Going into Dune I had high expectations. I was not around when it first came out, but due to the movie coming out I decided it might be a good/fun idea to read it and then watch the movie and compare afterward. Getting straight to the point, I want to say that I did enjoy most aspects of this book. When we think sci-fi, or at least when I do, I think of space battles, and big wars. This book is very much not this. The book focused mainly on themes of betrayal and political intrigue of an interesting, dark and sad future of humanity. If you came looking for action and big battles you will be disappointed.

The start of the book really focuses on the world building, and establishing characters. Two aspects I think that Frank Herbert knocked out of the park. The fact that we are dropped into this world that at first seems incredibly difficult to understand and very intricate, and as we progress, we come to understand the subtle terms and nuances along with the people/races and the whole political/imperial system and it's workings. 5/5 on the world building aspect of Dune.

The one thing that I found very difficult to understand was the way Frank Herbert writes. I found that it was very difficult to understand at first. I often found myself re-reading certain paragraphs and/or sentences, because I didn't understand something. Throughout the book however, you come to understand his writing and the flow of how he gets his point across if that makes sense. He has a, what I would call, very olden times type of writing style, which as I said before can be difficult for some.

Overall I though that it was a very well written book, however I found that Frank Herbert's storytelling ability was very choppy and not something that I would be drawn to, had it not been for the hype of the movie releasing. That's where, for me, he lost a few marks. In the future I hope to read the rest of the series, as I have heard good things about them as well. My review is purely opinion based, and by no means is meant as a shot toward the community that reveres Frank Herbert. I say yet again, I have no hate toward Frank Herbert or the people that like his books.

Recommended for people who are at ease with slower paced books, focused more on political intrigue and the inner workings of an empire and betrayal, rather than the more modern Fantasy/Sci-Fi books that focus more on battles and action.

3.75/5

Embarking on the odyssey that is this book, my only expectation was that I would be confused, having been warned (correctly) by Booktok that Herbert’s worldbuilding is of the variety that throws you in the deep end and expects you to figure it out. With Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet as my motivation, however, I flew through the first hundred pages or so (which, in my opinion, were the most confusing), and was quickly sucked into the world of Arrakis. The first 100-or-so pages of confusion aside, the worldbuilding was incredible—not only did the scientific explanations in this science fiction novel make sense (as a former biochemist, poorly researched or explained science is one of the biggest reasons I rarely read this genre), but I also found myself becoming extremely conscious of my own water use. In the (likely not-too-distant) future, water will be a much rarer and more valuable resource. This made me wonder whether Herbert suspected as much when Dune came out, or if this all came from his imagination.

I’ve heard about a lot of controversy surrounding the content of the novel, and I’m still not sure where I fall in the debate. My initial impression was that this is a classic white savior story (it definitely gave me blue-people-Avatar vibes), and Herbert definitely uses some orientalizing imagery—yikes. On the other hand, Paul doesn’t seem to be the glorified hero that so many stories have; in fact, as the story progresses, he becomes more and more clearly flawed. If this was Herbert’s intention (and I confess, I don’t know enough about Herbert or the historical context of the novel to determine whether or not it was), then the novel could be a critique of the white savior narrative. But then again, if it’s not obvious enough, then this message is lost of many readers and will be used to justify that which it critiques. To me, the much more obvious problems were the rigid gender roles (this man really wrote a novel set far in the future and thought men would still be in charge of everything?). Of course, the Bene Gesserit have power, and I did find that whole concept fascinating (not the eugenics, but the idea that they planted folktales and prophecies in various communities that could be used as protection for their own whenever they might need it). But despite their power, they have all taken a backseat role, and besides their order, we meet only a few other named female characters. I also don’t like the concept of multiple wives/concubines (again, this feels problematically orientalizing).

The added information at the beginning of each chapter (usually from Princess Irulan) was interesting (though sometimes confusing). I have never minded spoilers in the way that some people do, so I kind of liked that  Dune essentially spoils itself with this framing.

I was surprised, however, when we learn (somewhere around halfway through the novel) that Princess Irulan is actually alive concurrently with Paul—I had been imagining her as a scholar farther in the future, recording this history a generation or two later.

As a side note, I found it very funny that Herbert named whole planets and invented multiple new civilizations, but named his main characters Paul and Jessica (rather along the lines of Tolkein coming up with several entire languages, but calling the location of the story’s climax “Mount Doom”).

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):

I don’t know that this could really be called a happy ending, though it’s honestly better than I was expecting (I wouldn’t have put it past Herbert to kill Paul in the end). It’s not exactly a cliffhanger, but definitely feels unfinished, and I’ve already put the sequel on hold at my library!