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Probably the best series I have ever read. Frank Herbert did an incredible job taking a critique of messianic figures and building a fictional world to tell the story.

I personally believe that the Original Dune Trilogy is particular long and strong on this thought-provoking commentary, and also on a number of other critical story telling points that others have gone over, in great depth and frequency with their reviews. I don't feel the need to re-invent that wheel, of commentary, in this review. Instead...

What I want to highlight is this:

The thing to cherish, about Frank Herbert's writing, is his commentary on the human condition and our tendencies to act like primates. I am not saying that Frank Herbert worded it quite that way. However, Herbert's commentary on human kind, which is often, but not always, given in the opening statements -at the very beginnings of the chapters in many of his books, continues to resonate with me in new and surprising ways, each time that I re-read them, with decades in between readings. That is, now - and probably all along was, what I love most about reading Frank Herbert's fiction. FH's his depth of insight into humanity, on all kinds of scales, and his eloquence in propounding it, are astounding.

This is a somewhat unique phenomenon for me. I am not much for re-reading many of the books that I have read and enjoyed. Frank Herbert's writing leads the top of a very small list that I won't hesitate to re-visit, over a period of decades. I did recently re-read the Hobbit, LOTR and the Silmarillion. I will likely re-read William Gibson's Burning Chrome and probably also Neuromancer.

I just don't get what makes some folks say that they loved Dune but then it all fell apart for them when they tried to read the subsequent books in the original Dune series. I think that they missing a much bigger, and very well told story that reflects deeply upon who we truly are, as a species.

I first read Dune, just the first novel, in 1977 or 78, as a young adult. About two years later I wrote Frank Herbert, encouraged by my Freshmen Year German Language teacher. I was rewarded with a signed 8 X 10 portrait, that Mr. Herbert, his wife or his publicist, kindly mailed back to me. That portrait, that sat on constant display, in the many places that I've lived, until it was lost to the Marshall Fire, on 30 December 2021.

Then, in the very late 1980s or early 1990s, I read The Jesus Incident. Both books made quite an impression on me, even though it would be another decade before I'd return to reading them. Then, I read all six original Frank Herbert Dune novels, back to back, around the time of the Iraq War. The subtleties and comprehensive strength, of the Geriatric Spice - as an obvious, and probably intentional, analogy, for our dependence on fossil fuels, truly resonated. This was even more so the case, when taken in the context of the time during which I read those six books. Very much more of what FH had to say about us, through the fabulous mirrors of his story telling, have stayed with me all these years.

I followed those six books, shortly, by reading all three of the Main Sequence books in Frank Herbert's The Pandora Sequence Books. I loved all nine books, to one degree or another. Four, or more, years after that I read the Prequel to the Pandora Sequence, Destination: Void. I was already a committed fan and quite enjoyed that book too.

I would sincerely recommend any of Frank Herbert's ten books, that are listed above, to many. I would also recommend most FH's other books. His insights are always enlightening. My personal mileage has been that I can consistently mine new gems, of tremendous reflective insight, to think about deeply, every time that I re-read an FH novel.

If you find yourself tapping your toe to the the tune of FH's commentary on humanity, when reading Dune, the Jesus Incident, or any of his other stellar novels, then be a little patient and try some more of his writing. The reward may feel tremendous. It's kind of like what Good Will Hunting had to say about his "friends" to Sean the "Burnout" Maguire, a psychotherapist character in the movie of the same name as the protagonist. Sean's retort made an important point, but did not detract from Will's main point - that certain authors can open up worlds to us. Frank Herbert is at the top of that list for me.

Dune is a planet of limits and possibilities. It is a place waiting for the people bred for its promise.

But it goes wrong. Or right. It depends on your perspective. Perspective, like the sands of Dune change with the wind.

Dune is a treatise on power, ecology and hubris. It is one of the books any science fiction fan should read at least once.

This is a book of tyranny, treachery, and tragedy. A long and difficult read, but rewarding nevertheless.

I choose to read it because it served as an inspiration for many of the greatest stories of science-fiction, including Star Wars (which wouldn't have existed without ripping off Dune)

There is a lot I didn't like about Dune:

Key moments of plot and narrative are skipped over with a rapid speed that often left me with whiplash. Plot threads don't connect and seeds planted early on are abandoned. Dialogue is dry and moments of critical tension executed without art. New planets, civilizations, and entities spring into being to serve the narrative without foreshadowing. And the plot is deeply convoluted plot at times - for example the tale of Duncan Idaho.

It feels like Herbert was so immersed in epic world-building that he forgot to write a good story.

Yet, reflecting on this vast story brings forth rich ideas:

This is a story filled with real world analogues from Iraq and the plight of developing countries in revolution against imperialism to the ecology of Sand Dunes in Oregon. The range of cultural, historical, linguistic, and religious influences from the hear and now are carried to the world of Dune to serve as a commentary on Herbert's own concerns (and the concerns of his time).

Environmental stress, resource scarcity, the nature of power, human potential and worth, social engineering, altered states of consciousness, and an emphasis on examining the role of systems, communities, and populations over that of the individual.

I greatly appreciated the nuance of Herbert's commentary, the layers to his analysis, and the risks he takes to trick the reader at times. He isn't afraid of tackling philosophical, ethical, and moral questions.

I have spoken at length about my thoughts on Dune, so I will try and keep this brief.

