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  • Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
55,584 global ratings
5 star
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4 star
13%
3 star
4%
2 star
1%
1 star
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Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

byFrank Herbert
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Top positive review

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J.N.
5.0 out of 5 starsFirst book bigger in width and height than the other two books?
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2020
Great book so far, what can I say? It's a touchstone of science fiction. Ordered the first three books separately (because it was actually slightly cheaper to do that than get the box set) and kind of surprised the first book is larger in width and height than the other two. It's not a big deal I guess but kind of defeats the purpose of getting three books from a series that match each other. I just thought this was odd enough to mention in a review.

UPDATE: Figured it out, the first book is actually in Trade Paperback format; the other two are the NEW Mass Market Paperbacks. Unfortunately on Amazon, the latter is being sold without delineation as the "Paperback" option, often with the "Mass Market" option seeming to be OLDER editions of the MMP size. This is also true for the 6 book (unboxed) set that I later purchased twice, trying to get the rest of the books in the bigger size.

Note: I prefer the bigger size because it stays open when laid on a flat surface or in your lap. That sold it for me. On top of that, the font looks better somehow, and the narrow size just looked and felt kind of weird because the font size was the same but the pages are so narrow (I had an older edition of the first book that was MMP size but smaller font so it didn't look and read weird).

In all my frustrated searches on Amazon, it seemed really unusually difficult to find the rest of the books in the larger Trade Paperback size, so for your sake, here's what I figured out after way too much time: A) The official BOXED set is the Trade Paperback size of the first book. B) Or, if you are like me and only wanted to get the first few books in Trade Paperback size, go to the Penguin Random House website, find the individual Dune books, select "Paperback", and click on their Amazon link to buy it here (they also link to other major book dealers, if you prefer). I managed to find books two, three, and four this way., which were the only ones I really wanted anyway.

Note that as of writing this, the second and third books in Trade Paperback size on Amazon are both $9.99 each (same price as the NEW MMP books) but God Emperor is almost full price at $16.99 for some reason.
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361 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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K. Kearns
1.0 out of 5 starsI love the permanently bound price tag on the book.
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020
At first you think it's going to be a really great binding and copy the book when you open the box. But then you actually open the box and you notice that it's been rattling around the box for 3 days while they shipped it. Then you take it out and go okay you know I can live with the dented and dim corners. And then you notice that the sticker on the back is permanently bonded to the book. So if you try to remove it it actually removes part of the cover with it. if they only would have put a little thin layer of plastic all the way around the book and then maybe adhered the sticker to it... would have been so much better.
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107 people found this helpful

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From the United States

J. Foster
3.0 out of 5 stars Just ok.
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Being a huge science fiction fan, I really wanted to like Dune. Numerous reviews peg Dune as "one of the best sci-fi books ever written," in addition to being one of the best-selling sci-fi novels of all time.

So about half-way through the book I start thinking something must be wrong with me because I just wasn't getting it. Sure, there were some parts I enjoyed, and even found fascinating. The premise, actually is quite intriguing. But overall, I just didn't enjoy it.

Why? Not sure I could put my finger on it. I think part of it is the abundance of made-up words. Not having an appendix/dictionary easily available made it difficult. Yes, I know there are websites and wikis that list all the terms, but the proliferation of such words puts a burden on the reader to constantly look them up.

And secondly, to be honest, it was kind of boring in parts. I would often put the book down and not pick it up again for days, or even longer. Hopefully I won't lose my nerd card. :)

I can understand why the novel is so well-liked. In many ways, the world-building could be compared to LOTR in the fantasy genre. It is astounding the work and effort that went into building this cohesive world, with special customs, dress, politics and religion. But that couldn't cover the lack of action, and the fact that the plot was sometimes slow-moving.

The book is worth your time, though I think there are better options out there.

---------------
I noticed Amazon and Goodreads have a slightly different meanings to their 5-point scale. I thought it was odd to have a different rating for the same book on two different sites, so I came up with my own scale below. For the record, it is fairly close to Amazon's scale, but allows me to be consistent between the two sites.

