$1.99 Kindle sale, June 12, 2017, for this epic, classic science fiction novel. It's a lifelong favorite of mine, one of the reasons I'm a science fiction fan. Here's my personal Dune odyssey:

My dad was also a fan of SF and, as a young teen and a hardcore bookworm, I used to regularly raid his book collection. (I also found the stack of naughtier SF books that he kept in his closet, but that's another story.) I was probably 13 the first time I tried to read Dune. I was enthralled by the scene where young Paul Atreides has to stick his hand in the Box of Pain, with the poisonous gom jabbar needle being held at his neck by an old Bene Gesserit crone, ready to kill him if he pulls out his hand. And then I quickly came to a stumbling halt with the book. I tried again when I was about 14: same result. I was just too young for it.

With some trepidation I pulled Dune off the shelf again when I was 15 or 16 (I don't know why I was so stubborn with this book! maybe it was all the glowing blurbs on the cover). And THIS time I got over the hump and was swept away into the incredibly intense world of Arrakis, the desert world that is the sole source of the Spice, the vividly imagined giant desert worms, strange cultures and peoples, betrayal and corruption, love, destiny, and a duke's son who is trying to find his place and, oh, by the way, stay alive. Whew!

My highest recommendation! Seriously, go read this if you haven't. (But feel free to skip the sequels; they were afterthoughts.)

– 2.5 stars

So this is one of the greatest sci-fi books of all time huh interesting



I read the first 5 chapters of Dune (didn't understand shit), went to watch Dune in the cinema and then read the rest of the book and I have to say thank god for the movie. The movie made the world of Dune so much more tangible & digestable. The book throws you right into the lion's den with all these characters, places & terminology coupled with the flower writing style of Frank Herbert made it hard to follow the story.
n  

“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.”

n
This is suppose to be a review for the book ,but I can't help but compare it to the movie adaption and for once I actually find the movie better. Paul, Lady Jessica, the Duke and most of House Atreidis were so much more likeable in the movie (maybe that's the Timothée Chalamet effect

" هل تصارع الكوابيس ؟
هل تتخطفك الظلال ؟
هل تسير كما النائم ؟
ها قد مضى الوقت ..
و سرقت منك حياتك ..
و اضعت العمر فى العبث ..
و رحت ضحية حماقاتك . "

n
منذ ان شرعت فى قراءة كثيب كان يدور فى ذهنى سؤال واحد ؟! هل العمل مناسب للجمهور العربى , كان اعتقادى بما انها خيال علمى فى كواكب اخرى فانها اشبه بحرب النجوم او ستار تريك السلاسل الذى لاقت نجاحًا عالميا لا يزال صداه حتى الان فى العالم لكن لم تكن بنفس النجاح و الاهتمام بالنسبة للجمهور العربى لكن الاجابة جائت سريعًا بعد اول مائة صفحة انها لا علاقة لها بهم , بل هى رواية ملحمية قد تكون تدور فى المستقبل البعيد ولكنها قريبة جدا لعالمنا خاصة ما اثار اهتمامى و اهتمام الاصدقاء و الذى ذكره ايضا المترجم العبقرى " نادر اسامة " تاثر فرانك هيربرت بالثقافة و الحضارة الاسلامية .

فرانك هيربرت اثبت براعته فى خلق عالم كامل و عائلات و شعوب و طباع مختلفة و لغة من العدم و اثارة ايضًا لا تختلف كثيرا عن ثلاثية الخواتم و سلسلة اغنية الجليد و النار , لكن الاثارة عند فرانك و التحدى كان اكبر لانه اعتمد ان يحرق معظم الاحداث المصيرية فى البداية بسبب نظرة " بول المؤدب " و ايضا الام الموقرة , فهنا انت امام عمل لن يفاجئك و شخصيات واضحة لا يوجد خداع و لا مكائد , فالخائن معروف و الشر واضح و الخير معروف , مع كل هذا لكنك تستمر بالقراءة و لا يمكنك ان تتركها و هنا التحدى الكبير و النجاح للكاتب الذى ارفع له القبعة و اعرف لماذا سلسلة مثل هذة كانت مرجع و عامل مؤثر لكثير من كتاب الخيال العلمى حتى الان .

تبدا احداث الرواية بنظرة للعالم الجديد الذى يعيش به البشر الان بعد 10 آلاف عام نتيجة ثورة البشر على الآلات على كوكب ال��رض ادت الى دمار الكوكب و هجرة البشر الباقين الى كواكب اخري و استوطانها لتبدا مرحلة جديدة محرم فيها صنع الآلات التى لها تفكير خاص مثل الانسان حتى لا تتكرر المأساة مرة اخري .

