Chain Reading

Dune was great. Don't bother reading beyond the second or third book though. Once he tries to become the God Emporor of Dune, the series loses much of its appeal. One of the things I really liked about this book was the thematic elements that carried forward, particularly, "My skin is not my own," that important step that one generation was unwilling or unable to take but following generations were able to. Maybe someday I'll go back and re-read the final books in the series.

This was quite a good book. It is considered to be one of the premiere books in the sci-fi realm today, and I can easily see why that is so. The book is written well, and really only has one fault in my opinion. That fault is the switching of perspectives mid-chapter. Back when this book was written, I understand that the omniscient god-perspective of characters was something that authors used quite commonly. At times though, it became confusing as to which character exactly was talking/thinking, and I had to go back and re-read portions of the text. I have to admit though, that Herbert did a better job at attempting this type of prose than other authors have. When there were a number of characters within a scene, he would usually stick to one character's perspective for a good block of text. I don't remember coming across any passages where he was jumping all over the place, as so many authors that I have read try to do. So, in this respect, the annoying "change of perspective" was limited in such a way that it wasn't totally confusing every time. The characters in this book are quite believeable, and you find yourself, as a reader, communing with the characters in their plight. You find yourself having the respect and confidence in Paul (the main character) that is due his station in the story. The plot was set up very well. It doesn't lag, but keeps moving in the same direction. There were a few jumps in the timeline that took me a while to adjust to, but those jumps allowed the story to stay exciting and thus, I believe, were warranted. Herbert's characters were sufficiently introspective that you could understand their reasoning and choices. The one fault of this introspection is that the pace of the single "fight scene" in the book was hampered by Paul's thoughts, and so didn't have the impact that I think it could have otherwise had. The end of the book was another one of those (like: I am Legend, by Robert Matheson) that gave me the chills at the last line. Quite well done, and I will most likely continue the series.

The first reason I ever read this book was because of the most excellent Amiga game with the same name. Then a few years later Dune II came and it's the game we have to thank when enjoying Comand & Concour, Warcraft etc.

2nd reason is that I really enjoyed the movie.

The book is better, deeper as always. A great read.

Did try 2nb dook but it never stuck on me. Didn't read it to the end.... only other book I've never finished is The Dark Half. Just couldn't find them interesting.

There is so much potential in this book that it's quite overwhelming. I haven't read any of the others in the series, but the raw material that Herbert has allowed himself to work with is vast and he definitely has a sharp mind and a vivid imagination. The first book in the Dune Chronicles is about Paul Atreides, a 15-year-old ducal heir, who, together with his family, must leave the fertile planet of Caladan and move to the arid, sweltering planet of Arrakis, where water is the most precious commodity and gigantic sandworms roam the deserts. The jihad is about to break out between different peoples, both on and off Arrakis -- is Paul the one who can stop it? I don't think too much of Herbert's writing style but he has researched contemporary religion quite well and infused that into this book. Some of his projections are even comparable to Orwell's 1984 and that is a wonderful compliment for any author. I appreciated the true Urdu words he used when exemplifying the languages of Arrakis -- for instance, usul = fundamental value/principle; noukker = servant, and so on. I'm not sure if I'll buy the next few books in the series because the writing itself is not engaging (though the ideas are). But I know a lot of people who adore this series and I can definitely see their point.