Book 00020: Dune by Frank Herbert
Title:
- Dune
First Publication:
- 1965 by Chilton Books
Trivia:
- The Dune saga, set in the distant future and taking place over millennia, deals with themes such as human survival and evolution, ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics and power.
- Dune itself is the "best-selling science fiction novel of all time," and the series is widely considered to be among the classics in the genre.
- The first edition of Dune is one of the most notable and valuable first editions in science fiction book collecting, and copies have gone for in excess of $10,000 at auction.
Awards:
- The very first Nebula Award (Novel, 1965)
- Hugo Award for Best Novel, 1966
- Waterstones Books of the Century (1997, No 51)
- BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 39)
- The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (The Reader's List, 13)
- Locus Poll Award, All-Time Best Novel (Place: 1)
- Locus Poll Award, All-Time Best SF Novel (Place: 1)
- Locus Poll Award, All-Time Best SF Novel before 1990 (Place: 1)
Hurrah! I just finished reading Frank Herbert's award-winning Dune and I am happy to say that it is one of my favorite now. I liked the way the story was told and the issues tackled are so believeable that you might think Dune was actually a part of our vast history. The story's satisfying flow is maintained upto the last word. No wonder why it became the very first awardee of the famed Nebula awards and shared the Hugo award...
About the Book
Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, DUNE is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, DUNE formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
From Amazon
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 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.
Grade: A+
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