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ticktock's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
poetskings's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Humans live best when each has his own place, when each knows where he belongs in the scheme of things. Destroy the place and destroy the person”
Dune is, undoubtedly, a classic. Yes it’s long and dense and at times almost unbearable, but there’s so much here to love. From the rich world-building to interesting characters (although the women are a bit one-dimensional), Herbert has created a world it’s incredibly easy to fall into.
I was initially apprehensive of it - it’s a monster of a book and I was worried that I would get lost in a world I’ve never explored before, but I was pleasantly surprised - the themes are there to pick up on and, while it becomes slightly tedious towards the end as Paul becomes increasingly godlike, this is, at its core, a well-written and well-developed book that touches on themes of classism, religious fanaticism, colonialism and the burden of prophecy.
While there’s a lot to criticise Herbert for in this book, ultimately this is a shockingly easy book to fall in love with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Child death and Misogyny
librarycowboy's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
I found this book really enjoyable and immersive! I prefer novels with lots of politics, world-building, and character focused narratives; Dune brought all of these elements to the table.
While the book is slow paced and challenging--with lots of new words, minimal action scenes, and a whooping 800+ pages--I actually found myself flying through it at a pace I haven't seen since my youth. I particularly appreciated the omniscient 3rd person narration style, which didn't switch through points of view (something that i personally find to drag on and get boring), but rather included random thoughts and feelings from different characters within the same chapters, without pausing or intruding on the progression of the plot. However, I can see that this may be confusing or intrusive for some readers as thoughts may come from completely different characters without break on the same page.
Additionally, Dune did not have many action scenes. While the book focused on the beginnings of a revolution, actual battles were glossed over in favour of build ups and aftermaths. Considering the fact that this book isn't "hard scifi"--it doesn't go into detail over the science and technicalities of the world--the lack of in-the-moment battle tactics seemed fitting. I personally enjoy the mind games that come before the outright violence (though this book does include the violence) but readers looking for adventurous reads might be thrown for a loop.
In conclusion, if you enjoy world building, political drama, societal consequences, mind games, and amazing settings, this book may be for you.
While the book is slow paced and challenging--with lots of new words, minimal action scenes, and a whooping 800+ pages--I actually found myself flying through it at a pace I haven't seen since my youth. I particularly appreciated the omniscient 3rd person narration style, which didn't switch through points of view (something that i personally find to drag on and get boring), but rather included random thoughts and feelings from different characters within the same chapters, without pausing or intruding on the progression of the plot. However, I can see that this may be confusing or intrusive for some readers as thoughts may come from completely different characters without break on the same page.
Additionally, Dune did not have many action scenes. While the book focused on the beginnings of a revolution, actual battles were glossed over in favour of build ups and aftermaths. Considering the fact that this book isn't "hard scifi"--it doesn't go into detail over the science and technicalities of the world--the lack of in-the-moment battle tactics seemed fitting. I personally enjoy the mind games that come before the outright violence (though this book does include the violence) but readers looking for adventurous reads might be thrown for a loop.
In conclusion, if you enjoy world building, political drama, societal consequences, mind games, and amazing settings, this book may be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Murder
Moderate: Addiction
mostfrankdad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Infidelity, Slavery, Torture, and Death of parent
enjoyjournaling's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was overall a “meh” kind of read for me. There were some aspects that I really enjoyed, like the amazingly detailed world building, some tense political machinations, and the feel of science-fiction combined with mysticism. At the same time, the pacing was really slow and uneven for me. Some parts were really engaging so I read a lot in one sitting, some parts I was slogging through. I didn’t feel super compelled by most characters, everyone is a bit of an archetype, it was hard to latch on to anyone. And it just felt dated to me, in terms of how it handles race and gender, which you could ignore, I suppose, but it did lessen my enjoyment of it a little. I can definitely see why it’s a legendary work of science-fiction, just not exactly my taste.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Slavery
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Slavery
sammyelletee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
A classic in the science fiction genre for good reason.
There’s a couple of bits that drag a little, particularly toward the end of Part 2 and into Part 3, but overall, it’s very enjoyable.
There’s a couple of bits that drag a little, particularly toward the end of Part 2 and into Part 3, but overall, it’s very enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Child death and Fatphobia
afowl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia and Slavery
meremeth's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Genocide