Are the Dune Books any Good?

[Bullet1987]

I want to start a new series and was wondering if anyone here has read the Dune books by Frank Herbert.

[Ariana Celeste]

1. I love them

Every one consumed me, I couldn't put them down.

[supernova]

2. Fear is the mind-killer. was my sig line

for many years.

I love those books. So, so, so relevant.

[Joanie Baloney]

3. Well...

I loved them too. But don't go by my opinion...apparently I was the only one who liked the movie version too.

Read them!

JB

[flowomo]

6. the movie is great...

you are not alone on that. A bit of a mess in spots, but really good overall. The worms are fantastic.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Meh.

The Sci-Fi channel adaptation is much better.

[GoodSpud]

14. I will one up you on the movie...

I actually own the soundtrack. Toto for the win!

T.D.P.

[Ariana Celeste]

18. I've got the movie, too.

And the Dune and Children of Dune mini-series on DVD.

[cemaphonic]

75. The movie does have some nice Lynchian weirdness,

But really, the best thing about it is that it allowed Lynch to make Blue Velvet.

Supposedly, Lynch was considered to direct Return of the Jedi at one point. That would have been interesting.

[xmas74]

79. That would have been the best movie ever!

David Lynch and Star Wars? That would have been awesome.

[cemaphonic]

93. Maybe...

He hated the restrictions he was working under with Dune, and the money and stakes involved in Jedi would have had him on a much shorter leash. Not sure it would have been a good fit for him

You can believe that the Ewoks wouldn't have beens so damn cutesy though.

[xmas74]

94. I'm sure he would have hated the restrictions.

But damn that movie would have rocked. He would have found ways to dispose of the Ewoks, the movie would have been very dark. It would have scared young children and freaked out adults.

I'm just thinking of how brilliant it would have been.

[Madspirit]

4. I LOVED them....n/t

[Kali]

5. Of course since I don't know you or your tastes and since opinions

are just that, you would have to judge for yourself. I thought they were good and enjoyed reading them.

[johnaries]

7. YES! The first one was fantastic!

The rest are not as good. But I have read the first one many times and discover something new each time. It has so many rich layers it can't be described.
And it is quite relevent today. In fact, it's timeless. A true classic.
I also recommend The Jesus Incident by Herbert. It's a sequel but you don't have to read the first book to enjoy it (I didn't).

[murielm99]

24. I agree with that.

The first one was wonderful, a classic. It can stand by itself.

I did not like the rest as well, and I did not read much beyond the first
few in the series. It was impossible to equal the first book.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Be forewarned: They're pretty spicy.

[johnaries]

12. Oooh! That's bad!

The Oil - I mean - The Spice must flow!

[TahitiNut]

54. Full of worms, too.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

9. Really great! Extremly intricate!

Loved them.

[GoodSpud]

10. Yes, but....

The first book is brilliant, the remainder of the initial trilogy are quite good.


Then there are several other written by Frank Herbert that I personally enjoyed but lots of people did not care for.


Then there are the later works by Herbert's son and various people. I don't know anything about those.


The books are not light reading, the story line is complex and there is a lot of back story to pick up from context. Make sure to read the quotes at the chapter heads, these are relevant to the story.

T.D.P.

Disclaimer: I am completely biased in my opinion. I have read the original trilogy multiple times and actually OWN a copy of the 1984 movie version. So take my opinion for what it is worth.

[WilliamPitt]

11. 'Dune' is astonisingly good.

I'm re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading it at this moment, in fact.

[TahitiNut]

55. Amen. It's about time for me to re-re-re-re-read them, too.

The imagery and portrayal of political tensions are terrific.

[JitterbugPerfume]

13. I love them

they are very intricate but well worth the effort.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. Dune was wonderful. I thought the first to be the best. eom

[sarge43]

16. FWIW, my opinion

The first one Dune I found fascinating. After that they steadily became more bizarre and difficult. They're certainly worth a read; you may well be captured by them.

[Cleita]

17. People either love them or hate them. You will have to decide

for yourself although I highly recommend reading them.

