Dune

Rating:
Summary: By far, this is one of the best science-fiction novels......
Review: By far, dune is one of the best science - fiction novels ever written. This book gives me a stronger view, and a better felling on science fiction. Auther Frank Herbert does such a great job on actually making every effert for detail, to make it feel like you are there. The many story lines happening at the same time really keep you into the book, but this can also lose you in the book too. Overall, I give dune 5 stars. It has to be one of the best novels ever written.

Rating:
Summary: Sci fi master, book binding disaster
Review: Dune is simply amazing. The book is even more in depth than the movies. I had never read the books before, but I recently saw the Children of Dune mini-series, and it got me interested. I'm sorry I didn't pick up this book sooner, it's excellent.

The sad part is, that the mass market paper back edition is poorly produced. My main gripe is that the margin is way to close to the binding of the book. I have to come close to destroying the thing just to bend the book open enough so I can so those words down the inside edge of the paper.

I heavily reccomend Dune to anyone who's a sci fi fan. I also reccomend picking up a different printing of the book.

Rating:
Summary: One word: Masterpiece!
Review: In the very far future, the Atreides and the Harkonnen families are reaching the peak of their unending feud. When the Padishah Emperor - the ruler of all the known worlds - discovers that the Atreides army is becoming dangerously strong, he develops a complex frame-up to wipe-out the whole Atreides family. The Duke of Atreides is invited to accept the job of administering the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. On this desolate, almost uninhabitable planet only one thing is of value: the spice Melange, a drug that makes space travel possible. At first this seems to be a fabulous gift, but soon the Duke suspects the true reason for the Emperor's generosity: with the help of the unbeatable army of the Emperor the Harkonnen family attack the planet Dune. All seems lost for the Atreides, but there is still hope: Paul Atreides, the Duke's son, has more power than seems feasible at first sight.

Dune is consistently voted the Number One science fiction book of the century by readers all over the world. Overrated? Reason enough to give it a try - I thought - so I embarked on this epic voyage to the planet Dune, although packed with quite a lot of scepticism. But surprisingly, I didn't regret my decision for a single moment: this is truly a Classic Masterpiece. The narrative of Frank Herbert is simply addictive; his insight into the fantastic gives evidence of pure mastery. The images used to describe the planet of Arrakis are overwhelmingly strong. The human struggle for survival in the most relentless conditions imaginable is so intensely portrayed that the planet itself becomes one of the major villains of the book. Nevertheless, Frank Herbert writes with such involvement that there is no doubt as to the reasons people might have for living in such conditions. High drama and complex plots, filled with treachery within treachery, makes this book an experience you never to forget.

A must read for everyone interested in fantasy and science fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A feint within a feint within a feint
Review: Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic Dune should not be skipped over by anyone interested in the genre. The planet Arrakis is so fully realized through the words of Herbert that it becomes a three dimensional landscape in the mind. The characters all develop logically throughout the novel, and Herbert is not afraid to kill off a hero. Everyone in this novel has multiple motivations, some noble and some ignoble. The ability to convey a plot as complicated as this in a believable way with non-static and human characters marks this as a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Great novel, cheap book
Review: I recently bought this particular edition (some 25th Anniv. special) of the book. It's very cheaply produced. There are several typos, including one page where an entire line is printed twice. The type changes size throughout, so that occasionally a line will be a point or 2 smaller than the one preceding it, and the margins aren't quite right, leaving too little space between the text and the binding on many pages. This book was made to be read once, quickly, and thrown out. If you want something that will last a little longer, get another edition.

Rating:
Summary: Well deserved kudos to a human drama
Review: I've been a fan of Dune for as long as I can remember. It was a book series I avidly enjoyed while growing up, and its thoughts on enviromentalism and how long, small changes can make a big difference have always stuck with me.

This is definitely a book that gets better and better each time you read it. You can read it at age 12 and think it's a great story of a young boy growing up, how he grows and changes and matures as a result of all of the things he goes through. You can read it at 20 and think it's a great book about environmentalism - how changes to a planet and its ecosystem have wide-ranging effects that can be disastrous. And as you continue to read it, you catch all of the subtle nuances - the way people treat each other, how communication and trust can make and destroy lives, how desire for love, desire for power, desire for wealth, desire for knowledge, all shape humans.

