Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Dune

Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Dune by Frank Herbert

34 reviews

jelliclejules's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

bookhoe1's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I understand why this book became a classic. The world-building is very intricate and detailed, a lot of aspects are merely mentioned in passing which makes discovering the world natural and enjoyable. I also think it's a rather interesting concept of chosen one Herbert used.
I do think it is very fast paced at time where I would've enjoyed more detail. The big finale is like 20 pages long. But overall a solid book, while of course being a product of it's time.

Content Warnings

voldycat's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

philosopher_kj's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Review:

From the way people talk about Frank Herbert’s Dune, I thought that it was going to be super dry, confusing, and hyper-intellectual. I was surprised to find that it is pretty easy to get into and understand on the narrative level. If you’re not used to reading science fiction and fantasy, then it will probably seem intimidating and confusing at first, but otherwise, it’s not hard to get into. The intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding and political intrigue drew me into the story. I read through the first two parts of the book, watched the first part of Denis Villeneuve’s movie adaptation, and then finished the rest of the novel. In hindsight, that was a mistake. The movie so beautifully adapts the story, with its breathtaking and haunting visuals, minor changes to the plot and characters for improved storytelling and daring action. For instance, the movie transforms the book’s Baron character from a cheesy and cartoonish villain into an absolutely terrifying, creepy, and loathsome figure. After watching the movie, the book felt like a letdown.

Although on the whole I enjoyed Dune, both in terms of its plot and themes, there were aspects to the story that detracted from the experience. The supposedly deeply intelligent characters could be infuriatingly obtuse at times, to the point where I didn’t feel bad when they faced the inevitable negative consequences of their actions. This was part of my issue with Paul as a character, whose character arc is fascinating but underdeveloped. It’s not that I don’t understand how someone in his position could end up where he does at the end of the book, it’s that Herbert doesn’t spend enough time with Paul’s perspective to show that character development.

I don’t know about you, but if I were in Paul’s position, and I saw a strong potential future where I end up the figurehead of a violent genocide, I would do anything I possibly could to prevent it. Paul ends up doing the worst thing possible, which is to actively cultivate a position of a religious messiah with the Fremen, to the point where he cannot stop the jihad no matter what he does. Now, there could be any number of reasons he chooses this route. Perhaps he’s so driven by revenge for his father and his house that he puts concerns about the jihad on the back burner. Perhaps he ends up believing the messiah narrative himself, taking up the mantle of his position and believing in the cause of the jihad. Perhaps he cannot resist the lure of incredible power he gains by leading the Fremen. Or, perhaps, he’s just profoundly stupid, because I can think of a hundred different actions he could have taken to avoid the whole “jihad in my name” thing if that’s truly what he wanted to do.

I hate that Frank Herbert fails to explore the workings of Paul’s mind, leaving the audience to guess at the driving forces behind Paul’s actions.

The Run-Down: