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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Bullet-point thoughts:
- The world-building is a feat, but could have gone soo much further, and was limited by an unoriginal power struggle as the core of the plot
- the character building is very limited, and I agree with what someone else said that it's more like an archetype of a person, a draft, fulfilling a role, than an actual person
- the climax did not feel much like a climax, but like I'd been meandering along a path and had suddenly happened upon the spectacle, was quite a let down
- the constant observations of the world felt so contrived and useless, dressed up pompously but not saying much. Definitely could have turned down the dial on that.
Biggest problem:
Science fiction writers can create a world however they wish, can imagine whole universes, and yet they still reproduce the patriarchy and go rampant with misogyny. I found it so difficult to go from paragraphs worshipping the power of Jessica as Bene-Gesserit, to reducing her to her gender and roles of mother and "concubine", at the whim of Duke Leto and then her son. Similarly with Chani, to introduce her character as solely a crutch for Paul, her own personality barely explored. Not even her mourning of her father was respected, but used as a device to tether her to Paul. And the culture of women in the Fremen, to "inherit" a wife from a man you killed. And the essence of the Kwisatz Haderach based on misogynistic gender roles of "giving" and "taking"!! Frank Herbert could imagine 300m worms and supernatural humans but could not imagine a world without the patriarchy. Smh
When I try and describe how I feel about this book, I can't pinpoint any specific attribute that made me want to read more, besides the general plot, and even then I wasn't chomping at the bit. I don't think the writing style was anything amazing, I don't particularly love any of the characters, if they died I didn't give a toss and neither did Paul or Jessica.
Also lmao how are the main characters called Paul and Jessica.
- The world-building is a feat, but could have gone soo much further, and was limited by an unoriginal power struggle as the core of the plot
- the character building is very limited, and I agree with what someone else said that it's more like an archetype of a person, a draft, fulfilling a role, than an actual person
- the climax did not feel much like a climax, but like I'd been meandering along a path and had suddenly happened upon the spectacle, was quite a let down
- the constant observations of the world felt so contrived and useless, dressed up pompously but not saying much. Definitely could have turned down the dial on that.
Biggest problem:
Science fiction writers can create a world however they wish, can imagine whole universes, and yet they still reproduce the patriarchy and go rampant with misogyny. I found it so difficult to go from paragraphs worshipping the power of Jessica as Bene-Gesserit, to reducing her to her gender and roles of mother and "concubine", at the whim of Duke Leto and then her son. Similarly with Chani, to introduce her character as solely a crutch for Paul, her own personality barely explored. Not even her mourning of her father was respected, but used as a device to tether her to Paul. And the culture of women in the Fremen, to "inherit" a wife from a man you killed. And the essence of the Kwisatz Haderach based on misogynistic gender roles of "giving" and "taking"!! Frank Herbert could imagine 300m worms and supernatural humans but could not imagine a world without the patriarchy. Smh
When I try and describe how I feel about this book, I can't pinpoint any specific attribute that made me want to read more, besides the general plot, and even then I wasn't chomping at the bit. I don't think the writing style was anything amazing, I don't particularly love any of the characters, if they died I didn't give a toss and neither did Paul or Jessica.
Also lmao how are the main characters called Paul and Jessica.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this book! I did not expect to like it so much, but I think it helped to read this while I was in the Dunes of UAE. Sand hitting my face, baking in the heat and humidity, no cool water close by, and only working when it was dark… I was living the story.
This book is a great. The writing is dense but still easy to follow. It starts right at the action and reads like a script. In comparison to the movie (which I saw first), the book exceeds expectations! The characters are realistic and moving. The plot captured my attention so much so that I finished it in 4 days and immediately picked up the next book. Top 5 Favorites!
This book is a great. The writing is dense but still easy to follow. It starts right at the action and reads like a script. In comparison to the movie (which I saw first), the book exceeds expectations! The characters are realistic and moving. The plot captured my attention so much so that I finished it in 4 days and immediately picked up the next book. Top 5 Favorites!
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing SF book that emerges you into its world straight from the beginning with a powerful story and a great world created by Frank Herbert. Even though it is a long book, it does not feel like one, as the story unfolds rapidly as you read.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredible scale. The OG of sci-fi. This is the first sci-fi book I ever read, and my favorite part was drawing a map of all the character names and connections. I love a good book where you're fully lost for the first 100 pages and have to reread them, and I love the scope. I am not a huge fan of the MC (or most of the characters) but this is a triumph. Turns out the characters are of secondary importance to me.