Book Review: Dune
Dune, I think, is one of the books that you either love, or are kind of "meh" about. And I understand each opinion. Here's my rundown and thoughts.
Essentially, the plot is that one aristocratic house finds a person in another house to be a traitor. Traitor helps bring the good guys' family down (except for Paul, the main protagonist), and the rest flee into the wilderness. Pretty simple.
But this is where it gets different, and is the reason this book—and the series overall—are well-deserving of accolades. There was a prophecy implanted into the people of the desert on Arrakis (Dune) of the coming of a savior figure that will bring freedom from their oppressive planetary rulers. The planet produces a spice called "melange," which acts as a life-prolonging agent, and is therefore very valuable. Which of course, makes the planet vital to practically everyone.
When Paul and his mother, Jessica take to the desert, they find themselves in the middle of this prophecy and all it entails.
I've read this book twice now, and I plan on reading the rest of the series—and maybe some of the prequels and sequels—because the world and ideas are so immersive and the themes are timeless. Warfare, oppression, desire to be free, desire to change the world... all of these things can speak to us as people in one way or another. Whether you're looking at it from an ecological standpoint or from a strictly political one, this book is something you can sink your teeth into. It is a little slow in parts, but it is so well structured that there is always some thread you can latch onto to carry you through.
Pros:
Great world-building
Great use of many timeless elements
Interesting new elements, like planetary ecology
Interesting POV—Third-person omniscient. You don't see it often.
Cons:
Slow at times.
Overall, I have to give Dune a solid 4.5/5
Thanks for wreading!
Jeff
Essentially, the plot is that one aristocratic house finds a person in another house to be a traitor. Traitor helps bring the good guys' family down (except for Paul, the main protagonist), and the rest flee into the wilderness. Pretty simple.
But this is where it gets different, and is the reason this book—and the series overall—are well-deserving of accolades. There was a prophecy implanted into the people of the desert on Arrakis (Dune) of the coming of a savior figure that will bring freedom from their oppressive planetary rulers. The planet produces a spice called "melange," which acts as a life-prolonging agent, and is therefore very valuable. Which of course, makes the planet vital to practically everyone.
When Paul and his mother, Jessica take to the desert, they find themselves in the middle of this prophecy and all it entails.
I've read this book twice now, and I plan on reading the rest of the series—and maybe some of the prequels and sequels—because the world and ideas are so immersive and the themes are timeless. Warfare, oppression, desire to be free, desire to change the world... all of these things can speak to us as people in one way or another. Whether you're looking at it from an ecological standpoint or from a strictly political one, this book is something you can sink your teeth into. It is a little slow in parts, but it is so well structured that there is always some thread you can latch onto to carry you through.
Pros:
Great world-building
Great use of many timeless elements
Interesting new elements, like planetary ecology
Interesting POV—Third-person omniscient. You don't see it often.
Cons:
Slow at times.
Overall, I have to give Dune a solid 4.5/5
Thanks for wreading!
Jeff
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