Some people label this book as 'science fiction' - and it is in the sense that it occurs in a galaxy that has space travel, where technologies unknown to us are in use. But in a grander sense it is about human drama - how humans react to the situations they're in, how their passions drive them, how they think and feel and relate to each other.

Yes, there are terms to learn and ideas to understand. This is true whether you're reading a book about the aborigines of Australia or mountain climbing in the Himalayas. It's not something you need to obsess over, constantly checking glossaries. Like in any book, simply read the book from start to end and get absorbed into the culture. The terms will make sense, the personalities will reveal themselves.

Some have said the book has characters that are good or evil. I actually find that the MOVIES did this, but the books are extremely good at layering the many shades of grey. People always have motives for what they do and feel that their motives are perfectly justified. Some motives are compassionate, some motives are self serving. Very much like real life.

Rating:
Summary: Not to be read by the timid or the weak-minded
Review: DUNE is the seminal work in science fiction. I first read the original not long after its initial release and like our good friend "slipknot dude" was put off by the constant referal to the glossary. After several shallow attempts I put the book down for two years and then once again on the advice of a good friend I tried again, "This time," he said,"just read it." "Don't stop, don't check, just read." then, as if by some unknown force, I understood. The beauty, the majesty, the sheer span of this awe inspiring book.
If you want to understand what is happening in the middle east today and why, read DUNE.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Dune is the first of six books in a series, and is definitely the best one. The others, I think, bring it down, but Dune is amazing. Paul Atreides of House Atreides is forced into the desert after House Atreides arch-enemy, House Harkonnen, aided by the Emperor, attacks the household. With his mother, he joins the mysterious Fremen, who, despite pompous Dukes who feel it's theirs, control the valuable resource known as Spice which makes it possible for Space travel. Paul is part of the prophecy and is the Kwisatz Haderach, which is what the Bene Gesserit have been trying to accomplish in their breeding programs. However, due to a glitch, he's come one generation too early, and the Sisterhood (known as witches to many) aren't ready for him.
This book was spectacular. I've read it so many times it's falling apart. It may be confusing at times, but that just makes it more interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: ...I love to read and have read many many books during my 20 years on this earth and after reading this book I must say it is overrated. Frank Herbert is an extremely horrible writer. He goes on and on and on about itand no one cares about and it takes him forever to get to a point. He tries to get all religious and philosophical a lot but it just comes off as very very boring and it is a chore, at times, to read this book. He puts way too much detail.

The dumbest part about this book is that he makes up a lot of words that don't even exist so in the back of the book is a glossary of terms to tell you what the in the [heck] he is talking about. Look, if you have to put a glossary in the back of a book so readers will understand you, then you know your book is no good. Too many times I had to stop reading the book and flip to the glossary and see what that word meant. Just because it's a science fiction book set on different planets doesn't mean you have to give the story it's own language and religon.

The dune books after this are even worse and very very pathetic.

The only good books in this whole series is this book and the four prequels before it. They are done by his son and kevin anderson. They are MUCH better writers than frank herbert. You read the prequels and you never get bored once. The stories are fast paced, action packed, wheel within wheels plot, and contain just the right mind of detail.

All in all, this is a good book but not great. It's overrated and the fact that it's the best selling science fiction book of all time is a sad outlook on readers. You want to know why books get a bad name? Because books like this exists. Please, check out the four before it but anything else in the dune series is [bad].

It's sad that dune fans are so immature. They think that because this book is considered a masterpiece, that everyone should like it! BUZZ! WRONG!

Rating:
Summary: One of the all-time classics
Review: One of the landmark novels in science fiction, Dune is worthy of its rank as a classic. Prior to its appearance in the mid-1960s, few science fiction novels even approached its level of depth.

The story, which follows Paul Atreides and his growth into the messianic Muad'Dib, is rich in detail. There is a feudalistic galactic empire with all the attendant political intrigues. There are numerous religious movements, some operating more scientifically, others quite mystically. And there is the subtle character of the planet Arrakis (or Dune) itself, whose hostile environment, precious spice resources and devastating sandworms make it not only the most important planet in the galaxy, but also arguably the most interesting planet in science fiction.

There is too much here to detail in one review. While it is not perfect - Herbert does have his writing flaws - the imperfections pale in comparison to the importance of this novel to the genre. Just as the Lord of the Rings is an essential fantasy read, this book is a must read for any science fiction fan.