Dune

Rating:
Summary: a remarkable extraordinary work of art!
Review: normally i either hate science fiction or i kind of like it, but this book Dune i LOVE! this book is about the great Paul Atredies (before he became the Kwisatch Haderac) going to the planet Arakis with his family since his Dad just got assigned a position as emporer of the planet, but through out the story you see Baron Harkonen attack the planet and Paul and his Mom have to run off to avoid being captured. and you see Paul meet a variety of new characters and challenges, and he meets the love of his life who is one of the freeman. And this is the book that began the wonderful series that followed it! this is one of the best books i have ever read, and i recomend it to all people who love fantasy! A MUST HAVE

Rating:
Summary: The original, the begining, and the best!
Review: The entire Dune series is good work, but none of it compares to the first. Dune surpasses them all. If you decide to cheat yourself by reading only one book in the series, make it at least this one because it is the best and it is self-contained (Herbert didn't realize the phenomenon he was creating).

Rating:
Summary: I... It... Just... Because...
Review: The quotes!

The drama!

The characters!

The planets!

Everything...

Simply Grand!

Read it!

K3

Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Mediocre Classic
Review: It's been a month since I read this book. I'm not sure what that says about the book overall but take it for what it's worth. I debated for a bit about whether I liked it or not. It was a good enough read, which is not exactly a thrilling testimonial. But it didn't make my pulse quicken with excitement.

I thought the first third of the book was very good and it had me eager to read the remainder of the book. But after that, it was slow, methodical, and generally boring. I wasn't waking up every day looking forward to reading it. To me, that's the ultimate non-vote of confidence for a book. A book needs to be calling your name for it to be read. This one was not.

In the science fiction genre, I think Assimov has a lot more interesting material out there. Even though this is considered a classic, I don't see it as worthy of such a lofty distinction. I think his aims at religion and philosophy were too grand for what he was capable of.

I agree with some people who said the buildup to many scenes was anti-climatic. Many words were poured out for events that would go nowhere. And the events that did generate action were often times written as if the main character was taking out the laundry. There was no fire to many of the characters and scenes.

I note 2 things about the Amazon listing of this book. The first is that it's been reviewed 814 times. The second is that it has an average rating of 4.5 stars. At the end of the day, my review isn't going to change many people's minds out there. But I feel obligated to write it anyway.

Having said that, proceed as you will. This review isn't going to change many opinions and most will think I'm probably out to lunch with this review. Fair enough, I suppose. Maybe I just didn't see the brilliance on the pages. Or maybe my expectations are higher.

If you must, you must. But I think there are much better books on the market that you can pass your time reading.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest series of all time!!!!!
Review: This is the true mastery of the humans imagination, far surpassing such inferior works as Lord of the Rings. No, there is nothing good about LOTR, it's just an over-detailed piece of crap people pretend to understand because they think it makes them look smarter.

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Summary: The Epitemy of Science Fiction
Review: My Uncle is the one who encouraged me to first read Dune. Ever since I can remember, my Science Fiction-loving uncle always favored Dune. I picked it up and I will admit it was quite hard to get into at first, but I stuck with it and am glad I did.
This book introduces interestingly imaginitive characters and tosses them into a wonderfully intricate world. Not only did Frank Herbert create a world, but he provided histories, legends, cultures, ecology, and even prophecy in order to bring this world alive.
The world of Arrakis is one of the most exciting ones I've ever read about. The Fremen culture is so cool. They fight with unmatched fury, they know secret legends and ways to live in the desert, and yes, they even lure out the giant (and feared) sandworms to the surface and ride them across the desert.
The universe created by Herbert is awesome. It is a future where, although there is technology, the weaponry is swords and daggers. Only one group of people have the means of interstellar travel, and they have a monopoly. And everything depends on the only important thing of Arrakis, the spice.
I've heard this book compared to Lord of the Rings, and I agree that this is a likely comparison. I highly recommend Dune.

Rating:
Summary: The Best book I have read is DUNE by dallas Nance 7th grade
Review: This book is the best, I think this is the best book that I have ever read. Now that I have read the first book I want to read all of them.It will sometimes get hard to understand unless you have seen the movie.I think that everyone should try to read this book. Sometimes you need to go back if you get lost but when you get it the book gets realy good. I have only read this book one time but I will probably read it agian.I cant wait to start the second book. I love this book and hope other people do to. It is a very good book and I would recomend this book to any one even people who realy hate reading.I Love this book more than I love gitting on the computer. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 because it is a cool science fiction and I think every one should read this book or see the movie. Even though this book is a very long book for beginers but after the first 200 pages out of the 490 pages the book seems short.The storie seems to go by realy quick and you are done before you know it . I dont think that I could say this enogh but I love this book . I think that it would be hard to make a book this good.This book is very gook and should become the emperor of books.

Rating:
Summary: Shifting Sands
Review: On the desert world of Arrakis a boy will become a man. This book is his trials and his initiation into the harsh reality he has been planted in. Treason, warfare, and entangling alliances abound in this world where values vary and trust can kill you.

Frank Herbert writes with a feeling of conviction rarely seen elsewhere. He creates in the pages of this beautifully structured novel a sense of the dignity of the human race and how a few can bring down an empire. It is a wonder to read such a book where there is no chance action, no word without another meaning. While some books would leave someone feeling empty and disappointed this book fills its readers with satisfaction and provides a breathtaking new world where our morals seem obsolete and our lives soft and weak. The society we are plunged into is a shock to the senses in its harsh beauty. The Fremen are humanity boiled down to its barest essence. In a land where one wrong move could kill they prove remarkable in their visionary approach to life.

This view of the smallest minutinae of the human soul is set on a backdrop of interstellar politics and a bitter struggle for rivalry between two Great Houses. While this book is sometimes shocking in its brutal approach to life, there is no doubt as to its truths. Dune is an excellent read if you are up to the challenge.

Rating:
Summary: SF's answer to LOTR......
Review: This book is considered one of the best SF works ever written....and deservedly so. I will tell you right now that this novel is not one to pick up for light weekend reading. You have to be READY for it. If not, you will grow bored and tired of it really quickly. As for myself, I really liked the book. I was seduced into reading it by a friend of mine who is an obsessive DUNE fan. I think the characters and general plot lines are well developed, and both the intellectual and "fly by night" reader can find something enjoyable within the book's covers. However, I believe that Herbert took a little too long in developing the plot in exchange for going off on heavy philosophical tangents. I found myself, at several points, having to put the book down and do some real thinking before I could come back to it. Also, it seems that about two-thirds of the way through the book, Herbert realized he had to pick up the action, and the end of the book seems to be hurried along. Not that I am complaining! The action at the end is the best part of the novel...and Paul's quote near the end about "love tempering wisdom" has to be one of the most effective lines ever written in literature. With all that said, DUNE is a great novel. You should give it a try....you might find yourself reading the other 5 originals and the new series by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson.

Rating:
Summary: Leaps outside sci-fi to mainstream literature
Review: Dune is possibly the best science fiction novel ever written. Most importantly, the story is engrossing; it's a page turner, a book that you stay up reading into the wee hours. The characters are well developed, and the future worlds created are entirely believable. I've worked in politics and the political machinations in Dune ring so very true. Many of the insights into human philosophy and psychology are extraordinary; importantly they occur in the course of the story, and don't slow the pace of the story - they're not laboured. I first read Dune when I was about 14 and last read it when I was 36, and I read it 2 or 3 times in the intervening years. These days I find much science fiction trite and tedious, but Dune continues to entertain and intrigue me.
The first 3 books in the now over-extended series are by far the best.