Frank Herbert

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. 

Dune

Gemma

A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people.

Amelia Macy

There should be a science of discontent. People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles.

Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's life-span to making intersteller travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world Arrakis. Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe. When the Emperor transfers stewardship of Arrakis from the noble House Harkonnen to House Atreides, the Harkonnens fight back, murdering Duke Leto Atreides. Paul, his son, and Lady Jessica, his concubine, flee into the desert. On the point of death, they are rescued by a band for Fremen, the native people of Arrakis, who control Arrakis' second great resource: the giant worms that burrow beneath the burning desert sands. In order to avenge his father and retake Arrakis from the Harkonnens, Paul must earn the trust of the Fremen and lead a tiny army against the innumerable forces aligned against them. And his journey will change the universe.

“moon-frosted cliffs” immediately drew my attention. I could visualise the scenery in my mind and never have imagined something so beautiful.

Laura 

The central wastelands beyond those moon-frosted cliffs were desert - barren rock, dunes, and blowing dust, an uncharted dry wilderness”

but what’s the spice level of this book?

I want you to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze! Give me spice!

tanaz

The mind commands the body and it obeys. 

The mind orders itself and meets resistance.

tianna

“But never twice the same,” he said. “It’s like life—it presents a different face each time you take it…And, like life, never to be truly synthesized.”

“Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." 

“‘Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man's mind,’” Paul quoted.

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 is path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Bart Veldhuijsen 

The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve but a reality to experience.

Jordan

He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it

How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him.

Mandy

One does not risk everything to settle and score prematurely 

There is no escape - we pay for the violence of our ancestors.

"You lead well," Paul protested. "You govern well. Men follow you willingly and love you."

"My propaganda corps is one of the finest," the Duke said.

There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man-with human flesh.

Halleck stirred, said: "I think what rankles, Sire, is that we've had no volunteers from the other Great Houses. They address you as 'Leto the Just' and promise eternal friendship, but only as long as it doesn't cost them anything."

"One date palm requires forty liters of water a day. A man requires but eight liters. A palm, then, equals five men. There are twenty palms out there-one hundred men."

Nick

Today's assignment: Ask your partner one big question and see where it goes. A big question is an open-ended ques- tion; there's no dead end of a yes/no answer avalable. There

Jafe

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 is gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.  

Tem Nugmanov

I'll give you my father's answer to those who act without thinking: “a stone is heavy and the sand is weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both."

Paul’s motif, realized it returns on page 291

"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 it’s path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Anastasia Illner

It is hard to deny the genius of Frank Herbert. The literary genius of 

 is impossible to miss, although at times it can make the story muddled and the characters often appear flat and unrealistic. Still, the setting, political intrigue, and mystery of this world Herbert has built is truly a sight to behold, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

Justin Goins

It is hard to deny the genius of Frank Herbert. The literary genius of Dune is impossible to miss, although at times it can make the story muddled and the characters often appear flat and unrealistic. Still, the setting, political intrigue, and mystery of this world Herbert has built is truly a sight to behold, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

A fascinating thought experiment in desert ecology and the significance of religious belief.

Incredibile world building and characters, and the plot of religious war is very interesting, but unfortunately poorly executed. Also it's incredibly hard to feel for the main character when he's basically a robot who knows everything.

Lukas

A deluxe hardcover edition of the bestselling science-fiction book of all time--part of Penguin Galaxy, a collectible series of six sci-fi/fantasy classics.sics.

the intricacies of the world building and politics and emotion are so fascinating and the blend of what is our present and the book’s ancient past is seamless. everyday i think about leto “loverboy” atreides

Denis you did the lord’s work turning this shit into such masterpieces. 

Alicia Evans

It's a hard read, but charming in the way The Lord of the Rings is. The worldbuilding was awe-inspiring. 

In the beginning, there is information overload. I had to slog through the various people and terms mentioned. It becomes much more bearable after that. The pace is slow throughout, but there are thoughtful or entertaining bits here and there.

