Dune Question

[Spot]

Well guys,

Im at a point where ive pretty much read all the books ive wanted to read with a few exceptions... I was trying to figure out what to read next and from my understanding everyone here said the Dune series was the series to read.

So i went to my local Library and found the book, im kinda iffy to start it. i donno if its because its so big and looks very complex or if its just the fact im not a HUGE HUGE sci-fi kinda guy...

I dont really know what im asking here? Im sure lots of people are going to say dont be stupid just read it... and i plan to, i guess i want to know WHY this series is so "wow"

haha thanks guys

[Paradox]

I don't really think it is. I've liked other Herbert stuff better. The first hundred pages or so were an extreme struggle for me, and such is usually not the case. I had to start the thing three different times in my life before I finally read it all.

'Course, I have a personal prejudice in that a majority of the characters are deliberately trying not to show any emotion whatsoever during the book, and that just turned me off.

It's good enough, but I wouldn't call it spectacular or anything. Probably one of those things I read, too, because everyone was lauding it.

[Roquefort Raider]

As ever, to each their own; I basically had the exact opposite reaction to Paradox's. When I picked Dune at the library (more decades ago than I care to remember!) it was just to see was the hubbub was all about; but two pages in, I couldn't put it down and had to read it to the end.

It's true that the characters are pretty reserved when it comes to demonstrate their feelings; but as my parents were pretty much like that, I could relate to the Atreides family.

[Brannon]

Dune is certainly worth reading, but I feel it falls short of being "sci-fi's answer to Lord of the Rings", as it's so often called. It has it's strong points, and its own unique philosophical and quasi-metaphysical problems. On the ubiquitous "5 star" scale, I would give it a 4.

The book can be overly cold, and lacks strategically placed levity, but some of the ideas and concepts are downright brilliant. The world building/faux history aspect is well-done, but not nearly as detailed and thought out as Tolkien's.

If it had the soul/heart of something like LOTR, it would have been even better. My summarized feelings of the book. Hope it helps.

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Dune is certainly worth reading, but I feel it falls short of being "sci-fi's answer to Lord of the Rings", as it's so often called. It has it's strong points, and its own unique philosophical and quasi-metaphysical problems. On the ubiquitous "5 star" scale, I would give it a 4.

The book can be overly cold, and lacks strategically placed levity, but some of the ideas and concepts are downright brilliant. The world building/faux history aspect is well-done, but not nearly as detailed and thought out as Tolkien's.

If it had the soul/heart of something like LOTR, it would have been even better. My summarized feelings of the book. Hope it helps.


Pretty much what I was thinknig. A good, solid read. Now, I haven't read the others in the series, but Dune still holds a mark as one of the top 10 SciFi books I've ever read.

[Jared_Humpherys]

The Dune series as a whole has its ups and downs(ignore the prequels entirely if you know what's good for you).

"Dune" is a solid read, and one of the best of the series.

"Dune Messiah" is a bit slower, but has a solid ending. "Dune Messiah" is to "Dune" as "Speaker for the Dead" is to "Ender's Game."

"Children of Dune" is better than "Messiah," and really gets into the prescience angle of the series.

"God-Emperor of Dune" is the slowest read in the series, but perhaps has the most meaning.

"Heretics of Dune" is one of the best of the series in my opinion, and has some great political ideas.

"Chapterhouse Dune" is just as good as "Heretics", and further expands upon the politics, as well as showing a new side to the Bene Gesserit and Tleilaxu.

[The Batman]

having only read Dune and Dune: Messiah so far i'd recommend both those book, more so Dune and Messiah felt like a bit of a let down after Dune. i'm not sure if that's because of Messiah being not so good or Dune being so good.

[howyadoin]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=118&page=1&pp=20

[jadegiant77]

Not trying to sell you on this amazing series. If you don't like it, don't read it. That's all.

[Solaris]

I enjoyed the book because it explored Man's desire to tinker with his own species, and his own evolution... and how some patterns tend to repeat despite that. To me, the book was far more of a sociological and psychological and philosophical exploration than a science fiction, even if it *was* set 10,000 years or so in the future.

In some respects, from what I recall, Asimov's Foundation series offered a similar lure for some people: sociological etc.

Herbert provides some fascinating hypotheses in how people interact with their environment and each other, and the mutual impacts/changes/adaptations this causes.

[DEATH]

Agreed with the sociological issue and that the Foundation series is fantastic, also as has been said the best is the first and original.

Just a word of warning:
DO NOT READ THE BUTLERIAN JIHAD TRILOGY!, the other prequels are quite bad (Especially the awful Atreides, although parts of Harkonnen and Corrino were'nt bad) but the second prequel trilogy had multiple eye gouging parts.

[Roquefort Raider]

(...) the second prequel trilogy had multiple eye gouging parts.

Not to mention the "let's stick my testicles in the cuisinart to take my mind off that trash" parts.

[DEATH]

Not to mention the "let's stick my testicles in the cuisinart to take my mind off that trash" parts.
Or the "We need to make the machines be evil.... Lets make them babykillers!"
The only likeable character in the trilogy was the babykiller robot (Apart from that incident), his adopted son and it ending

[Scytale]

What is so great about the DUNE series? Why, that it contains ME, Scytale the Face Dancer! Everything else is of course superfluous! Having escaped the less-than-feminine clutches of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood (who impiously and rudely took me prisoner in CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE) and made my way to a mysterious neutral planet I felt it was time for me to answer the calumnies and abuse that have been heaped upon the Tleilaxu by the fanatical infidel propaganda machine of those prescient pinheads, the Atreides! All who care to read the real truth may find it in my entertainingly nefarious and despicable memoirs at:

www.freewebs.com/scytale

(Seriously, a fan fiction novel of Scytale’s adventures having no connection with Frank Herbert’s incomparable work. As an aspiring science fiction writer I’m keen to get feedback on it and if you do read the short novel I hope you enjoy it as much as I did the writing! Best regards, Scytale)