Rating: 
Summary: Sheer Brilliance
Review: Dune is clearly one of the greatest novels ever written in the history of mankind. Herbert's sheer brilliance and excellent writing style make for a treat. I felt for the characters, Paul Muad'Dib seemed like a true hero, and I loathed the Harkonnens. The character development is excellent, and the plot is truly captivating. I found myself turning pages very quickly. A complex epic with Politics, philosophy, ecology, etc.. all are presented in this great book. I recommend it to anybody who is literate and has a decent attention span. (you'll find yourself wanting to read all six books.) Definately check this one out.
Rating:
Summary: The intrigue of interstellar politics
Review: Upon a haphazard move by the Duke Atreides, his people are relocated from their fertile home planet of Caladan to Arrakis, the forbidding desert sphere also known as Dune. Thus protagonist Paul, the duke's protectively raised son, is suddenly cast into a hostile and forbidding environment. However, his surprising resourcefulness brings about a turning of the tables, and appoints the fallen duke's son as a both spiritual and tactical leader of the planet's devout natives, the Fremen. These are a humble, underrated Bedouin-like people who, of course, turn out to hold the key to power over Arrakis.The story begins with Paul at 15 years of age and yet emotionally immature. The family's preparations for the move to Arrakis render him curious and anticipative of novel experiences. Upon the Atreides's arrival on Dune, a treachery of the family doctor puts Duke Leto's fate in the hands of his ruthless nemesis, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Stripped of their possessions, the ducal heir and his mother are compelled to flee from their home into the desert plains, where they find themselves constantly confronted with the planet's insidious surprises. Yet while pampered Jessica becomes helplessly dependent on their good fortune, her prodigal son rapidly masters the situation, and soon fathoms Dune like - and practically in - the palm of his hand. Amidst the Fremen, he commences to organize a good old-fashioned battalion aiming at the overthrow of House Harkonnen. Thanks to Herbert's rare storytelling acumen, such a monumental literary aspiration - at least in this first installment - never veers away from believability, no matter how unfeasible the current scene. The consistently no-nonsense prose firmly keeps _Dune_ on this side of pretentiousness, a compliment that cannot be given to the novel's adaptation to the screen. Far from your regular hodgepodge of droids and ray guns, this is a political statement that, no matter when and where it is read, stirs up an uneasy feeling of déjà vu.
Rating:
Summary: Dune - Best Novel Ever
Review: Dune is easily the best novel that I have ever read. This book tops the Lord of the Rings like no other book has. Has no competition in greatness.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Science Fiction Novel I've Read
Review: The first time reading this novel, I started with the historical appendix. I directed every single moment in my mind as if it was a cross between some great film and an alternate hyper-reality. Each conversation, action, and scene description played out in nearly real time. If a scene was set up incorrectly or otherwise did not play out exactly as it should, I'd reread and meditate over the passage or pages again until it was flawless. There were moments when the beauty and grandeur of a scene would bring tears to my eyes, such as when Doctor Yueh made his way along the path of burning palm trees to the ornithopter in one last redeeming gesture. There is no way a film could adequately capture the glory of this work of art. Even a 10 hour, $150 million HBO miniseries would only begin to do it justice. That first reading still stands as one of the greatest literary experiences of my life. I know most people don't have the time to experience it as I did, but Dune is a journey I highly recommend - even if it's by speed-reading.
Rating:
Summary: One of the few books that are better the second time
Review: Dune deserves every bit of its acclaim. This is what science fiction should be. It is hard to fathom the level of creativity needed to create this book, much less the series. Herbert successfully created another galaxy within the pages of these books. I first read Dune (and the rest of the series) in middle school. Years later, half remembering the story, I read it again. This is one of the few books that I have read twice and gained more than just academic insight. Dune breathes wonder and emotion. If you have never read Dune, read it. If you have read Dune, read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good but not the greatest
Review: Dune was pretty good, but I don't think it is the greatest book I've ever read. It started off well, but it seemed like the last part of the book was rushed with the author jumping over large periods of time. I also had difficulty finding any characters that I could really like. They all seemed a little shifty. I will probably eventually read the rest of the books to see what happens, but I won't be rushing out to buy them.
Rating:
Summary: He who controls the Spice controls the Universe!
Review: Power! imagination! drama! a masterpiece! Those are but a few of the superlatives that describe this book. Saying the least, Dune is the best si-fi book of all times. An unparalleled saga painted on the vast canvas of Herbert's imagination in vivid colors, but that metaphor is only a two-dimensional view of a manifold work. It's a complete Herbertian Universe with all the detail and intricacy of reality. No si-fi author gets close to the perfection he achieved here. The plot, or should I say plots, twist and turn in completely unpredictable ways, like the non-rhythmic dance of the Fremen. I am yet to see another author that eludes anticipation like Herbert. The intrigue! The sophistication! So exquisite! The cast of larger-then-life figures in classical rolls, the Hero and the Villain, the Tragic and the Noble, Arch-typical yet not stereotypical. A unique writing style combining the broad objective view point of third person account, with the subjective "thoughts" of first person. Not to mention the scope and the breath, Herbert plays out philosophical and political, environmental and religious themes with unmatched canny. He was a thinker way ahead of his time, way ahead of OUR time! Maybe future generations will appreciate his full genius. I can not think of any other Si-Fi book that surpasses Dune, with the possible exception of "God Emperor of Dune" on greater philosophical and political depth. No si-fi fan that respects himself could miss reading this book, but it really is a classic for all to read. "The truth carries the ambiguity of the word used to express it" (Frank Herbert -- 'God Emperor of Dune')
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Summary: Dune the book for the ages
Review: This book was the greatest most intricate novel I have ever read. Save "The Lord of The Rings". The book was not an overnight job. It had Tons of info to back up every event in the book. It is a whole world with a long history and a reason for every event. It shows what good and bad things can come from ultimate power. The Long animosity between House Aterdies and House Harkonnen came to a climax in the Harkonnen attack on the Atredies. Paul survives by falling in league with the fremen and comes back to defeat the Harkonnens and the Padish Emperor.
Rating:
Summary: Dune the book for the ages
Review: This book was the greates most intricate novel I have ever read. Save "The Lord of The Rings". The book was not an overnight job. It had Tons of info to back up every event in the book. It is a whole world with a long history and a reason for every event. It shows what good and bad things can come from ultimate power. The Long animosity between House Aterdies and House Harkonnen came to a climax in the Harkonnen attack on the Atredies. Paul survives by falling in league with the fremen and comes back to defeat the Harkonnens and the Padish Emperor.
Rating:
Summary: an incredible saga-spectacle....
Review: ...by the well-studied poet and ecologist, the DUNE books are unbelievably entertaining and philosophicall and psychologically provocative. Highly recommended.
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