[IChing]

19. I had a small connection with Frank Herbert

He lived and worked in my small town in Washington State and I worked on his house
as a carpenter in Hawaii. I had read his books before I meet him when he was dying of cancer.
A humble man ahead of times.

[KG]

21. rather complex and hard to follow. not a casual read by any means

the fact that i didn't particularly enjoy it doesn't mean it's bad or that you won't.

[lumberjack_jeff]

22. Dune is the best science fiction novel ever. And I've read a lot..

Dune is excellent, the following books by Frank Herbert didn't engage me at the time (I was in my late teens). The follow-on books written by his son Brian Herbert are quite good.

I need to circle back and re-read the originals one of these days. Maybe in order.
http://www.dunenovels.com/timeline.html

[Greyhound]

28. The Stand? Stranger in a Strange Land? 1984? A Clockwork Orange?

Best ever is highly disputable, but a great book nonetheless.

[The Straight Story]

34. Stranger in a Strange land was awesome (nt)

[lumberjack_jeff]

46. Yup.

1) Dune
2) The Robot/Foundation series by Asimov
3) Stranger in a Strange land
4) Enders Game
5) Cities in flight

The absolute, unambiguous, definitive list.

YMMV.

[xmas74]

82. I was informed on another board

that I am a "repulsive oaf" because I enjoy Stranger in a Strange Land.

Oh, yeah-the fight was on.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

70. Stranger in a Strange Land - best novel ever, not just SciFi

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

73. It's not even close.

It's a good story, and little more. I enjoyed Dune, but it lacks a whole lot in a literary sense.

Anything by Philip K. Dick easily trumps Dune.

[Prophet 451]

23. Yes, but...

The first one is quite difficult to get into for the first few chapters. The rest of the original trilogy are quite good. By my opinion (and ONLY my opinion), the rest of them blow.

[Ellipsis]

25. One of my all time favorites.

As the series progresses so does the complexity.

What a treat it would be to read Dune for the first time.

[Greyhound]

26. The first book is one of the all-time Sci-Fi classics, the others are pretty uneven

and the second one should have been heavily edited and added to the third, IMO.

If you talk to a serious Herbert fan you will hear a much different assessment.

[NV Whino]

27. Dune is excellent

The two following that complete the trilogy are good but not as good. The others written by or completed by Herbert's son are not worth reading...IMHO.

The movie, like many movies, was interesting on its own, but don't expect it to equal the book.

[WHAT]

45. My assessment, also...

the first has wonderful writing as well as plot! I gave-up on "The Butlerian Jihad" (by son and Anderson) after the first few pages...the writing was off-key and just reading it, I thought, might taint the original.

The saga continues in my imagination...

[lumberjack_jeff]

47. I find the follow on books to be pretty good.

They help to flesh out the characters in the original. Of necessity, they're not original ideas. The author says that his books are based on an outline written by Frank and found in a safe-deposit box after his death.

Are they on the same level? No, but worth reading nonetheless, imo.

[havocmom]

51. Yep, but I did find God Emporor of Dune good

Interesting vehicle for commentary on human nature, the use of a VERY old human who turned the worm and has had plenty of time to observe.

[sandnsea]

29. Inspired by

Where I live

[Turbineguy]

30. I suggest this:

get the entire series and bring them into your room. That way you do not have to stop reading, also meal and bathroom breaks might be a good idea. Oh and possibly a haircut. Avoid going to work.

[Bullet1987]

31. I saw Children of Dune on Sci-Fi and didn't like it...

but I think I'd like the books.

[sarge43]

33. Without reading or seeing Dune, the Children story makes little sense.

Herbert's accomplishment was creating a whole civilization; you need to know the background to understand the motivations.

[swimmernsecretsea]

32. I can't say for the full series, but I read the first one.

When I was in high school, ('70's) I saw my gym teacher engrossed in it, then a close friend talked about some of the memorable scenes from it when all got together one day. It intrigued me enough so that I found a copy at the library and read it. It's a hefty book, and I am an extremely slow reader due to dyslexia, but I got throught that book quickly.

After I finished it, my friends and I, who were all into SF and Fantasy literature, put cinnammon in everything. I even designed a costume for a friend who went to a convention. I finally got to meet Frank Herbert at "A Change of Hobbit"(now closed) in Los Angeles.

[sendero]

35. The first one is 100% classic..

... read it, you likely won't be disapointed.

The rest somewhat less so.

[Marr]

36. Herbert really builds a believable universe- it's an excellent series.

The political intrigue and balances of power he describes between religious, trade, and government forces make for a very compelling- and convincing- setting.

[sarge43]

37. Yup. Substitute 'oil' for 'spice' and

you'll have our current dilemma - very far sighted on Herbert's part.

[Bullet1987]

38. Somebody told me everybody in the book is Arab or something...

[sarge43]

39. The Fremen, the native people of Dune, are Zensunni

It's an ancient mix of Buddhism and Islam and it's been deeply influenced by the Bene Gesserit. Their language has Arabic roots. Because Dune is a desert planet, there are cultural and adaptive parallels with Bedouin as there would be with anyone living in those conditions. However, it's 10,000 years in the future and Earth has been forgotten. They are no more Arab than I'm a Saxon clanswomen, circa 1000BCE. There's a connection, but very, very tenuous at best.

[NewJeffCT]

81. Weren't there implications

that the main planet - Arrakis/Dune - was the ruins of Earth from many millenia past? Not in the original book, but in one of the next 3-4 written by Frank Herbert?

[sarge43]

88. According to the Dune Encyclopedia, Arrakis orbits the star Canopus.

The Encyclopedia article, Arrakis: Oxygen Saga, states that Arrakis had by 900 million BCE developed abundant and diverse life forms, including mammals. Around 50 million BCE, it suffered the oxygen catastrophe; the reason(s) is still unknown. The oxygen dropped below the level required for life and because of it surface water also disappeared. The only animal that survived was a small burrowing marine worm, protochordata. The giant worms evolved from them. For reasons that would give away an important plot point, oxygen gradually increased until again Arrakis could support off world life.

Earth That Was (a nod to Serenity/Firefly) is merely legend and myth in the Imperium - similar to Rome and the Trojan War. The connection is remembered, but factual history, outside of what little the BG preserved, is lost or corrupted.

[rustydad]

44. Yep

He was way ahead of his time in understanding the significance of ME oil and Peak Oil. If one today doesn't understand these issues he/she is lost. Bob

[Solly Mack]

40. I'm rather fond of them.

[jpgray]

41. Just read some Shakespeare history plays, then read Revolt in the Desert

(Or if you are really bored, Seven Pillars of Wisdom.) That will give you pretty much the same exact effect. But yeah, it's a good read.

[uppityperson]

42. I have a Frank Herbert story for you. I met him once.

Was working in a clinic and this medium height older chubby bearded guy wanders in to talk with front office staff, introduced to me as "Frank". We shook hands and I kept working while he visited. After he left the office staff he visited with started telling stories about frank, how he had recently learned to cook pizza (didn't cook much before his wife died not too long before) and he brought pizza to potluck barbecues because, after all, he had just learned how to make them.

I finally figured out that Frank was Frank Herbert. He seemed like a nice normalish sort of guy who knew how to make pizza.

[Paulie]

43. Awesome works

I've worn out two sets of paperbacks. I actually prefer the last three. Another great book oh Herbert's that is also in print is "The Dosadi Experiment".

I'm also becoming more and more of a Robert A. Heinlein fan. Heinlein stories as Audio Books (or old time radio shows) are wondrous.

[NMDemDist2]

61. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is one of my all time favs by Heinlein

highly recommended

[badgerpup]

63. Paging Mycroft Holmes...Mycroft Holmes...

...just re-read that one again for the manyth time.

[Greyhound]

65. LOL, I did it the other way, read everything Heinlein wrote and then found Dune.

'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' is my favorite tonight, although "Stranger in a Strange Land" frequently occupies that spot.


Then again there's the Puppet Master books and Starship Troopers...

