Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Dune by Frank Herbert

16 reviews

crimsonash606's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

• 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

This book is such a beautiful blend of cultures and the in depth ecology of a planet that continually shocks you with the life within it. There's so much political intrigue and pondering human nature and how to do the most good, and it's one of the most complex and incredible things I've ever read. I highly recommend this to anyone with a stomach for a challenge.

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Content Warnings

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

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

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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

spooky_snoopy's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

A great reflection on the the endurance of the human spirit. There isn't a "good" hero, it feels like you're reading Paul losing himself and resign himself to his fate. I really liked how the chapters were laid out and how the storylines played off each other.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, War, and Death

Minor: Kidnapping, Suicide, Torture, and Misogyny

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

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Content Warnings

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

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"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Drug abuse, War, Murder, Death of parent, Drug use, Kidnapping, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

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

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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

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

 

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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

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

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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

mardana's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Drug use, Genocide, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Addiction, Cannibalism, Violence, War, and Blood

Minor: Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

luminifera'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

4.5

I find some of the characters very annoying for many different reasons, but the worst for sure is Chani. She simply

has no personality outside of being Paul's love interest

, which is kind of outrageous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, War, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Genocide, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Incest, Cursing, Gun violence, Medical content, and Miscarriage

It's about the colonization of a planet, and the main character is The Chosen One. Expect violence, war, and of course plenty of misogyny - this book is from the 1960s and was written by a man. Some things are simply offensive.