عالم جديد يحكمه ثلاث قوى
اولًا : الامبراطور الباديشي حاكم الكون و الذي يحكم سيطرته بفضل جماعة السارداوكار
ثانيًا : العائلات الحاكمة او مجلس النبلاء " الاندستراد " و كل عائلة تحكم اقطاعية مخصصة لها
ثالثًا : مجلس النقابة و شركة تشوم-كوام المتحكمين فى السفر و التجارة
المنافسة بينهم سياسية و مادية , تحالفات كل من اجل مصلحته.

- و ايضا يوجد " بنى جيسيرت " هذة الجماعة التى تمثل القوة السياسية و الدينية طوروا جسدهم و عقلهم للحصول على قوة خارقة للنظر الى المستقبل و تحديد النسل و انتقاء الجينات فى البحث عن النبي "الكويزرس هاديراك" للسيطرة على الكون .
- المنتات و هم بشر كاجهزة الكومبيوتر يقوموا بالحسابات المعقدة و التحليلات المنطقية بسبب حظر اجهزة الكومبيوتر .
الفيرمن و هم سكان كوكس اراكس الذى تم اضطهادهم من قبل الهاركونن و لا يخضعون لاحد و يعيشون فى الصحراء حياة شاقة فى انتظار النبى " لسان- الغيب " الذى سوف يحررهم .

و تاخذنا الرواية للتعرف على عائلة الدوق ليتو اتردايس التى اكتسبت شعبية هائلة و تسببت فى خوف الامبراطور و العائلات الاخري لتبدا مكيدة من الجميع خاصة عندما يامره باخذ عائلته و جنوده لترك كوكب كلادان و حكم كوكب" آراكيس " الكوكب الغنى بمادة " الاسبايس " التى يعتمد عليها الجميع فى الانتقالات بين الكواكب و تدر عليهم ارباح مالية ضخمة لكن فى المقابل كوكب صعب المعيشة به لا يوجد به ماء و ايضًا كوكس اراكس كان يديره عائلة " هاركونن" التى كانت على عداوة قديمة مع عائلة " اتراديس " , كوكب لا يحتوى على ماء و استخراج مادة " الاسبايس" ايضا صعب بسبب وجود ديدان عملاقة فى الصحراء الشاسعة تبلع المحطة كاملة , شعب الفيرمن الذى يسكن هذة الصحراء و تم اضطهاده كثيرا من قبل الهاركونن , و اخيرًا عائلة الدوق ليتو , حاظيته الليدي جيسيكا من بنى جيسيرت و ابنهم بول اتردايدس بطل هذة الملحمة الذين يعلموا بالغدر نظرًا لنبوءة الام المقدسة و لا سبيل لايقافها .


مكيدة متكاملة تدور على احداثها الرواية للتخلص من عائلة اتردايس و بسببها يتم الغدر و هذا ما نعرفه فى اول الرواية لكن ما لم نعرفه هو ما ستؤول اليه الاحداث بعد نجاخ المؤامرة و المصير الذى سيواجهه بول فى صحراء اراكس و الفيرمن الذى سوف يعيش وسطهم لتبدا رحلة الانتقام .

الحوارات بين الشخصيات كانت رائعة جدا و كنت انتظرها بشدة خاصة حوارات البارون هاركونن , ايضًا الرواية لطول حجمها 900 صفحة لا تخلو من بعد الملل كما هو متوقع لكنه كان لابد منه فى تطور الشخصية خاصة صراع بول النفسي .

الشخصيات فى الرواية تم رسمها بعناية خاصة الشخصية الرئيسية بول و امه الليدى جيسيكا و التحولات فى افعالهم و تطور شخصياتهم و صراعهم النفسى كان فى افضل صورة .

" الخوف قاتل . الخوف ميتة صغرى تهلك قبل الاوان ، ساواجه خوفى . سأسمح له بتجاوزى و المرور من خلالي . و حين يمر ، سأرنو بعية البصيرة لارى مسلكه . وحيث مضى الخوف لن يبقى شئ، لن يبقى سواى ."

n

للاسف الشخصيات كثيرة و الاحداث كثيرة و متشعبة جدا و ارشحها بشدة لكن مراجعتى لن توفى الرواية حقها و لكن اعجبت بشخصية دانكن ايداهو كثيرا لشجاعته / جيرني هاليك لوفاءه و شخصيتى المفضلة فى الرواية / ستيلجار الذى ذكرنى بالشخصيات العربية و حياة البدو .

الرواية ليست رحلة انتقام كليشيه و صراع الخير و الشر , الرواية لا تخلو من الجزء الفلسفى الذى يثير انتباهك و تفكيرك و الدين كان عامل كبير فى الرواية لاحداثه و النبؤات الذى يومن بها معظم الشخصيات و غيرهم من لا يهتم بالدين و تهمه السلطة فكان اختلاط الدين و السياسة عامل اساسى , البيئة البدوية ايضًا الذى ابدعها فرانك هيربرت بامتياز توضح مدى تاثره بالحضارة الاسلامية .

