Dune

Rating:
Summary: A story as lush as the planet it is set on!
Review: Come on! This book is over rated. It is an amusing story but unengaging. The characters are cold and it is difficult to empathise with them. I did read the next two books to see how the story was resolved...but it wasn't, it turned into the X-files! i.e. continuous suspense, convolutions, but no resolution. A story must have a beginning, middle, and, and, um, an end? The recent appearance of the Dune 'brand extension' books "House Atreides" and " 'Harkonen" confirm that the story continues, be it chronologically before or after the original Dune. Should have been a trilogy at most.

Rating:
Summary: Truly the Masterpiece of Science Fiction...No equal
Review: There's not much else to say about this book that hasn't already been said a million times...but if there is one word that can describe this book, I would have to say that word is "WOW!" The depth of characters is unbelievable, the history of the human race, the development of technologies around the spice, the Bene Geserit training and discipline, all come together with twisted plots within plots to score the highest possible marks by this reviewer. No wonder this book is on many college lists as required reading.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent Sci-fi read
Review: This was truly a classic Sci-fi book. Frank Herbert has created a whole new world to get lost in, and boy is it interesting. Imaginative ideas abound throughout and the plot is very tightly woven. A whole galaxy is out there involved in the conflicts the book presents and the different houses are well-portrayed.

My only wish is that we had more Frank herbert books in this series and less books by his son and a hack Star Wars writer.

Rating:
Summary: Dune
Review: This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the exiting tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, also known as Dune, the story of an intricate power struggle in an interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the valuable Spice. Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and long life, so whoever controls it has great influence. The troubles begin when the Emperor transfers ownership of Arrakis from the Harkonnen House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens do not want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery ,they attack the Atreides base, kill the Duke Leto Atreides and cast the new Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he finds in the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the army with which he will reclaim what is rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a duke. He is also the end product of a long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human; he might be the Kwisach Haderrach, the man that can see into the future. His struggle is at the center of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium. "Unique...I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings."--Arthur C. Clarke That's a truth if I ever saw one! And I would go farther. This book surpasses the Lord of the Rings greatly. It is very exiting as well as it has a touch of satiric against politics and what the world(s) will look like if we do not change our ways. Also, I like the politics that is so active in this futuristic society. One politic group, The Bene Gesserit, an order consisting of only female, have mastered their voice to the point where they can command anyone. The have used this skill to create a grand scheme of breeding to create the best mix of all the humans.

And I wonder if Frank Herbert ever had problems with computers, because in these books, computers are totally forbidden and feared. There is even a new bible, called the O.C Bible, which main motto is: "Thou shalt not make any machine in the likeness of a human mind" This means the Orange Catholic Bible. I have wondered a lot about this, is orange his favourite color or what? Was his pencil orange when he wrote this? Or is it just a color like any other?

It was really obvious that this man had some geological knowledge, because he actually invented a complex geologic system. And after looking a bit on the web, I found that he had taken some courses in geology just to make this book as correct as possible. He was a really good writer because I ended up hating the House Harkonnen and loving the honourable Atreides, and I think that this was his intention. To like this book you must have read other science-fictions book, because an inexperienced reader might not like this book, thus loosing a wonderful time. The fact that this book won the first Nebula-award and the Hugo award should make anyone want to read it.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have Ever Read
Review: The Dune cronicals by Frank Herbert are the greatest literary works I have ever read. After having read all seven books concerning the Dune universe I always find myself reading Dune over and over again. I can't help but be drawn back to the original triumph of Atreides over their enemies the Harkonens. The majesty with witch Herbert relates this epic tale is amazing. If you are considering Buying any type of book this would be my recomendation.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone!
Review: Everyone else has given this five stars, but I am writing to let people know that some of you may not like it. BIG QUALIFICATION: I have to admit I have not read the entire book. The first time I tried was in college, but I only got to around p. 150. Now, 13 years later, I had to give up at p. 250. (I would appreciate it if someone could tell me at what stage it gets better.)

