English language
Published Sept. 1, 1990 by Chilton Books, Putnam - Penguin Books.
Dune is set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "spice", a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities. Melange is also necessary for space navigation, which requires a kind of multidimensional awareness and foresight that only the drug provides. As melange can only be produced on Arrakis, control of the planet is a coveted and dangerous undertaking. The story explores the multilayered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the factions of the empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of Arrakis and its spice.
Dune is set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "spice", a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities. Melange is also necessary for space navigation, which requires a kind of multidimensional awareness and foresight that only the drug provides. As melange can only be produced on Arrakis, control of the planet is a coveted and dangerous undertaking. The story explores the multilayered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the factions of the empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of Arrakis and its spice.
The plotting and world-building are great. Wish this imagined world did better by women in some ways, but Jessica is fantastic.
Fantastic! I avoided this for so long because I didn't want to be sucked into an interminable series - was recently convinced by friends that it is not necessary to continue. This does stand alone quite nicely and is so richly developed on its own. I'm kind of amazed that a book that includes so much political machination, cultural and mythological back-story, and buckets of characters can move as well as this one.
Fantastic! I avoided this for so long because I didn't want to be sucked into an interminable series - was recently convinced by friends that it is not necessary to continue. This does stand alone quite nicely and is so richly developed on its own. I'm kind of amazed that a book that includes so much political machination, cultural and mythological back-story, and buckets of characters can move as well as this one.
I always wanted to read this classic and finally got the chance. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed! While a labor to read at times, the story kept me interested. I would recommend it.
i did not enjoy this book. sword art online but with sand worms simply didn’t do it for me.
i’d heard this wasn’t racist and broke white savior tropes but honestly i was really disappointed and felt that it was in fact plenty racist.
i did think the works building and some of the writing was very well executed but i just found it really misogynist and the main character paul completely uninteresting.
better than the sequels
на трієчку.
Great story and nicely written.
Can't wait to read the sequel.
Great story and nicely written.
Can't wait to read the sequel.
I really wanted to love this book. I wanted to dive into a new fantasy series but "Dune" failed to connect with me. I enjoyed most of the chapters, but if the story shifted away from Paul, Jessica or someone within their immediate circle my interest level dropped. I found that some characters became a chore to read about, but once the story returned to the characters I liked I was fully engaged. I'm glad I read the story but I have no interest in carrying on further. Which is too bad because this universe is extremely entertaining but I think any more may become monotonous.
I really wanted to love this book. I wanted to dive into a new fantasy series but "Dune" failed to connect with me. I enjoyed most of the chapters, but if the story shifted away from Paul, Jessica or someone within their immediate circle my interest level dropped. I found that some characters became a chore to read about, but once the story returned to the characters I liked I was fully engaged. I'm glad I read the story but I have no interest in carrying on further. Which is too bad because this universe is extremely entertaining but I think any more may become monotonous.
Like chewing old tobacco
One of the first sic-fi fantasy series I read. Whenever I read any of the Dune books I'm always blown away by the scale and the history of the world. For me this is a masterpiece, others find it a bit boring and hard to get into it but I never had that issue.
I'll have to reread these again one day.
One of the first sic-fi fantasy series I read. Whenever I read any of the Dune books I'm always blown away by the scale and the history of the world. For me this is a masterpiece, others find it a bit boring and hard to get into it but I never had that issue.
I'll have to reread these again one day.
There were two things that irritated me: 1. the constant changing of perspective. I think series like ASoIaF solve this better by not changing by paragraph but by chapter. 2. In the second half of the book there are a few sudden jumps in time ... the story and world have enough depth to write a book twice the size and sometimes this shows in sudden shortcuts or the use of "brute force" explanations rather than showing the reader what is going on.
The plot is very ... standard :) I was able to predict nearly everything that was going to happen after reading the first couple of chapters.
The reason why I read so much fantasy and sci-fi are the worlds and I really enjoyed this one.
I also enjoyed the characters. I like way the Bene Gesserit and their abilities are portrayed and Paul's visions and prescience.
Mostly …
There were two things that irritated me: 1. the constant changing of perspective. I think series like ASoIaF solve this better by not changing by paragraph but by chapter. 2. In the second half of the book there are a few sudden jumps in time ... the story and world have enough depth to write a book twice the size and sometimes this shows in sudden shortcuts or the use of "brute force" explanations rather than showing the reader what is going on.
The plot is very ... standard :) I was able to predict nearly everything that was going to happen after reading the first couple of chapters.
The reason why I read so much fantasy and sci-fi are the worlds and I really enjoyed this one.
I also enjoyed the characters. I like way the Bene Gesserit and their abilities are portrayed and Paul's visions and prescience.
Mostly I am scared that Paul will become a pure Mary Sue in the next books. He is already very powerful ...
Of course I watched the movie right after finishing the book. Maybe I shouldn't have ... it is weird and leaves out even more of the book and instead adds some ... well whatever. It's a classic, too.
So on to the next book.
Second read since high school. So much more to extract. Great dance of cumulative religions and politicking with a nice fight here and there. Never finished the series but I've got a new goal now.
Second read since high school. So much more to extract. Great dance of cumulative religions and politicking with a nice fight here and there. Never finished the series but I've got a new goal now.
I think was in my early teens the first time I read this, and this time I felt like I'd never read it. Some historical and emotional perspective added hugely to my appreciation, especially the central theme of societal addiction to natural resources.
At some point I realized that this is the second book I've read recently that cast only "evil" characters as homosexuals. Coincidence?
I think was in my early teens the first time I read this, and this time I felt like I'd never read it. Some historical and emotional perspective added hugely to my appreciation, especially the central theme of societal addiction to natural resources.
At some point I realized that this is the second book I've read recently that cast only "evil" characters as homosexuals. Coincidence?
Nearly perfect sci-fi.
One of my all-time favorite sci-fi books, Dune introduced me to a world of greater complexity than the Jedi Academy books. I still love the intricacies of Herbert's world.
One of my all-time favorite sci-fi books, Dune introduced me to a world of greater complexity than the Jedi Academy books. I still love the intricacies of Herbert's world.
