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mari_cx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Drug use and Torture
multech's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism
icarusandthesun's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
when i first watched the movie (without having read the book) i basically understood absolutely nada, and thus didn't enjoy it very much. i mean... it's a 2-hour long shot of endless dunes and desert.
i re-watched the movie some months ago, but this time i used the little lexicon at the back of the book to guide me—and i loved it. i was (and still am) obsessed.
so i decided to finally read the book (i've owned it for like a year; the pages are starting to yellow).
with the movie as a background, i definitely found the book to be more comprehensible. i think if i hadn't watched the movie beforehand, i wouldn't have understood much. so i do recommend to watch at least the first movie before reading the book.
but the book is super important and makes the whole world really come to life. i've heard many people complain about the movie, saying it was boring and so on and so forth. which—yes, it probably is for many who've not read the book.
but the book is great and provides a lot of context & now i cannot cannot wait to finally watch dune 2.
i re-watched the movie some months ago, but this time i used the little lexicon at the back of the book to guide me—and i loved it. i was (and still am) obsessed.
so i decided to finally read the book (i've owned it for like a year; the pages are starting to yellow).
with the movie as a background, i definitely found the book to be more comprehensible. i think if i hadn't watched the movie beforehand, i wouldn't have understood much. so i do recommend to watch at least the first movie before reading the book.
but the book is super important and makes the whole world really come to life. i've heard many people complain about the movie, saying it was boring and so on and so forth. which—yes, it probably is for many who've not read the book.
but the book is great and provides a lot of context & now i cannot cannot wait to finally watch dune 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, and Pregnancy
philosopher_kj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Slavery
garbagebarge69's review against another edition
dark
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Blood
banned_book's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The ideas presented here must have been mind-blowing during the time it was published for the impact it made on modern culture. I can recognize that. But the prose was insultingly basic, and gave no room for the characters to grow beyond cookie cutter tropes. The dialogue was a painful slog to get through, and almost exclusively constructed of as-you-know-Bobs. I heard for years that the worldbuilding was dense and difficult to follow. No. Herbert drives information into your skull repetitively as if you could not grasp it the first time. This book has not aged well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and War
lizzyjean's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
The storyline of this book was extremely intriguing the entire time. Even though this book is completely fantastical, Frank Herbert story builds as if the world of Dune truly exists. I highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Drug use
The drugs mentioned are completely fictional, but can be related to drugs that exist in our world. The main story is about prophets and politically-driven war.becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It took me almost a full year but I have finally read Dune. Still can't get over the main characters being called Paul and Jessica. And in my head "Chani" is pronounced "Zendaya"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
jmorateck's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The book was great and is probably my favorite book. I will say that the book is slow and complicated but you need to understand the back story to understand the current events of Dune. The book is great if you like Sci-Fi if not I will not recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and War
Moderate: Death and Drug use
Minor: Addiction
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: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping