Dune
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- Create Date：2021-07-30 09:16:41
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Frank Herbert
- ISBN：0593200101
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Summary
Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time。
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey， Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides， a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding， who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people。 As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive。
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey， Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides， a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding， who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people。 As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive。
Reviews
sophie ✨
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“Didn’t you learn that Atreides loyalty is bought with love while the Harkkonnen coin is hate？”Man。 Nothing else to say about this that hasn’t been said， apart from that it was incredible， and I wish I’d read this sooner。
Stephanie
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Like， an olden days version of "the chosen one" type novels。 Didn't finish it the first time several years ago， dragged myself through it this time。 He's got all the magic and powers and is allowed to be a jerk because he's oh so much better than everyone else （rolls eyes）。 At least there wasn't a freaking love triangle。 Like， an olden days version of "the chosen one" type novels。 Didn't finish it the first time several years ago， dragged myself through it this time。 He's got all the magic and powers and is allowed to be a jerk because he's oh so much better than everyone else （rolls eyes）。 At least there wasn't a freaking love triangle。 。。。more
Donald Franck
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Dune is a world unto itself， complete。Dune revealed itself to me in 1971， and my world was changed。 Gone were the green grass and tall trees， as sand and wind and heat claimed my inner vision。 And it is rich still 50 years later。
Pikobooks
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L'univers， les trames mises en place， les thématiques héroïques， les écoles de pensée et intrigues politiques : tout était là pour me plaire。 Mais alors la réalisation malhabile et les lourdeurs de la narration m'ont totalement refroidie。 Je passe sous silence （quoique） le sexisme est crasse， sans doute lié à l'époque d'écriture （quoique bis）。 Quel dommage ！ L'ampleur de l'univers me tentait， j'étais emballée。。。mais cette lenteur， cette lourdeur même。。。 j'abandonne。 J'aurais lu le premier livre L'univers， les trames mises en place， les thématiques héroïques， les écoles de pensée et intrigues politiques : tout était là pour me plaire。 Mais alors la réalisation malhabile et les lourdeurs de la narration m'ont totalement refroidie。 Je passe sous silence （quoique） le sexisme est crasse， sans doute lié à l'époque d'écriture （quoique bis）。 Quel dommage ！ L'ampleur de l'univers me tentait， j'étais emballée。。。mais cette lenteur， cette lourdeur même。。。 j'abandonne。 J'aurais lu le premier livre des trois qui composent le premier tome。 Cela me suffit。 。。。more
Bryant Blair
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Good story， great characters。 I enjoyed the book and may continue with the series in the future。
Jake Pitre
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only a truly diseased mind could write this but i'm happy it did。 only a truly diseased mind could write this but i'm happy it did。 。。。more
Schleifchen
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While my relationship with the universe created by Frank Herbert preceded my birth and started when my mother visited the cinema to watch the movie and decide that her first daughter will be named Alia， I needed over 20 years to read this book。 When I was 14 I watched the movie and was blown away。 My love for science fiction grew bigger and I bought this book in 2016。 But I needed four years to learn the English language even more to be capable of understanding this novel。And it simply blew my m While my relationship with the universe created by Frank Herbert preceded my birth and started when my mother visited the cinema to watch the movie and decide that her first daughter will be named Alia， I needed over 20 years to read this book。 When I was 14 I watched the movie and was blown away。 My love for science fiction grew bigger and I bought this book in 2016。 But I needed four years to learn the English language even more to be capable of understanding this novel。And it simply blew my mind。 It is such a unique story。 Multiple layers of meaning are interwoven。 Political intrigue and ecocriticism are the most noticeable。 But also concepts such as religious beliefs and fanatic worship as well as the age-old question of destiny and fate。One can spend hours analysing every single page， aspect and notion of this book and will probably never grasp all of its dimensions。 It is the perfect example of what literature can be， that words written on pages have the ability to breach physical laws and bring us in a world full of wonder。 。。。more
Kimmy Hudon
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Fear is the mind killer I can see the film will differ from the book。 It was great。 I was truly captivated by the new world details at the beginning and the middle （first 2/3） of the book。 The last third of the book had a time jump a couple of years and I was caught off guard。 The battle and events at the end were great。 I enjoyed how the author shared and explained the world's whole ecosystem。 He told about various gases in the air that supported life and the many religions。 In addtition， I was Fear is the mind killer I can see the film will differ from the book。 It was great。 I was truly captivated by the new world details at the beginning and the middle （first 2/3） of the book。 The last third of the book had a time jump a couple of years and I was caught off guard。 The battle and events at the end were great。 I enjoyed how the author shared and explained the world's whole ecosystem。 He told about various gases in the air that supported life and the many religions。 In addtition， I was glad to see a strong mother figure as well as a still living parent for a main character be so active in a story。 。。。more
Sam Olvey
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woah （but tf is the name 'Paul' doing in a science fiction book？） woah （but tf is the name 'Paul' doing in a science fiction book？） 。。。more
Shay
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Excellent sci-fi novel。 I don't recommend listening to it as the voices between a sole narrator and several voice actors is sporadic and can be hard to follow with several people portraying multiple characters。 Excellent sci-fi novel。 I don't recommend listening to it as the voices between a sole narrator and several voice actors is sporadic and can be hard to follow with several people portraying multiple characters。 。。。more
Cleko
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While dated， it is easy for the reader to see why this is an epic in the Sci-Fi world。 I would say it is a MUST READ for Sci-Fi fans。 It has action and suspense， good character development， and the time jumps are done soo well。 I don't need to tell you what the story is about， it's been around long enough。。。but I will let you know this。 Buy it， be it hardcopy or digital， whether you read it right away or slap on your to "to-read" list you won't regret having it。 While dated， it is easy for the reader to see why this is an epic in the Sci-Fi world。 I would say it is a MUST READ for Sci-Fi fans。 It has action and suspense， good character development， and the time jumps are done soo well。 I don't need to tell you what the story is about， it's been around long enough。。。but I will let you know this。 Buy it， be it hardcopy or digital， whether you read it right away or slap on your to "to-read" list you won't regret having it。 。。。more
Dhaval
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4。5 stars
Arun
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A science fiction novel that is more relevant to our times that when it was first written - the impact of climate change， race consciousness， the oil wars， the commentary on religious fanaticism and the most significant of them all - political movements grounded in religious beliefs。 “No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero。”I don't think anything sums up Dune better than this line。 A science fiction novel that is more relevant to our times that when it was first written - the impact of climate change， race consciousness， the oil wars， the commentary on religious fanaticism and the most significant of them all - political movements grounded in religious beliefs。 “No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero。”I don't think anything sums up Dune better than this line。 。。。more
Kevin
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I am not quite sure yet how I feel about Dune。 It’s certainly worth reading for what it has become in the science fiction genre。 The book is never boring or confusing， but I felt like the writing left me wanting more。 It seemed to me like a lot was happening， but mostly off-screen/“off-book”。 I noticed several instances of a chapter setting/leading up to an event， then the next chapter is the characters just talking about what happened in the said event without actually showing us the readers。 I I am not quite sure yet how I feel about Dune。 It’s certainly worth reading for what it has become in the science fiction genre。 The book is never boring or confusing， but I felt like the writing left me wanting more。 It seemed to me like a lot was happening， but mostly off-screen/“off-book”。 I noticed several instances of a chapter setting/leading up to an event， then the next chapter is the characters just talking about what happened in the said event without actually showing us the readers。 I’ll probably continue reading the other books sometime just to see where this story is going。 。。。more
James
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I ploughed through this book but it wasn't an easy feat。 Herbert's prose feels mechanical and forced， especially dialogues。 Constant descriptions of footfalls， e。g。 "pop-hop-hop！" or "plump-plump-plump" become repetitive and they don't really convey the natural sounds the author tried to convey。Jessica， the mother of the main character， treats her son like a potential lover， that's how revered he is。 This book is obviously a classic。 The big ass worms are well described， as are the Freman and th I ploughed through this book but it wasn't an easy feat。 Herbert's prose feels mechanical and forced， especially dialogues。 Constant descriptions of footfalls， e。g。 "pop-hop-hop！" or "plump-plump-plump" become repetitive and they don't really convey the natural sounds the author tried to convey。Jessica， the mother of the main character， treats her son like a potential lover， that's how revered he is。 This book is obviously a classic。 The big ass worms are well described， as are the Freman and the various planets they frequent。 In short， my main gripe was the static dialogue， at times too tepid， and the prose。 This caused me to miss out on the immersion into Arrakis。 。。。more
Anastasiya
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A delicious read
George Sebastian
