Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Duna by Frank Herbert

26 reviews

emeraldzak's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Misogyny and War

Minor: Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking

pro-eugenics / "race science" / "genetic destiny"

jester_k's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

2.5

I wanted to like this mainly because my Dad loved it when he read it as a teen. But the story was so slow-moving that it didn't grip me and I didn't find the glossary til right at the end so a lot of things went way over my head. The Harkonnens are depicted as disgustingly evil but the fact they have slaves and enjoy murder and rape is put on a level with the fact that the Baron is... just fat. It's constantly focused on to show how gross he is and I struggled to enjoy the rest of the book with this deep-seated fatphobia. 

Also, Paul starts the book being kind and compassionate and ends up becoming an awful tyrant so I stopped being able to root for him at all. I'm sure that's part of the point but it didn't leave me with any characters to enjoy the perspective of. Then he won and it was mostly just depressing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Grief

ambert's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Excrement

hey_al's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I started Dune after watching the films. I'm so glad I did. As an avid fantasy reader, I wasn't turned off by the length and world building- I live for that shit. I can't wait to read more. It's not a feel good story. It's extremely heavy, but not in a graphic violence way(not Dune, anyway). I particularly love the way Herbert has written religion and the way lore spreads through people groups and shapes their futures. It's chilling, to say the least. It's not perfect- I don't love the way Herbert writes the Baron (feels fatphobic and homophobic, ugh) and I struggled with the way he sidelined Chani. But it's worth a read especially if you're into sci-fi/fantasy purely for how his work shaped future sci Fi in particular.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and War

Minor: Fatphobia, Genocide, Racism, Sexual violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

randirush's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i did appreciate having seen the movie before reading this, as the book heavily focused on the world building and political aspects of the story rather than a lot of the action — the movie was a great introduction to the tale, whereas the book just gave everything more depth. none of that is necessarily a bad thing, however, part of me thinks the book could’ve been a bit more condensed in some areas. that being said, i still really enjoyed it and it was nice to get some of those more in-depth details! this book was obviously revolutionary within the sci-fi genre and i can definitely see why. anddd i just love jessica — a reverend MOTHER 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and War

crimsonash606's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is such a beautiful blend of cultures and the in depth ecology of a planet that continually shocks you with the life within it. There's so much political intrigue and pondering human nature and how to do the most good, and it's one of the most complex and incredible things I've ever read. I highly recommend this to anyone with a stomach for a challenge.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

grace_b_3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual violence

mccleark's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual violence

banned_book's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The ideas presented here must have been mind-blowing during the time it was published for the impact it made on modern culture. I can recognize that. But the prose was insultingly basic, and gave no room for the characters to grow beyond cookie cutter tropes. The dialogue was a painful slog to get through, and almost exclusively constructed of as-you-know-Bobs. I heard for years that the worldbuilding was dense and difficult to follow. No. Herbert drives information into your skull repetitively as if you could not grasp it the first time. This book has not aged well.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and War

leannanecdote's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail