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Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN
Review: You have never, ever read a book like Dune. The book has a certain amount of wonder and awe in it, more than any other book I have read. Power is expressed in a new way, while one man seizes the galaxy and fulfills a legend humanity has been striving for for thousands of years. What a book. What a classic.
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Summary: dune: a great novel
Review: Arrakis is a hot and dry place. A place that is full of death and deceit. It is a perfect place for an exciting story to take shape and to enthrall its audience. Frank Herbert's book about Arrakis (Dune), is a great science fiction story. There never seems to be a dull moment while the reader is taken away to this desolate place. The book is entertaining from cover to cover. The book does have a few downfalls though. For one thing, the characters that appear in this story are often hard to follow. The characters seem to jump in and out of the story line and it is hard to keep track of exactly what the character's part in the story is. Another downfall is that the author seems to spend too much time trying to draw a mentsl image for his audience. For example, when the author explains a certain character, he tells his reader everything and more about the character and it gets pretty boring. I seemed to lose concentration when I was reading those boring details and explanations the author provides. Overall though, the book is fun. It is very suspenseful with, something new happening around every sand dune. I highly recommend this books to people who read science fiction. It is a classic.
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Summary: The dream of a lifetime- Dune
Review: Dune by Frank Herbert/ Science Fiction; Chilton Book Co., 1965: Sometimes one man can make every single person?s lifelong dream come true. This notion is effectively conveyed in Frank Herbert?s science fiction masterpiece, Dune, published in 1965. Just like many science fiction novels, Dune takes place at an unknown time. Dune could have taken place many years ago or could take place many years in the future. Dune is the story of the Ducal heir, Paul, of House Atreides, later called Muad?Dib. Herbert tells of Paul?s quest to avenge his family?s demise, and about the consequences of such a quest. Laced into this epic tale are elements of theology, and the majestic power one single prophecy can hold over an entire race. The prophecy was that a man would come who would change the face of the desert planet, Arrakis, the capital of House Atreides. This man would fulfill humankind?s most impossible dream, water on Arrakis. He would also be the rightful ruler of all humankind. He would be called the Lisan al-Gaib ? Guess what? Paul is the Lisan al-Gaib. Herbert writes in a highly detailed and logical fashion. Although Dune is an extremely descriptive book, Herbert writes in such a way that a reader cannot help but remember all the small details in Dune. This quote from page 466 shows Herbert?s writing style: ?He was warrior and mystic, ogre and saint, the fox and the innocent, chivalrous, ruthless, less than a god, more than a man. There is no measuring Muad?Dib?s motives by ordinary standards.? The same can be said of Herbert?s writing, it surpasses ordinary standards. In my opinion, Dune is one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. Touching on religious and superstitious beliefs, Dune almost undetectably deals with issues that were happening when Dune was written. I believe that Dune gives a person incentive to do something with his/her life. It inspires a person by showing that nothing is impossible if a person tries hard enough. Herbert?s omnipresent view of conserving resources, especially water, will make one think about conservation. The reader of Dune is like a fish; once you are caught, it is hard to escape. --Ben Mandel, Greenwich CT.
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Summary: Great Backstory
Review: Dune demonstrates one of the best blends of both religion, sci-fi, politics, and adventure amidst the backdrop of a brilliant universe, rivalling that of any other. An entire universe and it's history had the benefit of being largely supported by some amazingly in-depth back story by Frank Herbert. The political schemes that the different houses come up with could easily make a persons head spin, as well, the legendary lore associated with the mystical/religous history of the different cultures is also a treat. It's very cool how they associate the Catholic Church through some of the ancient writings. Very interesting, showing it more as an institution of power that lasts far into the future, even after dropping it's Christian fundamentals. And that's just an extremely small example of the backstory that Frank Herbert provides us with...the movie is nothing like the book, I might add.
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Summary: Incredible - but it isn't Farscape
Review: If by fast-paced you mean a Star Trek novel you can read in a couple of hours, no this isn't fast-paced. This is rich, challenging stuff, but you'll remember it for a long long time (and you'll be able to watch the David Lynch movie and know what the hell is going on).
