Dune

Dune is a book of contradictions.

For something written half a century ago, its style is visceral and modern.

For a book that barely passes the Bechdel test, the female characters are surprisingly strong and three-dimensional.

It revolves around a white messiah leading a native populace, but somehow deftly avoids pandering and falling into the noble savage trope. It's an incredibly progressive novel.

It's either the hardest soft sci-fi I've ever read, or the softest hard sci-fi.

For something so uniquely singular, its influences echo out through countless imitators. Everything about it has been rehashed and copied, but it still feels completely fresh.

It's easy to see why Dune is consistently ranked as the best science fiction novel of all time. Because it just might be.