Paperback, 687 pages
English language
Published Aug. 1, 2005 by Ace Trade.
Dune is a 1965 science-fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny's This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966, and it won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. It is the first installment of the Dune saga; in 2003, it was cited as the world's best-selling science fiction novel.Dune is set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "the spice," a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities. Melange is also necessary for space navigation, which requires a kind of multidimensional awareness and foresight that only the drug …
Dune is a 1965 science-fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny's This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966, and it won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. It is the first installment of the Dune saga; in 2003, it was cited as the world's best-selling science fiction novel.Dune is set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which various noble houses control planetary fiefs. It tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis. While the planet is an inhospitable and sparsely populated desert wasteland, it is the only source of melange, or "the spice," a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities. Melange is also necessary for space navigation, which requires a kind of multidimensional awareness and foresight that only the drug provides. As melange can only be produced on Arrakis, control of the planet is thus a coveted and dangerous undertaking. The story explores the multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the factions of the empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of Arrakis and its spice.Herbert wrote five sequels: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. Adaptations of the novel have been notoriously difficult and complicated. In the 1970s, cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky attempted to make a film based on the novel. After spending almost three years in development, the project was cancelled due to a constantly growing budget. In 1984, a film adaptation, directed by David Lynch, was released to negative reaction. A third film adaptation directed by Denis Villeneuve is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2021. The book was also adapted into the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (which combines the events of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune), a series of computer games, a board game, songs, and a series of follow-ups, including prequels and sequels, that were co-written by Kevin J. Anderson and the author's son, Brian Herbert, starting in 1999.Since 2009, the names of planets from the Dune novels have been adopted for the real-life nomenclature of plains and other features on Saturn's moon Titan.
2018 read: 5 stars because it was so interesting, but was a 1-star slog to get through.
2025 re-read: 5 stars on all fronts; guessing I was just not in the mood for this pacing the last time around. Loved so much about this book. Would re-read again now and excited to continue to the next books.
You are really brough into the world of Dune the book sucks you in with intrigue as it reveals how the world works and how the people of Arrakis live, the book can drag on in some parts but it is well written and gives you a real feel for the world.
Content warning Spoiler attention
Cet ouvrage me laisse un sentiment mitigé . D'un coté une construction de monde incroyable et de l'autre le complotisme. "Complotisme" dans le sens ou l'explication de la marche du monde est toujours liée a un complot.
Meme si on pourrait, au premier abord, y voir une fresque écologique ou l'humain n'est qu'un élément parmi d'autres dans un vaste eco-systeme, en réalité le reve écologique des fremens ne cesse d'etre instrumentalisé par Paul. Enfin les principaux personnages ne sont mues que par la quete du pouvoir et/ou la vengeance. Ce que j'ai trouvé assez pauvre. D'ailleurs impossible de croire deux secondes a l'histoire d'amour que nous propose l'auteur. Sans parler du personnage de Chani que l'on découvre guerriere et qui fini femme/mere de ... Quel gachi !
Bref, globalement décu de cette lecture #Bookstodon #Lecture #Dune #Sci-Fi
Since I watched the movies first, I was happy to have one of my main fears dissapear completely during the first couple chapters. Many of the plot twists present on both movies are actually things the reader just knows from the start. The betrayal and the plot against House Atreides, the people behind it and the reason for it can be inferred quickly enough.
Herbert’s confidence in the world he wrote can end up being too much to a lot of people. From the beginning of the novel, characters throw around a lot of made up terms that can be confusing, and in a setting where Dukes, Counts and Emperors, Great Houses and Cults are still a thing, alongside intergalactic travel and human calculators, the politics and relationships of it all are quite complex.
The book doesn’t hold your hand at all. There are references and intriguing events …
Since I watched the movies first, I was happy to have one of my main fears dissapear completely during the first couple chapters. Many of the plot twists present on both movies are actually things the reader just knows from the start. The betrayal and the plot against House Atreides, the people behind it and the reason for it can be inferred quickly enough.
Herbert’s confidence in the world he wrote can end up being too much to a lot of people. From the beginning of the novel, characters throw around a lot of made up terms that can be confusing, and in a setting where Dukes, Counts and Emperors, Great Houses and Cults are still a thing, alongside intergalactic travel and human calculators, the politics and relationships of it all are quite complex.
The book doesn’t hold your hand at all. There are references and intriguing events from long ago that came and went and help give you an idea of the state of affairs, such as the interesting computers, for example, but a lot is left for the reader to figure out and fill the gaps as they keep reading. I think the movies helped me get through this much quicker too.
The story begins after House Atreides is put in charge of Arrakis, a planet with the most valuable substance in the galaxy, the spice melange. A drug that is essential for space travel, can improve the user’s life-span, awareness and many other things.
The planet is a huge desert, making for a harsh environment nobody would bother to live on, where water is scarce and as valued as spice. Despite this, it is inhabited by the Fremen, people who have managed to tame the desert, and resist the heavy rule of the Harkonnens, who up until then had been the House harvesting the planet’s resources for the Empire.
Our protagonist, Paul Atreides is the son of Duke Leto and Lady Jessica; and he'll finds himself entangled in the middle of prophecies, visions and politics in a path that would lead him to do what he thinks is right, but at what cost?
The novel deals with many different topics, such as the fight over natural resources, the dangers of organized religion, capitalism and freedom and things.
Some people might not like the politics at the start, others will not enjoy the spirituality later on, and a few will find everything weird and confusing and with cringy prose. I kind of loved it, I can see why this novel is among the greats, and how it has served as the inspiration of tons of different works over the decades, and it will keep on giving for years to come.
Every character has their motivations, their perspectives and interactions. There is conflict even between allies, family and friends, and it is simply so intriguing and it all feels like a big disaster and a terrible tragedy, but that is still the best possible outcome of it all.
It was a cool read, I am considering reading the next books by Frank, but we’ll see, I kind of want to read a ton of different authors, which I’ve been doing since the year begun, so maybe next year will be the year of reading full book series for a change.
Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife - chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: “Now, it’s complete because it’s ended here.” — from “Collected Sayings of Maud’Dib’’ by the Princess Irulan
The book is so packed of action, emotion, mysticism and lots of character development. Loved it. Coming from reading most of the Foundation series, I wasn’t sure if I me being a fanboy, Iwas going to like it another big Sci-Fi saga but I did. Can’t wait to read the next books!
The first roughly two chapters were quite difficult to get into. Many terms I didn't understand, and I naturally didn't have a grasp of the political landscape, which would've been quite important to understand at the start. However, this feeling soon went away, as the situation became clearer.
I didn't like the story arc at all. The buildup was huge and monumental, but the resolution was frustratingly lame. Maybe this is only because this book is the first of a series, but still not satisfying.
What I really liked, was the world building. Instead of focusing on a technology-dominated future, Herbert forbid all AI-related machinery in his novel and instead focused on enhanced capabilities of humans. A concept that I'd say really worked out. The ecosystem of Arrakis is quite interesting too, as is the way of living of its inhabitants. And glimpses the reader gets into the …
The first roughly two chapters were quite difficult to get into. Many terms I didn't understand, and I naturally didn't have a grasp of the political landscape, which would've been quite important to understand at the start. However, this feeling soon went away, as the situation became clearer.
I didn't like the story arc at all. The buildup was huge and monumental, but the resolution was frustratingly lame. Maybe this is only because this book is the first of a series, but still not satisfying.
What I really liked, was the world building. Instead of focusing on a technology-dominated future, Herbert forbid all AI-related machinery in his novel and instead focused on enhanced capabilities of humans. A concept that I'd say really worked out. The ecosystem of Arrakis is quite interesting too, as is the way of living of its inhabitants. And glimpses the reader gets into the politics, economy, and religion are also fascinating.
it took me ages to get through this. not because it's bad, probably mostly because i repaired my computer and had.. other things on my mind. but also partly because herbert's style reminds me of tolkien. like, a lot. at least in the sense that herbert really wants you to read his mediocre poetry too.
this isn't bad by any means, and i will surely read on in the future. probably around the time the second movie hits. the characters are fleshed-out and there's surprisingly little overt misogyny for a science fiction book that is, at this point, positively ancient. it's just the constant internal monologuing and then rushing through the actual happenings that gets exhausting after a while.
it took me ages to get through this. not because it's bad, probably mostly because i repaired my computer and had.. other things on my mind. but also partly because herbert's style reminds me of tolkien. like, a lot. at least in the sense that herbert really wants you to read his mediocre poetry too.
this isn't bad by any means, and i will surely read on in the future. probably around the time the second movie hits. the characters are fleshed-out and there's surprisingly little overt misogyny for a science fiction book that is, at this point, positively ancient. it's just the constant internal monologuing and then rushing through the actual happenings that gets exhausting after a while.
One of the great SciFi stories, and deservedly so!
Some underlying assumptions and currents seem out of place and occasionally even offensive today, however, as an analysis of the interplay of politics and religion it's absolutely fantastic. Very happy I finally made the time to read it, and plan to continue reading this series.
If you're somebody who has watched the movie or mini-series, this will fill in some gaps!
One of the great SciFi stories, and deservedly so!
Some underlying assumptions and currents seem out of place and occasionally even offensive today, however, as an analysis of the interplay of politics and religion it's absolutely fantastic. Very happy I finally made the time to read it, and plan to continue reading this series.
If you're somebody who has watched the movie or mini-series, this will fill in some gaps!
Read it years (decades) ago. Lived up to the hype. Need to reread.
Read it years (decades) ago. Lived up to the hype. Need to reread.
Dans cette deuxième partie, Paul Atréides et sa mère sont recueillis par les fremens, ces terribles hommes du désert d'rrakis, et y prennent un rôle particulier Jessica en tant que révérende Mère, c'est-à-dire guide spirituelle d'une tribu, et Paul en tant que guerrier, messie, chef de guerre, et tant d'autres choses.
J'ai lu ce roman pour la première fois dans les années 80. A l'époque, j'avais trouvé l'histoire absolument fascinante parce qu'elle montrait de la force du potentiel caché du jeune Paul. Evidement, comme j'avais à peu près son âge, je ne voyais pas ce roman comme un roman typique du "coming of age", et qui pourrait potentiellement paraître aujourd'hui dans une collection young adult (un concept qui me gêne beaucoup personnellement). Le relire maintenant, plus de trente ans après, change complètement ma vision du roman.
