of my most beloved books ever. I think I reread it several times already and I'll definitely reread it in the future. I simply don't understand why some people complain it's boring. For me - always five stars.
It is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published. An astonishing science fiction phenomenon. Herbert’s creation of this universe, with its intricate development and analysis of ecology, religion, politics and philosophy, remains one of the supreme and seminal achievements in science fiction. One of the monuments of modern science fiction. Is contained inContainsHas the adaptationIs abridged inIs parodied inIs replied to inInspiredHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a studyHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (18)Follows the adventures of Paul Atreides, the son of a betrayed duke given up for dead on a treacherous desert planet and adopted by its fierce, nomadic people, who help him unravel his most unexpected destiny. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Anyway, I'm not an analyzer. I don't look at books and rate them based on technical merit, writing style, etc. I rate based on how much I enjoyed the book. I rarely give five stars because I save those for my favorites. I was so engrossed in this book and enjoyed the story so much I thought about it even while not reading it. I longed to find some free time so I could pick it up and escape. Maybe self-isolating during COVID-19 made me want to escape to Arrakis even more ... who knows. But I count this as one of my favorites now because it was an epic story with great fighting, love, technology, lore, and more. ( )