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timmytunter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Suicide, Genocide, Torture, Violence, and War
hey_al's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, Drug use, Slavery, War, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Grief, and Genocide
crimsonash606's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and War
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Alcohol, Addiction, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Medical content, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
gvstyris's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
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 The conlangs, historical references and various excerpts 'provided' by Princess Irulan...I aspire to have a fraction of Herbert's imagination.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...
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Genocide
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
abigail_adel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Fatphobia
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
bookhoe1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I do think it is very fast paced at time where I would've enjoyed more detail. The big finale is like 20 pages long. But overall a solid book, while of course being a product of it's time.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Child death, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racism
Minor: Suicide and Torture
multech's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Colonisation, Pregnancy, Child death, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Slavery, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Racism, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Violence, Classism, Cultural appropriation, and Gore
intermeyer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Islamophobia, and War
Moderate: Murder, Slavery, Fatphobia, Racism, and Pedophilia
Minor: Rape
infinite_harness9030's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, Death, Drug abuse, War, Violence, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Classism and Adult/minor relationship
lqne's review against another edition
- 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
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