عالم كبير محكم معقد ملئ بالصراعات و المكر و الخداع و السياسة .
النهاية كانت ممتازة رائعة بكل معنى الكلمة , اخر 100 صفحة فى الكتاب روعة بسببها جائت النجمة الخمسة المستحقة .

اخيراً الترجمة : غندما ارى اسم نادر اسامة اطمئن ان الترجمة سوف تكون ممتازة و بسبب الملحقات التى تعدت المائة صفحة ارى مدى التعب و الاتقان الذى بذله نادر اسامة لايصال العمل الينا فى احسن وجه و قد كان .

** الفيلم ممتاز طبعا و اختيار الممثلين كان اكثر من رائع , بعد التغييرات كان ليس لها داعى مش شخصية كاينز و ايضًا كان من الافضل وجود الحوارات بين الشخصيات الذى تم اقتطاعه مقابل ابراز المؤثرات البصرية .

مش عارف هاقدر استنى الجزء التانى يترجم و لا هاقراه انجليزى لكن الاكيد انى سوف اكمل السلسلة و لن اقف هنا .

DNF at 50%

I can't continue. I give up.

Dune (Dune Chronicles #1), Frank Herbert

Dune is a 1965 science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert.

In the far future, humanity has eschewed advanced computers due to a religious prohibition, in favor of adapting their minds to be capable of extremely complex tasks.

Much of this is enabled by the spice melange, which is found only on Arrakis, a desert planet with giant sand-worms as its most notable native life-form.

Melange improves general health, extends life and can bestow limited prescience, and its rarity makes it a form of currency in the interstellar empire.

Melange allows the Spacing Guild's Navigators to safely route faster-than-light travel between planets, and helps the Reverend Mothers of the matriarchal Bene Gesserit to access their Other Memory, the ego and experiences of their female ancestors.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و چهارم ماه نوامبر سال 2018میلادی

عنوان: تلماسه؛ نویسنده: فرانک هربرت؛ مترجم: مهیار فروتن فر؛ تهران، کتابسرای تندیس؛ 1397؛ در 847ص؛ فروست شاهکارهای علمی تخیلی؛ شابک 9786001822834؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده مریکا - سده 20م

داستان «تل‌ماسه» در آینده‌ ای دور می‌گذرد، و در جامعه‌ ای ملوک الطوایفی، کتاب با الهام از جوامع «اعراب» بدوی، نگاشته شده‌ است؛ سه عامل اثرگذار در جامعه ای فراسی��ره‌ ای: پادشاه امپراتور و خاندان‌های حکومتی، اتحادیه ی فضایی (صاحب انحصار حمل و نقل فضایی)، و گروه «بنی جزریت»، هستند؛ در جهانی سوار بر همان سه‌ پایه‌ ی: «سلطه‌ جویی»، «سیاست‌بازی» و «سوداگری»، و گردنده بر چرخِ آدم‌کشانِ رایانه‌ سان، ساحرانِ نژادپرور، و ناوبرانِ زمان‌ نورد، «پُل»، دوک‌ زاده‌ ی جوان خاندان «آتریدیز» است، که خود را گرفتار در طوفانی عالم‌ آشوب می‌یابد؛ نزاعی کیهانی بر سر کیمیای زمانه است، در آوردگاهی یگانه، سرچشمه‌ ی کیمیا در سرتاسر کائنات: «تلماسه» است، کره‌ ای از شن سوزان، که دغدغه‌ ی بومیانش نه «ملغما (کیمیای زمانه)»، که بقاست؛

نقل از متن (کتاب اول: تلماسه: سرآغاز هر کار زمان حصول اطمینان از درستی میزانها و معیارهاست؛ حتی مبتدی ترین شاگردان مکتب «بنه جسریت» هم این نکته را میدانند؛ پس فراموش نکنید که در شروع مطالعه ی زندگانی مودِّب او را در زمان حیاتش که از پنجاه و هفتمین سال سلطنت امپراتورْ پاشا شدامِ چهارم آغاز شد و در محل زندگی اش یعنی سیاره ی آراکیس در نظر آورید؛ اجازه ندهید این حقیقت که زادگاه او کالادان بوده و پانزده سال آغازین عمرش را در آنجا گذرانده گمراهتان کند؛ آراکیس، سیاره ای که آن را به نام تلماسه میشناسند، جایگاه او بوده و تا ابد خواهد بود؛ ـ برگرفته از کتاب راهنمای مودِب، نوشته ی شاهدخت «آیرولان») یک هفته پیش از مهاجرت خاندان «آتریدیز» به «آراکیس»، در میان دوندگیهای لحظه ی آخر که دیگر داشت به جنونی افسار گسیخته و تحمل ناپذیر بدل میشد، عجوزه ای به دیدار مادرِ پُل آمد

