Product Description
The all-time science fiction masterpiece…now in a special hardcover edition.
“Unique…I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings.”–Arthur C. Clarke
Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud’dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family–and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. Frank Herbert’s death in 1986 was a tragic loss, yet the astounding legacy of his visionary fiction will live forever.
Amazon.com 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 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 super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center 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, the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. –Brooks Peck
Daniel Dean @ 3:16 pm
I know some people who hate the movie and will not touch this book. I know a few who own and love the movie but have never read the book. I have lent DUNE to friends who could get no further than page 20 because it was too “out there” or too difficult, with its array of characters and glossary of made-up terms. But of all the people who have gotten past page 20- I don’t know one who doesn’t praise it among their absolute favorites. I am no exception.
I love sci-fi but don’t read much of it because I prefer fantasy. DUNE feels like a perfect blend of the two. A war of noble houses set in space. Paul Atreides is heir to the duchy- and to say that he is well trained for the job would be an understatement. His father, Duke Leto, is given charge of Arrakis- a hellish desert-world and the sole source of “the spice” which the entire universe needs. A very prestigious assignment, but treachery and peril comes with it. Paul finds himself thrown into the mystery of Dune and its fierce natives, the Fremen. Is he the savior their prophecy speaks of?
I was first blown away by DUNE at the age of 16, and have since considered it “the one to beat”. In 8 years, very few books have made me question that judgment: Game of Thrones, Foundation, Lord of the Rings, Ender’s Game. I had to reread it to be sure I wasn’t just naïve at the time. Was it really THAT great? Absolutely.
Victoria Tarrani @ 6:00 pm
Frank Herbert built three dynasties inside a galactic empire that is based on melange, a drug that was available on one planet only — Arrakis, also known as Dune. Using melange, navigators have the power to fold space, which allows space travel.
In spite of a blood feud that was more deadly than Romeo and Juliet’s Montagues and Capulets, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV takes the rule of Dune away from the Harkonnens and gives it to the House Atreides. He has his reasons. The scene is set for political intrigue, sabotage, subterfuge, war, romance, survival, revolt, and revenge.
Dune is a masterpiece. It was the first novel to win the Nebula Award (1965), and it shared the Hugo Award in the following year (1966). Not only are the plots and characters intricate, but also the political, financial, religions, lifestyles, military, and honor structures are created. Dune is like no place on Earth.
This book is written from multiple points of view (POV), and you know every main character in the book because you are privy to their thoughts. The abundant use of Italics is unacceptable in today’s market, yet it is one of the most effective aspects of Dune.
The effect of knowing what someone thinks while they say or do something else is an ability most people would like to have. Jessica, concubine to Duke Atreides, a Bene Gesserit witch, and Paul’s mother trains him, against the wishes of the witches, to use his mind for control. The most powerful Bene Gesserit tests Paul Atreides, as she holds his mind captive she wonders if “he is the one.” Fremen believe he is Muad’Dib, the messiah who will deliver them, even as they challenge him in a fight to the death.
I have read this book and the sequels several times. Like Paul Atreides, I dreamt of new philosophies and awakenings. Dune is required reading for anyone who loves Science Fiction.
Victoria Tarrani
Godly Gadfly @ 6:43 pm
Frank Herbert’s Nebula and Hugo award-winning “Dune” is widely acclaimed as the best science fiction work. And rightly so. As entertainment it’s a suspenseful tale of adventure that sparkles with imaginative creativity. When the family of Paul Atreides arrives on the desert planet “Arrakis” or “Dune”, they find that their goal to take over rule from the Harkonnen family is difficult to achieve. Paul faces treachery, murder, as well as the rigorous conditions of a dry and deadly planet where water is more precious than gold. It is only with the help of the mysterious battle-hardened desert tribe of Fremen, and his newly-discovered religious powers that Paul stands any chance of triumphing over the powers of evil. The plot has a complexity of layers reminiscent of Tolkien.
The sci-fi classification does not mean “Dune” is inaccessible to non-sci-fi fans, because most of the traditional sci-fi elements are either absent or mere background. Several remarkable scenes of hand to hand combat are more reminiscent of ancient Roman gladiators than of science fiction! There are weaknesses: mature themes (such as allusions to pedastry) make “Dune” unsuitable for children, and Herbert’s use of language is not outstanding. But what especially makes “Dune” great is the complexity of ideas. Herbert has created not just a story, but a memorable world conveying an elaborate philosophy of ideas, with three outstanding themes:
1. ECOLOGY. Arrakis is a barren and bare planet of desert sands, with characters reminiscent of desert Arabs (Herbert studied Arabic extensively in researching for the novel). As well as hosting titanic deadly sandworms, the desert sands feature a mysterious and narcotic spice substance known as Melange, which is central to the diet of its inhabitants, heightens powers of awareness, and is a central part of the economy. The power and value of water in this hostile sandscape environment is manifested in that shedding tears is an expression of great devotion. It becomes evident that there is a plan to rescue this planet from its barrenness and turn it into a paradise. Significantly the book is dedicated to dry land ecologists. Herbert was an accomplished ecologist himself, and one wonders whether he is expressing his own vision of the possibility of a man-achieved paradise on earth.
