Scan barcode
A review by daumari
The Illustrated Dune by Frank Herbert
5.0
Finished my reread in time! Dune is a classic American science fiction/fantasy, inspired by the Florence sand dunes out here in Oregon among other things (which the series was prescient about in their own way, re: how introducing species could transform the landscape as humans introduced European beachgrass to keep said dunes from overpowering human structures like road, but also affecting native species).
The scope of the sextet is sprawling, but here focuses on the single planet of Arrakis, and who controls the spice (which turns the economic cogs of the universe and enables the foresight of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood).
Dune is seminal for sf/f, with big ideas about religion, politics, and ecology. So many things afterward have obvious influences (as a Wheel of Time fan, the Aiel and a spin on a messiah who will bring destruction come to mind). Some things haven't aged as well (example: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a formidable enemy yet falls into the "he's evil so he must be a predatory gay" trope, also classic orientalism before Edward Said published about it), but in general must-read for any fan of genre.
The scope of the sextet is sprawling, but here focuses on the single planet of Arrakis, and who controls the spice (which turns the economic cogs of the universe and enables the foresight of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood).
Dune is seminal for sf/f, with big ideas about religion, politics, and ecology. So many things afterward have obvious influences (as a Wheel of Time fan, the Aiel and a spin on a messiah who will bring destruction come to mind). Some things haven't aged as well (example: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a formidable enemy yet falls into the "he's evil so he must be a predatory gay" trope, also classic orientalism before Edward Said published about it), but in general must-read for any fan of genre.