J'y découvre cette fois-ci que la première partie est réellement la description d'un piège …
Dans cette deuxième partie, Paul Atréides et sa mère sont recueillis par les fremens, ces terribles hommes du désert d'rrakis, et y prennent un rôle particulier Jessica en tant que révérende Mère, c'est-à-dire guide spirituelle d'une tribu, et Paul en tant que guerrier, messie, chef de guerre, et tant d'autres choses.
J'ai lu ce roman pour la première fois dans les années 80. A l'époque, j'avais trouvé l'histoire absolument fascinante parce qu'elle montrait de la force du potentiel caché du jeune Paul. Evidement, comme j'avais à peu près son âge, je ne voyais pas ce roman comme un roman typique du "coming of age", et qui pourrait potentiellement paraître aujourd'hui dans une collection young adult (un concept qui me gêne beaucoup personnellement). Le relire maintenant, plus de trente ans après, change complètement ma vision du roman.
J'y découvre cette fois-ci que la première partie est réellement la description d'un piège dans lequel la cible tombe pour des raisons d'honneur, qui font du personnage de Leto Atreides quelqu'un de vraiment intéressant. En revanche, cette fois-ci, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à apprécier le jeune Paul, qui traite le reste des personnages avec un mépris évident. Un mépris qui a bien sûr pour raison sa peur de déclencher le jihad des terribles fremens sur la galaxie. Mais cette peur - compréhensible - de l'avenir n'en fait pas moins de Paul un personnage peu aimable.
En parlant des fremens ...
L'orientalisme est une fascination occidentale depuis ... le XVIIIème siècle d'après la wikipedia. Et à mon avis, plus que de la science-fiction (pour le décorum) ou de la fantasy (pour le fond élitiste et réactionnaire), ce roman est une oeuvre orientaliste. C'est-à-dire une oeuvre qui met en scène une fascination totale pour le désert et les gens qui l'habitent. En ce sens, c'est un grand, un magnifique roman sur le désert. En revanche, je suis beaucoup plus mal à l'aise avec l'exploitation des motifs religieux de Jihad par l'auteur. Peut-être (sans doute même) est-ce lié à l'époque actuelle, tellement inquiète de l'autre. Autrement dit, je ne suis sans doute pas dans la bonne attitude pour lire un roman qui parle du déferlement d'hommes du désert fanatiques religieux sur la civilisation ... A moins bien sûr qu'il existe des à-priori occidentaux concernant les peuples du désert, à-priori qui remonteraient, par exemple, à Lawrence d'Arabie (dont ce roman reproduit un certain nombre de traits, comme le jeune guerrier prenant la tête des indigènes pour en mener la révolte dans un but pas forcément altruiste). Bref, cet aspect du roman, ce côté légèrement néo-colonialiste dans le désert, m'a un peu dérangé ... Parce qu'il me semble qu'il est inconscient chez l'auteur, c'est-à-dire qu'il exploite le trope des dangereux nomades du désert sans en questionner la valeur potentiellement raciste. Mais attention ! C'est une critique liée à mon expérience de lecteur, qui n'ôte finalement que peu d'intérêt au roman. Parce que pour le reste, comme je l'ai déja dit, c'est un grand roman. Et l'un des indispensables de toute bonne bibliothèque de science-fiction, ne serait-ce que pour trouver les racines des sagas de fantasy comme le trône de fer ...
Dans cette première partie, on voit les Atreides prendre possession d'Arrakis, dans un contexte de piège assez évident, et dans une ambiance totalement paranoïaque. Ça n'empêche pas le roman d'avoir une analyse des différents personnages fine et nuancée, qui donne même du corps à cette ordure d'Harkonnen.
Dans cette première partie, on voit les Atreides prendre possession d'Arrakis, dans un contexte de piège assez évident, et dans une ambiance totalement paranoïaque. Ça n'empêche pas le roman d'avoir une analyse des différents personnages fine et nuancée, qui donne même du corps à cette ordure d'Harkonnen.
Dune chronicles the battle for Arrakis. Set in the very distant future, two families are fighting to reign the only planet in the known universe were "spice" can be extracted. Spice is vital to space travel and many other parts of life.
Dune is a classic and even re-reading this book, it's no disappointment. The setting is rich and deep so there's something new to discover on every page. Rivaling fraction are all trying to make sure their piece of the pie is safe and taken care of, but in the end, it all boils down to one man.
I can't wait to start the next book in the saga.
Dune chronicles the battle for Arrakis. Set in the very distant future, two families are fighting to reign the only planet in the known universe were "spice" can be extracted. Spice is vital to space travel and many other parts of life.
Dune is a classic and even re-reading this book, it's no disappointment. The setting is rich and deep so there's something new to discover on every page. Rivaling fraction are all trying to make sure their piece of the pie is safe and taken care of, but in the end, it all boils down to one man.
I can't wait to start the next book in the saga.
на трієчку.
