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jelliclejules's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical content, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, War, Colonisation, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Classism, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia
Minor: Pedophilia, Incest, Child death, and Trafficking
gvstyris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movements become headlong - faster and faster and faster. They put aside all thoughts of obstacles and forget the precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it's too late.
It goes without saying that Dune is a masterclass in science-fiction. Herbert's rich world-building truly makes this book, and encouraged me to persevere despite his often inconsistent pacing and flat characters. The conlangs, historical references and various excerpts 'provided' by Princess Irulan...I aspire to have a fraction of Herbert's imagination. I also very much looked forward to the Harkonnens' chapters and was fascinated by the complexities of Lady Jessica's character.
That being said, this book is far from accessible. My reading experience was very much enhanced by my pre-existing interest in the recent adaptations, and I would honestly argue that both films do a better job than the novel of explaining whatever the hell is going on. I'm glad to have finally read Dune in its original form and will likely try my hand at the sequel, but will definitely be primarily recommending Villeneuve's films going forward. I'm not much of a science-fiction reader, though, which definitely played a role in my disinterest.
I think it's also worth pointing out where Dune ages poorly. Namely, the primary antagonist being a fat, gay pedophile (:sob:) and the pervasive misogyny in Herbert's social structures. This is where the movie again finds more success, given how Chani is both influential and an outspoken critic of Paul.
This review has turned out to be more critical than I'd originally intended, but I am very proud to have conquered something so far out of my reading comfort zone. I suppose Lord of the Rings is next...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Genocide
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
oozeloot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Murder, Slavery, Torture, and Genocide
dramagnu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Murder, Addiction, Classism, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Slavery, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, War, Violence, and Torture
lqne's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Colonisation, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Kidnapping, and Child death
giuliana_ferrari's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
As a book written in the 60s, Dune carries a modern touch to it that is quite surprising, unless you forget that's the appeal of science fiction: to imagine worlds and systems where technology has advanced to levels we normal humans wouldn't dream of. Another interesting aspect was the "ecology" of Dune, put in quotation marks given that the biological science behind it wasn't as well explained as I would've liked. Still, my own knowledge of ecology allowed me to pierce together the importance of the sandworms and that was quite an exhilarating reveal to achieve. The overlying theme of colonialism and fighting back for your own land was refreshing, with tactful care to portray the Fremen as humans as worthy as the Greater Houses, another refreshing aspect when considering how the myth of the good savage can spread so pervasively on literature. It was a book definitively ahead of its time; after reading it I finally understood the appeal of the story and I'm interested in reading the rest of the Chronicles, which is an excellent sign. My only complaint, which is not to the detriment of the book because it's obvious it was the author's choice, was the fact that many important details of the story are not explained, and one has to pierce together fragments of information throughout the book to fully comprehend what's happening. Doesn't remove the interesting world-construction of the book but definitively makes its first pages very confusing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Slavery, and War
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
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:
You might like Dune if . . .
· You enjoy epic science fiction with strong worldbuilding
· You want a story that has a little bit of everything (political intrigue, survival story, philosophical exploration, ecological commentary, religion, action, love, etc.)
·
You might not like Dune if . . .
· You prefer stories with a clear hero and villain
· You dislike slow-paced stories
· You like villains with complex motivations and backstories
A Similar Book:
The Godfather by Mario Puzo (totally different genre, but still!). Similarities include . . .
· Complex political intrigue and maneuvering by powerful competing families
· A young man thrust into a position of dangerous power as he fights to avenge his family’s honor and status
· Interesting and complex side characters
· Anti-hero origin story
· Thematic exploration of morality, individual agency, and power
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, and Body shaming
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, Slavery, and Genocide
Minor: Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Sexual violence
leeyongjin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Emotional abuse, War, Colonisation, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Genocide, and Drug use
nils_0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
phantomgecko's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Classic, impactful, science fiction novel but anticlimactic.
The novel before the two year time jump lives up to expectations, but the last section just seems rushed compared to the careful world building previous. (More specifics under the cut)
Take the Baron. In the beginning he really seems to be a competent and formidable enemy. Sneaky, smart, whatever. But then he becomes more and more pitiful until he's finally murdered by a literal four year old. And I get that the Emperor shows up as a bigger badder guy™, but still. Underwhelming.
The Emperor only gets to be the bigger badder guy for like half a chapter anyway. Ostensibly he gets to return as the antagonist in later books.
I understand that Paul is a literal CHOSEN ONE and all that, but he's pretty OP. Being able to molecularly change a poison administered to him seems like cheating.
Also not a big fan of Paul's son dying. I feel like that was needlessly depressing. Character development or whatever bs.
idk, I guess the takeaway is that this is not a strong standalone novel. It's impotent without the rest of the series.
The novel before the two year time jump lives up to expectations, but the last section just seems rushed compared to the careful world building previous. (More specifics under the cut)
The Emperor only gets to be the bigger badder guy for like half a chapter anyway. Ostensibly he gets to return as the antagonist in later books.
I understand that Paul is a literal CHOSEN ONE and all that, but he's pretty OP. Being able to molecularly change a poison administered to him seems like cheating.
Also not a big fan of Paul's son dying. I feel like that was needlessly depressing. Character development or whatever bs.
idk, I guess the takeaway is that this is not a strong standalone novel. It's impotent without the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Genocide, Pedophilia, Violence, War, Death, Drug use, Death of parent, and Drug abuse