5 - Fantastic. Life-altering. Maybe only 30 in a lifetime.
4 - Very good.
3 - Worth your time.
2 - Not very good.
1 - Atrocious.
50 people found this helpful
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JoJo Flan
3.0 out of 5 stars I Can't Tell If It's Genius or Cliche
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020
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This is a real chin-scratcher to me, as far as how I would rate it. In some areas, I would give the book a solid 5 star rating and agree that it's one of the best books ever written. In other areas, I would say the book was very boring and cliche and lacked a lot of what makes a book a great read. During some parts of the book, they get into some really deep stuff.

The politics and scheming and treachery and stuff is really well thought-out. However, the main character is basically a god, which no amount of politicking or scheming or treachery can overcome. Most of the time, you are warned about the treachery or a major plot line and who is to commit it long in advance. Some of this is connected to the characters prescience abilities, and other times it's just the author straight up telling you what is going to happen. On the area of prescience, I somewhat understand why you should know it's coming, but it really kills the impact of the moment.

I enjoy the ability of the Bene Gesserit to read minds, not by some special power, but just by being hyper-trained in the power to read subtle cues in a minor face movement and a person's mannerisms. They also the Mentat, which have the power to read the future just by making informed calculated guesses with information. I really liked this, and it seemed to be built on real world analytical abilities. However, near the end, they kind of kill this when some of the characters develop straight-up psychic powers. Again, the main character is basically an unstoppable god by the end of the book.

There really doesn't seem to be much conflict throughout the book, in my opinion. Whatever conflict arises is quashed by the fact that you know in advance pretty much what is going to happen. That, and the fact the main character is pretty much a god leading an army of unstoppable super soldiers. He doesn't even train them to become super soldiers, the conditions on Dune are so extreme that they just naturally became that way from adapting to survive. There is another faction of super soldiers, which were actually trained to be that way, which are so inferior to the Dune warriors that they die at a rate of 3 for 1 against them.

So, you know well in advance the main plot line, the main character is basically a god, and he is leading an army of super soldiers unlike any other in the galaxy. At the end of the book, when the story comes to its thrilling conclusion, there is no real conflict. His army of super soldiers basically just steamrolled over all of the opposing forces easily. The antagonists don't even prepare for the battle, the whole book they underestimate the Dune warriors in both skill and numbers. Throughout the book, you're warned early on that the protagonist is going to steamroll everyone, then reminded about it over and over, and then it just happens without any real opposition.

I am not a real fan of the message in the book, honestly. There is some strife for the main character, but mostly everything is just handed to him. He does train, but his genetics by far outweigh any possible training. He does have to convince the Dune warriors to trust him, but for the most part prophecy just lays them into his arms.

There is no real underdog story here, nor a story where the main character encounters any major strife. Everything is basically handed to him either by genetics, prophecy, or psychic mind powers. I can understand why people love the book, because there is a lot to love based on how intricate the politics and Bene Gerresit powers are. However, in my honest opinion, the story just isn't very good. I am really torn on whether I want to read the second book or not.
34 people found this helpful
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SK
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting premise ruined by non-stop sexism and overly-convenient plot.
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
So I’ve been meaning to read this forever and finally found the time to do it. The premise is interesting and the technical details were creative and well-detailed, especially considering when this was written in 1965. It would be nice to think that a man who is so creative and forward-thinking, even in those days, would have been more progressive in his attitudes toward women, but NO.

Every woman in this book is either a “witch;” a serving person; or chattel, swapped from one man to the next, as part of the possessions a man gains after killing another by challenge. Only the “Reverend Mother” has any autonomy or power but it is still limited, under the Emperor’s power, and she is still called a “witch.”

