bloa_h's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to follow, couldn't get into it, didn't care about any of the characters. Hated how he introduced people and plots as if they were really important but they ended up dying or being pointless a few chapters later without it being played out! Every time something interesting happened that I was excited to see further down the road, the character would die or there was a drastic change so the plot was no longer viable.
reads_with_rach's review against another edition
4.0
I was really intimidated by this book going in, but I actually found it surprisingly easy to read. I can definitely understand now why [b:Dune|44767458|Dune (Dune, #1)|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555447414l/44767458._SY75_.jpg|3634639] is so important to the sci-fi genre. The scope of this story is impressive, and I actually really enjoyed the political and religious elements. If you enjoy science fiction and haven't gotten around to this one yet, I would give it a go.
ema_ab's review against another edition
2.0
2.25/5
If a book needs a multi-page vocabulary, it's not going to be a good book.
To be honest, I really don't get the hype about it. The plot is slow, flat and misses the opportunity to exploit twists and turns. Due to the over-complex vocabulary (I wasn't aware of the existence of the vocabulary until almost half way through, by which point I had already labored through understanding all the terms), the story was hard to get into. Honestly... nothing special. Or rather special in a very dry, over-complicated sense.
If a book needs a multi-page vocabulary, it's not going to be a good book.
To be honest, I really don't get the hype about it. The plot is slow, flat and misses the opportunity to exploit twists and turns. Due to the over-complex vocabulary (I wasn't aware of the existence of the vocabulary until almost half way through, by which point I had already labored through understanding all the terms), the story was hard to get into. Honestly... nothing special. Or rather special in a very dry, over-complicated sense.
coppercrane2's review against another edition
3.0
It does suffer from the white saviour trope and has a queer coded villain - it’s a product of its time, but still not so great to read.
At least it treats its Arab-inspired people and women as complex and important characters.
It was certainly an interesting story and I enjoyed myself, overall.
At least it treats its Arab-inspired people and women as complex and important characters.
It was certainly an interesting story and I enjoyed myself, overall.
aliasvalia's review against another edition
3.0
Characters 6
Atmosphere 5
Writing style 5
Plot 6
Intrigue 7
Logic 9
Enjoyment 6
Atmosphere 5
Writing style 5
Plot 6
Intrigue 7
Logic 9
Enjoyment 6
squaricalness's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked about 75% of this book. I loathed the bad guys and cried for the good ones when they fell on misfortune. The world building was fun and more readable than many. The 25% I didn't really like was politically convoluted plot lines and philosophical musings. They added, to an extent, but could have been significantly cut. This is my problem with most books over 350 pages though so... 💁
jjones217's review against another edition
4.0
Took a bit to get into it but once I got into I was hooked. I enjoyed the characters and seeing how the story was going to develop
blondebehindthebook's review against another edition
4.0
If you love science fiction then I feel like you owe it to the genre to read Dune. It’s hard to believe at times that this was written in the 60’s. There were some epic moments in this novel and the themes and meanings go deep. However I didn’t love how much Paul changed by being Muad’Dib. The ending was unsatisfying. I know there are more books in the series but I’m not sure if I plan on reading more of them because of how this ended.
zelmi's review against another edition
2.0
The best character is the planet itself, the setting and ecology are the most impressive things about the book. The main character is an arrogant and annoying megalomaniac - the point is that he’s not a good dude and his narrative should be questioned, right? Right?? If so good job making me hate him, this whole messiah thing is not a fun thing to read about, he is an asshole towards every female character, especially his mother, and is pretty explicitly an intruder and colonizer throughout the whole book. The main villain is a homophobic and fatphobic caricature the presence of which only results in the occasional sentence that makes you feel like you just got punched in the gut because of how much the author seems to have hated gay and/or fat people.
I understand that the book is a product of it’s time, and also why it is considered a blueprint for a monumental sci-fi epos and I am glad to have read it. If you enjoy longwinded fantasy novels in a cool environment (which I do) it’s easy to read and written well, but it’s not really sth to recommend for the sake of it’s story - instead you could read some self-insert christian apocrypha for the same vibe.
Although it did make the movie more understandable and much better, and that one I do enjoy.
I understand that the book is a product of it’s time, and also why it is considered a blueprint for a monumental sci-fi epos and I am glad to have read it. If you enjoy longwinded fantasy novels in a cool environment (which I do) it’s easy to read and written well, but it’s not really sth to recommend for the sake of it’s story - instead you could read some self-insert christian apocrypha for the same vibe.
Although it did make the movie more understandable and much better, and that one I do enjoy.