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"I must not fear。Fear is the mind-killer。Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration。I will face my fear。I will permit it to pass over me and through me。And when it has gone past， I will turn the inner eye to see its path。Where the fear has gone there will be nothing。 Only I will remain。" "I must not fear。Fear is the mind-killer。Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration。I will face my fear。I will permit it to pass over me and through me。And when it has gone past， I will turn the inner eye to see its path。Where the fear has gone there will be nothing。 Only I will remain。" 。。。more
Jeremiah Monaghan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Dune’s reputation precedes it。 For decades， it’s been known as the pinnacle of the science-fiction genre， inspiring many great stories loved by millions today。 With the upcoming release of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation， I figured it was finally time to check out the book。 Wow， was I not disappointed。 Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides， heir to House Atreides， as he and his family take control of the desert planet Arrakis， also known as Dune。 As they adjust to their new world， the rival House Dune’s reputation precedes it。 For decades， it’s been known as the pinnacle of the science-fiction genre， inspiring many great stories loved by millions today。 With the upcoming release of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation， I figured it was finally time to check out the book。 Wow， was I not disappointed。 Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides， heir to House Atreides， as he and his family take control of the desert planet Arrakis， also known as Dune。 As they adjust to their new world， the rival House Harkonnen begins to hunt them in secret， prepared to kill each and everyone of them as a great war spanning years begins between the two houses。 Paul Atreides is an incredible protagonist to follow。 He has a reputation as another one of the basic “hero destined for greatness”， like Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker。 However， Paul Atreides is not a hero。 Sure， in a world of evil pedophiles and lying emperors， Paul is naturally who we want to follow， but he is not the perfect， flawless protagonist many believe him to be。 From the beginning， Paul believes that he has been filled with terrible purpose， and he tries for the entire book to run away from that terrible purpose。 However， as the book progresses， Paul becomes exactly who he is destined to be。 Not a perfect， amazing hero who will save the universe， but a leader， a ruler， Muad’Dib。 Paul’s journey， along with the journeys of the entire cast of characters， is perfectly written。 Dune is very slow paced， with it taking a very long time for the main plot to actually begin progressing。 However， the characters prevent the opening parts from being boring， as Frank Herbert perfectly develops these characters and makes the readers eagerly continue reading， as the plot finally moves forward。 Dune truly is the pinnacle of science-fiction， and I truly can’t wait to see the upcoming film， which looks incredible。 。。。more
Mark
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What a relief: Dune is a pillar of science fiction that actually lives up to the hype， even nearly 60 years after it was written。 What strikes me first of all about Dune is how modern and sophisticated it is。 This is a book that could have been written yesterday。 How often can one say that about a science fiction novel from the 1960s？ Stranger in a Strange Land， that other '60s sci-fi cultural behemoth， is about as dated as a novel can be。 Its concerns， viewpoints， and style are completely threa What a relief: Dune is a pillar of science fiction that actually lives up to the hype， even nearly 60 years after it was written。 What strikes me first of all about Dune is how modern and sophisticated it is。 This is a book that could have been written yesterday。 How often can one say that about a science fiction novel from the 1960s？ Stranger in a Strange Land， that other '60s sci-fi cultural behemoth， is about as dated as a novel can be。 Its concerns， viewpoints， and style are completely threadbare and worn out。 Dune， by contrast， feels very much alive and contemporary。 。。。more
Axeshizzle
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Enjoyed it， but ended quite abrupt。 An epilogue would have been appreciated。
Will
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It took me 2 beach vacations to finish this book。 Had to read Dune in the dunes I guess。
Dedra
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Love everything about this book。
Autumn Kotsiuba
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This was one of those books that has been pushed on me for years， and I finally picked it up。 Parts were really great， but it was hard to get into and dragged at parts。 Maybe I waited too long？
Vinayak Malik
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It has been on my reading list forever。 In the current environment don't know if it is cultural appropriation or an eerie foreshadow of what came to be It has been on my reading list forever。 In the current environment don't know if it is cultural appropriation or an eerie foreshadow of what came to be 。。。more
JamesPigden
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100% worthy of the praise - fantastically realised characters and world
Jonathan
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Entertaining。 Interesting world， but not specially unique。
Witch
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Very curious about this one， wanted to read it for quite a while。 Intending to finish it before going to the cinema to watch the movie。 I like Paul so far - might be a good sign？
Gerhard
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“The Fremen have the word of Muad’Dib，” Paul said。 “There will be flowing water here open to the sky and green oases rich with good things。 But we have the spice to think of， too。 Thus， there will always be desert on Arrakis…and fierce winds， and trials to toughen a man。 We Fremen have a saying: ‘God created Arrakis to train the faithful。’ One cannot go against the word of God。”Rereading ‘Dune’ a couple of decades after I first encountered it as a teenager， I can still remember being swept up by “The Fremen have the word of Muad’Dib，” Paul said。 “There will be flowing water here open to the sky and green oases rich with good things。 But we have the spice to think of， too。 Thus， there will always be desert on Arrakis…and fierce winds， and trials to toughen a man。 We Fremen have a saying: ‘God created Arrakis to train the faithful。’ One cannot go against the word of God。”Rereading ‘Dune’ a couple of decades after I first encountered it as a teenager， I can still remember being swept up by its exoticism， mystery and action， a heady blend as addictive as the spice melange itself。 But from the vantage point of 2021， an astonishing 56 years after its initial publication – and it is currently still an Amazon bestseller – it is clear that the very basis for the reputation， longevity and interpretation of ‘Dune’ is as mercurial as the shifting sands of Arrakis itself。In an article from The Guardian entitled ‘Dune， 50 years on: how a science fiction novel changed the world’ （3 July 2015）， Hari Kunzru comments that: “Books read differently as the world reforms itself around them， and the Dune of 2015 has geopolitical echoes that it didn’t in 1965， before the oil crisis and 9/11。” Barely a decade later， and the world around us has irrevocably changed yet again。 Kunzru elaborates:Every fantasy reflects the place and time that produced it。 If The Lord of the Rings is about the rise of fascism and the trauma of the second world war， and Game of Thrones， with its cynical realpolitik and cast of precarious， entrepreneurial characters is a fairytale of neoliberalism， then Dune is the paradigmatic fantasy of the Age of Aquarius。 Its concerns – environmental stress， human potential， altered states of consciousness and the developing countries’ revolution against imperialism – are blended together into an era-defining vision of personal and cosmic transformation。I think the problem with ‘Dune’ is that it has become hermetically sealed by its own success， removed from the constraints of time and genre。 Kunzru rightfully points out that Herbert’s own influences at the time were the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs， the Lensman series by E。E。 ‘Doc’ Smith and， of course， the Foundation saga by Isaac Asimov， itself the subject of a new big-budget Apple+ television adaptation。 These were the SF writers I was familiar with， and which shaped my view of the genre at the same time as I engaged with Herbert’s work。 In this context， ‘Dune’ was but another iteration of that genre， and not the iconic object of veneration it has become today:It has sold millions of copies， is perhaps the greatest novel in the science-fiction canon and Star Wars wouldn’t have existed without it。 Frank Herbert’s Dune should endure as a politically relevant fantasy from the Age of Aquarius。In terms of ‘political relevance’， it is clear that Denis Villeneuve is taking the proverbial bull by the horns with his latest adaptation。 The second trailer reveals that the story is framed by Chani， who has experienced first-hand the brutal colonial subjugation of the Harkonnens， and who cynically wonders if the incoming Atreides will simply be their next oppressors。This is in marked contrast to David Lynch using Princess Irulan to frame his 1984 adaptation， speaking with the hindsight of history， but still representing the ultimate expression of that colonialist mindset， as represented by her father the Emperor， the Landsraad， CHOAM， the Guild and， let us not forget， the Bene Gesserit itself。Perhaps an unintended consequence of the Villeneuve trailer’s focus on the Paul/Chani relationship， obviously due to the marketing department honing in on the combined fan base of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya to generate buzz and success for the upcoming movie， is that it foregrounds the ‘white saviour’ theme that seems so troubling in ‘Dune’， especially in our time where issues of race and gender are so highly politicised and emotive。It is only troubling though if you have not read ‘Dune Messiah’， where Herbert effectively and quite devastatingly turns the previous book on its head， taking the ‘hero’ story of Paul in a rather unexpected direction … a direction that becomes ever stranger and more baroque by the time we reach ‘God Emperor of Dune’ and ‘Heretics of Dune’， my two favourite books in the entire sequence。What I found remarkable about this reread of ‘Dune’ （my third， I think） is how quick a read it is。 The page counts among the various editions seem to vary as wildly as the reported length of Shai Hulud， ranging from 500 to 800。 I think the former is more accurate。 Anyway， the narrative races along at quite a furious clip。 I must say it does slow down in the third section， ‘The Prophet’， which does feel like a lot of filler as we build up towards the climactic battle。Much has been said about how dire Herbert’s writing style is。 Yes， most of the characters are cardboard cut-outs， with their thoughts and responses telegraphed in italicised speech that is the literary equivalent of speech bubbles in a graphic novel （speaking of which， ‘Dune’ now exists in that format as well， including a series of shorter comic books， if I’m not mistaken。）What do we really know of Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho， apart from the broadest of writerly brush strokes？ Even Paul himself does not convince， starting out as a callow 15-year-old and ending up defeating the Padishah Emperor himself。 The women fare no better， with Mohiam repeatedly referred to as a ‘crone’ or a ‘witch’， and a boilerplate reference to Chani’s ‘dark elfin features’， which is meant to alert the reader to her ‘native attractions’， I think。No， what makes ‘Dune’ really stand out is the exemplary world-building。 What struck me rereading this is how conditioned we have become， via the David Lynch and SyFy Channel adaptations in particular， to think of it as， well， a barren desert planet， when in fact it is a fully-fledged ecology。 Herbert’s nature writing and scene setting here are quite painterly， giving us an intimate glimpse of the fauna and flora of Arrakis （yes， there are even flowers and birds！）We now know， thanks to Kim Stanley Robinson and his Mars trilogy， that terraforming is not politically correct。 But Herbert states quite clearly that the Fremen intuitively comprehend the intimate relationship between the desert， the worms and the spice。 They only plan to terraform the more accessible parts， leaving the deep unchartered sands to Shai Hulud himself。What Herbert does so skilfully in ‘Dune’ is to craftily use his action set pieces as disguised info dumps。 Think of scenes like Liet Kynes taking the Duke and Paul via ornithopter to see spice mining for the first time。 We the reader see this incredible spectacle through the eyes of our protagonists， experiencing what they are seeing and feeling， while learning about the planet’s intricate and dangerous symbiotic sandworm lifeforms at the same time。Herbert similarly uses the Paul-versus-Jamis fight to educate the reader about Fremen rites and sociocultural practices， particularly as these relate to religion and death。 Jamis’s burial is oddly elegiac and moving， a moment of great stillness and reflection in the wake of the desperate and lethal combat that preceded it。 The Jamis fight is followed immediately by Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen celebrating his seventeenth birthday by dispatching his hundredth gladiator to an adoring crowd in an arena on Giedi Prime。We learn early on in the book that the Baron is actually Paul’s （view spoiler）[grandfather （hide spoiler）]， but Herbert does not really do much with this。 I wonder therefore if the Baron’s paedophelia-or-homosexuality （I don’t think it is really clear in which camp he falls）， is but one end of a Kinsey Scale of a familial chain， with the depraved Harkonnens at one end and the rigidly moralistic Atreides at the other。I was surprised to read somewhere that Frank Herbert had a complex relationship with a gay son that went unresolved until the latter’s death from AIDS in 1993 （Brian Herbert briefly refers to his brother in ‘Dreamer of Dune’， his hagiography of his father。） However， I honestly don’t think one can read too much into this。At the end of the day， ‘Dune’ remains as gloriously inscrutable and probably as batshit crazy as it must have done to its original readership。 Actually， kudos to David Lynch’s screenplay， which manages to wrestle the beast into somewhat of a malleable form， despite such Star Trek liberties as the ‘weirding modules’。 And that closing shot of it raining on Arrakis。The Villeneuve trailers to date have used much of the Lynchian iconography， such as the framing device and Paul’s visions of Chani and the Fremen， not to mention the trip to Arrakis in the Guild’s heighliners， which is a mere throwaway line later in the book。 Integral characters like Chani and Stilgar appear in person only much later， and Lynch quite cleverly used Paul’s visions as a kind of linking device to splice the narrative together。SOME THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST DUNE MOVIE ADAPTATIONWhen Villeneuve took on the project， he apparently stated he would only do so if he would be allowed to make two movies。 That apocryphal story has since changed， with it being reported that no second movie has been greenlit， pending the success of the first one。 As with ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’， one would have thought that Warner Bros。 would have given Villeneuve the go-ahead to write， develop and shoot the movies back-to-back to save costs and ensure continuity。 The recent IMAX unveiling of the first ten minutes of footage did， apparently， feature a title card clearly stating ‘DUNE: PART 1’。With a run time of 155 minutes， Villeneuve has also said that his movie only covers the ‘first half’ of the book。 Current speculation as to the cut-off point is either Paul’s fight with Jamis or Jessica taking the Water of Life。 The former seems more likely， although I do hope Villeneuve includes the elaborate funeral ceremony and subsequent insight into Fremen culture this allows。 However， this probably does mean that Part 1 is likely to end on a rather subdued note if it goes full Jamis， so maybe the Water of Life is a better cliffhanger？What I suspect though – and there is an inkling of this in comments from some of the crew such as cinematographer Greig Fraser that Part 1 is entirely ‘self-contained’ – is that Villeneuve has done his own ‘take’ on ‘Dune’ that eschews many of the plot elements， action set pieces and even characters we are so familiar with。 So come its release end October， we could be in for a rude awakening … （How much of a veil of secrecy is likely to be cast on its screening at the Venice Film Festival remains to be seen。） 。。。more
LittleHellcatReads
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3。5 stars
Luke Marsicano
，
Great sci fi， very unique， cool commentary on religion
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dune
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dune&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dune&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0