Shivram

It's a hard read, but charming in the way The Lord of the Rings is. The worldbuilding was awe-inspiring. 

In the beginning, there is information overload. I had to slog through the various people and terms mentioned. It becomes much more bearable after that. The pace is slow throughout, but there are thoughtful or entertaining bits here and there.

Took me a while to get into it, but once I got past the first third I was hooked and finished it pretty fast (for my standards). 

Probably should have read it before the movies came out so I would have been able to have my own interpretation of the characters instead of the actors, but even then the book is so much fun !!

Also so much to analyse in terms of sociology/religion/politics but I’m a bit too dumb for that, so I’ll leave that part to other people. 

Bastiaan

Took me a while to get into it, but once I got past the first third I was hooked and finished it pretty fast (for my standards). 

Probably should have read it before the movies came out so I would have been able to have my own interpretation of the characters instead of the actors, but even then the book is so much fun !!

Also so much to analyse in terms of sociology/religion/politics but I’m a bit too dumb for that, so I’ll leave that part to other people. 

Greatest work of fiction I've ever read, utter peak.

Amin K.

Definitely going to listen again at some point. Paul's character development was definitely interesting 😮😮

Susan

The setting and main characters are nice, but I just found it way too confusing. I got 2/3 of the way through and some big 'reveals' didn't make any sense to me, so I gave up.

I can see why people love it, but it’s not my bag. Enjoyed it much more having watched the two newest movies first.

Laura Hurst

Opposing forces struggle for control of the universe when the archenemy of the cosmic emperor is banished to a barren world where savages fight for water

Honestly, — and especially compared to what I think are “Science Fiction’s Supreme Masterpiece[s]” — this really didn’t do much for me. My memory of it is already kinda bendy. Unusually low degree of savage infighting for a succession saga (e.g. everything from Bhagavad Gita to idk The Sopranos). Many shimmering moments, though. I do feel the need to engage with the worldwide ass net of superfans out there. I waited twelve years to read this and I’m excited to finally see the films/docs.

Alex Noble

Great fantasy to sink into. Lots to think about. Herbert’s pulls from a breathtakingly wide array of historical, cultural, scientific and religious inspirations woven together swiftly. That alone makes it worth reading.

Angeline Bien

Follows the adventures of Paul Atreides, the son of a betrayed duke given up for dead on a treacherous desert planet and adopted by its fierce, nomadic people, who help him unravel his most unexpected destiny.

Drew Nerbas

This book was hard to get through I won’t lie, it took me forever and having exams half way through reading it did not help. However, the world building is incredible and the way the story is told is very unique. The characters were a bit too robotic and felt unenjoyable for me personally but I think overall, it was a good book.

Alex Reino

Vietnamese edition of Dune. This is the chronicle of Young Duke Paul Atreides' life and death adventure on the desert planet of Arrakis, where each of his action would contribute to the fate of all... Vietnamese translation by Tran Tien Cao Dang. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

anjali

Dune. What can I even say about this book except that it's one of the best books I've ever read.

This is a book layered heavily with politics, economics, geology, philosophy, religion and mythology. The term 'science fiction' alone doesn't do justice to it.

Frank Herbert's writing is splendid as well. I especially enjoyed the internal dialogue technique that he employs to often. It makes me feel like I'm in the head of the characters, hearing their thoughts and experiencing the situation firsthand.

This book is full of great sequences and scenes and characters. How can you not love characters like Thufir Hawat, Jessica, Gurney Halleck, The Duke Leto Atriedes, Stilgar, and even the Baron Harkonnen?

The story is dotted with references and allusions to religion, embedded with philosophical queries and an excellent study in politics and ecology.

I love Dune.

Evan

If this wasn't the titanic "Dune", I'm not sure I would have finished this book.
 The world of Arrakis is by far the most interesting concept of the story: on Arrakis, human life is seemingly an insult. Everything possible wants man dead, yet he persists because the planet houses something valuable that grows no where else. And so we have the ultimate 'Man vs. Nature' story. Frank Herbert had thought this world through more so than a majority of authors consider their worlds, no intricacy left unturned. This believable world is largely why I was able to finish "Dune".
 I found every single character to be obnoxious and unlikable though only one of them was supposed to be (Baron Harkonnen). Paul's prescience deflates tension often and his demeanor is, apparently, a mocking caricature of stoicism. Jessica is very similar, and while she cannot see the future like Paul, she's never wrong about any of her hunches (which are usually derived by something so minute, it's absurd). At least Baron Harkonnen was funny in just how shitty of a person he was, he's so comically evil to the point of horseshoeing back to grossly charming. Ending multiple chapters talking about how he wants to diddle underage boys (like Paul) is just buffoonery; good one, Frank.
 An important word of advice to anybody who reads this: Brian Herbert spoils things that will happen in the later books in his afterword. Like, kind of big things that just don't need to be said in the ending of the first book. What a fucking idiot, if I ever read more "Dune" books (and I might, as it seems this is the most bloated), I sure as hell won't be reading his.
 I didn't really care for "Dune" and honestly I prefer the movie at this point. Looking forward to Part 2 and maybe "Dune Messiah" when I'm bored enough.

Ainsley Jeffery

It is sad to me when when the enjoyment of a book becomes contingent upon a second form of media such as the movie or even a re-read. I think it was difficult for me to truly get into this book as I was replaying the movie in my head and I couldn’t remove the gaps I filled in myself that the movie missed. The most gratifying piece of the story was the inner dialogue present throughout, but I felt SO many relationships missed depth and emotional pull. 

By far my favourite chapter was the last chapter of Book 1. I loved the inner turmoil Paul has about his mother and how in one chapter we quickly see his whole conception of the world change and him become removed and escalated. Paul’s transformation is so clear here. The natural curiosity that forms in his sense of anger is an extremely unique characterization depiction. This is what makes books so exceptional and often superior to visual media. I went back to reread that section at least twice and I wish the rest of the book matched this level. The movie made Lady Jessica to be much tougher, sure of herself; and although the book does not negate this, the carefulness, insightful, grieving nature of her in the book far outmatches the movie. And oh my goooood chapter 37 with the Reverend Mother imagery was so vivid, so perfect. 

Will not make the mistake of watching the next movie without reading the book first. Although, the ending did not encourage me to continue in the series but I could be tempted.

Dune inspired my favorite pieces of fiction, and it’s an incredible story in its own right—not always true of originators.

There’s a lot to like: a strong cast of characters, an interesting setting, and lightly mentioned lore that begs exploration (factions, history, worlds).

The first few chapters are packed with new words. While this made it difficult to parse at first, I love unique vocabulary. Slang is such an important part of feeling like you belong. Being familiar with these words added a lot of immersion.

Some of my favorite bits were inside Paul’s mind, as he analyzed how the prophetic events will be warped when they are retold in legends.

I loved the dynamic between Paul and his mother, Jessica. She made him into the man he is; this frightened her. Also, love Leto being the archetype for Ned Stark from GoT.

Jevin Sidhu

Dune inspired my favorite pieces of fiction, and it’s an incredible story in its own right—not always true of originators.

There’s a lot to like: a strong cast of characters, an interesting setting, and lightly mentioned lore that begs exploration (factions, history, worlds).

The first few chapters are packed with new words. While this made it difficult to parse at first, I love unique vocabulary. Slang is such an important part of feeling like you belong. Being familiar with these words added a lot of immersion.

Some of my favorite bits were inside Paul’s mind, as he analyzed how the prophetic events will be warped when they are retold in legends.

I loved the dynamic between Paul and his mother, Jessica. She made him into the man he is; this frightened her. Also, love Leto being the archetype for Ned Stark from GoT.

5/5

Soooooo goooooood!

This felt more like fantasy than sci fi I must admit and I loved it from start to finish. The writing is spectacular and the internal dialogues are creatively presented. Looking forward to the next one!

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

Dune

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