The all-time science fiction masterpiece...now in a special hardcover edition.

"Unique...I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings."--Arthur C. Clarke

Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would 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. Frank Herbert's death in 1986 was a tragic loss, yet the astounding legacy of his visionary fiction will live forever.
This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices." Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.

Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, and deservedly so. The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine, the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. --Brooks Peck

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Science Fiction Classic
Comment: Frank Herbert's masterfully crafted book, Dune, is one of the best books I have ever read. Set on a wonderfully unique world Arakis, AKA Dune, this book follows the life of Paul Muad'Dib. I do not want to give away any more plot points than that. However, if you are a science fiction fan, you will love this book. The story, characters, technology, and world are all wonderfully crafted. The writing style is wonderful as well. It does not explain everything for you, but it withholds just enough information to make you think. With a unique and wonderful storyline, and excellent writing style, you can not go wrong when you decide to read Dune.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Unique and brilliant
Comment: What Herbert creates with Dune is truly unique in the world of sci-fi. If you are bored with the usual sci-fi fare that seems derivative and predictable, Dune may just be the refresher you are looking for. Conflicted heroes, depraved villains, and a gripping style that pulls you into his world, Dune is a masterpiece and a must read.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings for Science Fiction
Comment: Finished my reread of Dune by Frank Herbert. It still holds up extrememly well--I believe it's The Lord of the Rings for science fiction.

I won't recount the plot here, since there are probably a million reviews of the book and the series, and lots of folks have seen the regrettable David Lynch movie (fortunately for millions of Star Wars fans, Lynch turned down Jedi to direct Dune). The movie was like looking at something through pavement heat--you can tell what it is that you're supposed to be seeing if you can account for the distortion. But, I'm biased; I don't understand how Lynch continues to get work.

But I digress. There are at least two things about Dune that really make the novel stand out against the background of other science fiction novels:

First, the absence of technology. As part of the backstory of Dune, there was a revolt against computers in humanity's past (our future), and they are banned from society. This plot convention steers Dune away from where many science fiction works crash and burn--an obsession with technology and "technobabble." Some sci-fi is so tech-heavy that the stories read like stereo instructions. Sadly, this is a trend which has only gotten worse after the advent of cyberpunk. Rejecting technology as a crutch allowed Herbert to focus on the humanity of his characters.

Second, the story is character-intensive. The characters a very well developed, and Herbert develops them with an economy that should make other writers envious. The exposition in Dune is kept to a minimum, which is remarkable considering the tone that Dune possesses. Almost alone in the genre, Dune has a voice that's more akin to Homer, Tolkein, or Arthurian legend. The story is an epic on a grand scale, with nuanced heroes and villains that lack Homer's length (and beauty) or Tolkein's ponderous prose. The way the characters interact with situations, each other, and even within themselves shows Herbert's skill as a writer.

One helpful note to Dune: if you've seen the movie, then you know the general idea of the plot. Go ahead and read the appendices at the back of the book first. It's not great reading, but it will give a little more backstory that'll make the book easier to understand.

If you haven't seen the movie version of Dune, just start the book from the beginning. The appendices have a few spoilers in them if you're new to the story.

Dune explores a number of important topics with depth that's rarely acheived in science ficiton: religion, climate change, human nature, life, death, ecology, among many others. It's an outstanding read.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Probably the greatest SciFi novel ever written
Comment: The level of detail in the universe created here by Herbert is astounding.

Great story of politics, murder, mayhem and betrayal all set with an exotic backdrop. Try reading this and not thinking of how oil is used in our world.

Futher chapters in the series have diminishing returns, but the first 3 books are worth reading.

I have read the first book at least 4 times in my life and will probably do so again.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Overhyped and Ill-written
Comment: "We're going to test you to see if you're a human or an animal, Paul," says the nun.
"Why?"
"Because man relied too much on machines."

Wait. What?
Oh, I'm paraphrasing, all right... but that's exactly the way it looks. So begins Dune, a disjointed, pretentious, poorly written piece of dreck.

I am not certain why or how this book has attained the status it has, so let's look at the pluses and go from there. Is the world of Dune fascinating? Yes. Are you going to find something quite like it anywhere else? No. The planet Arrakis is really cool. The way people live, obviously well thought out and interesting. The sandworms and spice, very unique and attractive. I also happen to love stories dealing with special children with amazing destinies -- I wanted to know about Paul's rise to importance. I'm sure most people find these elements fascinating; likewise, I wanted to read and like this story... badly.

