Dune: Deluxe Edition

This book is often considered to be the best science fiction novel ever written and for good reason. _Dune_ is a 1960s-era science fiction novel, published on the cusp of the Golden Age and the New Wave. Science Fiction of the time was in a transitional period influenced by the periodical _Galaxy_. SF at the time emphasized what some would call soft science fiction, a genre dealing with psychology, sociology, and sociopolitical commentary, with the bonus of one or more unique original ideas and a Sense of Wonder. Within these domains, _Dune_ hits every note a book of its genre could possibly hit and does so brilliantly. This is not anything like what passes for science fiction today, as the genre has been heavily-influenced by the Modernist movement and is now characterized by meandering fiction with long atmospheric narrative descriptions and no idea content other than politically-correct gender diversity, as is often found in a Gardner Dozois Year's Best anthology. This novel seems more nuanced and cogent to me today as an adult than it did when I first read it as a teen. The explorations of preternatural consciousness, mind control, economics, religion, and political intrigue are fascinating. But _Dune_ was also revolutionary in its use of what was then called Ecology (now called Environmental Science) as a hard science. This book is a high mark in the achievement of hard-science worldbuilding. After all these years it is still the most well-thought out and well-fleshed out worldview in the entire SF canon. Its complex, logical worldbuilding is presented in what was the then-prominent Science Fiction protocol of revealing the world little by little through contextual clues rather than inserting infodumps of description. As such it takes more work to read than a more modern book with infodumps. Readers who find the book boring aren't reading it with Science Fiction reading protocols and apparently most of them are too callow to resonate with some the book's political, economic, and sociocultural commentary. The genre was about ideas, not literary modernism, so you will not find the book filled with metaphors and literary allusions such as one might find in a Creative Writing MFA's workshopped short story, although Paul's story is clearly the Hero's Journey and he is obviously a Messiah figure as well as a military/political leader. The characters may not be as well-rounded as in a Dostoevsky novel but in case you missed it, the main character isn't really Paul. The main character is the planet Arrakis. Read this book with that in mind and you'll be amazed. For those expecting a Hollywood superhero comic-book style movie with action scenes and high-definition special effects, there is some of that in here too, but that is not the main point. This is a Frank Herbert novel of ideas, not a David Lynch film of striking visuals.

Frank Herbert's Dune is simultaneously one of the most sublime and frustrating works of literature ever produced. I gave this novel a 5/5 rating outright for two reasons: it's my favorite novel, one I never tire of re-reading; and it's a book that should be read at least once by anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, history, political science, economics, mysticism, or narrative. Regardless of whether or not someone actually enjoys Dune, every reader can glean something from it. That said, were it not for the latter two points, I would likely give this novel a lower rating, and here's why: Dune sacrifices storytelling for story. What in the name of Thor am I talking about? Let me explain. The world-building of Dune is outstanding, and I mean, REALLY outstanding. Tolkien can't hold a candle to Herbert's work in this regard - sure, he came up with a number of artificial languages, but from a narrative perspective that's actually one of the less productive things you can do to flesh out a setting. In Dune, every story element has relevance and connection to every other story element. The political reality of the galaxy depends on economic power, which is derived from trade, which is made possible by the Spacing Guild, who uses the spice, which exists only on Arrakis, whose administration depends upon the political climate. Paul's character is related to the mystical aspects of the story, but also brings relevance to the ecological and historical aspects. And so on, and so on. There isn't a loose thread here, no equivalent of the Fellowship of the Ring's Barrow-wights; nothing here could be removed from the whole package without substantially diminishing it. Tapping into all of these fundamental spheres of thought and creativity gives Dune the feeling of being a real history, and it gives the reader the feeling they're witnessing a change in the axis of civilization - something more subtly epic than big battles, of which we only get one (and an indirectly described one at that). That said, because Herbert is so dedicated to giving us as much material to work with as he can, in many instances this novel misses out on what might have been effective dramatic elements. An important plot point early on in the book is the supposed presence of a traitor in the midst of the Atreides, a traitor who will make the Harkonnen plot possible. Ordinarily I wouldn't mention this for spoiler concerns, but the novel basically comes out and tells you who the traitor is from the beginning, a while before it even comes into play in the events of the story. The reason this is problematic is because in a story which is so dependent upon political intrigue, it makes the decisions of the characters more powerful when we share in the mystery of the information around them. Another narrative problem is Paul himself. Though he is unquestionably the central character of the story as well as its protagonist, Paul starts off as a precocious fifteen-year-old and ends as a major player in galactic politics. In other words, he starts of as unrelatable and becomes less relatable as time goes by. In fact, several of my friends told me they stopped reading after a while because they didn't like Paul. This is an entirely fair criticism. In fact, the only character with whom a reader could form a true emotional connection would be Paul's mother, the Lady Jessica, whose problems are much more grounded in humanity. Now Paul's nature is basically vital to the fabric of the story, so it would diminish the story's complexity for him to become a more human character; but Dune would undoubtedly have been an easier reading experience had the novel chosen to focus on Jessica. This should give you a taste of what I mean. Dune isn't a novel that really engages a reader on an emotional level; because it reads so much like a history, it engages you on intellectual and thematic levels - but again, not emotionally. This is still my favorite novel, because measured against the standards of what it's trying to accomplish it succeeds beautifully; but potential readers should know what sort of undertaking they're facing when they pick this up.

Royal intrigue, infighting among the various "Houses" of the Galactic Empire and The Spacing Guild that controls all space travel through the use of the "spice" Melange. And the only source of all Melange is on Arrakis, the planet known as Dune. At the heart of the story is young Paul Atreides son of Duke Leto and his "formal" concubine Lady Jessica. The Atreides are the ruling House on planet Caladan, a planet rich in water. But the Emperor has other plans for them; in a plot hatched between the Emperor and House Harkonnen, the Atreides House will be transferred to planet Arrakis and there, set up for failure. In this complex, finely crafted novel author Frank Herbert proves himself to be a master story teller. Filled with intricate plans, betrayals and hidden "plans within plans" this amazing novel will have you on the edge of your seat. Published in 1965 Dune went on to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel in 1966. Followed by 5 sequels and several follow up novels by Frank's son Brian, this is probably one of the best selling series of all time. In the first novel, Dune, Paul and his mother Lady Jessica, a member of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, find themselves betrayed and alone in the desert. With Harkonnen agents hunting them and wild desert Fremen lurking in the shadows, the odds of survival are against them. I don't want to go to far into the details of the story line, that's been covered pretty well by other reviewers and this novel is something you need to experience for yourself. If you've read it before then you need no introduction. If this is your first read then go into it like I did, cold and not knowing what to expect. Herbert's writing is amazingly detailed and rich with hidden elements, his descriptive passages make you feel like you're on Arrakis. For insights on Dune's natural history, including it's geology, ecology and biology of the sand-worms read Appendix 1. In Appendix's 2 & 3 you get background on the various religions and the history of the Bene Gesserit's. Herbert provides an extensive glossary for unfamiliar terms and a break down of the various Houses of the Empire. All this supplemental material gives you some idea how much planing and forethought went into the writing of this novel. You may notice some similarity between Dune's Fremen society and our own Middle Eastern cultures, I'm sure this is not accidental and Herbert's research was extensive. Paul's greatest fear was that he could end up leading the Fremen on some kind of religious "jihad" that would sweep through the Empire and cost millions of lives. Whether you're reading Dune for the first time or just revisiting an old friend, this is a novel you don't want to miss. Like reading "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" or "Lord of the Rings" you can't go wrong in reading a classic and Dune is not only a classic, it's The Classic science fiction novel. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition. Last Ranger

