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Dune

(Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

By Frank Herbert

(386)

| Mass Market Paperback | 9780441172719

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Book Description

This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices". Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and also grants psycContinue

18 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

I didn't think I was into sci-fi books until I read this. Wow! It's another book that I found really hard to put down and helped me to see life from a different reality. This book will always be remembered and I hope to re-read it someday.

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Charleighh said on Nov 27, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | 1 feedback

1 person find this helpful

I read it in Italian first, but it's a thousand times better in the original language.

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Ian Atrus said on Jul 19, 2007 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.

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eudaemonian said on Mar 14, 2006 | Add your feedback

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

Read and keep as resource

A interesting novel with a compelling story line. Much involved in the way of philosophy, politics, religion, culture, race, technology, logic, leadership, and ecology. Too much to grasp in a single pass, not sure how much study it warrants. I would like to read a brief theme study in it. However, h ... (continue)

A interesting novel with a compelling story line. Much involved in the way of philosophy, politics, religion, culture, race, technology, logic, leadership, and ecology. Too much to grasp in a single pass, not sure how much study it warrants. I would like to read a brief theme study in it. However, here is what I believe is the most important theme developed: Computers are destroyed for the sake of human dignity sometime in the distant past. Now people from several different groups are trained in heightened logical analysis. The result is many varying cultures and groups that feel cold, hyper-logical, and manipulative. Many different leader ideals are presented, but all fall short of some aspect of true humanity. That humanity is found in Gurney Halleck. He is valiant, loyal, militarily cunning, yet kind, free spirited, free from bitterness over his harsh past. He is artistic, loving music, mirth, and jest. He is a free spirit who serves another from the heart not fear. The Duke Leto and Paul both admire him for these qualities. In the end when Paul is driving towards his terrible purpose and is no longer resistant of it. Gurney continually points out to him that he is more concerned with cause and equipment then the lives of men. Gurney is the true human of the story.
I was bothered by the way the book ended. No real resolution and a seaming defeat in that Paul was willing to change the custom of the Freeman so that he did not have to kill their leader to take charge, but he was unwilling to change the custom of the houses to marry for political power rather than love. When his mother seemed to finally realize her errors in rejecting his love for Chaney for fear of his political marital needs, Paul tries to say "Oh I won't give her any of my love" to Chaney as if that will be enough, when it is exactly the situation that his mother was in that had hurt her so deeply, and that the Duke came to regret in the end. It seems a reversal of Paul's deep moment when Gurney has his mother at knife-point.

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Brandon Current said on Sep 1, 2011 | Add your feedback

I've started this book back in august 2010, then I lost it, then a friend found it, then he gave it back to me about a month ago; I've read about 3/4 last year and a quarter in the past few days, and that's definitely not a good way to read a book.
But!
I liked it a lot. It's not too slow, or heavy, ... (continue)

I've started this book back in august 2010, then I lost it, then a friend found it, then he gave it back to me about a month ago; I've read about 3/4 last year and a quarter in the past few days, and that's definitely not a good way to read a book.
But!
I liked it a lot. It's not too slow, or heavy, or difficult as I thought it would be, and I'm actually curious to read more (the Bene-Gesserit! the Fremens! the Empire! so many things I want to know more about!)

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Mag said on May 2, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

A great work, and the only one of Herbert's worth reading. Don't bother with the sequels and follow-ons and spin offs.

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Jim Playford said on Dec 19, 2010 about the Audio Cassette edition | Add your feedback