Dune (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
I’m obsessed with this book (and the 5 others in the series). The world-building, the character development, the plot— it’s all fantastic. And underneath it all you’ll find profound commentaries on politics, ecology, and religion.
When Paul Atreides and his noble family arrive on Arrakis (aka Dune), they are expected to rule over the desert planet where the only valuable commodity is melange, the spice that prolongs life and enhances consciousness. The family is immediately met with a traitorous plot against them and Paul goes into exile. This marks the beginning of an unimaginably epic space saga...Oh, did I mention the giant sandworms?
If you didn’t already know, this is classic science fiction and a great book to start exploring the genre with. Herbert is a master of his craft.
— From Alden's PicksFrank 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 the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’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.
In 1952, Herbert began publishing science fiction with “Looking for Something?” in Startling Stories. But his emergence as a writer of major stature did not occur until 1965, with the publication of Dune. Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune followed, completing the saga that the Chicago Tribune would call “one of the monuments of modern science fiction.” Herbert is also the author of some twenty other books, including The White Plague, The Dosadi Experiment, and Destination: Void. He died in 1986.
“I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings.”—Arthur C. Clarke
“It is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published.”—The New Yorker
“An astonishing science fiction phenomenon.”—The Washington Post
“One of the monuments of modern science fiction.”—Chicago Tribune
“Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious.”—Robert A. Heinlein
“Herbert’s creation of this universe, with its intricate development and analysis of ecology, religion, politics and philosophy, remains one of the supreme and seminal achievements in science fiction.”—Louisville Times