کاخ «کالادان» شب نسبتاً گرمی را میگذراند و مانند تمام اوقات پیش از بارندگی، روی تخته سنگهای برهم چیده ی کهنسالی که برای بیست و شش نسل از خاندان «آتریدیز» حکم خانه را داشتند، نم سردی نشسته بود

عجوزه از درِ جانبی وارد عمارت شد، و با عبور از راهرویی طاقدار به اتاق پل رسید؛ در آنجا لحظه ای درنگ کرد، و به داخل سرک کشید تا نگاهی به «پل» بیندازد که در تختخوابش آرمیده بود

پسرک که حالا بیدار شده بود، در کورسوی چراغ معلقی که نزدیک به زمین شناور بود، پیکر تنومند زنی را میدید که در درگاه اتاقش، یک قدم جلوتر از مادرش ایستاده بود؛ چهره ی سایه وش پیرزن به جادوگران میمانست: موهای درهم تنیده اش به تارعنکبوت ماننده بود، و چشمانش، در تاریکی باشلقی که بر سر کشیده بود، به دو تکه جواهر براق

پیرزن گفت: «سنش کمتر از چیزی که هست به نظر میآید، نه جسیکا؟» صدایش تودماغی بود و مانند بالیستِ کوک نشده وزوز میکرد؛ مادرِ «پل» با صدایی ملایم و بم پاسخ داد: «در خاندان آتریدیز رشد دیررس معمول است، حضرت والا.»؛

پیرزن وزوزکنان گ��ت: «بله شنیده ام، شنیده ام. با این حال...؛ جداً پانزده سالش شده؟»؛ «بله، حضرت والا.»؛

پیرزن گفت: «بیدار است؛ دارد به حرفهایمان گوش میدهد»؛ نیشخندی زد و ادامه داد: «شیطانک مکار! البته بد نیست...؛ کمی مکر و حیله برای اشرافزادگان واجب است...؛ و اگر او واقعاً کویساتز هدراخ باشد...؛ خوب...»؛

پل چشمانش را در پناه سایه های تختخواب به اندازه ی دو شیار باریک باز کرد و به نظرش آمد که چشمان بیضی شکل براق و پرنده سانِ پیرزن نیز در پاسخْ بازتر و درخشانتر شد)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 23/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 11/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”

My mind is a whirling mess as Lady Jessica's assurance to Chani echoes in my head. What an absolute glorious read in this vivid universe created by Frank Herbert my god that was something.

I am typing out a full review now and will hopefully post it soon

one of the primary points is how 3rd person omniscient pov was so essential to tell this tale. Knowing the character's history and motivations and future in a world where characters were also able to access that information was paramount to the text and created such a unique reading experience (since most modern books aren't written in omniscient). The tension was shifted because the questions raised were so much more macro.

Update 6/27/23

Re-read, number 15.

This time, I read it with my daughter. Sure, it might be a bit too soon for her, but she DID insist because we'll be seeing Dune part 2 later this year. And she happens to know that I'm a rabid uberfan with no mercy or remorse.

PLUS, I was able to read from my gorgeous new hardcover copy gifted to me by my best friend and that really does make all the difference, no?


Update 9/15/21

Re-read. Number 14.

I cannot get over how beautiful this book is. Still my favorite after all these years. It only gets better with every re-read.


Update 8/28/17

Re-read. Number 13. :) I cry when Paul meets Gurney. I shiver when Jessica consoles Chani. I'm awestruck by the peaks and troughs of time, free-will, and the weakness in Paul even as he heroically strives against the evil that is about to be unleashed upon the universe.

*sigh*

Perfection. Easily the number one book I've ever read. :)

I waver, sometimes, but right now, it is my absolute favorite. :)



Original Review:

This is a phenomenal classic of literature.

It's not just science fiction. It transcends science fiction, as a fascinating discussion of free-will versus inevitability. Can the Jihad be denied? Can Paul ever really avoid his own death, despite seeing every time-line play out with him as the butt of every cosmic joke? Can even cruelty or mercy even remain comprehensible after such knowledge?

Yes, I think this work outdoes Nietzsche. It certainly does a great job of making us care about the question.

Is this all? Is this just a work that pays great justice to philosophy of action and inaction?

Or is the novel merely a clever play at turning the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle into the physical embodiment of a man? It is that, of course. The Kwisatz Haderach can be many places at once, and he can be both alive and dead at the same time just like that certain cat.

Is the novel a coming of age tale, first set as a mirror against his father Leto, only then to mirror the whole universe that had just turned against him? Yes, of course. He was, after all, both the product of all his upbringing and his genes, embodying the question of nature versus nurture. He was taught within many schools of martial arts and assassins, as well as training the mind in both the schools of the Mentats with their pure logic and that of the mystics, the Bene Gesserit, that allows complete control over the body down to the cellular level. And if this training wasn't enough, he was deeply schooled in politics, leadership, and the meaning of loyalty. The boy was raised right. Of course, that is nothing without ninety generations of genetic bloodline tampering from the Bene Gesserit, right? To become the fulcrum between cellular memory, tapping the minds and lives of all your genetic ancestors as well as tapping the ability to fold time and space, to become the eye of a storm of time.

What a damn brilliant setup for one tiny character, no? His training links to the unlocking of his genes and to the life-extending and enveloping spice, Melange, to make him not merely aware of time in a theoretical sense, but eventually to be unable to discern what was in the past, the present, or the future. Here's a true Super-Man, well beyond Nietzsche.

And don't believe for one second that this serious discussion about what would make a superior man makes for dull reading. No. We've got PLOT that's probably some of the most exciting and visceral in all of literature, driving us right into the web of intrigue, vengeance, treachery, and galactic politics.

To quote the text, we've got "Plans within Plans," and it hardly stops there. We know the House Atreides is falling into a trap laid by the Emperor and House Harkonnen, and yet free-will and pride prevents any chance to avoid it. The setup is brilliant and extremely political, giving us character sketches of some of the most brilliant and memorable characters of all time.

Duke Leto, the Red Duke, the most honorable and beloved leader.
Duncan Idaho, the emotional and intuitive hero.
Gurney Halleck, archetypal loyalist and troubadour.
Lady Jessica, the woman who ought to have had all honor in life, but was unjustly reviled and set aside for political necessity. (Chani being both her mirror and her eventual glory.)

And of course, my favorite character of all time, Paul Muad'dib Atreides, the one that would prevent the greater evils he foresaw, and went to enormous lengths and sacrifice to achieve, but who eventually failed in his task because even a god cannot overcome destiny. (Or the will of so many minds set as one.)

So damn brilliant.

Frank Herbert spent five years writing this treasure, working and reworking it until he published it at age 25. None of his other works come close to this masterpiece, and there's little wonder. It was birthed, fully-formed, like Athena from Zeus's head, with enormous forethought and care.

The worldbuilding was just as carefully formed, from the ecology of Arrakis and the life-cycles of the sandworms, to the history and the creation of the Fremen from their mild beginnings as Zensunni Wanderers, adherents to the Orange Catholic Bible, to their history of oppression so like those of those who are Jewish, to their settling and hardening of their bodies and souls in the wastes of Arrakis, also just like the Jewish who carved out a place for themselves in Israel. (Current politics aside, this was a very potent idea before 1965 when Herbert wrote this, and indeed, the core is still just as powerful when you turn it back to Muslims.)

The Galactic culture is rich and detailed. The CHOAM economic consortium, with their monopoly on space travel and their need for the Spice to allow them to see a short period into the future to plot a safe course before folding space. The Empire is caught on a knife's edge between a single power and every other House who sit in the possibility of putting aside all their squabbles for the sole purpose of checking the Emperor, if they so desired. (And Duke Atreides was such a possible popular leader among all the Great Houses, which was the primary reason the Emperor wanted him dead.)

And of course, we have our Villains.

The Baron Harkonnen has always been a crowd pleaser. Brilliant in his own right, devious and able to corrupt anyone with just the right sorts of pressure, including a certain absolutely trustworthy doctor we might mention.

"The Tooth! The Tooth!" -- You can't handle the Tooth!

Feyd Rautha Harkonnen is especially interesting for the question of nature versus nurture.

The Bene Gesserit had intended him to mate with Paul, who should have been Leto and Jessica's daughter, and that offspring should have been the cumulation of ninety years of a breeding experiment to recreate the Kwisatz Haderach which had come about almost by accident during the Butlerian Jihad in the deep past, to overthrow the AI overlords.

He was practically Paul's genetic twin, or at least, his potential to be the "One who can be many places at once" was on par with Paul. But instead of fulfilling the kind of destiny that we get with Paul, we see him grow up under the auspices of his Uncle the Baron, becoming as cruel and devious as he was deadly. He was the argument of nurture in the conversation, of course, and having so very little of it eventually cost him his life.

I often wonder about the directions that Dune could have taken, all those little paths in time and circumstance that could have been. What if Feyd had been brought to Arrakis earlier and overwhelmed with Spice the way that Paul had? Sure, he wouldn't have been able to convert the unconscious changes into conscious manipulation, but he might have had enough glimpses of the future, the way that the Fremen did, to have given him the edge he would have needed to kill Paul.

And then there's a relatively minor character, Hasimir Fenring, the Emperor's personal assassin, who was nearly the Kwisatz Haderach, himself. Unable to breed true, he was still potent enough to be completely hidden to Paul's time-sight in the same way that Paul was hidden from the Spacing Guild's weaker time-sight. His training as a skilled killer was also superior to Paul. He was, by all the hints and tricks in the tale, Paul's perfect downfall. It always gives me shivers to think about, and it was only in a single instant of both recognition and pity from Paul that stayed Fenring from killing our hero. It was just a moment of whim.

The setup was gorgeous. Paul's pity, had it been missing at his moment of greatest triumph over the Emperor, would have meant Paul's assured death. I still wonder, to this day, what stayed Frank Herbert's hand from killing his most wonderful darling. We knew the pressure of religion and politics was going to have its way upon all the oppressed peoples of Dune. The return of a monstrous religious Jihad was going to happen one way or another, sweeping across the galaxy and toppling the Empire, regardless of Paul's frantic plans and desires. Paul's own death would only mean a higher level of fanaticism, and Frank Herbert's warning against unreasoning devotion would have been made even clearer with Paul's death.

Perhaps it was pity that stayed his hand. Who are we to say who lives and who dies?

If you really think this review is overlong, then I apologize, but please understand that I could absolutely go on and on much longer than this. It is a symptom of my devotion to this most brilliant of all tales.

And yes, it still holds up very, very well after twelve reads. I am quite shocked and amazed.

I have to write this review without rhythm so that it won’t attract a worm.

In the distant future Arrakis is a hellhole desert planet where anyone who doesn’t die of thirst will probably be eaten by one of the giant sandworms. It’s also the only place where the precious spice melange can be found so it’s incredibly valuable, and the honorable Duke Leto Atreides has been ordered by the Padishah Emperor to take over control of Arrakis from his mortal enemies, the House Harkonnen. While this seems like a great offer on the surface the Duke and his people realize that it’s actually a cunning trap being set by the Emperor and Baron Harkonnen.

The only hope seems to be allying with the local populace called Fremen whose harsh environment has led them to become an incredibly tough and disciplined people, but they have their own vision of what Arrakis should be. They also have a prophecy about the coming of a messiah figure who will lead them to freedom, and the Duke’s son Paul looks like he may be exactly who they’ve been waiting for.

This is classic sci-fi that really deserves the label. What Frank Herbert accomplished in one novel is stunning because he built a fascinatingly detailed universe in which the politics, religion, economics, espionage, and military strategy are all equally important. He then blended these more grounded concepts with bigger sci-fi ideas like being able to use spice to see through space-time, and the scope of that encompasses trying to pick the proper path through various potential timelines as well as free will vs. fate.

I think one of the factors that helps this story stay timeless is that so much of it is based on what humanity becomes vs. trying to predict what futuristic technology would be like. This is a society that once had a war with machines and has since rejected any type of computers so people have developed to fill the gap with the help of the spice. The Mentats are trained to use data to predict outcomes. The Navigators of the Guild have used so much of the spice to help them move through space that they’re mutating. The all female Bene Gesserit have developed a variety of skills to place their members alongside positions of power to help advance their breeding scheme that spans generations. Herbert also cleverly came up with an excuse that explains why knives and hand-to-hand combat are so important with the idea of the personal body shields.

So even though we still got a good sci-fi’s novel worth of cool gadgets the emphasis is on what the people can do and how that’s developed over a long period of time. It also adds a lot of depth to the political dimensions because all of these groups have different agendas that cause them all to mistrust each other, but because they all fill these various roles none can exist without the others.

There are also parallels to our world that are still in play because the idea of a desert people caught up in the power struggles of various outsiders because of their valuable natural resource is an obvious allegory to the Middle East that still works today. Plus, the classic film Lawrence of Arabia came out a few years before Herbert published this, and you have to think that it had some influence on him because there are elements of the story that seem very much inspired by it.

While the whole concept of a Chosen One has gotten a bit worn over time that’s not Herbert’s fault, and this is still a fantastic sci-fi story with big ideas that also works as space opera as well as being an epic adventure story.

Let me start by first apologizing to everyone who loves this classic. I don't doubt Dune was something special when it first came out in the 1960s. But reading it for the first time today, it feels horribly outdated to me and at times almost incomprehensible.

I was warned going into this story that the beginning is extremely hard to understand, but that is an understatement. I could barely follow its scene after scene of dialogue referencing people and places and events, all with no explanation or context. It literally feels like I was just dropped into the middle of a book, and everything had already been explained elsewhere.

But it gets better, right? Well, only somewhat. A narrative does take shape, but the writing style remains confusing and obscure. It manages to be both long-winded and not clear enough, if you can believe that. Certain obvious points are harped on again and again, but other crucial ones are merely glossed over. Then, when you inevitably miss those important points, they create this cascading effect that keeps you mired in confusion.

The writing is also pretentious, with regular or nonsensical things consistently being presented in a profound way. There are plenty of extraneous paragraphs that sound good until you try to discern their meaning, at which point you'd be stumped. This sort of writing really confused me because I couldn't figure out which paragraphs mattered and needed to be dissected carefully to suss out their hidden meaning, and which ones are just adornment.

As for the story itself, it was a complete mismatch with my interests. I like science fiction with lots of real science. Instead, this is a space opera (a.k.a. a soap opera that takes place in space) with no actual science. It's all political intrigue, melodrama, doublespeak, and who has power over who, which I have zero interest in. I also couldn't care less about how fawningly amazing Paul is and how he is destined to be the chosen one.

This was such a frustrating reading experience because it could've been an amazing story. And there were moments in the beginning when I thought it was going in those creative directions. I was riveted during that infamous test in the first scene, only to realize that it was completely irrelevant to the rest of the story. Or to see where the book could take the scientific aspects of a desert planet and a population with so little water, which it didn't other than a bit of lip service.

But the book stubbornly chose to disregard these more interesting avenues, and instead took the most straightforward, boring route of making this into a story about power struggle. Well, we could've saved ourselves the bother and just stayed on Earth for that.

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*2nd read - in 2020 I gave this 4 stars. What a DAMN FOOL I was! Total masterpiece of the genre and I think I have spice in my blood now.

Dune, widely considered to be the greatest and most important Science-Fiction novel ever. I haven’t really read, well, any sci-fi before so kicking my foray off with this entry was a great way to start.

“Fear is the mind-killer.”

We follow a select few Point of Views who are all associated in one way or another, with the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. On Arrakis there is an extreme lack of moisture, a blood-feud between families, a spice called Melange which is invaluable to it’s owner, a tribal society and giant, fearsome, terrifying Sandworms. There is a lot to the history and current affairs of the galaxy and Frank Herbert does an excellent job of exploring many avenues of interest throughout this intriguing planet.

“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”

The Atreides family are the protagonists, all round good guys, with fantastic characters such as Duke Leto, Gurney Halleck, Duncan Idaho, Jessica a ‘Bene Dessert’ concubine and her son Paul Atreides, the heir to the family. There are lots of well crafted relationships within this faction. The blurb of Dune tells us that the family are betrayed and destroyed, and considering it takes quite a few pages to get to that point I’d have much preferred to have been able to figure it out for myself. The opposing faction, the Harkonnen’s are as well crafted as the Atreides, if not even more enjoyable. The slimy and devious Baron Vladmir is a fantastic antagonist. He brutally plots, is clever and there is no evil act that he is not willing to commit to see the downfall of his nemesis Atreides.

“The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance.”

I really enjoy my read of Dune. The prose is very strong, and the descriptions of the world of Arrakis are beautiful. It is science fiction but really not in your face with the science of it all, but it feels very real. Very realistic to the point I forgot it was indeed a sci-fi book. Herbert is a well-rounded storyteller with enough detail of characters, their inhibitions and description, as well as consistent plotting and intrigue. Unfortunately I found Paul, the main character to be the weakest of the cast. I disliked just how much we were in his head and how he was pretty much perfect, but it was written in the 60s and I understand that what modern books I read are trying to steer clear of that approach.

“Try looking into that place where you dare not look! You'll find me there, staring out at you!”

Still, Dune is a remarkable story and will keep you on the edge of your seat (in your ornithopter). There is so much depth to Dune, the world and its characters. Impressive is the word, really. I would recommend it to to anyone, it covers different preferences and will tick a lot of boxes for lots of people.

“Survival is the ability to swim in strange water.”

4/5 - a remarkable story written with a distinct style and depth. The characters are individual and intriguing. There is heartbreak, destruction, giant worms, epic duels and a marauding terrifying baby. There are some fantastic quotes too. I am very much looking forward to the film.

Manipulate the booktokers by telling them this book has ALL THE SPICE!!!!!

8-3-2024: part 2 was esthetically pleasing and raises interesting questions on leadership and followership, and the price of power.
15-9-2021: saw the movie tonight and loved it’s esthetics and how it conveys the gravitas of the story

Like medieval (but the Islamic enlightenment version of it) times, a caste system and the oil industry imposed upon space opera, with mystical elements permeating the whole and simultaneously telling the rise of a Napoleon like hero. Dune sounds like a book that shouldn’t work, but does, in an unique, complex and compelling manner.
The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him.