The book is simply dull. I point out the following:

THIS IS NOT SCIENCE FICTION: Yes, the setting is some distant future, with space travel etc. But this is definitely not science fiction. There is no theme around technology, scientific dilemma, or interaction/conflict between humanity and technology/science. The correct genre is fantasy. It calls to mind the Lord of the Rings (I did read all of that) in its rich detail of a fantasy world.

STORYLINE IS TOO DULL: sure, the detail is impressive, but the story is predictable. It starts out with so much promise - the struggle among the noble houses, the Emperor, the Guild, etc. in a complex setting. But the book disappoints. The characters are so one-dimensional in their various superhuman skills or character traits that they are like comic book characters. The Bene Gesserit, Mentat, and others are capable of understanding the grandest significances from the minutest of details - it just becomes too ridiculous after a while.

STORY HAS NO SUSPENSE: You know from the first few chapters how everything is supposed to turn out. So many prophecies. And then you have the silly, pretentious mock quotations that preface each chapter - there is absolutely no suspense because you see that everything is going according to prophecy. It is like reading the Bible - you know how all conflicts will turn out in the end.

TOO MANY INCONSISTENCIES: Characters see the most elaborate intrigues in the simplest things, and understand the most byzantine possibilities in strategic maneuvering. Precisely because Herbert makes his characters so "perceptive" - and plots and intrigues so complex - you start to see silly inconsistencies. For example, you have Lady Jessica and Thufir Hawat (a Bene Gesserit and a Mentat - two superanalysts) know that there is a traitor and that their situation is precarious when they arrive on Arrakis. But the room in the fortress that controls the protective shield is occupied by a couple of engineers and an old woman such that the traitor is able to kill them with a knife and thereby bring down the entire dukedom. How can you explain this oversight? Another example: Arrakis is practically the most important planet in the universe because of the spice. Yet the Emperor has sent only one ecologist who has any idea what the planet is about while everyone else is only interested in mining the spice? In real life, would corporations and nations behave this way? Third example: if the Emperor and the Harkonnen are so ignorant and cavalier about the planet's ecology, wouldn't it have occurred to them that they could get rid of the pesky sandworms with bombs when they come to swallow the mining equipment? I know that no book can be airtight in its premises (and that there are inconsistencies in the real world as well). But because Herbert creates such a complex, rich world with clever, superhuman powers of perception, he invites the reader to read with a higher level of critical analysis. And the book cannot survive the higher critical analysis.

I would appreciate if a fan of Dune could tell me why I'm wrong. Or at least around what page the book gets any better. Until then, the book goes on my shelf of books that I regretted ever starting.

Rating:
Summary: damn it
Review: This book was good enough that even though I had much homework to do, I continued to read it on Sunday up until 3:30 AM when I finished, then I read some of the Appendices. So I had to skip school today, Monday, in order to do my homework. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

Rating:
Summary: A "must-read" for sci-fi fans, although somewhat overrated
Review: I think the fact that there are over 480 reviews of this book on Amazon.com, almost all of them 5 stars, tells you something - this book is one of the best-loved sci-fi books in existence, inspiring an almost cult-like following. And no doubt Dune IS a fine work of epic fiction ("a cast of thousands"), but it is definitely not perfect, as many reviews would have you believe. Let's start with the many positives: in Dune, Frank Herbert has created a complex, richly-textured, fascinating, internally consistent (for the most part), other world. The world comes complete with it's own fascinating politics, economics, awareness of ecology (specifically, the importance of water), language (largely borrowed from Arabic), mythologies, good guys and bad guys (of course), heroes, traitors, etc. And it's a rip-roaring story which is almost impossible to put down!

