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.
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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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Dune is to science fiction what The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. Though fans believed they had bid a sad farewell to the sand planet of Arrakis upon Herbert's death in 1986, his son Brian has assumed writing the Nebula and Hugo award-winning series with the help of Kevin J. Anderson. But the original is always the most popular, and Ace here offers a good-quality hardcover complete with maps, a glossary, and appendixes. The book's huge fan base should expand even more thanks to a six-hour miniseries premiering on the Sci-Fi Channel later this year that is said to be more faithful to the book than David Lynch's truly awful 1984 feature film.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
In the week before their departure to Arrakis, when all the final scurrying about had reached a nearly unbearable frenzy, an old crone came to visit the mother of the boy, Paul. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
In the week before their departure to Arrakis, when all the final scurrying about had reached a nearly unbearable frenzy, an old crone came to visit the mother of the boy, Paul. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I will surely burn but I have to say it; "DUNE" stands head and shoulders above LOTR. LOTR is good but it is predictable. Dune has much more detailed and it's scope wider. Certainly, "Dune" is the harder read but much more worthwhile. This book digs much deeper into the nature of humanity, its goals, its weaknesses, strengths, and the nature of religions.
Comparing the books is, however, like comparing apples to oranges. Yes, they are both fruits, both are round-ish, both are tasty, and both grow on trees but they are very different. One book is about a quest and the battle between good and evil. The other is about the battle between humans who are both good and evil at the same time. It is a book about "wheels within wheels" that exist in each of our natures and in our society. Dune is amazing and worthy of reading twice or three times to see the layers.
Comparing the books is, however, like comparing apples to oranges. Yes, they are both fruits, both are round-ish, both are tasty, and both grow on trees but they are very different. One book is about a quest and the battle between good and evil. The other is about the battle between humans who are both good and evil at the same time. It is a book about "wheels within wheels" that exist in each of our natures and in our society. Dune is amazing and worthy of reading twice or three times to see the layers.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
One of the greatest science fiction epics ever written. This book has it all: mind-expanding drugs, human computers, political intrigue, interstellar economics, and big-... worms. The reader should take from this book a sense of grandness of scale. The messianic fervor of the Fremen, the calculated patience of the Bene Gesserit eugenics program, the ecological ambition of Liet Kynes, and the universal-historical vision of the Quisatz Haderach, all ought to awaken us to the necessity and danger of human activity on the universal-historical timescale. That is the scale on which we all operate, whether we know it or not. Some of the themes in this book, which was written in the mid-1960's, foreshadow the adolescent field of chaos theory. In particular, the notion that seemingly insignificant local events can have calamitous effects on future history is analogous to the butterfly effect. Also, Herbert's conception of prophecy as a probability tree branching infinitely through time enjoys some endorsement from quantum physics.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By caine
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Sometimes when im really in the mood to be mad i like to read the one star reviews of the this book. and its just blows my mind. people are talking about how boring it is, and how lord of the rings is so much better. Im sorry people but DUNE is one of the best books ever, i first read this book at 16 (im 27 now) and this book will stick with me till i die. Im sorry Frodo, but Paul is Muad'Dib, all you did was throw a ring into a volcano, he took over a galaxy. I think a lot of americans hate this book because its has middle eastern themes, and they have watched too much fox news and think the Fremen are terrorists. But seriously i really wish everyone would read this book it totally stands the test of time. Maybe its just me but Paul and Chani's story is one of the saddest and most beautiful since Romeo and Juliette. My library consists of over 200 paper books and i have probably another 100 digital, and DUNE will always be at the top of my list. Its epic its sad, its emotional, its every thing you want in a book that makes your brain work and your heart break.
Ive read Lord of the Rings, a few times,(ive only read the first book once beacuse it has f***ing singing in it what is it Marry F***ing Poppins) i respect the he started the fantasy genre but it is the most simplistic writing, you want good deep fantasy writing read Steven Erikson. Dune has some of the most deep writing and interesting characters of all time and it sounds like its up to date, not like Lord of the Rings that you can tell was written like 6o years ago.
Im actually not trying to rip on the Rings but when people try to say they are way better it just makes my blood boil, i hate that people try to compare them, they are so completely different its not even funny.
Ive read Lord of the Rings, a few times,(ive only read the first book once beacuse it has f***ing singing in it what is it Marry F***ing Poppins) i respect the he started the fantasy genre but it is the most simplistic writing, you want good deep fantasy writing read Steven Erikson. Dune has some of the most deep writing and interesting characters of all time and it sounds like its up to date, not like Lord of the Rings that you can tell was written like 6o years ago.
Im actually not trying to rip on the Rings but when people try to say they are way better it just makes my blood boil, i hate that people try to compare them, they are so completely different its not even funny.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book
I read this about 6-7 years ago and absolutely loved it. What a masterpiece. Frank Herbert creates a world that is so easy to fall into and be absorbed by as a reader. Read more
Published 2 months ago by MPD readings
3.0 out of 5 stars
the future from the past
I enjoyed this book quite a lot but for me it fell short of the `masterpiece' hype that surrounds it. There is drama, tension and mystery. Read more
Published 10 months ago by killincarrig
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite Sci Fi book of all time!!!
Lets rewind back to the early eighties. To a time before we were spoiled by 200 plus channels, netflix, the internet, and a home computer being as common in a house hold as a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Edward
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Dune is an epic tale of great depth and intricacy. One of the best things about this book is the sheer brilliance of its author as conveyed through meaningful and fascinating... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing else comes close
It's hard to add anything to what's been said about Frank Herbert's "Dune" in the 45 years since it first appeared. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Scott Fitzgerald Gray
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Sci-Fi
Opening this book will take you on a journey with young Pual Atreides, from his comfortable home-world of Caladan to the inhospitable planet of Arrakis, where his destiny... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Eternal Decree
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's hard not to just lay down in the sand and let the dunes absorb...
Water. Every droplet of moisture condensed from a living breath, collected from the morning dew, reabsorbed from the skin and distilled from the blood of the dead, every bit of it... Read more
Published on Dec 11 2010 by Sharry
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's an absolutely wonderful, engrossing book.
Dune is a wonderful book. It completely engrosses the reader, giving one an experience similar to the one which the human characters experience in the Avatar film when they are... Read more
Published on Feb 16 2010 by The Shade
3.0 out of 5 stars
Passé!
This work is very much a product of the 1960's and, though set in the distant future, appears somewhat quaint in 2010. Read more
Published on Feb 12 2010 by Pierre Gauthier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dune series
I was thrilled to find a hardcover copy of this novel. It was the only one in the series that I was missing.
Published on Jan 28 2010 by L. Leblanc
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