Dune

Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi essential!
Review: If you even claim to like Sci-Fi literature and yet haven't read this, you have some ways to go. This book did for science fiction what Lord of the Rings did for fantasy. It showed the heights to which writers could attain in the genre. Dune continues to draw readers with a freshness unmatched for being written in the 60's. Mostly action and intrigue and no boring parts. The characters are wonderful(you'll even like the scum-of-the-earth villans). This book was so good that I had to get the rest of the books in the six part series. If you are even interested in sci-fi literature, I say, "Get it! Get it now!"

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Summary: First among the giants of fiction
Review: The Dune series is the pinnacle of fiction. There are many other examples of fictional worlds within which epic adventures are set--Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Asimov's The Foundation Series being two such examples. Dune stands above these and all the rest. It is such a classic of science fiction that it requires reading on that basis alone.

The first book, Dune, introduces the series and is a true science fiction action adventure. It is a complete story in itself. You can safely undertake reading the first book without feeling you have to read the entire series, but after reading this I'll bet you read the next and the next until you've read them all.

The following two books in the series complete the original trilogy and bring a closure of sorts. Sometime later Herbert started writing additional stories to extend the saga forward into the future. He completed three additional books before his premature death to cancer.

What makes the Dune books such standouts is the combination of a masterfully woven story with many intricacies and subplots; a complex and richly detailed world; and a philosophical underpinning that ties everything together. It is in the additional three books to the series that the philosophy is explored and developed, and that's why as great as the first book is, the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune is my favorite.

I mourned the day that Herbert died, knowing that there would be no more installments in the series. After reading the Dune series many years ago in college I went out and bought most of Herbert's other books. The strange thing is that I would swear someone else wrote them. His other books are mostly B-grade science fiction novels--not terrible, but certainly no hint of the greatness represented in the Dune series. His son Brian Herbert has collaborated on some additional volumes that fill in rather than extend the series, but these do not satisfy the same need for the world to continue. Alas, at least there are these six books to read again...

Rating:
Summary: Ain't Dune that good?
Review: I was introduced to "The Book" ( Frank Herbert's Dune)by a close friend. He told me that once you read Dune your life will never be the same. I thought "Hell! never liked SF". But in respect for his opinion, i decided to read it anyway. In my way back home one question was disturbing my brain. "- Ain't Dune That good?". Well I'll tell you all that i "devoured" Dune in about 48 hours. Once you start to read it you can't stop before you finish it. It is so amazing. What kind of mind could develop such a masterpice? Frank Herbert (God bless his soul!!) was a genious. He created the "Bible of Science Fiction". Listen to my words as i say "- Buy it now. You won't be disapointed."
"Ain't Dune that good?" "F_ _ K. I'm preety sure of it."

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Summary: Without a doubt, THE BEST SF BOOK, EVER!!!
Review: I have ready many of Frank Herbert's books after reading Dune. This is THE book that got me into SF, and I know in my heart that there isn't a better SF book on the planet. I don't want to give away any of the magnificent plot, but I will give you advice on reading it. Read the first 25 pages or so, then stop to read the appendixes. Reading the first 25 pages gets you used to the names, so you won't have to hesitate when coming across them. Then, the appendixes set up the setting and background for the rest of the story. If you only read one more book in the rest of your life, IT MUST BE FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE!!!

Rating:
Summary: The pinnacle
Review: This is the last review for Yog. You may enjoy his other reviews.

I still say that this is the best sf book of all time. It follows a strict formula of action sequences about every 20-30 pages to massage the reason why the reader is reading the book (or at least this reader). And it also provides you with glimpses of the Universal. I don't know how Herbert managed to understand Heidegger better than everyone else (including most literary types), but he did. And Herbert really was influenced by Heidegger, because he names his hero in The Santaroga Barrier Gilbert Dasein. (Also a nod to the classic World of Null-A.) The one problem with the books is that they are so unrelentingly right wing. But that's the sf milieu for you and he did manage to get a lot of money out of it. The only other person who comes close to Herbert is Heinlein in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. (It really is a masterwork, working on at least four levels.)

There seems to be some confusion in the sf community over mortal or divine status the hero, Paul Atreides. Herbert deliberately wrote his book to make it ambiguous. But (a) Paul really is the Bene Gesserit's Kwisatz Haderach; (b) he is in those mystic nuns' blindspot, like the sun which blinds; (c) he rises to power over the Fremen by the (spectacular and exceptional) coincidence of the Bene Gesserit laying a prophecy into the inhabitants of Arrakis; (d) his sister says that he attains immortality in Dune 2 in his suicide, without any irony; (e) the later Dune books imply that God himself planted the worms on Dune.

The way the book works is that by making you connect the dots, you get an insight, you pass a threshold, and suddenly you are Herbert. Herbert attained immortality with this set of books. (See Derrida's Glas where this is laid out in some detail, however opaquely.)

