What could I say about this book that hasn't already been said? It took awhile to hook me, but by about halfway through the first of three parts I was fully engrossed. It's like if Tolkien wrote Star Wars, and I mean that in the best way possible. Honestly, after reading Dune, I now see Star Wars as a watered-down facsimile at best. It doesn't even come close.

Dune has aged remarkably well for sci-fi from the '60s. The vast majority of characters (aside from the caricatured evil of the bad guys) are exceptionally complex and nuanced, and Herbert doesn't spare us from the dark and sometimes disturbing things that the "good" guys must do for the sake of their cause. The worst thing about this book is that it ends! I'm looking forward to picking up the next one in the series soon.