Dune

Rating:
Summary: SCI-FI'S LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
Review: As is usually the case with me, the library didn't have Dune so I had to read Dune Messiah instead, then I read God Emperor of Dune, THEN I read Dune. When I went to the used bookstore this is what the lady at the cash register said, "Go ahead and take it, it is very important that you read this book." I'll always remember those words. Dune was far more detailed and wonderful than the previous two books in the series that I had read. Characters that remind you of old friends, great dialogue, a storyline that is truly original and amazing. One parallel that I think many people overlook is that Dune is basically a Science Fiction version of Lawrence of Arabia. A foreigner goes to the desert and wins the hearts of the natives, becoming their leader and takes them to fight against tyranny. I've heard that Lawrence would subject himself to pain so that he would be able to endure it better. Does this remind you of the scene in the beginning when Paul places his hand in the box of pain? There is some really memorable dialogue. In the beginning of the book Thufir Hawat tells Paul how he shouldn't have his back to a door, since he might be assassinated. Hundreds of pages later, Paul meet Thufir and, thinking he's matured, says to Thufir, "as you can see, my back is towards no door." Thufir brilliantly counters with: "The universe is full of doors." There are some people who say that this is the worst SF novel ever written. Apparently they are looking too hard at the consistency and sentence-structure and not appreciating this book for its entertainment value. I've read it TWICE so far and I'll definitely read it some more. You might want to note that many fantasy authors use this book as a basis for their works. Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind come to mind. Fremen = Aiel, Confessors and Aes Sedai = Bene Gesserit. Also, the word "shai'tan" can be found in this book, which is a word that is used by Robert Jordan and Thomas Harris, the guy who wrote Hannibal.

Rating:
Summary: One of the True Classics
Review: Dune is perhaps the last great work of a Golden Age of Science Fiction. This is not to say that Sci-Fi as a genre is no longer worth reading, but nearly all authors of the genre now conceptualize of themselves as 'Science Fiction authors', and this was not always the case.

Dune is not, first and foremost, science fiction. It is commentary. It is some of the most biting and intelligent commentary on religion and government (as well as a plethora of other subjects, ranging from trade unions to ecology) ever written.

The fact that it is cloaked in a fantastical future should have no more bearing on our treatment of it than does, say, the fictions of 1984.

Dune is one of the greatest stories ever written. This is my firm belief, having read more books than I can care to count. The characters are deep and passionate. Entirely unlike anyone most of us have ever known, yet immenently believable all the same. They are the sort of people we are assured must exist; the sort of people we know mankind is capable of producing.

The villains are evil, the heroes are good. There is no ambiguity, but that is because the purpose of the book is not to shed light on the distinctions of good and evil within individual humans, but to investigate the power-plays among people on the grander level.

One thing I would caution against when reading this book: commit yourself to reading it. Many find the first half of the book quite slow. Some would even say tedious. Push through it, I beg you. For if you do not, you are cheating yourself of a great joy.

And when you finish Dune, continue to the rest of the books in the series. Part of the reason the first half can seem to drag is because Herbert was establishing a universe of incredible complexity. He was thinking in the long term, over a span of six or seven books.

And he succeeded in building that universe. The universe of Arrakis. Of Dune. And it will live on in people's minds for many years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Dune..A good start for sci-fi.
Review: I have now decided only to do book reviews. I have now 50 reviews, and I don't like at least 30 of them. Now, I will only do book reviews.

Anyway, I finished Dune in about 6 days. Wow, this book is a astounishing story about Paul Mua'dib Atriedies, who brings down the Harkonennes and becomes the greatest Duke of Atriedies of all time.

Good job keeping the story together. It got a little confusing near the end of book 2, but I managed to know what was happening. I saw the Mini-series before the book, so I'm not that fond with it. I think the Mini-series made up some parts to keep the viewer intrested. Just a little warning before you see the mini-series.

The book is just great, and the 1984 movie is just terrible. I can't believe I watched it! My favorite charecter in the book were Stilgar and the Fremen. Good book.

Rating:11+ has viloence, language, and sexual conduct.

Rating:
Summary: Of Sand and Spice
Review: This was the first trek onto the sands of Dune, the first tale of Paul Muad'Dib and the Atriedes name that would haunt the planet of Arrakis forever. This novel stands as a true pinnacle of science fiction, the alpha and omega of fantasy. Mind you, I am not a Dune fanatic that believes every novel ever touched by Frank Herbert is gold. I simply believe that this novel is one of the most finely crafted masterpieces of all time.

We are presented with a word unlike no other. The Imperium is headed by an ignorant Emporer, and feuding houses war against each other in a legalized game of assassination. Two feuding houses, Atriedes and Harkonnen, battle for control of the planet where melange, the spice and currancy of the Imperium, is found. This spice allows mystical power and longevity, to say the least. And with this simple outline, the world of Dune is created.