Rating: 
Summary: Not so great
Review: Like many other of the reviewers listed here, I decided to read this book based on the positive feedback I've received from friends and the many glowing reviews at Amazon. I managed to read about 100 pages before I realised that this book was boring and going nowhere very fast. Maybe I've been spoiled by author's such as George Martin & Dan Simmons who write truly captivating prose. Dune is one of those books that I may get back to one day (with emphasis on the "may").
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Summary: Audio Book Collection - Check out his book 'EYE' too!
Review: This review is not for the printed book Dune. The on-line review system just throws it in with the rest of the Dune (like) reviews. It's really too bad that this review will get buried below all the Dune *printed* book reviews as you might never find out about such a sweet addition to complete your Dune experience... This little gem, however, is another way to be totally entertained with more things Dune. The late great author Frank Herbert reads in this 4 cassette audio book compellation of related short stories and excerpts of Dune with such enthusiasm for his own words! It is very pleasant listening to him read because you get so completely caught up in his mastery of verbal story telling. His excitement is contagious! You can just imagine him in his quaint writer's garb, reclining on an easy chair amongst his bookshelves alight with the golden glow of fireplace flames in his warm & cozy den looking across towards you - his eyes ablaze and his voice captivating your imagination... Some of the stories include these selections from Dune: "The Banquet Scene", "Sandworms of Dune", "The Battles of Dune", and "The Truths of Dune: Fear is the Mind Killer" I am an avid fan of the first Dune book! I even owned the very first Dune board game back in the 1980's after the first movie. It saved me from dying of boredom when my flight was laid-over at the International Airport in Seoul South Korea for over 20 hours while I was on duty with the U.S. Army in "Team Spirit" in 1986. I grabbed a few of my fellow fidgety soldiers and we played for well over 16 hours of that following morning, afternoon, and evening somewhere Korea! Sadly, I lost the game and I wish I still had it for all the warm memories of entertainment it served us. Wow, do I digress or what? Remember to look up his book, 'Eye' too. 'Eye' is very hard to find but totally worth your search seeing as how it is such a treasured find! Here's a little help - search for ISBN: 0425083985 Have brain - will travel! Adventure Master IndiAndy Jones at your service...
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Summary: I Want To go Back!
Review: I'm sitting here with this huge selection I've assembled in my TBR (To Be Read Pile) of sci-fi and fantasy books written within the last few years. I start one and put it down and then another with the same result. I've been doing this for days. The problem is that my early reads in this genre were so good that it's hard for anything else to fill their enormous footsteps. At the head of the class is "Dune," a very intricate novel involving the casting out of young Duke Paul and his eventual return to claim what is his. It is a political struggle, a religious struggle, and most of all an interfamilial struggle. I couldn't help thinking of Shakespeare writing sci-fi fiction as the drama unfolded! This is an epic saga of towering imagination that will hold you enthralled. Deservedly, it won all the major sci-fi awards. It was made into a terrible movie and I hope someone remakes it eventually so that there is a worthy film version to the book.
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Summary: The spice of life
Review: I am not a huge fan of all of Frank Herbert's books. Some of them have left me feeling very disappointed, but not Dune. It is a powerful novel that can stand alone comfortably, despite the sequels. In fact, the sequels are not in the same class; worth a read but not equal to his masterwork. Like some of the best books, you get a strong sense of history in Dune. We may be reading about a small part of one man's life but in it, we glimpse the sweep of time. Political machinations, that have been brewing for hundreds of years, are laid bare. We see secret organisations that have been working toward their lofty goals for millennia. And, family credos that have been refined over many generations. Paul Attreides is the product of all that and more. Dune is not a light book. You won't read it in an afternoon. But when it is finished, you will not be able to forget it. The characters you have read about, will become permanent fixtures in your mind. Duncan Idaho, Gurney Halleck and all the rest, will be the yardsticks by which you judge similar people in the future. The fact that they populate incredible worlds and live with creatures more strange than any out of legend, only makes the reading more enjoyable. If you don't have a copy of Dune in your collection, then you don't know science fiction.
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Summary: TOP NOTCH SCI-FI
Review: This book was awesome! It kept me compelled from the moment I started reading it. At first I was not inspired to read this book at all. I saw the movie with Sting which was really boring and not moving at all. Therefore it colored my pereception of the book. HOWEVER, this book is tremendous. It has compelling characters, a great story line and the world created is rich, alive and believable. I was hooked until the end. At then I ran out to get "Dune Messiah"
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