[Balbus]

48. The Frank Herbert Dune books = Great. The Brian Herbert Dune books = atrocious.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

68. I must agree.......

I don't begrudge Brian H. for wanting to continue his Dad's legacy, but could never reproduce the ambiance of the world that Frank built.

[Johnny Appleseed]

49. they are ok.

In that genre I prefer Aasimov and AC Clarke.

[GaYellowDawg]

50. In a word, yes.

The first book is a phenomenal piece simply because of its originality. Herbert created a completely unique universe. You don't read the book and think it's like anything else. So many science fiction books and series are derivative, but Herbert's doesn't have a whiff of it.

I thought that Dune was fantastic, if a little turgid. Children of Dune and Dune Messiah weren't even close to it, in my opinion, but I thought that they were still good reads; after all, not every book by an author will be a masterpiece. God Emperor of Dune was better than the other two, but again, didn't approach the original. Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse une were OK.

I've enjoyed reading the "prequel" books. Again, they're not close to the original, but I've found them to be enjoyable so long as they're not read in comparison with "Dune." I quite enjoyed the "House" books (e.g., Corrino, Atreides, Harkonnen trilogy) but thought that the "Legend" books (Butlerian Jihad, Machine Crusade, Battle of Corrino) started decently and really faltered badly by their end. For me, the jury's still out on Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune.

The books were written in this order:

Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune
House Atreides
House Harkonnen
House Corrino
The Butlerian Jihad
The Machine Crusade
The Battle of Corrin
Hunters of Dune
Sandworms of Dune (Aug 2007)

Chronologically, they would go this way:

The Butlerian Jihad
The Machine Crusade
The Battle of Corrin
House Atreides
House Harkonnen
House Corrino
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune
Hunters of Dune
Sandworms of Dune

[MANative]

52. I loved the Dune series....

one of only two sets of books I've taken the time to re-read. The other was the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I read at least two books each week - swallow up words like chocolate! - hope that gives you some idea of how really compelling they are. (IMHO)

So little time, so many books.....

[lovuian]

53. He who controls the spice Controls the Universe

and Fear is the mindkiller

[Swamp Rat]

56. Yes!!

[CatholicEdHead]

57. First three are good but then it gets confusing

I have both SciFi miniseries on DVD and they are actually better than the old movie. SciFi did a decent adaption of the books, though the order was switched, most of the main ideas came across.

[Orrex]

58. Two major problems with the first book (no spoilers here)

1. From the first moment you meet one particular character, you never have even the slightest doubt of how the events of the book will turn out for him.

2. Every time Chani makes an appearance, she's described as having an oval face. I get it, Frank! I get it!

[ChaoticSilly]

59. Definitely a good read

I disagree with most here, in that I liked the later books better than the first. God Emperor was the best of the entire series, in my opinion. It's a little long winded, but fascinating. I haven't read Brian's sequels, but I've heard they aren't that great.

The Jesus Incident series was also really, really good. You don't necessarily have to read Destination: Void first, but I would recommend it.

[Dr. Strange]

71. Totally agree!

I would even go so far as to say that God Emperor is the pinnacle of science fiction!

The last two books are okay, but they have a different feel than the first four books.

[bridgit]

60. yes...

[badgerpup]

62. Read them...the Frank Herbert ones, at least...

I don't know about the pre-quels, haven't read them, but the sixololgy...Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Planet are well worth the time!


Edit to add...
The movie had so much cut out that it doesn't make sense unless you've read the book...and if you HAVE read the book then it's missing all kinds of important subplots and they made some really STUPID changes.

[pokerfan]

64. The first is the best

I remember first seeing it in high school in the seventies. One of my friends was reading it and he wasn't the type to read any book, let alone a complex SF novel. I was on an Alistair MacLean kick at the time but took a break to read Dune and was impressed, less so with the other two in the tilogy. As the other books came out, I declined to read them.

But kudos to Herbert for getting my friend to read.

[Vidar]

66. Spectacular.

[PVnRT]

67. 1,3 and 4 are good

The rest are either incomprehensible or just bad.

