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zachlittrell 's review for:
Dune
by Frank Herbert
The first ~fifty pages contain probably the best science fiction prose I have ever read. It is such a great comfort when you know right off the bat that a book is gonna be good.
Dune is, ostensibly, very derivative; strip away the science fiction and you're left with a classic "boy with a destiny falls into obscurity but rises up with unlikely allies to defeat the evil empire" story (the main villain is a gluttonous, rambling, murderous pedophile, for goodness sake). But underneath the skin, its veins pump a unique science fiction twist. Part of the point is that there is no magic, only humans -- there are humans with super cognition approaching the point of telepathy or prophecy, but they are only humans trained to the maximum of their ability, surrounded by man-made mystique.
And Paul Atreides is more than just a boy hero. The question is not at all can he succeed in his quest -- Herbert doesn't deny that the natural ending is his protagonist's victory -- but he is haunted by the ramifications of his choices, as becoming the mythical figure he was destined to be might have consequences worst than what his arch rivals could achieve.
This book was such a wild ride, but I do have a few nitpicks on it. As a consequence of many of the characters being hyper-intelligent and super-observant beings, the dialogue and prose can be a little thick at times; the more interesting characters are actually the more normal ones, like Gurney the bard warrior or Duke Leto, Paul's father, who knows he is doomed to die but tries anyway to fight the inevitable. The ending is also very rushed (a siege, climactic fight, and regime change occurs in about a hundred pages), and we never get much time to truly appreciate Paul's evil counterpart, Feyd-Rautha, outside that he's evil and we should prefer Paul.
And my biggest disappointment is, as Paul begins to accept his role, leadership position, and superhuman abilities, he frankly becomes a bit of an a-hole and heartless dick, which is disappointing after growing to like the spunky, caring kid from the first quarter of the book. But I accept that that's part of the point, as highlighted by a test posed to Paul Atreides in the opening chapters: are you a human or an animal?
Dune is, ostensibly, very derivative; strip away the science fiction and you're left with a classic "boy with a destiny falls into obscurity but rises up with unlikely allies to defeat the evil empire" story (the main villain is a gluttonous, rambling, murderous pedophile, for goodness sake). But underneath the skin, its veins pump a unique science fiction twist. Part of the point is that there is no magic, only humans -- there are humans with super cognition approaching the point of telepathy or prophecy, but they are only humans trained to the maximum of their ability, surrounded by man-made mystique.
And Paul Atreides is more than just a boy hero. The question is not at all can he succeed in his quest -- Herbert doesn't deny that the natural ending is his protagonist's victory -- but he is haunted by the ramifications of his choices, as becoming the mythical figure he was destined to be might have consequences worst than what his arch rivals could achieve.
This book was such a wild ride, but I do have a few nitpicks on it. As a consequence of many of the characters being hyper-intelligent and super-observant beings, the dialogue and prose can be a little thick at times; the more interesting characters are actually the more normal ones, like Gurney the bard warrior or Duke Leto, Paul's father, who knows he is doomed to die but tries anyway to fight the inevitable. The ending is also very rushed (a siege, climactic fight, and regime change occurs in about a hundred pages), and we never get much time to truly appreciate Paul's evil counterpart, Feyd-Rautha, outside that he's evil and we should prefer Paul.
And my biggest disappointment is, as Paul begins to accept his role, leadership position, and superhuman abilities, he frankly becomes a bit of an a-hole and heartless dick, which is disappointing after growing to like the spunky, caring kid from the first quarter of the book. But I accept that that's part of the point, as highlighted by a test posed to Paul Atreides in the opening chapters: are you a human or an animal?