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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
...(more) 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(less)
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This is the first book in what I think is one of the greatest science fiction series of all time! I think the book, the concepts, the characters, the setting … everything Herbert begins here with this title was magical for me as a reader.
For instance Herbert’s prescient with his discussions of ecology and making an ecologist a main character in the unfolding drama of his book. The entire idea of terra-forming a planet’s ecology is utterly brilliant - especially the way he portrays the planet’s inhabitants as having adapted to what others find to be a completely hostile environment.
But the main character, Paul Atredies, is where the entire compelling pull of the book resides. This story is a true Hero’s Journey ala Joseph Campbell. The pre-conscious training he recieves along the way from his many mentors rivals anything I’ve ever come across.
If you’re a fan of human potential and performance … like those portrayed in StarWars and the Matrix you’ll find Herbert outstrips those ideas by far. Enjoy!