Dune

Rating:
Summary: A true classic, a must read for just about anyone
Review: Dune is not just a "science fiction novel". It's an incredibly well written piece of literature that addresses political, social, environmental, and religious issues in a way that is enthralling and immediate. It's a book that you can pick up at any stage of your life and find something that speaks to you, and something that profoundly affects you.

On one level, it is a political story. Alliances change, traitors bring down great houses, there are plans within plans within plans. It can almost read like a mystery novel, as you figure out why someone did something seemingly illogical, which actually furthered their own interests.

On another level it's a story about the things humans hold most dear. The spice, melange, grants some great powers, others long live, and others great wealth. Who should control the spice, how should it be used, how should people profit off of it?

This is a story about environmental consequences and the interrelatedness of all things. Dune is a desert planet, where even spit is valuable because of its water content. The scorn of the ruthless holders of the planet for this valuable commodity clashes with the care and concern the natives have for preserving every drop.

It's even a story about human relationships. The lead character's mother and father never marry, so that the father might be open to a political alliance. Despite this, they are deeply in love with each other. The son finds himself in the same situation, in love with one woman but for political reasons forced to consider an "alliance of reason" with another. How do these situations affect people?

I played in a DuneMUSH for years - a role playing environment where we based characters and plots on the Dune universe. The characters, situations, and plots that Herbert laid out were so well done and complex that it supported hundreds of players through months and months of gameplay without any flagging of interest, and indeed many players found their outlook on life changed by exploring more and more deeply into why this world worked the way it did.

Highly, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Hypnotizing, beautiful, an excellant revenge story
Review: Well, actually Dune is about a whole lot more than mere revenge, but the final scene in the book is really good, a scene that will stand out in your mind for years and years. I won't spoil it for you, but for those of you who know: "it was in my way, and I was in a hurry to get to you." The simple, top level plot is this: Paul and his family, the House Atreides, (in Herbert's future, humans are governed by Feudalism), is defeated by the evil House Harkonnen, driven out into the desert, his father killed and many Atreides followers slaughtered. Paul comes back to kick some Royal A**, if you know what I mean. But the way Paul does it is a credit to the genius of Frank Herbert. Paul winds up evolving from an outcast into a superhuman Messiah (literally), a heroic, noble Man who even in the moment of sweet, sublime revenge feels bitter. The reasons why House Atreides is betrayed, and by whom and for what reason, are part of the many fascinating sub-plots. Basically, however, Dune is about Paul Atreides, and it is much, much more than a "boy comes of age" story. It is a re-telling of the Messiah legend, in a novel of rich, intricate, hypnotizing detail, complete with language and ancient history. If you're like me, you'll re-read this book so many times you'll lose count. What a truly beautiful, grand tale.

Rating:
Summary: dunique
Review: A lot has been said and written about Dune, but if there is one thing most people tend to agree on, it is that Dune is truly a masterpiece, unique in its own right. Epic is the best way to describe it, reminiscent of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Just like Tolkien's masterpiece, Dune deserves a place on everyone's book shelf. In a way, finishing this book might be a little disappointing, because you really wish there was no end to it. The Bible can only be written once, and so it is with Dune. Though I have read the sequels to Dune, they really cannot compare to the original. My advice is to read and experience Dune, but if you want to read the sequels, keep an open mind, because Herbert has fallen into the trap that most sequels of succesful movies have fallen into: they really do not add anything, and make you wish you could erase the memories of the sequel(s), so you can think of the original as truly being unique. The sequel is no equal, especially so when it comes to Dune.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest sci-fi ever
Review: Frank Herbert has achieved a master piece!

He puts together a fantastic mosaic of cultures and religions that have influenced our own world and gives a new dimension to a futuristic Lawrence of Arabia.

So dense that you can read it again and again..........

Rating:
Summary: Not just a sci-fi novel
Review: This is THE best Science Fiction Novel without focusing more on the will-be-available-in-the-future gadgets and space journey. I like the story, I like the characters, and I wish somebody will make the movie based on this novel with good special effects and actions (I've seen the old movie, it was boring compared to the Novel).