Start of the legend
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.

The last 25% of the book was a wild ride that really upped my enjoyment of this reread, and left me impressed with the worldbuilding and boldness of Frank Herbert.
But to start: Dune is a classic in the scifi field, but is quite atypical. Technological progress has stalled after a jihad against thinking machines (aka computers) and a kind of medieval society in space has emerged. An emperor reigns, planets are dished out as fiefs and mysterious sects (We Bene Gesserit sift people to find the humans.) follow their own paths to influence events. Some kind of social darwinism is at play, and the conviction that humanity can be massively better (or worse) is we return our attention to oneself instead of towards technology.

The terms are at the start quite hard to get into, even though I know the story and remember some of them from last time reading the book. Arrakis, the Dune from the title, is an other interesting thing. This desert planet is almost a separate character (The highest function of ecology is understanding consequences), being handed to the Atreides duke and worsening a blood feud with the Harkonnens, the previous owners of the planet.

It is interesting how Herbert decided to reveal the first murder plot perpetrator quite soon, showing evidently that this is a book more about ideas then tension.
In general the book is biblical in language and the weight assigned to events, with foreshadowing and myths. The world feels rich and alive.

The main character is Paul Atreides, the son of duke Leto. He is groomed to take on his role of leader of a major house, and by his Bene Gesserit mother Jessica (who is, for lack of a better analogy, a kind of crossing between a martial arts expert, nun and witch). There are several other retainers, who are depicted in a manner that I can only compare to The Lord of the Rings.
The characters in general feel greater than life, for instance the level of perception and deduction at the dinner party is superhuman, I can only imagine because there is no advanced technology that the psychic training must somehow become more advanced and leads to the kind of casual analysis Jessica and Paul are capable of.

The fall of house Atreides is still a brutal event, even if you know it is coming and feels swift and unexpected, as does Paul’s enlightenment.

Predetermination versus free will
A kind of Heisenberg indeterminacy intervened: the expenditure of energy that revealed what he saw, changed what he saw.

To be fair, halfway in the book I felt a kind of lull in reading. The main characters are thrown back upon themselves and need to establish themself amongst the Freemen, Bedouin like desert folk who are much more powerful than thought.
In these sections there is such a sensitivity to culture and worldbuilding, Tatooine or the Aiel of Robert Jordan are nothing compared to the depth Herbert manages to bring go Arrakis and its Freemen. So much must have been thought of but has been left out, given a richness in the world conjured that is only rivaled by Middle Earth.

The scenes are intense, and well written, but in way a bit dull since the ascent of Paul to power seems assured. There is banter that is really sharp, like:
“Do you trust me?”
“I hear your sincerity.”
And Paul is shown as doubting, self aware of his rise and what it entails, commenting on heroism and mythmaking, and the restraints to his powers: (The vision made him want to freeze into immobility, but this, too, was action with its consequences.)

But the third part, especially to the end, shows real boldness by skipping two years and taking on tragic events (Grief is the price of victory), sometimes only in an indirect manner.
Alia is a good example, and all the implications and struggles, guilt, she must bring with her. You feel it, it is touched upon, but never in an on the nose manner.
And the development of the relationship between Stilgar and Paul also carries sadness and an awareness of the corrosive power of adoration and myth: I have seen a friend become a worshipper.

The epicness of both the story and main character Paul (and a shoutout to Chani and Jessica as well) is just beyond anything.
For instance somewhere near the end Paul responds the following to a warning that the galactic emperor is coming down upon him in force:
"When the Emperor learns that he’ll not rest until he has you over a slow fire."
"The Emperor’s not likely to have that power over me."

Decadence as an indication of ineffectiveness and decline, while orthodoxy, returning to the core of human struggle for life, is a way out of the impasse, comes back as a theme.

The actual enlightenment and power of Paul as gained by the spice is unknowable to a reader, since he operates on another level entirely. Time being a dimension, Paul transcends the three dimensions and becomes something inhuman along the way, a singularity like the technical singularity.

Some minor criticism
"How could you do such a foolish thing?" she demanded.
"He is your son"

Oké, what is this convenient weirding suddenly along the way?
Why is count Fenring there, what does he add in anyway to the story?
And how the hell does Paul get nuclear weapons all of the sudden.
And as said: the second part of the book really did not speak that much to me.

But in no way it can be denied that the world conjured by Dune is rich, bold and interesting, and that I very much look forward to see the movie in 2021!

Bad ass quotes:
She said that the mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.

...and the mystery of life is not a problem to solve but a reality to experience.

The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future.

But the test of a man isn’t what you think he’ll do. It’s what he actually does.

The people who can destroy a thing, they control it.

The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.