2. POLITICS. There is a complex interplay of people, tribes, politics and economics, with constant scheming, plots and subterfuge revolving around personal and political ambitions. Herbert has created an intricate and plausible history of tribes and peoples, with unique languages (much originating from Arabic), names and ambitions. The lust for power and wealth is combined with a determination to succeed at all costs, stopping at nothing – even murder – to achieve it. The political corruption and chaos of Dune’s world is analogous to our contemporary world, as Herbert once observed in an interview: “the scarce water of Dune is an exact analog of oil scarcity. CHOAM is OPEC.” Paul’s triumphant leadership is also thematic. In humanizing a messiah figure, Herbert raises an important question: why do people blindly follow leaders? “Dune” conveys his theory that “superheroes are disastrous for mankind” because even the greatest leaders are human. Despite their strengths, relying completely on them is fatal.
3. RELIGION. Religion is inter-woven with politics, and centers on women, such as the powerful matriarch, the Reverend Mother. Herbert at times seems to picture religion as the manipulation of the masses by the intelligent, since the Orthodox Catholic Bible functions as a human invention rather than divine revelation. The strong religious component especially comes to the fore with Paul, a Messiah figure who fulfils prophecies, the long awaited Kwisatz Haderach who is somehow both man and god, and from whom all blessings flow. These prophecies have their own pitfalls – and are used to show the paradox of a system of predistination. The religion is a mixture of Christianity, Islam (jihad and similar Arabic words are clearly borrowed), Buddhist philosophy, and a strong eastern mystical component. Strangely, there is no active involvement of the Creator, since “the most persistent principles of the universe are accident and error.” The power of the divine resides instead within oneself, and there are definite occultic overtones, such as the mention of “wierding” (a form of witchcraft), and very obvious new age Eastern spiritualism and mysticism. Herbert also makes a profound connection between technology and religion. In light of the fact that this novel was written at the hey-day of space travel and lunar landings, it is remarkable that in an appendix Herbert observes that technology and space travel affects one’s view of creation. In his opinion, the god of technology and machine-logic is destined to be dethroned, and replaced with a renewed realization of the significance of man. Instead of placing hope in machines, it is to be placed in mankind. Herbert optimism about mankind is evident: a self-made paradise is attainable.
In short, Herbert has created a plausible world, reflecting his multi-faceted interests in society, culture, environment, politics, religion and science. Dune’s fictional cultures (Fremen), political parties (Harkonnen, Atreides), worlds (Dune), languages, religions, customs, geography, and ecology are imaginative, realistic, and function in a rich complexity that places him in the same league as Tolkien and similar eminent writers. Though written in the 1960s, the fact that Dune is still relevant, readable and in no way outdated is a testimony to its greatness. You will find that this book has so much depth that you will not just read it once, but many times, with increasing enjoyment. So, don’t hesitate, head for the sands of Dune for an unforgettable adventure!
Anonymous @ 9:20 pm
I think that this is by far the best of the series. Though the other books may have had more “depth” or “philosophy,” or whatever makes a reader feel smart, none of them really examined humanity as did Dune. All the while, Dune tells a gripping and deeply moving story with real characters (the bad guys were not, but it was a first novel; I’ll give Herbert a break) and a thought-provoking plot. The examination of what happens to a man made a god is one of the most universal themes to be discussed in science fiction and offers grim insight into human nature and our deepest emotions and fears. Above all, the book shows the interconnectedness of everything–politics and economics, love and war, even ecology and religion, with a magical descriptive vividness that creates an atmosphere more perfect than that in any other science fiction I have read. I will always remember the thoughts and images in my mind as I read Dune, and I guarantee that you will too. The mere sound of music I was listening too while reading it brings pictures of the Fremen to my mind, and I saw at least one other reviewer say the same thing. So read Dune! I envy those about to discover this universe for the first time.
Jessica Taylor @ 10:16 pm
In the first novel of his entrancing saga, Frank Herbert takes his audiences captive with the haunting epic of the desert planet, Arrakis. Herbert displays his unique capability for blending the elements of religion, politics, culture and nature perfectly to form a society that is, though alien, slightly reminiscent of the world today. Though fantastical and outlandish, Arrakis is very realistic and believable world.
The novel takes place primarily on Arrakis, also known as Dune. A place where water is a luxury and the sun is the ultimate enemy of a man. Many secrets are buried within Dune’s sands, many of which only its natives, the Fremen, are aware of. One mystery that the government has still not reasoned out is the spice, melange. The addictive spice practically runs the universe, giving the Guild navigators their enhanced navigational skills and Muad’Dib his prescience. Strangely, though, the spice is only found on Arrakis, and quite abundantly. All of this Paul Atreides must encounter when his father, Duke Leto, accepts the fief of Arrakis. However, through a series of events involving the Atreides’ arch rival, the Harkonnens, Paul and his mother, Jessica, must flee to the desert, leaving behind Paul’s inheritance as Duke. When Paul encounters the spice-filled desert, the prescience that he always possessed is enhanced to the point of sensing truth and predicting the future. Hiding in the cover of the desert, Paul and Jessica are taken in by the Fremen and accepted into their religion. It is through the Fremen that Paul becomes the notorious Muad’Dib, and the long awaited Messiah of the Fremen, destined to lead them in battle. However, the battle is not only with the Harkonnens, but the Bene Gesserit also. The Bene Gesserit are the founders of a human breeding program to reach the goal of creating a Kwistatz Haderach, the ultimate human.
Soon, the man known as Muad’Dib must fight the battle with his old enemies, the Harkonnens and his own future.
This book is a classic science fiction masterpiece that displays the immense talent and imagination of its author, Frank Herbert. It challenges the imagination, inspires the mind, and fills the senses until you feel you can taste the melange on your tongue and feel the desert sand of Arrakis on beneath your feet. If you appreciate intelligent literature, this book will not disappoint you.