The first in an extremely well-written series of science fiction books by Frank Herbert.

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Product Description

Paul Atreides moves with his family to the planet Dune and is forced into exile when his father's government is overthrown. The first book in the series.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18728 in Books
• Published on: 1990-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441172719
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices." Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.

Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, and deservedly so. The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine, the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. --Brooks Peck

From Library Journal
Dune is to science fiction what The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. Though fans believed they had bid a sad farewell to the sand planet of Arrakis upon Herbert's death in 1986, his son Brian has assumed writing the Nebula and Hugo award-winning series with the help of Kevin J. Anderson. But the original is always the most popular, and Ace here offers a good-quality hardcover complete with maps, a glossary, and appendixes. The book's huge fan base should expand even more thanks to a six-hour miniseries premiering on the Sci-Fi Channel later this year that is said to be more faithful to the book than David Lynch's truly awful 1984 feature film.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
'Unique among SF novels ... I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings.' -- Arthur C. Clarke 'One of the landmarks of modern science fiction ... an amazing feat of creation.' -- Analog

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Customer Reviews

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.

Fear is the Mind Killer.
Frank Herbert built three dynasties inside a galactic empire that is based on melange, a drug that was available on one planet only -- Arrakis, also known as Dune. Using melange, navigators have the power to fold space, which allows space travel.

In spite of a blood feud that was more deadly than Romeo and Juliet's Montagues and Capulets, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV takes the rule of Dune away from the Harkonnens and gives it to the House Atreides. He has his reasons. The scene is set for political intrigue, sabotage, subterfuge, war, romance, survival, revolt, and revenge.

Dune is a masterpiece. It was the first novel to win the Nebula Award (1965), and it shared the Hugo Award in the following year (1966). Not only are the plots and characters intricate, but also the political, financial, religions, lifestyles, military, and honor structures are created. Dune is like no place on Earth.

This book is written from multiple points of view (POV), and you know every main character in the book because you are privy to their thoughts. The abundant use of Italics is unacceptable in today's market, yet it is one of the most effective aspects of Dune.

The effect of knowing what someone thinks while they say or do something else is an ability most people would like to have. Jessica, concubine to Duke Atreides, a Bene Gesserit witch, and Paul's mother trains him, against the wishes of the witches, to use his mind for control. The most powerful Bene Gesserit tests Paul Atreides, as she holds his mind captive she wonders if "he is the one." Fremen believe he is Muad'Dib, the messiah who will deliver them, even as they challenge him in a fight to the death.

I have read this book and the sequels several times. Like Paul Atreides, I dreamt of new philosophies and awakenings. Dune is required reading for anyone who loves Science Fiction.

Victoria Tarrani

A Unique Outlook on an Alien Society
In the first novel of his entrancing saga, Frank Herbert takes his audiences captive with the haunting epic of the desert planet, Arrakis. Herbert displays his unique capability for blending the elements of religion, politics, culture and nature perfectly to form a society that is, though alien, slightly reminiscent of the world today. Though fantastical and outlandish, Arrakis is very realistic and believable world.
The novel takes place primarily on Arrakis, also known as Dune. A place where water is a luxury and the sun is the ultimate enemy of a man. Many secrets are buried within Dune's sands, many of which only its natives, the Fremen, are aware of. One mystery that the government has still not reasoned out is the spice, melange. The addictive spice practically runs the universe, giving the Guild navigators their enhanced navigational skills and Muad'Dib his prescience. Strangely, though, the spice is only found on Arrakis, and quite abundantly. All of this Paul Atreides must encounter when his father, Duke Leto, accepts the fief of Arrakis. However, through a series of events involving the Atreides' arch rival, the Harkonnens, Paul and his mother, Jessica, must flee to the desert, leaving behind Paul's inheritance as Duke. When Paul encounters the spice-filled desert, the prescience that he always possessed is enhanced to the point of sensing truth and predicting the future. Hiding in the cover of the desert, Paul and Jessica are taken in by the Fremen and accepted into their religion. It is through the Fremen that Paul becomes the notorious Muad'Dib, and the long awaited Messiah of the Fremen, destined to lead them in battle. However, the battle is not only with the Harkonnens, but the Bene Gesserit also. The Bene Gesserit are the founders of a human breeding program to reach the goal of creating a Kwistatz Haderach, the ultimate human.
Soon, the man known as Muad'Dib must fight the battle with his old enemies, the Harkonnens and his own future.
This book is a classic science fiction masterpiece that displays the immense talent and imagination of its author, Frank Herbert. It challenges the imagination, inspires the mind, and fills the senses until you feel you can taste the melange on your tongue and feel the desert sand of Arrakis on beneath your feet. If you appreciate intelligent literature, this book will not disappoint you.