I read some of the other reviewers' comments. The one below by a guy named Tozer gets almost everything right. But he gives Herbert five stars only to berate this enthralling classic for everything. Just relax, guy.

Rating:
Summary: It's a great buy!
Review: This is a really great book. It is long but you will not want to put it down. I would suggest getting the movies too. The second and third books came out as the movie Children Of Dune.
You will want to buy this!

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Summary: Magnificent! ...
Review: Dune is one of the best books I've read. The plot, themes, and characters are all very deep. It's good from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Dune by Frank Herbert
Review: The Atreides family is assigned to Arrakis, where they exploit melange; a special spice needed specifically for interstellar travel. Meanwhile, Paul, a member of the family is studying the ancient arts of the Benne Gesserit. Prophecies call him the Kwizatch Haderach; the only male Benne Gesserit, who will free the people of Arrakis and bring to blossom to humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. Overall, I think the magnificent book Dune, stands among the major literature achievements ever to have been written. The only thing comparable is Tolkien's work. However, I reccomend the book only to readers with patience and a love for science-fiction and fantasy. The book is very misleading to read and contains constant flashbacks, historical notes, and is very difficult to read comprehensively. Good luck to all who read this book. It is truly a work of art.

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Summary: NOT just for science fiction fans
Review: There is a few books that have lived throguh more a century that deserve their classic status. 'Dune' is very likely one of the most brillant worlds ever imagained and also one of the most ingenious books you will ever read. Frank Herberts genius at creating a true and real culture is always overwhelmingly apparent. His stunning creations of literature, history, religion, and culture reflect and could very easily be our world.

Set on the planet Arrakis, the only in a universe where the entire population depends on a spice called melange, Arrakis is the only planet that produces this staple. The king and queen of House Arrakis, Duke Leto and Lady Jessica have a son named Paul and they have been assigned to watch this planet. But getting there is only the beginning........

Although very slow at times, Dune is truly a great book. Hard to get into at times, it is absolutely worth the read. This book will be read by me for many years to come. My only regret is that I will not be able to read it for the first time. The only warning is that the books that follow have only gotten much, much, poorer.

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Summary: The greatest SF novel of all time?
Review: As THE LORD OF THE RINGS is inarguably the greatest fantasy novel of the 20th (or perhaps any) century, Frank Herbert's DUNE marks the high-water point of speculative fiction. A novel of extraordinary depth that draws upon elements of history, religious study, philosophy and ecology, DUNE weaves these disparate strands into a planet-spanning epic that spawned four sequels by Herbert and a flood of pastiches by his son in conjunction with author Kevin J. Anderson. Yet even without the enormous body of writing that has grown up around it, DUNE stands as a prime example of how to do grand-scale SF correctly.

DUNE's story begins more than 8,000 years in the future with Paul Atreides, the teenage son of Duke Leto Atreides, ruler of the planet Caladan. The Atreides clan is part of galaxy-wide imperium where feudal dominions struggle for predominance using methods both subtle and not. As part of complex web of betrayal, Paul's family has been given stewardship over the inhospitable desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only place in the universe where geriatric spice mélange can be found. Deception layers upon deception, and Paul is thrust into a vortex of carnage and bloodshed wrought by enemies of his clan.

From that beginning, DUNE could easily have become a saga of Roman-style revenge. That alone would likely have made a compelling read. Herbert had far more to say, however, and Paul's development from fugitive ducal heir into a desert warlord with the powerful wind of a religious jihad rising behind him is what makes DUNE the finest novel in its genre. Herbert's epic reads like dramatized history, rather than the overblown space opera it could have become in the hands of a less assured writer, filled with dozens of understated references to culture and history both real and imagined.

In its way, DUNE has been as influential as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, with numerous other works borrowing from this superior example. Unlike many works of speculative fiction that followed DUNE, the maps and glossaries and extensive appendices in Herbert's masterwork are actually useful, entertaining additions that enhance the reader's enjoyment and understanding of the novel at large, and not so much self-indulgent puffery. Reading DUNE is an intellectual investment as well as a pleasure, and could certainly prompt one to follow any one of many scholarly avenues Herbert used to enrich the events of his novel. Teasing the invention from the vigorously researched can be half the fun. So complete is Herbert's vision of the future that whatever question a reader thinks to ask already has an answer waiting in the text.

In a marketplace glutted with fiction, certain novels simply deserve to be read. In the case of DUNE one finds a novel that demonstrates how weighty and relevant speculative fiction can be when it's taken seriously as a form of literature, and not as the stunted cousin of "mainstream" fiction. DUNE has earned a place among the ranks of great novels, and once a reader has turned the book's final page, he or she will know exactly why this is.