Dune

Rating:
Summary: The great escape...
Review: I enjoyed Dune a lot. The imagery is very good, you really feel you are in this strange desert world. The story is very intense, as the central character faces potential death in the safety of his home with trusted people in the very first chapter! Plus the central character gets stronger as the story progresses, feeding the reader's ego and encouraging optimism towards life's difficult situations. This is a great escape novel, as it has successfuly enabled me to forget all about work! I had read this book as a college student, and only felt lukewarm, but 20 years later, I love it. This is not a difficult read, and I would not try to read too much into it. I see Dune as mainly an escape novel. The harsh medieval values of loyalty and death are very black and white which successfully removes any moral considerations, as none of these situations can apply to daily life. This helps the Dune fantasy. The strength of Dune is the visialization of the desert world, which seems very real. The weakness is that Dune does not make you think about moral issues in your life (in contrast to classics such as Animal Farm). But since Dune is a fantasy sci-fi novel, so what?

Rating:
Summary: one of the best sci-fi books writen ever
Review: dune is one of the best books ever written it is a must read book i have read and reread it many times it is captivating and beliveable.it is clearly a true piece of literature.only one book could equal and that is JRR Tolkiens middle-earth

Rating:
Summary: A work of genius masquerading as Star Wars
Review: (no offense to George Lucas)

To say that DUNE has many layers is a gross understatement.

On a first, casual read, it might seem just another (but brilliant) SF adventure novel. A mix of Star Wars and Foundation, perhaps, or a coming-of-age/hero tale, like the epic sagas of mythology and folklore. The Forces of Good fights (and conquers) Evil, everyone lives happily ever after..?

Then, you may notice the setting. From the harsh desert world of Arrakis to the byzantine intrigues of the drug-embracing feudal Imperium, DUNE creates an environment unparalleled in SF.

Next, free your mind from the heroic mystique, and put it to what actually happens to the characters. Do they live happily ever after? Do most of them live at all? DUNE becomes a tragedy; beautiful and sad and strange.

And only then will you notice the things that don't seem to fit. Like why did Paul have drums made from the skin of his enemies? And why does Jessica refer to her saviours as 'peasants'. And what happens to the power? Above all, what happens to all that power!? And maybe you will see the philosophy and morality of DUNE. The wisdom of DUNE.

Notice the language. The delicate use of contrast and surprises, allusions and understatements. The way Frank Herbert seems to toy with his readers, distracting us from the point on enjoyable side-trips. Notice the irony, how DUNE continually questions its own premises and concepts.

And you will suddenly realize, that on top of all, against all probability, DUNE is incredibly, impossibly, hilariously FUNNY!

Then read the sequels. Then come to alt.fan.dune to share the experience with the rest of us. Enjoy! I wish I could do it all again. (And I can. I reread it at least once a year. :-D )

I truly pity those who don't like it because they think the vocabulary is too difficult.

Rating:
Summary: THE perfect book.
Review: I got this book after watching the movie, and I tell you, it IS perfect. Probably the best book I've ever read. The only one that comes even close is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Rating:
Summary: A great book....but u have to read them all !!!
Review: Well the Dune series is one of the best books i ever read. If you read the whole serie of the Dune books you understand that this is not only about some worms and some people fighting on the desert planet, it's a book about religion and how to get power of it. They manipulate peoples bye giving them a religion (usually with a messias) and so they get the power and the control over the people. All in all it's really great stuff and worth to read every page of the 3500 (or maybe even more).

Rating:
Summary: Up there with Tolkien and Robert Jordan
Review: This is a VERY good book and was in fact the book that opened my eyes to fantasy/sci-fi. The way it mixes hard-core science and advanced electronics with "magic" and religion is absolutely brilliant!

As a counterpoint to the review below: The fact that they use monarchy is a very nice touch. In fact an absolut monarch (or ruler of any kind) is probably a must in order to advance that far. Democracy isn't the wave of the future, it doesn't work that way.

Rating:
Summary: Ghastly
Review: A hatful of people with unreadable alien names, and a central character called Paul. Vastly advanced civilisations who retain a totally monarchic society. Never have so many dreadful Science Fiction cliches been brought together in one book. Ghastly.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest book I have ever read.
Review: When I first read this book I was in ninth grade. I have read it about twice a year every year since then. No book I have ever read even comes close to matching this book. It is so in depth and realistic that even when I hear a song that was on the radio when I was reading the book I unconsciously see the desert and the fremen. You will never read another book, science-fiction or otherwise, that is better than the original, and still the best, Frank Herbert's Dune.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Sci-Fi I've Ever Read
Review: This is my favourite sci-fi book of all time. It describes the future while having implications on the present. This book I have reread regularly for the past four years and enjoyed it every time. If you like science fiction you must read Dune. It shouldn't be a 10 but a 9 999 999 9....+

Rating:
Summary: Ender's Game
Review: For those of you that love Dune, I would suggest a very good SF book. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, as been compared to Dune. I would highly suggest it. If you love Dune, you will obsess over Ender's Game.