Dune (Dune #1) – Frank Herbert
I FINALLY DID IT!!! After TWENTY years of wanting to read it but being overwhelmed by the sheer reputation and scope, I have FINALLY READ DUNE!!!!
In a nutshell, Dune it is about a young man named Paul Atradies. Paul’s father is a Duke and his mother is the Dukes Concubine Jessica who is a member of the bene gesserit, which is a group of women with weird powers and abilities to see the future. His mother has trained him in ways the bene gesserit, the way they fight and defend themselves, and use their special powers. He is brought to the planet Arrakis, otherwise known as “Dune”, when his father Duke Leto is tasked by the Emperor to rule the desolate desert planet. Leto knows that the emperor is only sending him there because he sees him as a threat to his power and throne, and wants to somehow get rid of him but can’t deny the appointment. The planet is is the only place in the universe where a substance called Spice Melange is found. Now this is where it starts to get interesting, the spice is an addictive substance that is found in the dunes of the planet, and is responsible for numerous things such as advancing the life span, and is required for interstellar travel. The bene gesserit use it to give them their powers. It is the most valuable substance in the universe but is also the most difficult to acquire, as the sand dunes are overrun with GIANT sand worms with rows of killer teeth.
When the Duke and his family are attacked by a rival house Harokenns, Paul and his mother find themselves alone in the desert and are taken in by the planet’s desert race the fremens. The fremens believe that Paul is the chosen one, who will bring water and life to the planet.
I just wish that I had read this book at an earlier time of my life. I think it often depends on WHEN in your life you read a book, how you feel at the time determines if you think it is a “masterpiece” or just a good book. If I had read this back in my 20’s when I was more open to the themes in the book and after something existential, perhaps I would have appreciated it more. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it at that deeper level. Not to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it, but I wouldn’t class it as the best sci-fi book of all time. At least not yet.
I admit that towards the end of the book I looked up some resoures on the internet. Because the book is so old and so loved, there are literally COUNTLESS resources available. I found youtube videos, podcasts, BOOKS, and websites that delve into the Dune universe and really helped me understand everything at a deeper level.
That’s the good thing about the Dune universe, you can go as deep as you like. You can skim along the surface, or you can spend more time and research a little and dive deep under the water and get immersed in it.
I have always heard that Dune was quite a difficult book. And because it was written in the 60s I was expecting some aged book with difficult-to-follow language. It was by no means an easy book, but it was nowhere near as bad as I was imagining!
And it felt like it could have been written today. That is one of the things that I love so much about sci-fi and fantasy. Because it is set only within the borders of the imagination, it can be set anywhere and any time. It doesn’t age.
Would I recommend Dune?
It is definitely a book that you need to sit with after you read it and discuss it with other people. I am looking forward to reading the sequels and delving deeper into this universe. Although I really wish that I had read it when I was younger, I think a lot of the themes would have hit me deeper and I would have had so many more years to appreciate it!
(3.5 / 5)
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