Dune by Frank Herbert

 

"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience." Frank Herbert, Dune

Please forgive my lackluster review, this one is not current, written in 2020. As you know, 2020 was a trying year, Covid-19 sucking the life out of most people, myself included.

I can see why this book touched so many and I enjoyed reading it for the most part. I think some of the plot devices were a tad bit lazy: every oh-so-convenient moment that fell in line with The Prophecy, for example. But the characters were delightful in their schemes. The setting was great. Plot would probably have been better for me if I wasn't overthinking on overdrive, stress makes me cynical. I maybe think the world building and vocabulary could have been improved upon, just a bit, but I might also be reading this at the wrong age.

I liked the touches on environmental and ecological issues. I liked that he addressed political and theological conflicts, and the void between the ruling class and everyone else. Parts of this novel were just so well thought out, and then That Prophecy. I don't object to the use of Prophecy, I really don't... it's just how it was worked into the storyline that irked me. And at points, in the novel, I felt like FH had turned the Middle East into a Sci-fi novel. I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Arrakis, I might try the sequel...some day.