What you also get in Dune is a whole hodgepodge (sometimes confusing, sometimes ready to fly apart at the seams) of Zen-influenced philosophy, Machiavellian political intrigue (rival houses, the Emperor, CHOAM, the Bene Gesserit "witches", Mentats, spys, assassins, etc.), Arab-influenced desert culture and language, ecology, "planetology" (and Kynes, the Imperial planetologist) mysticism and religion aplenty, human psychology, a whole inter-galactic economic system (based on "spice"), and Star Wars-quality adventure. Whether or not this all manages to hold together is a good question, and I basically (with reservations) think it does, this book is really not comparable to any other that I know of, exactly. And things are not as "black and white" as they seem at first glance - although the Harkonnens ARE really nasty and the Atreides ARE really good (the Fremen and others tend to be far more ambiguous). And of course, there is possibly Herbert's greatest creation, the giant sandworms ("makers"), and the precious "spice" produced by them without which the whole empire would fall apart. Paul Atreides himself is a smart, likeable, charismatic character, and is basically an excellent example of a the somewhat cliched "boy comes of age and grows into a man" character. Actually, Paul's growth in this novel is not just from boy to man, but actually further, to something way beyond (almost superhuman), namely the Kwisatz Haderach - the man (can't be a woman, for somewhat obscure reasons which come awfully close to nonsensical psychobabble) who can see where others cannot, and who bridges space and time.

I DO find the whole concept of being able to "see the future" fascinating the way Herbert presents it, not simplistically at all, but as a dynamic process whereby, like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the very act of observing something changes it. In fact, Herbert's view of the future (and the past) is basically an incredibly complex set of possibilities converging at a nexus point (in Dune, it's mainly Paul Muad'Dib) and subject to change via the slightest move. How does Paul remain sane with such knowledge and such a "terrible burden"? How is he able to act and not remain paralyzed with fear when he knows that anything he does might unleash a galaxy-wide "jihad"? That's all really interesting stuff, and Herbert generally handles it well.

Now here are the main problems (far fewer than the positives, and if you are one of the "cult" people, you might not want to read this!) with "Dune": 1) sometimes Herbert gets carried away with all the mystical/philosophical mumbo-jumbo and jargon (seems brilliant when you're 16, sort of like "Atlas Shrugged", but give it a couple of decades and see what you think then!); 2) Herbert sometimes forgets that his characters are just people, not superbeings, which I think makes them less believable and harder to relate to (unlike, let's say, Frodo in the Lord of the Rings); 3) all of the plot twists -- the "feints within feints within feints" can at times get a little confusing/tedious, even after multiple readings; 4) all this "terrible purpose" stuff can get annoying and a little over-the-top and silly at times (sometimes I feel like saying "c'mon Frank, lighten up a little bit!"); and 5) Herbert is an adequate, but certainly not a great prose stylist.

But, all that said (cultists can start to read again now), Dune is still an excellent book and well worth reading, probably several times, each time on a different level (there are many here in this multi-layered book). Definitely DON'T waste your time on the awful movie (unless you're a big Sting fan), and also I would say avoid the sequels as well (I've read most of them). Frank Herbert had one first-rate (despite its flaws) book in him, and this is the one! Essential reading for any sci-fi fan.

Rating:
Summary: The shortining of the way...
Review: I cannot truly ascertain how many times that I have read "Dune" because I find myself reading passages sporadically, but in estimates I can say I have read it at least 5 times. My first taste of "Dune" came from seeing it on television on lazy Sunday afternoon. Some people do not like the film, but I became hooked. Since then I have read the sequals, prequals, and other associated works. I believe that one cannot read "Dune" without having it change them in some way. I have yet to meet anyone who has read "Dune" who has not fully enjoyed it. Those who tend to shy away from the Science Fiction genre of literature will be plesantly suprised with this literary masterpiece. Dune in now included in the recommended reading list for AP English, and deffinately warrants that position, as that it truly is one of the greatest books of the 20th century.

Rating:
Summary: This book needs more recognition!
Review: This is hands down the best novel I have ever read! I read it in apprx. 7 hours. I'm really 14 but.... I just don't understand why none of my teachers have never recommended this book? It is great epic, not just a scif-fi novel. I've been hooked on it, I'm almost finished with book 3 in the chronicles, they're good also. If my dad hadn't told me about this book I never would've heard about it! That's sad. I recommend this book. Too bad Herbert died- I wonder how his son's writing style is. Hopefully he writes dune novels like his dad.:)