Dune [Hardcover]

Frank Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 1999 | Series: Dune (Book 1)

"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.

Editorial Reviews

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 --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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044100590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005901
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,557 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Herbert (1920-86) was born in Tacoma, Washington and worked as a reporter and later editor of a number of West Coast newspapers before becoming a full-time writer. His first sf story was published in 1952 but he achieved fame more than ten years later with the publication in Analog of Dune World and The Prophet of Dune that were amalgamated in the novel Dune in 1965.

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#50 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#67 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#50 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#67 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

607 of 628 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Version Review June 10, 2009

By mrnikkel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

While I would regularly rate this book 5 stars, the Kindle version is very poorly edited, and formating and spelling errors occur regularly. Words with missing spaces in between them show up on almost every other page. Just because something is in a digital format doesn't mean the publisher gets a pass on, what should be, run of the mill quality control for every single book they put out.

Also, a note to Amazon. Book reviews need to be separated by format and editions. I cannot stress this enough. My complaints about this book are irrelevant to anyone who's not looking at the Kindle version, yet it will show up as a review for all versions of this book. This is a particular problem with popular public domain books, like Pride and Prejudice, that have multiple releases from different publishers, all with varying quality of of formating and editing, yet still share reviews.

257 of 276 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The one to beat. May 15, 2000

By Daniel Dean

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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.

176 of 193 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the best in the series. August 6, 2000

By Jonnyboy117

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Dune Messiah suffers in the general consensus from being plot-driven and extremely complex; for readers who take the time and effort to delve into its themes and characters, it is one of the greatest sci-fi books of all time. Messiah is not so much a sequel to Dune as it is a companion; it is impossible to fully understand the themes, motivations, and implications of the original Dune (or any of the others, even) without reading and comprehending Dune Messiah. Herbert takes his average hero from the first book and shapes him into a realistic, faulted human -- ironic considering Paul's decidedly abnormal powers. Finally, we see Muad'dib as he really is: torn by his position as emperor, cursed by his vision of the future, yet still capable of his duties to kingdom and family. His ultimate fate sums up a masterful, twisted analogy to the life of Christ. This is also the incredible origin of Duncan...the Duncan you will come to know throughout the other books. Messiah is not for the faint of heart though. If you can't handle a lot of philosophy, just keep walking. Some points in Dune Messiah are so profound that I had to quit reading and just spend a couple minutes thinking about what Herbert means. What a rare treat that is; I can honestly say that Dune Messiah changed the way I think about things, about life. If you give it a chance, it may just do the same for you.

74 of 79 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Think of it as Part 4 of the first book. March 7, 2000

By Michael D Ward

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The first time a read Dune: Messiah I was more than a little disappointed. By when I re-read Dune I also re-read Dune: Messiah. This was the first time I'd read them back-to-back, and I realized that Dune: Messiah was actually the conclusion to Dune and not a seperate book. As a stand alone book it's barely passable, as a sequal it's worth 3-stars, but as the fourth part of the first book it's a perfect conclusion. Dune was divided into 3 parts (called books) and the last ends with a nice Hollywood ending. Dune: Messiah shows the real conclusion to Paul's Life and the real consequences of his actions in the rest of the book. I think Herbert had to end the first book with Paul on top of the Universe because that is what reader's want, but Messsiah is a more somber look at what it means to have power. After I had re-read Dune and Dune: Messiah, I came across used cliff notes for Dune, and I noticed that it had an essay which treated to two books as one and compared them to a Greek epic pointing out that Greek epics didn't end when the hero was on top, but continued to the end of the hero's life. With the inclusion of Dune: Messiah, Dune now tells us the complete story of Paul's life, and what an incredible story it is. Do not read this book, rather read Dune and this book together.

125 of 138 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A brief guide to the philosophy of Dune. May 5, 2001

By Godly Gadfly

Format:Mass Market Paperback

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! Read more ›