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32.2k reviews for:

Der Wüstenplanet

Frank Herbert

4.13 AVERAGE

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

2.5 ⭐️

FINALLY.
It's safe to say that I much preferred the movies. This wasn't a bad book, but it was a slog to get through most of the time and I found myself never wanting to pick it up. There were moments (TOO) few and far between that sparked the same excitement and thrill I felt when watching the films (esp the last like 15% of the novel), but overall I just wasn't into it. BUT FINALLY IM FREEEE.
adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

(4.5 stars) might end up changing it to 5 stars later. took me 80+ pages to actually get invested in the fates of the characters but i enjoyed the book. i wish there would have been more female characters but considering it was written in 1965 it has great representation for its time. definitely a slower read with a lot of names to keep track of (especially when characters are called multiple things) and i lowkey had to read the cliffsnotes summary after each chapter to make sure i actually understood what just happened but worth the read

like yes dune is sci fi but to categorise it as solely that is to do it a gross injustice. this novel is a meditation on the human experience, giving transcendent insight into human emotion through tone and intention and perceived consequences. it captures competitive power dynamics in all their mind boggling complexities and cunning simplicities. it compares and melds religion, politics, and interpersonal relationships; thus forcing characters and readers alike to thoroughly consider opposing perspectives and sometimes even incorporate those differences into one’s chosen way of life. dune explores the arts of deception and persuasion, the differences between ruthless violence and violence done honourably, the exchange of knowledge through intergenerational relationships. dune is sci fi but it’s also philosophy, ecology, religion, politics, history, sociology, anthropology, and more all rolled into one.

dune is simultaneously the microscope looking into the human condition as well as the atlas to help guide one through all of life’s tumultuousness, on arrakis and on earth. if you choose not to read dune, don’t let it be bc it’s categorised as sci fi.
adventurous mysterious medium-paced
adventurous dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

This book was interesting, clearly hugely influential, and complex.
But I don't think it's 'good'.
There's a lot of big ideas in there that get lost in the white man saviour of it all, without any self-awareness.

I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't read it again. And god the last page really exemplified the writer's feelings about women.
slow-paced