Product Description

The epic story of the planet Arrakis, its Atreides rulers and their mortal enemies the Harkonnens is the finest, most widely acclaimed and enduring science fiction novel of this century.

Huge in scope, towering in concept, it is a work that will live on in the reader’s imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9026 in Books
• Published on: 1982-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices". Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and also grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a superhuman--he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the centre of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.

Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, and deservedly so. The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine and the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. --Brooks Peck

Review
'Unique among SF novels ... I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings.' -- Arthur C. Clarke 'One of the landmarks of modern science fiction ... an amazing feat of creation.' -- Analog

This future space fantasy might start an underground craze. It feeds on the shades of Edgar Rice Burroughs (the Martian series), Aeschylus, Christ and J.R. Tolkien. The novel has a closed system of internal cross-references, and features a glossary, maps and appendices dealing with future religions and ecology. Dune itself is a desert planet where a certain spice liquor is mined in the sands; the spice is a supremely addictive narcotic and control of its distribution means control of the universe. This at a future time when the human race has reached a point of intellectual stagnation. What is needed is a Messiah. That's our hero, called variously Paul, then Muad'Dib (the One Who Points the Way), then Kwisatz Haderach (the space-time Messiah). Paul, who is a member of the House of Atreides (!), suddenly blooms in his middle teens with an ability to read the future and the reader too will be fascinated with the outcome of this projection... With its bug-eyed monsters, one might think Dune was written thirty years ago; it has a fantastically complex schemata and it should interest advanced sci-fi devotees. (Kirkus Reviews)

Review
‘Unique among SF novels . . . I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings.’ (Arthur C. Clarke )

‘One of the landmarks of modern science fiction . . . an amazing feat of creation.’ (Analog )

Customer Reviews

May have been good ... once
This book has got such a high profile and has had such rave reviews that I was expecting something a little special. I suppose that it has to be borne in mind that it is more than 40 years old and was quite startling at that time, but to be honest I found it to be a predictable and soulless dirge. Out of respect and a desire to see what all the fuss is about I stuck with it until then end, but it didn't really light my fire. I understand that after this 'high point' the series goes down hill ... so I won't be bothering with the follow-ups.

Terrific balance of themes
As you will gather from other reviewers this is a brilliant read. What I found shocking however, was that reading Dune one comes to the sudden realisation that George Lucas was not only of limited imagination but a B-rated pilferer at that. Once you take away from Star Wars what Dune provided you are left with a fairly limp fairy-tale. Look at it this way: Dune is for Star Wars what Star Wars is for He-Man.

The best science fiction book ever written.
To me this is the best science fiction book ever written and Lord of the Rings the best science fantasy. The originality and depth of this book are amazing. Taking this, Frank Herbert's subsequent books, Brian Herbert's and Kevin Anderson's prequals and sequals, the result is a story and universe of staggering depth and proportions. Frank Herbert also has a very unique style to his writing (the story itself and the thoughts of the protagonists run side by side). The film and the two miniseries are also worth seeing. If I could rate this higher than 5 stars, I would.