For me, the CONSTANT sexism, combined with the drawn out and frequently too-convenient plot, made me less forgiving of the repetitive conversations. I’m glad I read it, as it’s considered a classic, and now at least I have an informed opinion on it. However, in my estimation, for a futuristic novel, it’s ridiculously dated.
32 people found this helpful
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Tomorrow's Vig
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I’ve waited years to read this and it was quite a let down. I think if I had read it at 13 I would have loved it but at 48 it’s pacing is poor, the conflicts feel shallow, the main character never feels like he’s ever in serious danger, important deaths don’t carry enough weigh, the Harkonnens feel cartoonish and the final battle was severely anti climactic. I’m bummed. I was looking forward to a magically read.
15 people found this helpful
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Tim Raymond
3.0 out of 5 stars A classic that needs to be remastered
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2020
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I wanted to love this more than I actually did. The concepts were cool, but the storytelling was bland. I thought the prescience as a plot device could have been leveraged more (e.g. what happens when two rival parties have partial knowledge of the future?). The world building was okay, but I still barely understand many parts of the world (e.g. what is the “shield wall”? Best I could come up with is the caldera of an inactive volcano. Where does the spice come from and why do guild navigators need prescience?). It also felt like much of the action happened “off-screen” with the exception of a few key moments. It was kind of irritating for some chapters to lead up to something and the next chapter to basically start with “we won, kicked ass, and now we’re moving on.”

I’m looking forward to the film adaptation where they can re-tell this story and do it better justice.
14 people found this helpful
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Frank Girardot
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as great as I remembered, but worth reading again
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
Way back in the 1970s Dune was assigned reading in high school. Loved it then. I'm pretty sure the '80s movie version of it was terrible, and maybe that made me forget the story of the Atredies. Can't really say. Also,can't say anything about the TV series from 2000 as I never saw it. Nonetheless, Dune is somewhat timeless. Its themes of conservation, family and friendship ring as true now as they did when it was written in the mid-1960s. And, its very clear that Dune was the inspiration for a very well-known Disney property, with its desert planet, a weird force-like ESP and its narrative of good versus evil. Take Dune add a pinch of Star Trek and viola! You're reaping the rewards of box office glory with "A New Hope."
So, there's that.
It's the writing that gets me down. While I appreciate the fact Frank Herbert was a journalist, and wrote lots and lots and lots about his world in a Tolkein sort of way (even developing a glossary of terms) sometimes his writing seems overwrought and stilted -- thus the three stars. Leaning toward four, but 3 nonetheless. Even so, I urge youto read the book and decide for yourself if its dreck or genius.
8 people found this helpful
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reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Not that great
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2020
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Hailed as a masterpiece of writing, Dune reads more like a an unfinished novel. Herbert was a reporter, so the conversations and characters are entertaining, but the plot becomes hard to find and the reader is expected to embrace a complex set of worlds, religions and players. Gets tedious after a while. Overrated.
(Yes, he wrote a sequel, but it is more like a final chapter to the first book, almost an addendum.)
6 people found this helpful
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Jordano Tonial
3.0 out of 5 stars Cool universe, way too much exposition
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
Honestly, a cool setting and power struggle, but this author never misses an opportunity to explicitly state exactly what you just saw, nothing is left for the reader to interpret. The author also never stops explicitely stating how the the protagonist, Paul, is like an ubermensch. Every chapter is all the other characters fawning over how great he is. Like, we get it, this 15 year old rocks, he's amazing--you don't need to reiterate it in every single thought from the other characters.
4 people found this helpful
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Bryan G
3.0 out of 5 stars Innovative for its time, but the field has moved on
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
It’s always been pretty embarrassing that I’d never read “Dune”, but with the new film about to open, it was time to fix this hole in my sci-fi resume. The hype was that this was the greatest science-fiction book ever written, but I have to say I was underwhelmed. The depth of research and the many layers of meaning were extremely impressive, and the writing was wonderful. But the characters seem to each have a single gear (you could almost see the evil Baron twirling his moustache), and the story is slow: amazing action sequences are all too brief, and separated by long and opaque stretches of dialogue. Overall it was a slog.

It’s hard to rate classics so long after they’re published. What was extraordinary innovative at the time is now a stereotype and part of the fabric of the genre. So credit to “Dune” for being a milestone that was ahead of its time. But sci-fi has moved on, and I prefer to stick with the more modern stuff. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the books in this series, but I look forward to the film.
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Jonathan Rice
3.0 out of 5 stars Still a good read, but requires a critical eye
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
It's not that Dune is a bad book, it's just that reading it in middle age, after learning about and interrogating the white savior myth in literary/popular culture, it becomes difficult to praise it in the same ways I might have 10 or 20 years ago. The worldbuilding is still as epic as it's always been, but the execution leaves much to be desired. I still think it's absolutely worth reading, if for no other reason to give us a springboard for these types of conversations.
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