Unfortunately, the way this story is written absolutely kills it. I felt like I was reading a first draft half of the time; the rest of the time I was reading and re-reading parts to see what the heck Herbert was trying to imply.

I read the first chapter three times, trying to see how an "animal" was like a "machine" and how this had anything to do with breeding perfect humans or relying overmuch on machines. This part never made sense and I finally decided to go on, hoping he would clarify later (he doesn't). It also started to make me hate Paul, who was a little brat who seemed to have all the answers. Oh, I am fine with above-average characters... but generally, only the ones with hearts. Think Ender from Ender's Game for the ideal.

Which brings me to the characters. They are mostly unlikable -- they are either insufferable know-it-alls or downright arrogant. I found myself only liking a few secondary and tertiary characters for the most part -- Duke Atreides, Thufir Hawat, Duncan Idaho, and Gurney Halleck, for example. Jessica, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, all the Harkonnens, and (most especially) Paul and Kynes made me want to punt kittens. (As an added note, it's hilarious to see this host of alien names and two major characters named Paul and Jessica.)

The prose is awkward at best and downright unreadable and purple at worst. It's all tell and no show; Herbert is constantly showing us the characters' thoughts. Generally, this is fine with me... except those thoughts end up becoming the only way you can really understand what's going on. In short, their thoughts are crutches, and the story never speaks for itself. Interspersed within are supposed "wise sayings" and unintentionally humorous "philosophical nuggets" and some really awful poetry. Yuck.

Herbert's dialogue was past poor -- a stilted, disjointed mess. Good dialogue fits together like the rungs on a ladder; Dune's dialogue is the ladder from hell, with rungs completely missing or spaced too far apart. It often seems to shift from subject to subject at random and has little or no connection to what previous speakers said. For example: Yueh speaks to Jessica for a paragraph about the wonders of spice. Then Jessica breaks in and says, "I think our house should go renegade." Huh? On the positive side, at least the dialogue improves as the book goes on. It doesn't improve much, mind you, but at least you won't be frustrated out of your mind.

Even worse, and most certainly the nail in the coffin for me, Herbert's conclusions often made no sense at all. In one scene, Duke Atreides gives his men a big plan. "Yeah!" I thought. "Go Atreides!" But the men don't like the plan for some reason. Paul (super-wise little git that he is) is over thinking in the corner how much his father is bombing. "But what's wrong with the plan?!" I said to the book. The book refused to tell me. As this was its job, I was rather irritated with it.

"Then read the appendix," you might say. The appendix! Am I reading a fun sci-fi adventure or an encyclopedia? In fact, the fact this book HAS an appendix (and a glossary, for that matter) is a major "con" for me. It is not a sign of depth, it is a sign that Herbert failed at writing. What it looks like is that he could not relate background and history for his story in the actual "meat" of the writing like every other competent writer.

"So read between the lines," you may say. Oh, easy for you to say. If you are a Dune fan who lives and breathes Dune lore, you would know what's going on because you have been immersed in it. However, if you're a new reader like me, good freaking luck. Reading between the lines is an impossible task. You just can't do it. Characters are often making illogical decisions or basing their knowledge on some as-yet undefined process that Herbert apparently expects you to read from his mind. Even better, as you're reading and making conclusions from people's actions and words, suddenly Herbert writes what they're thinking and you realize your conclusions are absolutely wrong.

Which brings me to yet another problem -- sometimes, you're waiting and waiting for Herbert to explain some alien process, kind of people, world, or person, and he chooses to describe it... with another undescribed facet of his universe! Oh, the agony!

The result is that you must rely on what everyone tells you... and that's just maddening, because you end up becoming a passive reader. It's like coming up against a brick wall over and over, and there's some ocean of meaning on the other side. You can't find a key to open the way into this meaning, though, because the mean trick is that the key is tied up in ol' Herbert's head, and there's no getting to it. You can only get a superficial, hazy feeling for every element of this universe.

I honestly don't know why this book is supposed to be the best sci-fi book ever written; I can't fathom it. It reads like it was written by a precocious high school student at best. Maybe someone can enlighten me. In any case, it's a frustrating read... very frustrating.

It's too bad that a better writer couldn't have thought of this great idea and made this book sing.

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