The "prequels" put out by his son are entertaining, though they don't quite measure up to Frank's work.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

69. The first one is a must read

but after that the continue to decrease in quality with each book - don't read past Messiah - you'll just be wasting your time

[triguy46]

72. The first is best. It then gets too confusing, the concept gets tired.

[unpossibles]

74. I love them

The whole series is good, with the first and last being my favorite. The first I have read far more often than the others, but it's great on so many levels - basic Sci Fi story, parable about oil/religion/culture conflicts, etc.

The prequels are ok - not very well written nor as deep, but enjoyable on a basic level.

I've wondered sometimes if there is something deeper analogy going on behind this, or if perhaps Dune and Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land) were the competition for that awful Scientology crap. I'd rather either of those two books' religions had won the bet over scientology.

I also liked the ending of the series, but few others seem to - I don't want to ruin it for you though.

[xmas74]

84. There is a church based on SiaSL.

http://www.caw.org /

The church was started after a group of people read Stranger in a Strange Land.

[barb162]

76. I couldn't get past the first 100 pages of "Dune."

I kept asking a person who recommended it, when does this thing pick up already?

[sarge43]

77. It gets rolling when Paul and Jessica join the Fremen. n/t

[Bridget Burke]

78. I read "Dune" many years ago & loved it.

But I didn't follow through with the sequels. There are enough "clues" in this thread to convince me that rereading Dune & continuing (selectively) is a good idea. (Lynch's movie was a bit of a mess--but the good bits were very, very good.)

But I've just discovered Gene Wolfe. After reading The Book of the New Sun (4 novels), The Urth of the New Sun & The Book of the Long Sun (4 novels), I'm into the 1st of 3 novels in The Book of the Short Sun. Which apparently will take me to the beginning of The Book of the New Sun.

Perhaps I'll be ready for some light reading like Dune!

[NewJeffCT]

80. Loved the first book

back when I was in high school. I re-read it a few times after that, but probably not in the past 15 years.

I think I read the next 3-4 books after that. Not as good, but had some interesting stuff and some good ideas. The books became a bit "spicier" as they went along - I think I remember somebody saying they thought Herbert became a dirty old man.

I haven't read anything from Herbert's son, though.

[EstimatedProphet]

83. They are outstanding

[YankeyMCC]

85. A somewhat contrary view

The story as I've learned about it second hand and through watching some of the film and TV interpretations is interesting and an astounding feat of universe building.

I'm a voracious reader and almost all of my fiction reading is SF. However, I attempted to read Dune twice, both times I could not get past the first few chapters and that is VERY unlike me. I whip through many big long novels and series (River of Gods, Foundation, etc, etc)

The last time I tried was many many years ago in college so perhaps I should try again. This is probably more to do with my own tastes than the objective quality of the novels which generally get high praise but I thought I'd at least give this contrary view to let you know the Dune books may be good but they are challenging and may not be to everyone's tastes.

[Orsino]

86. I really enjoyed the first...

...and bought the second and third because of it. The second was so tedious, though that I think I never got around to trying the third.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

87. The first one is a masterpiece.

They go downhill, which is pretty much a necessity, given how good the first one is. The sequels are solid, better than most sci fi. The non-Frank Herbert ones aren't very good.

[Dr. Strange]

89. Well, it's true that the first one is a masterpiece...

the second one is sort of a masterpiece. The third one is pretty much a masterpiece. The fourth one is an absolute masterpiece. Then they start going downhill.

And yes, the non-Frank Herbert ones are not so good: the so-called "Dune $erie$."

[ceile]

90. Very!

"Children of Dune" was my fave.

[Clintonista2]

91. YES YES YES YES

I LOVE the Dune series, Herbert is a veeerrrry skilled author.

[Taverner]

92. The orignial ones are AWESOME

Epic tales on a level with Tolkien or Homer.

The prequel series by his son - they're good. If they stood alone they'd be considered great, but in comparison to the original they will forever be under a microscope and never measure up.

[Hugin]

95. I recently finished the prequel series...

I enjoyed them quite a bit up until the last bit of the last book... It seemed like a rushed ending.

After the set up and character development in the first several books I was disappointed with the
quick third person ending of the series.