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A review by madscibrarian
Dune by Frank Herbert
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I went into Dune not knowing exactly what to expect. I knew it was a well respected classic scifi, and that it took place in a desert, but that was about it. I read classic works from time to time and there are ones I end up loving and ones I dislike, usually because I find them slow and/or cannot really get into it. The beginning of the book was felt slow, but I still kept my hopes up because I realized it was building this immense scifi-fantasy world that is so well loved by many. The book kept continuing to be slow though, and I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. It wasn't really reaching any sort of climax, twist, or high action point that I thought it would.
In the midst of reading it though, I came across this YouTube video by TedEx on why you should read Dune. It basically summarizes the world of Dune and gives a synopsis for the book. Upon finishing the video, I was like, yeah, it sounds like a really cool book! I could admit that I was introduced to all of those interesting world building aspects and can agree that all of it is there. It helped me gain a new appreciation for the book.
I think the writing style is the type of style that I would end up using if I ever wrote a high or epic fantasy (not that I could match the creativity of Mr. Herbert). It's not at all action-based; it focuses on all of the little details of the world. You don't just learn that water is a scare resource on the planet of Dune. You learn exactly how much water means to its people, how it is the wealth of a person, how meaningful it is to share it with others, and all of the technology and methods used to conserve it. This very technical, detail-focused narrative is what makes the world of Dune as rich and vast as it is. I can definitely see it's influence on much of the speculative fiction published today.
I am somewhat tempted to continue on with the next book in the series. I can't say that I loved this book, but I definitely appreciate it. I don't think a lot of my favorites that I do have today would be what they are without it.
In the midst of reading it though, I came across this YouTube video by TedEx on why you should read Dune. It basically summarizes the world of Dune and gives a synopsis for the book. Upon finishing the video, I was like, yeah, it sounds like a really cool book! I could admit that I was introduced to all of those interesting world building aspects and can agree that all of it is there. It helped me gain a new appreciation for the book.
I think the writing style is the type of style that I would end up using if I ever wrote a high or epic fantasy (not that I could match the creativity of Mr. Herbert). It's not at all action-based; it focuses on all of the little details of the world. You don't just learn that water is a scare resource on the planet of Dune. You learn exactly how much water means to its people, how it is the wealth of a person, how meaningful it is to share it with others, and all of the technology and methods used to conserve it. This very technical, detail-focused narrative is what makes the world of Dune as rich and vast as it is. I can definitely see it's influence on much of the speculative fiction published today.
I am somewhat tempted to continue on with the next book in the series. I can't say that I loved this book, but I definitely appreciate it. I don't think a lot of my favorites that I do have today would be what they are without it.