Dune

Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: The book was phenomenally detailed and engrossing. When I read this in my youth, it was an absorbing and plausible read. The depth of detail described regarding the cultures and technologies involved was very engaging.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read, very complex, yet not way too hard to follow story. How anyone could ever get bored of this book is a mystery too me.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing - poor publishing
Review: ACE reprint of 'Dune' - ISBN0-441-17271-7

never before have i seen a book contain so many print & editorial errors...ink application is not homogeneous, resulting in many blots & light print areas...print pressure is inconstant, resulting in wavy print & apparent font reduction...

then there are the editorial errors

pg. 108 "the gift is the blessing of the river" <giver>

...the most egregious so far

if there had been physical defect allowing return to place of purchase, this paperback would surely have been exchanged for a previously published edition of better quality

Rating:
Summary: Nice but slow reading
Review: Lot's of hype, good substance/plot/characters, but no suspense. There is a lot to slog through and this book is slow reading. I did have to put it down after ^150 pages because after a while, I just wasn't interested. Who are these Dune cultists? Living in a big city, I can't say I've met one.

Rating:
Summary: not really the best
Review: I read the many superlative reviews of this book and purchased it last month. I thought the people who wrote in that they couldn't finish the book were just being obnoxious. To my dismay, I would have to agree with them. Yes, the plot is fine, and the book is imaginative. The rival families/spice/Gesserit are somewhat interesting. But I had to put the book down 2/3 of the way through. It's just so boring, and convoluted, I couldn't take it. I found no pleasure in having to work through it. Anti-semitic? I doubt it. Bad grammar in spots? Yeah sure, but not a big deal.

In short, a good book, but clearly not in the same league as J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

P.S. No one talks about this book...at all. Just wait until Tolkien's movies come out. See the difference for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: A novel about the future that speaks of our times
Review: The story line has been revisited and rehashed by so many people that I don't have much to say about it here. If you have seen the movie, then you know the gist of the story. What I do want to write about is the unique nature of Frank Herbert's writing genius. For all his characters, strange worlds, and fantastical creations, the people of the Dune world are remarkably like Americans in the 20th century. More so than any writer that comes to mind, even many non-ficition books on the 20th century American fail to capture what Herbert captures.

Here are people grappling with religion, government, technology, and environmentalism. They express concerns over medical technology (cloning, regeneration, etc). These are not the concerns of the people of the future, they are the ideas that are being debated in our culture now. It does not surprise me that before becoming a writer, Herbert spent years as a newspaper reporter. He has a unique conception of the human condition. I recommend reading at least until the end of 'God Emperor of Dune' to get a full understanding of Herbert's creation.

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE, pure and simple...
Review: The events that led me to read 'Dune' are long and boring, suffice it to say that I only ended up reading the novel after first seeing the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE movie they TRIED to make... Normally such an embarassment would keep me from wanting to read it, but I had heard SO MANY incredible things about 'Dune' that I just KNEW that they had ruined it when they attempted to turn something SO complex into a 2-hour movie (which is just BEYOND impossible if you ask me). I finally tackled the book and after I stopped reading it a couple times, on my 3rd try (don't they say the 3rd time is the charm??) I finally succeeded in getting past the first 50 pages. I'll admit, this is FAR from the easiest book to get into...however when you finally DO, you are in for a ride you will NEVER forget.

I have NO idea where to begin. The characterization is fully realized. Even the minor one's seem real. The detail is superb. To think that Frank Herbert was rejected by over a dozen publishers before finding one who gave him a shot is incredible to me. They COULDN'T have read it in order to reject it. That would be like rejecting Oxygen as necessary to survival. From the economics of not just the planet, Dune, but a complete Galaxy of planets and those who fight for control of the most valuable source in the known Universe: the Spice Melange. And let's not forget the mighty Sandworms. Truly on a level far and above EVERYTHING else available in the realm of Science Fiction today (at least to MY knowledge). I had high hopes for many other authors, but NOBODY ever came close to 'Dune'--not even Herbert himself. I might ruffle a few feathers here, but I never found the subsequent sequels nearly as truly amazing as the original. Its as if Herbert's hand was directed by a higher power when he wrote 'Dune' and it never came back entirely in the following volumes...close but no cigar as they say--which ISN'T to say they aren't good, just not up to the bar set by the facinating & amazing 'Dune'.

On a small side note, in the field of fantasy I do believe we have a series of books that could possibly be considered the literary equivilant to 'Dune' and that is George R.R. Martin's fantastic 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' series. But in this series I believe Martin has been able to not just be able to write a good first book, but he has managed to IMPROVE upon the first book and even the 3rd book is better. It's a runaway snowball

effect, but as it gets bigger, it keeps going UPHILL instead of DOWN. High praise indeed comparing ANYTHING to 'Dune' but I think it'll stand the test of time.

