Dune

By Frank Herbert

Book Overview

Frank Herbert's classic masterpiece--a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides--who would become known as Muad'Dib--and of a great family's ambition to bring to fruition mankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441172717
• ISBN13: 9780441172719
• Release Date: September 1990
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 896 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 4.2" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Lives up to the hype.

Some of the best literature I’ve I’ve laid my eyes on. Frank Herbert masterfully builds a world and characters that don’t have clear motives. The idea of a complex “not so good” hero is amazing.

Dune is the BEST sci-fi series ever written!

There are 18 books in the entire Dune series and I have read them all 3 complete times. IMO it is the GREATEST sci-fi series ever written,or that you'll ever read...and I have read hundreds and hundreds of sci-fi books.

This Book is Nuts

Dune is unlike any other book I have ever read.

Excellent read

I got lost in this book and the next two, every time I opened them. Truly amazing. After number 3 they lost my interest though but man that first 3 was incredible to read.

Dune is a perfect gift idea for any sci-fi obsessed person!

I got this book for my partner who loves anything Sci-Fi and interesting. This was a new series for him and I was so proud to introduce it! Based on his review, it's an incredibly well written sci-fi book and is now his favorite book series! He finished this book so quickly we've already ordered the next 3 in the series! I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and anything in that realm.

Hard to find, but worth the search if you're a die hard Dune fan.

Dune is a classic. And this book answers some of the most fundamental questions that Dune fans have always had. What did the characters look like? In the book there's about 13 illustrations. And about half of them are in color. The illustrations themselves are not terrific by any standards. In fact, I don't even think they're consistent with the Dune series. (In book V Heretics to Dune Chani's hair color is quoted as red. In the Illustrated Dune, it's clearly black.) But I enjoyed them nonetheless. Other than the few pictures there's nothing to distinguish this book from the original. The illustrations are by John Schoenherr, the same guy who did the original cover art. The copyright is 1977.

A stellar finish to one of sci-fi's best book series--Dune

Frank Herbert dedicates this, his last novel, to the memory of his beloved wife Bev who while he was writing the book. Not long after finishing Chapterhouse Dune, we lost Frank Herbert as well. His death ended one of science fiction's best series of novels. His son Brian has created several prequels based on Herbert's notes, but no one really can replace the wonderful writing style that made the Dune series so unique.Chapterhouse Dune is the final, apocalyptic battle between the Bene Gesserit and their bastard offspring, the Honored Matres. In Heretics of Dune, the previous novel, we meet the Honored Matres for the first time. One of them is captured and converted (but how thoroughly) to a Bene Gesserit. Meanwhile, Darwi Odrade, Mother Superior, fights to save what little is left of the Bene Gesserit planets. We get a much closer look at Bene Gesserit training from the inside, life on their secret Chapterhouse Planet and a hint of greater forces at work behind the scenes. The ending is equivocal; either Herbert intended another novel to answer these questions, or he deliberately left it open for us to fill in the blanks.Either way, this is an exciting conclusion to the Dune Series and along with Heretics, one of the best novels in the series. If you are curious which books can be read in what order, you can read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse as a single trilogy, or just Heretics and Chapterhouse. Of course, if you are impressed by Herbert's Dune series, you will want to read them all in order: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune. In addition, Brian Herbert has added Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen, which are "prequels."

The one to beat.

I know some people who hate the movie and will not touch this book. I know a few who own and love the movie but have never read the book. I have lent DUNE to friends who could get no further than page 20 because it was too "out there" or too difficult, with its array of characters and glossary of made-up terms. But of all the people who have gotten past page 20- I don't know one who doesn't praise it among their absolute favorites. I am no exception. I love sci-fi but don't read much of it because I prefer fantasy. DUNE feels like a perfect blend of the two. A war of noble houses set in space. Paul Atreides is heir to the duchy- and to say that he is well trained for the job would be an understatement. His father, Duke Leto, is given charge of Arrakis- a hellish desert-world and the sole source of "the spice" which the entire universe needs. A very prestigious assignment, but treachery and peril comes with it. Paul finds himself thrown into the mystery of Dune and its fierce natives, the Fremen. Is he the savior their prophecy speaks of? I was first blown away by DUNE at the age of 16, and have since considered it "the one to beat". In 8 years, very few books have made me question that judgment: Game of Thrones, Foundation, Lord of the Rings, Ender's Game. I had to reread it to be sure I wasn't just naïve at the time. Was it really THAT great? Absolutely.