Dune: Deluxe Edition

This book is often considered to be the best science fiction novel ever written and for good reason. _Dune_ is a 1960s-era science fiction novel, published on the cusp of the Golden Age and the New Wave. Science Fiction of the time was in a transitional period influenced by the periodical _Galaxy_. SF at the time emphasized what some would call soft science fiction, a genre dealing with psychology, sociology, and sociopolitical commentary, with the bonus of one or more unique original ideas and a Sense of Wonder. Within these domains, _Dune_ hits every note a book of its genre could possibly hit and does so brilliantly. This is not anything like what passes for science fiction today, as the genre has been heavily-influenced by the Modernist movement and is now characterized by meandering fiction with long atmospheric narrative descriptions and no idea content other than politically-correct gender diversity, as is often found in a Gardner Dozois Year's Best anthology. This novel seems more nuanced and cogent to me today as an adult than it did when I first read it as a teen. The explorations of preternatural consciousness, mind control, economics, religion, and political intrigue are fascinating. But _Dune_ was also revolutionary in its use of what was then called Ecology (now called Environmental Science) as a hard science. This book is a high mark in the achievement of hard-science worldbuilding. After all these years it is still the most well-thought out and well-fleshed out worldview in the entire SF canon. Its complex, logical worldbuilding is presented in what was the then-prominent Science Fiction protocol of revealing the world little by little through contextual clues rather than inserting infodumps of description. As such it takes more work to read than a more modern book with infodumps. Readers who find the book boring aren't reading it with Science Fiction reading protocols and apparently most of them are too callow to resonate with some the book's political, economic, and sociocultural commentary. The genre was about ideas, not literary modernism, so you will not find the book filled with metaphors and literary allusions such as one might find in a Creative Writing MFA's workshopped short story, although Paul's story is clearly the Hero's Journey and he is obviously a Messiah figure as well as a military/political leader. The characters may not be as well-rounded as in a Dostoevsky novel but in case you missed it, the main character isn't really Paul. The main character is the planet Arrakis. Read this book with that in mind and you'll be amazed. For those expecting a Hollywood superhero comic-book style movie with action scenes and high-definition special effects, there is some of that in here too, but that is not the main point. This is a Frank Herbert novel of ideas, not a David Lynch film of striking visuals.

Frank Herbert's Dune is simultaneously one of the most sublime and frustrating works of literature ever produced. I gave this novel a 5/5 rating outright for two reasons: it's my favorite novel, one I never tire of re-reading; and it's a book that should be read at least once by anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, history, political science, economics, mysticism, or narrative. Regardless of whether or not someone actually enjoys Dune, every reader can glean something from it. That said, were it not for the latter two points, I would likely give this novel a lower rating, and here's why: Dune sacrifices storytelling for story. What in the name of Thor am I talking about? Let me explain. The world-building of Dune is outstanding, and I mean, REALLY outstanding. Tolkien can't hold a candle to Herbert's work in this regard - sure, he came up with a number of artificial languages, but from a narrative perspective that's actually one of the less productive things you can do to flesh out a setting. In Dune, every story element has relevance and connection to every other story element. The political reality of the galaxy depends on economic power, which is derived from trade, which is made possible by the Spacing Guild, who uses the spice, which exists only on Arrakis, whose administration depends upon the political climate. Paul's character is related to the mystical aspects of the story, but also brings relevance to the ecological and historical aspects. And so on, and so on. There isn't a loose thread here, no equivalent of the Fellowship of the Ring's Barrow-wights; nothing here could be removed from the whole package without substantially diminishing it. Tapping into all of these fundamental spheres of thought and creativity gives Dune the feeling of being a real history, and it gives the reader the feeling they're witnessing a change in the axis of civilization - something more subtly epic than big battles, of which we only get one (and an indirectly described one at that). That said, because Herbert is so dedicated to giving us as much material to work with as he can, in many instances this novel misses out on what might have been effective dramatic elements. An important plot point early on in the book is the supposed presence of a traitor in the midst of the Atreides, a traitor who will make the Harkonnen plot possible. Ordinarily I wouldn't mention this for spoiler concerns, but the novel basically comes out and tells you who the traitor is from the beginning, a while before it even comes into play in the events of the story. The reason this is problematic is because in a story which is so dependent upon political intrigue, it makes the decisions of the characters more powerful when we share in the mystery of the information around them. Another narrative problem is Paul himself. Though he is unquestionably the central character of the story as well as its protagonist, Paul starts off as a precocious fifteen-year-old and ends as a major player in galactic politics. In other words, he starts of as unrelatable and becomes less relatable as time goes by. In fact, several of my friends told me they stopped reading after a while because they didn't like Paul. This is an entirely fair criticism. In fact, the only character with whom a reader could form a true emotional connection would be Paul's mother, the Lady Jessica, whose problems are much more grounded in humanity. Now Paul's nature is basically vital to the fabric of the story, so it would diminish the story's complexity for him to become a more human character; but Dune would undoubtedly have been an easier reading experience had the novel chosen to focus on Jessica. This should give you a taste of what I mean. Dune isn't a novel that really engages a reader on an emotional level; because it reads so much like a history, it engages you on intellectual and thematic levels - but again, not emotionally. This is still my favorite novel, because measured against the standards of what it's trying to accomplish it succeeds beautifully; but potential readers should know what sort of undertaking they're facing when they pick this up.

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A very good hardcase version of dune. Together with Dune: Messiah of the same publisher really good. Just fair warning there is no children of dune in this version

Una obra maestra que se disfruta mas tras ver las nuevas películas. No es apto para todos los públicos dado que no es fácil de seguir, pero no deja de ser una joya.

Frank Herbert's "Dune" is a fascinating, layered, and deep book. I read the book continuously until I reached the last page. Even though I knew that this book was the first of a series of six books (more, if you include the 'Dune' books his son wrote), from the ending, it was clear that the story was incomplete. The tale follows the fortunes of the young Paul Atreides's transformation from a young adolescent to a powerful man. Frank Herbert set the story in the distant future, where ruling houses control entire planets. The planetary fiefdoms are a far cry from the world we live in and will make a discerning reader wonder if we are heading in that direction. Kingdoms rise and fall, and when Paul's father is assassinated, he and his mother, the witch, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost on the desert planet, Arrakis, which is also the only source of mélange, or 'spice,' the valuable drug that enhances mental abilities and is the required for space travel. The book explores numerous themes – the rise and fall of empires, the coming of age, the exploitation and struggle for resources, love and politics, and the intersection of religion and politics – which demand careful consideration. Through the tale, he keeps you engrossed, but the book demands patient reading. He divided the story into three sections, each corresponding to a different phase in Paul's life. A few themes fascinated me. One is the value of water on a desert planet, where people regard even a teardrop as a precious source of water. The way they treat the dead before burying them should make us shiver and ask if this is our future. The second theme that intrigued me is the importance of mental power and magic. Even in the distant future, he envisioned, mental prowess is critical for survival. However, would he believe the same in these days of computer super-intelligence? Last, there is a strong connection between religion, mysticism, and political power. Love is always sacrificed at the altar of political power, even in the distant future Frank Herbert envisioned. The book is fascinating, and when you finish the story, you will want to read the next installment.

This is also a pretty decent book to read and fairly slim to put into a backpack