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A review by tilduke
Dune by Frank Herbert
3.0
A little late to the party I thought I would finally read this genre-defining book. I am firmly in the 'Eh' camp.
What most impacted my enjoyment was that despite being commonly referred to as Sci-fi or Sci-fantasy there was very little of these elements that felt like they made a lasting impact on the story. It felt like a story of warring factions first and a sci-fantasy second.
The elements of sci-fi and fantasy that did come through were great and I did love hearing about the religions, and the now famous worms, but in the end it felt like none of it mattered.
The reliance on intrigue and factional politics also just didn't work - I remember thinking the conclusion was obvious from the first handful of pages. There were some interesting twists and turns to get you there but .... Eh.... It turned out how any reader would expect. Not at all helped by the flat and unlikable characters. Obvious evil guy. Check. Obvious messiah character. Check.
Overall I'd still recommend it as a book that fantasy and sci-fi lovers should read, if even just for the cultural references. Just don't expect it to blow your mind after so much hype.
What most impacted my enjoyment was that despite being commonly referred to as Sci-fi or Sci-fantasy there was very little of these elements that felt like they made a lasting impact on the story. It felt like a story of warring factions first and a sci-fantasy second.
The elements of sci-fi and fantasy that did come through were great and I did love hearing about the religions, and the now famous worms, but in the end it felt like none of it mattered.
The reliance on intrigue and factional politics also just didn't work - I remember thinking the conclusion was obvious from the first handful of pages. There were some interesting twists and turns to get you there but .... Eh.... It turned out how any reader would expect. Not at all helped by the flat and unlikable characters. Obvious evil guy. Check. Obvious messiah character. Check.
Overall I'd still recommend it as a book that fantasy and sci-fi lovers should read, if even just for the cultural references. Just don't expect it to blow your mind after so much hype.