A Bene Gesserit proverb: “When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way.” I have to be honest, as a contemporary consumer of sci-fi film, small screen works and books, Frank Herbert’s 1965 Dune starts out slow. To be clear, I’m talking about the first half of some 800 pages. The reason why I stuck it out, though, is because I know the saga gets better as it continues (with Children of Dune being arguably the favorite). Known as one of the original sci-fi novels, I approached it like I would any classic piece of literature. And you know what? I’d put Dune in my personal cannon of classic lit because of it’s heavy influence on sci-fi … everything. That’s right, not even Star Wars would exist without Dune. Herbert, a (sometimes struggling) freelance writer with a passion for ecology and a streak of utopian futurism, wrote Dune when he was almost 40 years old. At the time, sci-fi readers generally liked their stories short but this paperback was almost 900 pages. Not surprising, Dune wasn’t an overnight success but it’s popularity grew in the 1970s and 1980s. Dune is set in a dry, distant future, where warring noble houses are kept in line by an interstellar empire. The noble duke Leto (heir apparent Paul Atreides’ father), head of the House Atreides, is forced to move his household from their perfectly good home planet to the desert planet of Arrakis (also known as Dune). The climate on Dune is practically inhabitable to the layman. Water is so scarce that whenever its inhabitants go outside, they must wear stillsuits, which capture body moisture and recycle it for drinking (it’s beyond nasty). In a nutshell, the whole thing is a classic you killed my father and I’m going to get revenge coming of age story. Everything else revolves around the hot commodity on Arrakis, which is basically a very powerful and desired drug: Spice (melange). This cinnamon-scented substance is made from excretions of killer 1,000-foot sand worms (yes, I had a lot of Tremors flashbacks reading this book), gas, then exposure to the sun — but to mine it is very dangerous because said worms don’t like noise. At all. The drug is crazy addictive but it’s also everywhere in small doses, so everyone that lives on or visits the planet has to stay, or else suffer fatal dopesickness. For empathic people, it helps explore the limits of personal identity and the mind’s relationship to the body. Daily use extends the lifespan by hundreds of years. Paul’s intellectual state (already Jedi-like due to his Bene Gesserit training) is heightened by the spice, causing some pretty spot-on nuggets of wisdom. Fear is a 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 me I will turn to see fear’s path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain,” Paul reminds his mother at one point. While commentary on fear is serious and quite important to ponder, I’m reminded of the advice from the late Patrick Swayze’s character in Point Break: “Fear causes hesitation. And hesitation causes your greatest fear to come true.” By 1984 we had our very own Dune movie, directed by David Lynch (I’ve yet to see it but to be fair Lynch didn’t even like the cut that was released). Critics say an even better Dune movie came out later: Star Wars. Desert planets, evil emperors, a boy with a destiny, warring noble houses and a princess guarding spice — all things borrowed from Dune. There are mental Jedi powers like the Bene Gesserit, and even moisture farming like the Freman. Academics have written entire doctoral thesis on the topic. What’s next? Well, I’m waiting for the new Dune feature film to come out (prob not until late 2020), directed by Dennis Villeneuve. A feat that’s proven difficult today due to the original book’s heavy influence on so many well-established sci-fi classics like Star Wars. Consequently, it’s been rumored difficult to get the screenplay right. But in July 2019, Herbert’s son Brian (who co-wrote prequels to the Dune saga after his father’s death) said he’s seen and is pleased with draft four of the screenplay … in the meantime, I’m reading Dune Messiah. And drinking a tall glass of ice water.

Dune is one of the greatest stories told. The depth in which Herbert wrote is phenomenal. This book and the series creates a vivid and extraordinary universe. I just wish he had completed the story line rather than his son and Anderson. Don't get me wrong his son and fellow writer are very entertaining with their extension of the dune universe but they do not have the depth that the father had.

TL;DR: Dune by Frank Herbert takes the reader through an adventure of extremes, from the water dominated cultures of the planet Caladan to the water-starved cultures of the planet Arrakis. The reader is subjected to politics, cultural extremes, ecology, religion, and some very psychedelic interpretations of time. However, the book can be a bit difficult to read as Herbert vigorously exercised his creative liberties and created quite a few words, and then never endeavors to explain these words. With its rich, vibrant worlds, developed characters, and engaging story, I am comfortable calling Dune a must read for anyone who enjoys the science fiction genre. The Cover: DuneI really like the cover of this book. The art is minimalistic, powerful, and attractive to the eye. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of simple, clean imagery. It’s difficult for me to say whether I would buy this book based upon the cover art alone or not, because I’ve had knowledge of Dune and it’s story since middle school, but I feel comfortable saying that the cover would have definitely piqued my interest. The Bad: 1. Parts of the book seem needlessly wordy and slow. They are only a few of them, but they seem concentrated near the beginning of the book. This made getting into the story as the book began a bit difficult. The Good: 1. Herbert does an excellent job creating and developing the Fremen culture and the dangerous, exotic world of Arrakis. From the first time you meet a Fremen, it is clear that their culture values water above all else, and that their reverence for water and the harsh environment in which they exist has trickled down to affect every facet of their existence. The characters in the book are well developed and interesting, each of them with their own emotions, patterns of thought, and internal struggles. The Baron Harkonnen is deplorable and will drive you to hate him. Dr. Yueh will earn your ire, as well as your pity. I think Paul was my favorite example though, as he constantly struggles with his humanity and the awesome powers he gains over the course of the book. But even despite his awesome powers, and the god-like status he attains among the Fremen, Paul remains grounded and realistic in regards to who he is and what he can do. 2. The story is engaging, well paced, and thought provoking. I stayed interested over the course of the entire book, and rarely, if ever, found myself skipping over chunks of text. Herbert does a fantastic job spinning elements of politics, religion, and environmentalism seamlessly into the story. 3. I especially enjoyed the “realism” of the book. This isn’t a space opera filled with with laser gun fights, there are no warm fuzzies of a romantic nature to be found, and Paul is not a shining paragon of humanity. The book may have things of a fantastic nature, such as monstrously large worms, mind-enhancing drugs, and cult-like organizations filled with future-seeing women, but all of these things exist side by side with a gritty, realistic depiction of political strife, the consequences of power, and the human struggle to survive. The Meh: 1. Herbert throws made up words and family names at you rapidly. It can quickly become frustrating, and sometimes even overwhelming to read. This is most frustrating to me when the word is needlessly made up. Kanly? It means vendetta. Richece? Minor houses and wealthy individuals. Both of these words were needlessly created and are never explained within the book. Synopsis: Paul’s father, the Duke Leto Atriedes, has been gifted the planet Arrakis by the Padishah Emperor. Normally this sort of gift would be seen as a great boon due to economic opportunities a planet such as Arrakis presents, but this gift is laced with danger, treachery, and subterfuge. Shortly after the House Atriedes relocates from the water-abundant world of Caladan to the arid desert world of Arrakis, the trap is sprung. The Baron Harkonnen, an old enemy of the House Atriedes, assaults Paul’s family. The attack leaves many people dead, the Atriedes claim to Arrakis all but destroyed, and forces Paul and his mother into the arms of the Fremen, who believe Paul to be the savior they have all awaited: the legendary Lisan al Gaib. Many secrets, and many answers lay in the desert, woven into Fremen culture and belief. Using his wits, years of rigorous training, and his new-found place within Fremen culture, Paul will undergo a transformation that is both symbolic and powerful. He will become something more than human, he will become the Kwisatz Haderach.

Physical product: Well made, nice bluing on the edge of the pages. The lithographs are a nice touch to what is normally a picture-less presentation. Quality paper and easy to read type. There is a little question of the binding having pulled too much but it is something that might have occurred in transit as it is something that I have had happen with other improperly packaged or handled hardcovers through Amazon. The book: I've reviewed this on Goodreads in more detail, so I'll just add this quickly. This is a complete and readable text that works its way through messianic exploration(its function in a society and its personally impact), environmental manipulation and its impact, cultural clashes between peoples who all consider themselves to be living the 'right way', and the family dynamics that drive power real or perceived. This novel covers so many things and yet does it all with a clear, logical narrative. That balance is very impressive and the character depth achieved across so many different characters is, frankly, inspiring. Perhaps not a lightweight read, but not difficult. You can ignore the various maps and appendices as they are referential to things covered in the body of the text in digestible ways. It is often, rightly, called the greatest science fiction novel of all time, and this particular presentation is a knockout. Five out of five stars...but still wait for holidays so you can get it for half the price.

