This is one of those books that I have started and abandoned many times over the years. This time, though, with Goodreads to motivate me, I pushed through, and I'm glad I finished it!

The beginning of the book is very political. It begins with House Atreides moving to the desert planet Arrakis (known colloquially as Dune) to take over spice mining operations from the incumbent House Harkonnen at the behest of the Emperor. I really enjoy political intrigue and thrillers, and this stage of the book roped me in and kept me hooked.

The middle of the book concerns itself more with people (I cannot say whom for fear of giving anything away) wandering around in the desert. Many pages and chapters are dedicated to this, and to describing how these people grow and change through their experiences. This is the phase where I most often gave up and put the book down, because I'm not a huge fan of desert survival.

From around two thirds of the way through, the book returns to it's original political theme, only the stakes are far higher. It's about bribes and deals with guilds and the Imperium, and it's riveting stuff!

The finale of the book is filled with action! I'm really glad I stuck with it this time around, as armies clash, cities and planets are annexed, and regimes are overthrown. The ending was absolutely amazing!

Following the main story are three Appendices that go about explaining the ecology of Dune, the religion of Dune, and in particular an influential group known as the Bene Geserit. These are written in very much a scholarly tone, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, though.

Another review I read on Goodreads about it complains about the archaic language used. I can see where the person who wrote that review is coming from. The entire book is written in a particularly dated English, including the dialogue. It was a little distracting, and it's true that people just don't talk like that any more... nor did they any more at the time this book was written.

In conclusion, I think that this book may not be everyone's cup of tea, and it goes through ebbs and flows. But for me anyway, it was worth a read, and I enjoyed the way everything came together in the end.