Dune is set in a far off future where machines aren't trusted and war is waged with swords and shields (but special shields) rather than guns and missiles. It's a sci-fi fantasy political thriller action world-building extravaganza and I love it with all my heart, and have loved it since I read it first as a teenager.

Dune is also a story that I could argue about for YEARS. Maybe one day. For now, lets talk about why it's not 5 stars.

If this was purely a review of Dune (and possibly Messiah) then it would be. But everything after that keeps getting progressively worse and worse and worse.
Do yourself a favour and maybe just stop after Dune. Watch some YouTube videos for the rest of the lore if you are really interested. It's not worth the time, and Herbert's son honestly sometimes misses the point of the originals.

A must read, not only by scifi fans, but also for its literature, its philosophy, ... - it's an ageless book for everyone.

Excellent book. I found this part of Brian Herbert's (Frank Herbert's son) afterward particularly accurate: " 'Dune' could be read on any of several layers that were nested beneath the adventure story of a messiah on a desert planet. Ecology is the most obvious layer, but alongside that are politics, religion, philosophy, history, human evolution, and even poetry. 'Dune' is a marvelous tapestry of words, sounds, and images..... You could follow any of the novel's layers as you read it, and then start the book all over again, focusing on an entirely different layer."

Ich wollte die Trilogie wirklich mögen, aber ich konnte das Buch nicht zu Ende lesen. Bei CoD musste ich aufgeben. Die Figuren sind unsympathisch, Hintergründe und Begriffe werden häufig nicht erklärt, Dialoge sind langweilig. Vielleicht hat jemand Lust, mir ganz unironisch ein paar Fragen zu beantworten:

Woher rührt die Feindschaft zwischen House Harkonnen und Atreides?
Wenn Duke Leto ahnte, dass Dune seinen Tod bedeuten könnte, warum fliegt er dann überhaupt hin?
Warum finden sich freiwillig Navigatoren für die Space Guild, wenn man doch durch das Spice langsam zu einem drogenabhängigen Fischmonster wird?
Warum ist Pauls Großvater Baron Harkonnen, wenn es doch zwischen den Häusern eine Feindschaft gibt?
Wie genau soll der Holtzman-Effekt funktionieren?
Warum werden Leto II und Ghanima mit vollem Bewusstsein geboren?

Quite the sci-fi novel. I've read a lot of reviews being skeptical of the way Herbert has infused the introductory parts with a lot of information hence making it a difficult read. I don't think that's a big reason to put off this dramatic universe. I recommend using the glossary like a sane person :)

I love Herbert's way of writing though he could have avoided a few repetitive phrases (I perceive it like a Greek bard with his lyre though), I found myself completely immersed in the world of Dune. He's written it like it was a recorded history that took place and he's a historian publishing works. The attachment that I developed towards Jessica was suprising, and she's honestly the best written character.
Right from the moment the Atreides household was split I was worried for all of their lives, never have I felt happier than seeing Gurney and Paul reunite. I wish Thufir was too, his fate was by far the worst. Coming back to Jessica, honey how badly are we going to keep screwing up? Alia's entire being was troubled by the spice, and the effects of the same are visible in Dune Messiah. She did her best, poor thing wanted a normal life, of happiness and love.

The first two books were excellently carried: and he captured quite adequately how all purposes become hollow with time and how a prophet becomes the most hated person. In Paul, he seeked to combine all superhuman abilities: the Bene Gesserit, a Mentat, Muad'dib the Fremen messiah, and captured the essence of his pain quite realistically as well. Dune can be likened to a journey of self-discovery in a strange world all on our own, Paul learning the ways of the world the hard way, the Baron trying to climb a dirty mountain with his dirty deeds and whatnot. I could go on and on about the characters, really.

Dune Messiah was a stage of maturity, and I'd say Paul was a middle-aged leader by then. It was quite a short journey if we count the pages but Herbert expanded the world and introduced new power dynamics. Brilliant idea- the Bene Tleilax and their Face dancers, the Guild Navigators had smaller roles but the ambiguity gave them a slightly murkier entity. Speaking of power dynamics, Irulan and Chani were not absolutely directly pitted against the other but one could see why love mattered and there was a sneer around the Gesserit breeding programme. Irulan's mediocrity made me pity her at times, not gonna lie but the way she tricked Chani's fertility I would have had a similar reaction as Chani. Woman's the strongest I've met after Jessica. The book ended quite tragically something I was not at all prepared for.

Coming to Children of Dune, Herbert is yet again charismatic with his prose and imagery but I failed to connect very well with the plot. He steers the ship towards a more mystical path than the sci-fi which was initially proposed. Not something I hate but nothing very loved either. The twins were born under heavy melange consumption and their preborn selves not aligning with Alia's is something I consider a loophole. Also the twins talk *so much* which is why I skipped a little and felt the book becoming pointless. However, I did read a detailed plot summary because the investment was far greater. I'd say I liked the way the plot was planned but the execution was subpar.
Leto imo took a step his father was too afraid to, but his reason isn't futile either he chose family (typical Atreides). I don't see much changing in the future in terms of the people because one way or the other its a dictator.
Thanks for the ride, Frank! (and Irulan)

great read but after watching the movies I can only imagine Timothy's twink face

A brilliant examination of human politicks and potential. Also an exploration of the dichotomy of destiny and free will as Paul struggles to stem the inevitable tide of events that will rip human society apart. One of the best books ever written.