I have tried to start the book, but I dont make it far. Just today someone was trying to get me to read it. But when I hear "there is this spice and it is only found on one planet..." it just doesn't do anything for me.

Is it a good book? Is it worth giving it another go?

For a touch of perspective, I started hyperion and I hated it. Only made it about half way. I didn't care about any of the pilgrims.

I tried reading Hyperion and hated it, as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I tried reading Hyperion and hated it, as well.

I did read the never ending war, and I really really liked it. But Hyperion, man that was a beat down.

Yes Dune is worth it. It starts somewhat slowly but it will hook you. It is one of my all time favorite books and has been reread many times. I started Hyperion and bailed before I was even half way into it.

I have tried twice with dune. My therory is that it sucks.

Don’t think spice. Think drug that allows the elites to do things others can’t do.

Or think oil. And yes, it is a great book and worth reading onwards. Two things that will help you is that only 3/4 - 2/3 of the book is actual story. The rest is a dictionary and other "non-fictional" references to place the universe that you don't need to read. The other is that the story picks up after the main royal dinner and when House Atredies is under full assault (thou I won't say by whom even though it's over 40 years old).

Probably my favorite novel. I read it once a year or so. Its a coming of age hero story wrapped in messianic myth, corporate greed of resources, ecology, and touches on the dangers of faith leading to fanaticism and a man becoming a symbol and losing control of his own rebellion. It’s not for everybody. The pace is slow at first and Herbert creates a hugely detailed universe without spoon feeding it to the reader. You can read the dictionary and appendices to fill in the gaps, or you can just go with it and let your imagination do the work based on context. I really love this book.

Nothing I just said however applies to the rest of the series which range from “meh” (Children of Dune) to “bloody awful” (any of the books written after Frank Herbert died).

Brief spoiler free synopsis:
The Spice isn’t a seasoning. It’s a powerful concious altering drug. It greatly extends life, allows some people limited prescience, and is absolutely addictive and withdrawal is fatal. Humanity is ruled by an emperor who is kept somewhat in check by feudal houses and more so by the economic structure and the spacing guild. The sole source of the spice, which is vital for space travel, is passed from one mortal enemy to another by imperial decree for reasons that become clear later on. Chaos ensues.

Do not try to watch the movie to figure out the book. It’s beyond awful.

I enjoyed it, but I suspect it's best enjoyed under the influence of LSD :-) (or is that the movie version?). It's not an easy read.

COPAUP synopisis and analysis of it's themes is excellent.

IMHO Frank Herbert's writing style is very non-linear and sometimes hard to follow. He jumps between decades, characters locations, etc. At the drop of a hat. The Tolkein-esq glossary at the back of the book is helpful.

When his son took over the series, the books House Atriedes (SP) and House Harkonnnen (SP) were much easier to read and understand.

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
Don’t think spice. Think drug that allows the elites to do things others can’t do.

Yep. Sort of like Limitless meets Flash Gordon without the music.

Dune is one of my all time enjoyable Sci-Fi reads. I've reread it at least 4 times over the years. Everything else in the series after the original Dune could not hold my interest. I could not get into Hyperion at all. I tried. Just couldn't do it.

I enjoyed Dune quite a lot. It is better written than most sci-fi (a lot of which has interesting ideas but terrible writing). The characters seem like real people, which is something else a lot of sci-fi misses.

I think it has a good story, with universal themes that are not dependent on this being a space story.

But all writing is pretty personal. If you don't like it, you don't like it.

i've tried to read it at least a couple times. once i put a book down a second time it's usually for the count.

I did it with Audiobook...

It was an enjoyable experience.

I know I read Dune. I read all the scifi books then. But it was so long ago, I forget what it was about. Wasn't it part of a trilogy?

Don't answer, I'll go google it.

I enjoyed the books: Thought they were very imaginative and well written.

The 1984 movie however made no sense and sucked big time. My GF kept elbowing me in the ribs and giving me WTF looks. I kept shrugging my shoulders and returning I Dunno looks.

The characters in Dune are very memorable. One finds all the human sins and virtues, magnified due to the cosmic scale.
I should probably put in on the queue for re-reading.

The Lynch movie did not do the book justice, IMHO. They did NOTHING (other than provide a handout with a word/definition list on it....at least at the theater I went to) to provide any sort of context to viewers who'd never read the book. And then they changed things from the book ("weirding modules" instead of the "weirding way" is one that still chafes me).

There is a more recent mini-series version of Dune that does a much better job of introducing the viewer to the "world" of Dune, and it follows the book more closely.

As for the book itself, I liked it. Herbert is the Tolkien of sci-fi. A very complete imagining of humanity's future.

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:
I have tried twice with dune. My therory is that it sucks.

I took me 3 tries to finish Dune. I felt that I had to, no regrets, but not for everyone (and barely for me)...

Finishing Dune is a right of passage for anyone claiming to be a Sci-Fi buff of any kind. I can think of no other Sci-Fi series that has this particular flavor to it. Channel your inner Frank Herbert and read through it.

I've read all the books from Dune to Chapter House, and find they get more and more strange the farther you go.

The movie (Kyle MacLachlan, not William Hurt) does a mediocre job of telling the tale. I'd recommend reading the book before viewing the movie.

H&K-Guy