Dune

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Summary: THIS is what happens when someone writes a good book
Review: ...Dune brings the imagination of Frank Herbert to ink and he did a great job at it. The vivid writing that shows mood and action explains the story of Paul Atriedes, eight thousand years from now when civilization is again at a weak political tripod.

Imaginitive writing and the deeply involving plots and story keep you reading the entire 500 pages, not saying "Time to go to sleep", but rather "Time to find out what's gonna happen"

Frank Herbert's vast and dark story goes over a large collection of books, each one more than your money's worth. Be lucky you're paying so little....

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Summary: Shai-hulud, old man of the desert......
Review: What can be said about this novel that hasn't already been said. There are not enough superlatives in the English language. I have been reading this novel once or twice a year for 30 years. I have been reading the sequels in order as they came out for as long as they have been out. I read Children of Dune in serial form when it was printed in Analog magazine beginning in January 1976 and eagerly awaited the issues for Feb., Mar., and Apr. of that year. The entire series is well worth reading over and over again because, unfortunately, there will not be a seventh novel by Mr. Herbert. When you finish, you want more and what better praise can one give. The writing is excellent, the characters well formed, the plot consistent and whole. I love this series and this book in particular. I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading. I dont mean reading science fiction or fantasy...I MEAN READING!!!

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Summary: Breaking New Ground in Fiction
Review: Where do you start describing or analyzing this book? I'm not even sure what genre it belongs in. Most people call it science fiction, and that's close. It could also be called fantasy. The new catch-all term of "speculative fiction" works better.

Take Mankind 9000 years into the future (not 100 or even 300 years, like most authors, or even Arthur C. Clarke's somewhat weak attempt at going 1000 years), and what do you have? It leaves the author pretty free to have anything be true. Frank Hebert clearly and premisely and thoroughly creates a truly alien Human society that is also strongly rooted in its past. The worlds and cultures of "Dune" are strongly influenced by Arabic and Islamic culture, along with a hearty dash of medieval European feudalism.

More specifically, "Dune" introduces us to members of several ruling Houses in a Galactic empire. The Atreides are clearly the good guys, and the Harkonnens are clearly the bad guys. The Emperor, who belongs to House Corrino, is a very political animal. That was not enough for Herbert. He added the Bene Gesserits, a quasi-religious order of women who take as their mission the perfection and control of Humanity through a controlled breeding program covering thousands of years. And, we cannot forget the Bene Tleilax, who seek the Word of Allah in human genetics and the manipulation thereof through cloning and direct genetic engineering. Meanwhile, The Spacing Guild features physically malformed humans who can see through space and are therefore the only beings who can guide ships at faster-than-light speeds.

What brings all the factions together? The spice, melange, that gives users longevity, prescience, and power. Unfortunately for Humanity (but fortunately for the story), melange is found on only one planet - Arrakis (called "Dune" by its nomadic population). The factions fight to control Dune. In the story, the Bene Gesserit millenia-long breeding program is reaching its culmination: a super-human being who can see anywhere and even be more than one place at once, along with getting frequent glimpses of the future.

All of this sounds very bizarre, but Frank Herbet wrote so well that it all becomes very believable. And, who can say it won't turn out that way? This is an epic masterpiece that broke new ground in speculative fiction. I never call anything a must-read, as I don't know who has the right to dictate to anyone what they "must read". However, you're missing something if you don't read (and later re-read) this book and its sequels. I recommend buying a copy when you're a teenager and keeping it to re-read every five years or so. The story will grow as you do, as will your appreciation of it.

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Summary: Best novel ever written
Review: This is the best novel ever written, period. Nothing more needs to be said.

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Summary: Dune Review
Review: I started Dune with great expectations but, sadly, these expectations were unjustified. I'll admit the plot is amazing, and the ideas and undertones driving it are indeed deep, but the presentation is lacking. Perhaps I've been spoiled by truly great works of fiction such as Gormenghast, but the prose is crude and the characters undeveloped. Dialouge is sparse, and when it comes it usually sounds like the ravings of a lunitic. I truly wanted to enjoy this book, but because of the poor writeing style I couldn't. Don't put your twenty some bucks to waste rent it from your local libary if you must read. I suggest using that cpaital to buy Gormenghas or C.S. Lewisi's Space Triliogy, two remarkable works of fiction. ...

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Summary: Passable, but flawed
Review: This is a passable, but flawed work. My apologies to the devout, but poor pacing is an appropriate criticism to any work. You cannot claim the title of "masterpiece" and totally ignore that essential element to a good story.

I also found the society that "Dune" postulates to be hopelessly unrealistic. "Ohhh, let's put a byzantine empire in space!" I said it when I first read this book and others like it, and it's more obvious today. Technology changes the kinds of cultures that are possible. This culture could not come about. Willful suspension of disbelief is one thing, tossing it out the airlock is another.

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Summary: My favorite series of all time!
Review: Frank Herbert's Dune is the first in an epic series, titled after the first book. It is a intricate story which is both entertaining and enlightening. Frank Herbert spent six years prior to writing the book just researching related topics, and he was a reporter before that time. His book has a complicated by addictive story centered around Paul Atreides, an heir to a planet in the human empire. The empire is divided in a kind of fuedal system - and the Atreides family is one of the noble families. Their enemies are the vile Harkonnen, a morally decrepid family of dictators. When Paul's family is sent to Arrakis (titled Dune by the natives), he is caught in an intricate plot filled with politics, morallity, and military planning. I loved the book, and it remains to be one of my favorite stories of all time. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the book is not a Hollywood style movie, it has realistic and detailed events. I learned more about the inner workings of politics from the book then I knew before reading it! The second reason involves the level of maturity, which is self-explainitory. I feel it portrays events that could happen in the future, not just a story that has a futuristic setting. It details daily life, character traits, and countless other things that are crucial to such realism. Also, every character has a flaw or two; a stark contrast to the typical, invincible main character of most books. It is, however, a very complicated plot. To fully understand the book, or to get anything out of it, one is required to read between the lines. Motives are not directly thrown at you, and there is very little to no forshadowing. Very complex issues with extreme amounts of detail are explained in the book, and not a single page of it can be missed. I had to re-read many of the pages just to understand the events fully. I tried to have one of my friends read it after I was done, and he seemed to get confused on the simplest topics - let alone the deeper lessons of the book. If you are a reader who feels limited by your current material, or if you feel you really need something different, Dune is definately the right choice. If you are new to reading, or do not feel comfortable with spending large amounts of time on a book, then Dune is probably a book that should be read at a later time.

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Summary: Dune: Imagination at its Finest
Review: Before I start this review, i would like to say that i am 14 years old, and I think that everybody should read this book.

Dune is set on the desert planet of Arrakis. Arrakis a wasteland but has one thing on it more valuable then gold: spice. The spice is the most important thing in the whole universe. The spice gives the Spacing Guild(the monopoly on intersteller travel) the ability to transport from planet to planet.

For years the Harkonans had ruled Arrakis. Now there is a new House in command: the Atradies (sorry I can't spell). The Atradies have become so popular that they have aroused the jealously of even the Emporer of the Universe himself. A plot to destroy the Atradies begins...

Young Paul Atradies manages to escape when the Haekonens and Imperial Troops arive. He learns to live off of the desert with the Fremen. The Fremen are what make this book great. The imagination that it must have taken to create such a people is beyond comprehension. Paul learns that he is a vital part of the Fremen religion. He is the voice from the out world. He will lead them to paradise. Paul raises the Fremen into and army to avenge the wrong made on his family by the Harkonens and Emporer. Paul also learns that he might be the Kwisatz Hatderatch(The result of years of manipulated breeding by the Bene Geseret and the "One who can be many places at once." The Bene Geseret are somewhat like a religous order dedicated to making the Kwisatz Haderratch)

Dune is complex but that is what makes it so great. The plot is so thick you can feel the tension and emotion between the characters. There are times of nothing more then conversation where I still was not bored. This book is writen beter then anything I have ever heard or read. There is also a movie based on this book that is worth seeing.

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Summary: Needs editing
Review: I was absorbed through most of it, but it isn't perfect. It needs editing. Herbert has an awkward style at times (read Ellis Weiner's parody, "Doon" to see how Herbert's style can be satirized). Sometimes the Machiavellian politics are just too much. The scene at the dinner table with Paul, his mother, Kynes and all the other guests....give me a break. Intrigue within intrigue within intrigue. It's complex beyond all belief. And there are other scenes like it. Those are some of the places Herbert needed someone to edit. Then there is the utter seriousness of the novel. No humor whatsoever. And the ponderous pseudo-religious pseudo-mysticism--and the idea that a Messiah is the result of guided evolution through who knows how many generations. Come on! Herbert should have lightened up a bit on almost everything. The characters are cardboard. Duke Leto didn't seem real at all. Herbert's better at things than people. The sandworms seemed more real than the people. The planet Dune, on the other hand, seems like a real world, quite well-realized. The political intrigue, when Herbert's not beating you over the head with it, is pretty realistic. Let's just say it's a heavy book in two ways--length and content.

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Summary: Tolkien...........???
Review: Get over JRRT please! Anyone who doesn`t give Dune the credit it deserves can go back to whatever spoon-fed novels they were reading before. If on the other hand you are interested in actually engaging your brain for the hours it will take to read the Dune series then welcome...