If you are a science fiction reader, you cannot in good conscience consider yourself well-read UNTIL you have finished 'Dune'. It is the bar by which ALL other Sci-Fi books are measured, and by which ALL other's fail. I've read some truly great sci-fi novels out there, but I'm tellin' you, NOBODY has been able to beat 'Dune', and I'll be surprised if they ever do-- although I'd be thrilled if it ever DID happen. Simply put THE BEST Science Fiction book not just in print today, but more than likely of ALL TIME, in short, a TRUE MASTERPIECE.

Rating:
Summary: read and form your own opinion
Review: Ignore all these reviews and read this book for yourself. Everyone seems to want to project their own beliefs and opinions on the story and symbolism, then they say "that is what Frank Herbert meant to say." Having read the series three times (and this first book four), each time the story stikes me differently. Don't make the mistake of forcing the words to meet your expectations. Frank Herbert spent six years researching and preparing for this novel, so don't expect to unravel its secrets in one read. In the end, it is the most enjoyable, entertaining, thought-provoking piece of fiction I have ever read. (By the way, try to ignore the review comparing Herbert's philosophy with Hitler's. If there is a link in the novels to Hitler, it is a negative one. Besides, Herbert's gom-jabbar tests humans based on their decisions in crisis, not their ethnicity. However, don't listen to me. Read and form your own opinion.)

Rating:
Summary: A fun, if fascist, book and cycle
Review: Other reviewers seem to have missed the obvious influences on this book. My pointing them out will not make me popular. But a book this good needs to be understood in all its intricacies, if only in outline.

Paul Atreides is the last in the line of the ancient Greek king Aggamemnon. (See Children of Dune.) The Book Dune tells of his odyssey. He travels far from his rightful home in the capital city of Arrakeen on Arrakis and ascends to the throne of the known universe with righteous vengeance. Just as Odyessyeus traveled far from his home to retake his throne and family.

He is, for all intents and purposes, a Christ-like figure. He is the Kwisatz Haderach, the individual forecasted by the in-bred Bene Gesserits who can see throughout the entire present world. The Bene Gesserits represent a sort of people (I leave it to the reader to determine which) who seek a messiah. Atreides fulfills that role, only to turn against the Order of Witches. Just as certain lamb-like followers assume Jesus turned against the People of the Book.

Atreides is not just a Christ-like figure, but also a Hitler-like figure. He instigates a religious war against the known universe with his fremen warriors, once he has ascended to the throne. The comparison is actually drawn in Dune Messiah for all to read. However, just as certain revisors of history deny that Hitler was responsible for the "mere excesses" of his Stormtroopers, so Paul Mua'dib doesn't really know what to do with his fremen zealots.

Further implications of the books' fascism are found in their idea of the Gom Jabar. This is a test, wherein the person who undergoes it must prove his or her "humanity" by being not flinching while being tortured. God Emperor of Dune explains this one. It seems that one proves one's humanity by being civilized in an exceptional circumstance, such as being tortured. Anything else is madness and fought violently. Carl Scmitt, a Nazi ideologist would be proud. (See Scmitt's Political Theology.)

And then there's the utterly hysterical homophobia in the cycle.

Don't get me wrong. I loved these books. Herbert's line at the end of Dune Messiah that Mua'dib lives forever in his suicide is noted and taken to heart. But the ideology and philosophical content (though not their form) of these books are rancid.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Genius
Review: Ok, so my first review was childish and inane, spare me the criticism . . . Take 2:

Dune is by far one of the greatest works of modern Science Fiction, creating such a vibrant, invigorating, and awwe-inspiring picture, despite the the fact that it's most important planet, Arrakis, (Dune) is as wasted and barren as any imagineable. However, that one planet is the source of the spice, melange, which gives both life and knowledge; yet, at the same time, it enslaves it's user, and binds them to Dune forever.

The main character is Paul Atredies, called Maud'Dib by the Fremen, the only people who live out in the desert of Arrakis. The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen conspires against him and his family and defeats them upon their arrival at Arrakis, killing Paul's father, Duke Leto Atredies, in the process. Paul and his mother, the Lady Jessica, escape to the Fremen and live among them. And they welcome him as one who may yet be the Lisan Al-Gaib, the Voice of the Other Void, who will lead them to freedom and make a paradise of Dune. Paul grows to become the greatest of them, their finest warrior, bravest raider, and most cunning tactician, and he plots his revenge against the Harkonnens, and against the Padishah Emperor himself.

This book, to put it bluntly, owns. It is my second favorite work in Science Fiction,(the first being Dan Simmon's Hyperion) with a tremendous plot filled with enough twists and turns to keep any sane person happy. The characters are dynamic and believable, except for Paul, he sacrifices some believability because of the sheer power of his persona, his prescience, and his deadliness as a fighter. But he is more than human, and maybe shows a promise of what humanity can be. Who knows? In closing, this vision into the future is one that I am glad Frank Herbert shared, and should be read by as many as possible.

If you want to find other great books by him, read The Jesus Incident, or The Dosadi Experiment. But you will probably have a hard time finding them, I did.