Dune
Ratings2,751
Average rating4.3
One of my favourite books of all time! The story, the universe, the philosophy (+ great artwork in the polish edition) are all there. Masterful world building including religions, history, ecology, technology, cultures and more. Such a shame that the following books in the series don't live up to this one. This is a truly unique book.
Dune is good! It's complicated because there are some parts that are so wild and I'll say it - bad! - like massive hatred of fat people, women don't really get to do much, weird racism, too much invented language to be accessible, strange abbreviations, but on the whole it is really compelling. And for a book written 60ish years ago it can be really readable!
Di planet Arrakis, kisah seorang pemuda bernama Paul Atreides bermula. Ayah Paul ditunjuk oleh Imperium sebagai penguasa di planet gurun tersebut yang juga dikenal dengan nama Dune itu. Meski bukan merupakan tempat yang nyaman untuk tinggal, Arrakis punya rempah berharga yang diperebutkan di seluruh jagat raya.
Namun, ini adalah perangkap politik, karena Klan Harkonnen berencana merebut kembali kekuasaan mereka dengan cara licik. Maka ketika Klan Atreides dikhianati, kehancuran keluarganya membuat Paul harus menempuh perjalanan menjemput takdir menuju padang pasir.
Cerita ini berlangsung di masa depan yang jauh di planet padang pasir bernama Arrakis, yang juga dikenal sebagai Dune. Planet ini menjadi pusat dari politik dan perebutan kekuasaan karena menjadi sumber utama melange atau rempah, zat yang sangat berharga dan memungkinkan perjalanan antar bintang serta memperpanjang umur manusia.
Paul Atreides, yang telah dilatih dalam berbagai ilmu bela diri, strategi politik, dan kemampuan mistis Bene Gesserit dari ibunya, Lady Jessica, menghadapi takdirnya sebagai “Kwisatz Haderach” yang diramalkan, seorang mesias yang akan membawa perubahan besar.
Untuk sebuah karya klasik versi terjemahan Indonesia sangat mudah diikuti. Untuk seleraku perpindahan POV antarkarakter agak membingungkan, itulah kenapa aku memberi 4 bintang. Ini bukan hanya sebuah karya fantasi atau fiksi ilmiah saja namun juga kental dengan intrik politik dan strategi.
A classic that’s worth the hype. Incredibly in-depth world building (maybe check out the appendix of terms when needed), with extensive religious and sociological elements that clearly draw from a wide-ranging knowledge of actual religious practices. But with some crazy out-there prophetic stuff, drug use, drama, betrayal, knife fights, wild tech, machines, planet/creatures… this book has been around for a while and there’s a reason it’s a classic. Just read it.
This was so good but so long. I needed to switch to audiobook because I was having difficulty with pronouncing character names and the locations. Loved everything about this world and can't wait to read messiah and the other books in dune but definitely loved the characters and their growth. The way the people of this planet have to live is interesting and the harkonnens were an interesting enemy.
Ekstremt tungt språk som jeg kanskje brukte et helt år å komme inn i, men når jeg først gjorde det var det definitivt verdt det! Kul og original verdensoppbygging med spennende historie.
I made the mistake of watching the movie first before reading the book which was altogether a much better and enjoyable experience. The book is wordy and dry at times however it also explains a great deal about the universe of Dune which was an exciting addition to the world and answered some questions I had after watching the movies. All in all it was “fine” but certainly not my favorite.
Incredible world-building. I found the pacing a bit off, especially in the second half of the book and towards the end. The resolution wasn't as satisfying as it could've been.
Dune surely earned its place in the sci-fi hall of fame half a century ago—with mystical prose and a third person omniscient perspective, this reading experience was definitely unique. Usually I can't stand when the author writes so chaotically that things are overly difficult to understand, but the lack of explanation for little details actually added to the overall hazy tone of the desert planet, which I enjoyed.