Dune A book review by Nathan Poulson Written by Frank Herbert in 1959, “Dune” is an epic adventure of political betrayal, ecological brinkmanship, and messianic deliverance. It won science fiction’s highest awards—the Hugo and the Nebula—and went on to sell more than twelve million copies during Herbert’s lifetime. The mantel piece of sci-fi, Star Wars, owes many of its’ widely popular ideas to Dune. To this day, it is still acclaimed by readers and critics alike as a “science-fiction masterpiece”. I highly recommend it to all readers, as I believe it will put a new perspective on things, deepen your understanding, and excite you to the edge of your seat. Dune follows the 15 year old boy Paul Atriedies and his mother, Jessica Atriedies in the very distant future. He is an only child of the duke of the Royal house of Atriedies. The house is given the stewardship over the desert planet of Arrakis or “Dune”, which controls the most valuable resource in the universe, the spice. On the planet where water is more valuable than gold, desert sand worms that are bigger than spaceships, life is lived to the extreme. With the spice comes a longer life span, increased perception, and in some cases prediction of the future, but at the cost of being highly addictive. The Harkonens, a noble house that previously owned the planet is intent on revenge and recapturing the spice. The spacing guild, which relies on the spice for navigating their spacecraft, is also intent on preventing anyone restricting or destroying their monopoly on space travel. Paul finds himself thrown into the mystery of Dune and its fierce natives, the Fremen. They think he is the savior their prophecy speaks of - is he destined to be the great preserver of their world or a false prophet to be purged? With multiple factions fighting, deceiving, and pulling strings, you never know quite what to expect in this awesome futuristic battleground. One side I really like about Dune is that it is not just a distant sci-fi to be enjoyed, but a book to learn and understand from. I really enjoy the themes Herbert establishes in the plot; one of them including the danger of entrusting too much power to a super being. Although his themes might be very serious and almost depressing, I admire that he has the courage to end the story based in reality, instead of a unrealistic Hollywood ending with no depth. Although the plot was very engaging, at some times the writing style really dragged things down. This can be a real turn off for even patient readers as Frank ambles around in unimportant details describing made up words and the very boring thought process of the characters. This is the one thing that made this otherwise a perfect book. Even though I thought the plot was almost pulling me down, somehow I still enjoyed it through the few sparks of almost perfect harmony when the style actually worked for the story. What makes Dune so special is the pure atmosphere. You can really tell that Frank put in a lot of effort into his fictional world and society. Even though the story is set in another universe, the planets, the characters, and the motives seem very real. He had the worlds built before he set the plot on them; you can see he studied Greek and Near East history extensively to make this book really come to life. Most books have characters that you can easily relate to. With Dune, it is a little bit harder to do that. In it, you have a story that instead of a personal account, it is more like a “retelling” and it is sometimes a little harder to relate to the feelings and values of the characters. My favorite character Paul is the most distant character for most of the book. Most of this isolation comes from the fact that people look to him as an idol, even though he still has human flaws. Throughout the book Paul is the character with the most burdens, and in constant pressure that he doesn’t measure up to other’s expectation of him. “They think they have a God, but I am only a man”. In reality he is a character we can all reflect from, he just has some layers in his personality that you have to peel away to really get to the core. This book is near from perfect, but it still hits home. Frank Herbert has done a difficult thing that combines ancient myths and stories with laser guns and mind control. He was the first one to do it, and the last to do it so well. Even without its deeper meanings, this is still a great read to just casually absorb. I cannot explain to you how amazing this book really is; so experience it yourself and pick up a copy, you will be surprised to what it has to offer.