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Book Of all Time
Review: I don't understand how anyone can give this book less than five stars. Frank Herbert's masterpiece is, and allways will be, the greatest example of science fiction available. Herbert wieves an intricate universe, one that he describes down to the tiniest particle of sand. I find it hard to believe that anyone that has READ the book could not like it. I read the book for the first time when I was in sixth grade, and I have gone on to reread it, and the rest of the series, 5 times. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether they are interested in science fiction or not. No book enthusiast should go with out reading what many consider to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, science fiction novel of all time.

Rating:
Summary: A great book if the movie got you interested
Review: Ok, I admit it I love science fiction. I love this series, but I would have never gotten into it if I hadn't seen the movie first. This book is a great way to dive further into the Dune unverse but beware it is long and sometimes a bit slow. The following books aren't much better especially if the first one didn't do it for you. I highly recommend this book to anyone who really liked the movie. If you are a science fiction fan who hasn't seen the movie I suggest reading Dune : House Atreides by Brian Herbert, first. Then decide if you want to pursue the series.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Fun Read
Review: You have to give Frank Herbert credit for having a great imagination and stamina. That's about all you have to give him credit for.

The plot is cumbersome. The characters have no charisma. The whole idea of this high culture developing on this barren rock seems pretty far-fetched. Herbert's invented ceremonies and cultural mores are wonderful, but they can't support the bloated story and anemic characters. Masochism not being my strong suit, I gave up on this one after about a hundred pages.

Rating:
Summary: a towering achievement
Review: If I say that Dune is like a James Clavell novel set in the outer reaches of the Galaxy, do folks understand that I mean that as a compliment? Like Clavell, the great strength of Herbert's novel is the way that he intertwines plots and schemes: everyone has their own agenda; alliances are temporary and purely expedient; loyalties are shifting; even kinship is no bar to treachery.

The central story concerns Paul Atreides, the 15 year old son of Duke Leto and his Bene Gesserit concubine the Lady Jessica. Paul is the product of a millennia old Bene Gesserit breeding program and may be the Kwisatz Haderach, a hyper-evolved mental adept with extraordinary extrasensory powers. Even as Lady Jessica is training Paul in the ways of the Bene Gesserit, the Duke is training him to lead the embattled House Atreides. Emperor Shaddam IV has just turned over control of the desert planet Arrakis with its invaluable spice concession to the Atreides, but the Emperor recognizes that Duke Leto is a powerful rival and and the Imperium's invincible troopers, the Sardaukar, make the Emperor particularly dangerous. Likewise, the Atreides rising fortunes have caused jealousy and hatred among other families of the Landsraad, a sort of combine of the great trading houses. In particular, the vile Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, whose House Harkonnen has just lost control of Arrakis, also known as Dune, is bent on the destruction of the Atreides. As plots and counterplots explode, sometimes quite literally, Paul and the Lady Jessica are turned out into the desert of Dune where no humans can long survive exposure to the elements, but they are taken in by the mysterious Fremen, a fierce desert people who believe that Paul may be their Messiah. At this point, Herbert brings religious themes into the mix and the story really gets interesting.

This book won both the Hugo and Nebula awards and is widely considered to be one of, if not the, best science fiction novels ever written. It is a grand space opera combining elements of Byzantine politics and an Islam-like religious movement. Ironically, the weakest strand of the story is also the most speculative. Melange, the spice of Dune, is so valuable because it is basically a mind-altering drug, which is used by the Spacing Guild to warp space and time and facilitate intergalactic travel. While the political and religious strands of the story have a familiar logic to them, whenever the story turns to Melange and its effects, the tale gets pretty sketchy. Unfortunately, in the sequels to the book this drug-induced storyline gained increasing prominence at the expense of coherence. But for this one novel, Frank Herbert masterfully wields his complex plot across a sweeping canvas and soaks the maximum tension out of a large scale political and religious conflict. The reputation of the novel is well deserved.

GRADE: A+

Rating:
Summary: A sci-fi that borders on fantastical realism.
Review: Dune, or as I like to call it, When Genius Met Brilliance, is a book with all the elements of good literature. One that defies the genres, the accepted limitations. The book that launched a thousand imaginations. Like Lord of the Rings, it is a book that defined what good literature meant. I can go on about the technical details, but that will only ruin the mystique of the book. Venture forth onto this journey of human accomplishment.