I wish that alone was enough for me to rate this more highly, but my massive dislike for the protagonist, Paul, really choked out my enjoyment. After his first few actions, I questioned whether this child would become any better as a character, but he only gets worse. His attitude and entitlement led me to simply hating him. If Frank Herbert wanted Paul to come across as a bratty teenager with a god complex, he succeeded...
Even if I could get past my hang up on Paul, I have an overall sense that this world could've been so much cooler if it had true plot peaks and valleys and tangible tension throughout. I liked it but probably will not continue the series.
I understand that it might be too slow for some, but the book is just so well written that even the "sluggish" parts are a joy to read. The build up as a whole is also just so worth it. The entire culture that the book depicts is so fascinating, and I loved the connections it makes to religion and fanaticism.
It's so slow. I agree with Jack Edward's review, stating that Dunes cultural influence cannot be denied, but 50 pages in and I can't find a reason to keep going.
I came from the movie, which obviously influenced my expectations, but I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. The first half is excellent, full of dramatic irony and suspense as the plot to destroy the Atreides unfolds, but the second feels rushed, especially with how much of Paul's life unfolds hidden from the reader.
I tried reading this book in high school but I didn't finish it because I couldn't understand what was going on. Now, about 25 years later, and after watching the new films, I decided to give it another try. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said before. The book is that good and it still holds up to this day. The amount of ideas, themes, and characters Herbert was able to competenly weave into the story is amazing. Melding sci-fi, fantasy, philosophy, religion, politics, magic(?), into one (relatively) cohesive narrative, it is remarkable the story didn't collapse under its own weight. All this accomplished with an unconventional writing style I haven't seen in modern fiction. I have a feeling he was sleeping with a thesaurus under his pillow.
The book isn't perfect though. The middle section is a bit of a drag and the ending is a bit anticlimactic. There are some inevitable differences between the book and the films. The dinner chapter is completely ommited from the film. As are a few characters. But I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.
A science-fiction/fantasy classic. For a reason. Well-written but there are defiantly parts you feel like you need to just plough right through. Knowing a bit about the world and the type of plot-line... but also that the movies are different than the book is defiantly worth it, IMO. Without this knowledge, I can defiantly see where it may be difficult to ingest much of the worldbuilding and political grasp of it. However, I've also read this book twice thus far and plan on reading it again.
Reading this really illuminates how much of a massive scale failure the 2021 and 2024 movies were at adapting the story of Dune.
Dune introduced such a fresh take on science fiction, and built such a unique universe around it, but at times it does read like a corny power fantasy. I wish there was a middle ground between the book that showcases a lot more of the politic dynamics and inner thoughts of the characters with the movie adaptation that makes Paul a lot more human and relatable.
Classic sci-fi that paved the way for the modern wave of books, games and movies both in sci-fi and outside of the genre.
This is my first novel book that i counciously want to read from start to finish, and i glad i made that decision.
This is the book that started my reading hobby and dream to have a home library.
i bought the fake book just because its my first book and i dont want to spend a lot of money for some thing im not gonna enjoy. but i plan to buy the deluxe edition when i got the money so dont worry hehe
Dune is very generic yet very unique. At first it seems like an ordinary hero, the chosen one type of story. Turns out its less about the characters and more about the world that impacted because of the characters. I feel like this is the type of royal family stuff, politics that actually happend in real life. I love the religons aspect in this book and series because it view it in different angle of what religion always thought for me.
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK
Not quite 4 stars for me, but definitely a solid 3.5!
Anyways, I am really glad that I gave this book a second chance after dnf'ing it like 20 pages in in 2020 after thinking it ‘too dry' (pun intended).
Having seen the movies (and riding the hype train, ngl) really elevated the reading experience for me.
Reading the novel gave depth to the lore, the world and characters I had experienced on the big screen, while having seen the movies granted a sort of epicness and visual brilliance to the words on the page.
Sounds fucking pretentious, I know, but I really am in awe at how well the source material and the movie adaptation complement and complete each other in a way. Especially when in 90% of the cases I catch myself saying “the book was better”.
Can't wait to read Dune Messiah with this new-found appreciation for Herbert's work (and to bridge the waiting time for the next movie).
