Dune by Frank Herbert

Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Frank Herbert's Dune.

The Short of It

Plot: The desert planet of Arrakis holds many secrets, possibly enough to shift the outcomes of interplanetary war and political intrigue. 

Page Count: 610

Award: 1966 Hugo and 1965 Nebula

Worth a read: Yes, of course.
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass
Technobabble: Moderate
Review: Excellent and epic. Intrigue, cool characters, action. A slow burn at times, and the spice ex machina is a bit overdone. Switching perspectives and characters ramps up tension to superb effect. 

The Medium of It

Spoiler Free!

If you have not yet heard of Dune, welcome. One of the best selling science fiction books of all time, it has earned its place among the greats.

I was shocked to learn that this came out in the 1960s. The book has hardly aged, which is downright remarkable.

Dune is a book of political intrigue more than anything else. This is not to say that it is dry or dull; it is political intrigue of the same ilk as A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). Which is to say, a lot of slow plots building up, a lot of different moving pieces, and a lot of twists and turns. In some ways the comparison is unfair; Dune stands much better as its own book than Game of Thrones. Plots are hatched by different players, and while we focus on Paul Atreides, we have enough perspective chapters from others to see both sides.

Speaking of sides, let us talk briefly of characters. Paul is our protagonist, and as such has some pretty extreme plot armor and protagonist powers. In general, if a situation needs a skill, Paul has it. This is occasionally frustrating when it feels like an easy out. There is a whole cast of characters, and (with a few exceptions) they are distinct, act in ways consistent with personality, and have impacts on story enough to justify their presence. Not much can be said that does not provide any form of spoilers, except this: morality is pleasantly black and white. The bad guys are bad on every level, the good guys are paragons of virtue.

The world of Arrakis is a character itself; sometimes antagonist, sometimes helper. The surprises that it holds are always fun to read, though a number of them are telegraphed too heavily, dampening the impact of revelations.

This book is not a quick read and drags on occasion. It is nonetheless hard to deny that it is a masterpiece.  Dune is truly epic in every sense of the word and if you enjoy science fiction, this is an essential read.  

If you're thinking, "Hey, I should read that!" click the link below. I'll get a few cents if you buy through it, and it won't cost you a drop of water!

Here I am, a link again!

The Long of It

Spoilers Ahead!

There is so much book in this book that it is hard to know where to start. This will also be disproportionately criticism-heavy; I've established that I like the book quite a lot, but there are certainly weaknesses.

The first issue is with purely black and white morality. I appreciate that I do not need to think much about who the good guys are. However, it is unnecessary to make the villains have every negative character trait one can imagine. Baron Harkonnen is morbidly obese to the degree that he needs technology to move, manipulative to the degree that he is indifferent to human life, and is a pedophile. I'm probably missing some other flaws, but the man is a grotesque monster. By the same token, Feyd-Rautha is a straight up psychopath who relishes murder. Glossu Rabban is a sadist as well.

House Atreides and the Fremen are all good guys. Even the duel between Paul and Jamis showcases what a civilized society the Fremen cultivate. This does mean that some of the Atreides retainers and some of the Fremen bleed together; their primary character trait is goodness, making it easy to lose track of who is who.

The focus on water as a part of Fremen culture does more than anything else to make it clear that this planet and culture are not our own. While it takes up a fair number of pages, I never had the feeling that this was overdone; it all adds to the necessity of water for life on the desert planet. For what it's worth, the word water appears (including appendixes) 375 times in this book.

I am a sucker for a good character arc, and Paul does not have one. We meet him and learn that he is an expert fighter with perfect recall and a whole slate of other gifts, courtesy of the Bene Gesserit. At the end, he is still that, but has more people under his command. Sure, he gains more tricks and abilities, but the character itself is exactly the same. No uncertainty, commanding presence, absolute brilliance. I would argue that this is the case for every character; I cannot think of a single actual character arc in this book. Possibly Count Fenring, because we know him to be a killer, and he decides not to kill... but that seems like a pretty weak arc. 

Alright, spice. Yes, it solves most problems. Yes, scenes with it all get pretty long. Yes, it is completely unclear what it can and cannot do. I do not have a good defense for this. Including the appendixes the word "spice" shows up 230 times in this book. That is indeed quite a lot.

Let us close with something that is excellent; everything related to the Bene Gesserit. I absolutely love the premise of seeding a planet with myths for your own protection. I dig the blurring of lines between the legend that was created and reality. I find them to be such a fascinatingly malevolent organization.

There is plenty more that could be said, but I'll leave it at this for now. I do intend to read the remainder of the series, which is an infrequent feeling to have after 600 pages.

No need to call me the Messiah, Stranger.

And don't forget to read a book!