With social, political, environmental, and religious strands woven into this grand tapestry, we are shown the world of Dune. Never have we seen a world on such a grand scale...a world that we can actually see and feel. This is not a world of paper, but a world of color, life, and spice. We are not visitors of the world, but wanderers of Dune, Fremen travelling the sands.

Yet, I am not going to rave about the book without giving small rants (every novel, not matter how great has some flaws). At some points, this novel can drag. Many of the dialogue is internal, and the long winded sentences can slow some down (many reasons why my companions have thrown down the book). Yet, there is another part of this novel that I loved, yet many others hated: the novel is deep. Deep, enthralling, detailed, and engrossing, and many readers are not ready for that level of experience.

So, in conclusion, if you are a reader of science fiction and fantasy, or are just looking for a good read, pick up Dune, and live the life of Dune once more.

Rating:
Summary: Epic masterpiece
Review: This was one of the books I've been meaning to read for a long time, and when I finally began reading it, I was utterly engrossed in the story. With the movie and the TV miniseries both available, it's superfluous to state the plot, so. And the story of a young boy becoming a hero isn't new, but the vivid geographies of Dune and the subtle complexities of life on Dune and in the Imperium are fascinating, and all make this a science fiction masterwork. It's got something for everyone: political intrigue, warfare, romance, evil vs good, spirituality. But it's definitely the Fremen and the planet Arrakis (Dune) that cativate me. I'm certainly going to read the rest of this series.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely fine reading
Review: I loved this book. Fantastic world is described in very fine detail. Complicated characters draw you into the story, I couldn't stop reading. Setting and environments are described very well, you can feel like you are there. Yes, the politics are very hard to understand but in the end it all starts to make sense. I liked the idea of the creation of a super human being, very original. One very surprising aspect of the story is that, being published in the sixties, it has one thing that makes me think of drug smoking long haired hippies of that era. The drug (spice), which is the most expensive substance in the universe, gives people the ability to literary go tripping somewhere, to see the future. Is it not one of the popular things hippies said drugs did? However, it is not something I like the book for. I love it because it combined many elements you don't usually associate with science fiction. Frank Herbert is Shakespeare of sci-fi literature of the 20th century.

Rating:
Summary: A legend itself...
Review: What makes science fiction so attractive is the author's chance to create a world, a universe into which he or she draws the reader into.

However, as any SF fan will be quick to point out, this is not easy at all. And what makes great SF is books like these. "Dune" is rare even among the best with its carefully laid out structure and system. It even has a huge dictionary at the end of it. Frank Herbert's great work (which obviously spurred a series of books where he explores the depth of this universe, but I confess I didn't read any other for my fear of ruining the first book's charm) is an intricately woven web of relationships, loves and hates.

Dune is a living planet that you easily believe in. Its ecology is very well established. The Fremen and the worms and the Houses. And spice, of course.

The ugly diplomatic games and the wars are very human. The setting may be different but the greed is just the same. You find a reflection of medieveal Earth mingled with very advanced technology in every page.

"Dune" is probably one of the best SF books ever. It is a classic and a must have for anyone claiming to have an interest in this field.

Rating:
Summary: The most well-conceived sci-fi universe I've ever seen
Review: There is not much left to say about this book that has not already been said by the other 500 reviewers. Let me just utter "ditto" to everything Lowkell said in his excellent review.

Here are the main points you need to know before reading this novel:

1. If you are a fan of science fiction, you will be blown away by the detail and complexity of Frank Herbert's imagined universe. I've never read anything quite like it. It truly has a "cast of thousands" and weaves together over twenty subplots.

2. If you are a fan of simple, direct writing, skip this book. Read DUNE only if you enjoy complicated, interwoven plots full of ambiguities and mysteries that the reader must "unravel" for himself.

3. Underneath the details, mysteries, intrigues, and "feints within feints," the story boils down to a boy with special powers who saves an entire race of humans from extinction. Personally, I don't much care for superheroes and think the story would have been better if Paul Atreides had been an ordinary man who accomplished these amazing feats.

Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: all around a good book. by far not better than the lord of the rings. this book had some rather disgusting parts with the barren (and some partickular parts with paul). next to reading the dictionary in the back the freman semed to be the best part of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Dune
Review: Dune Dune By Frank Herbert.

This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the story of a desert planet called Arrakis. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, The "spice of spices". The trouble begins when the emperor transfers stewardship of Arrakis from the Harkonnen Noble house to house Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege so they launch a secret attack with the emperor against the Atreides. Despite this attempt the young Paul Atreides manages to escape to the Fremin (the Fremin are a desert people) with his mother. After a few years of training Paul raises the Fremin against the Harkonnens. Meanwhile the emperor has still not admitted that he helped to destroy the Atreides. In the end Paul defeats the Harkonnens and the Emperor and tales the throne. This was written by Rene Moehler.