Dune

A cerebral piece of writing that weaves scifi with religion, politics and espionage more deftly than any other work I've read. Herbert also does a great job of peeling back the construct of mythology and legend and showing the power that they hold over a society. The fact that the book is also written partly like a religious text adds a lot to the atmosphere of the book. While the pacing occasionally struggles, it is more than made up for by the world building and the intricacy of the dialogue between characters. 4/5.