Scan barcode
gracepolly's review against another edition
kind of a bore at the beginning but picked up at the end and now i’m intrigued… on to the next i suppose
theundertow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jefffrane's review against another edition
5.0
One of the apparent advantages of advancing age is the opportunity to reread books as if they were brand new. I read Dune shortly after it was published, in the late 60s and had pretty much forgotten the whole thing. I remembered the general plot (and was again reminded by all the blurbs), the sandworms and, well, the sand but little else. My memory of the book was further muddied by my impressions of the later books in the series, which weren't particularly good.
Once again I was amazed by the sheer scope of Herbert's invention, as profound a case of world building as any you will find. Not only is the planet itself fascinating, but Herbert peopled it with some amazing characters and a level of spirituality unusual in science fiction. I did not, however, remember how drug-laced the story is and I came away with the suspicion that Herbert had done a little spiritual and, um, psychedelic exploration of his own. A good deal of Dune takes place in people's minds rather than the physical plane.
I can't imagine the response if Dune was published today. Among the characters are the Fremen which are very clearly modeled on nomadic Arabs and the names and language of the Fremen is just as clearly Muslim in origin. Herbert makes frequent reference to jihad, which would certainly get a different reaction than in 1965.
Dune is wildly imaginative and intoxicating. If I can find any flaw in Herbert's creation it's the unimaginative feudal power structure and court drama, a flaw common to a great deal of fantasy and to a lesser extent, science fiction.
There are very good reasons why Dune won the Hugo and the first Nebula awards for Best Novel, and a measure of the shoulders that modern sf writers stand upon. Also worth keeping in mind: no publisher would touch the book until it was finally published by a firm known for auto manuals.
Once again I was amazed by the sheer scope of Herbert's invention, as profound a case of world building as any you will find. Not only is the planet itself fascinating, but Herbert peopled it with some amazing characters and a level of spirituality unusual in science fiction. I did not, however, remember how drug-laced the story is and I came away with the suspicion that Herbert had done a little spiritual and, um, psychedelic exploration of his own. A good deal of Dune takes place in people's minds rather than the physical plane.
I can't imagine the response if Dune was published today. Among the characters are the Fremen which are very clearly modeled on nomadic Arabs and the names and language of the Fremen is just as clearly Muslim in origin. Herbert makes frequent reference to jihad, which would certainly get a different reaction than in 1965.
Dune is wildly imaginative and intoxicating. If I can find any flaw in Herbert's creation it's the unimaginative feudal power structure and court drama, a flaw common to a great deal of fantasy and to a lesser extent, science fiction.
There are very good reasons why Dune won the Hugo and the first Nebula awards for Best Novel, and a measure of the shoulders that modern sf writers stand upon. Also worth keeping in mind: no publisher would touch the book until it was finally published by a firm known for auto manuals.
hanneke133's review
I've started this book twice and I really, really tried. I just could not get into it, I just did not care for the characters. Plus after the movie I feel like I know the plot, I get the point, the message etc. Would just rather read something else.
chrispy_mac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's a classic. However, my spicy hot take is that the Villeneuve movies might be just as good (if not better??) than the source material. But this is coming from someone who DNF'd the book in 2019 and just finished it the whole way through after seeing Part 2 (2024).
Still definitely an interesting read, especially if you are a fan of classic sci-fi!
Still definitely an interesting read, especially if you are a fan of classic sci-fi!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death
mvrkws's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
aharrison_33's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ashinoda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eestellar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Dune was an interesting idea & the world building/characters could've been really cool but it was boring. The characters are written in a way that leaves them emotionless & it is confusing how it switches from one characters inner dialogue to another's without anything to differentiate.