| Release Year | 1965 |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Links | Indiebound | Bookshop | Kobo | Libro.fm |
Frank Herbert’s Dune was first released in 1965 as a serial novel, to critical acclaim. In 2003 it was declared the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and holds a place in many people’s hearts. Like many classics, it will always have a place in the science fiction canon, but is it worth the read for people who are not hard-core science fiction fans?
In reading the above paragraph, you’ve already got more knowledge about Dune than I did going into it. The key information, to me, is that it was serialized; there’s nothing wrong with a serialized novel—The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite novel of all time—but it reads different and I wish I’d known about it from the beginning. In a way, it’s nice, because you don’t feel as bad about forgetting what happened at the beginning of the novel, but at the same time, it can be disorienting.
Dune‘s strength lies in Herbert’s worldbuilding. Arrakis is a fascinating planet, filled with fascinating people, but for modern audiences it falls short in fully developing much of the information. The importance of spice wasn’t as clear as I wish it would have been, and the politics, a huge gear in this machine, are woefully undeveloped until the very end.
As a modern reader, what really bugged me was the cartoonish villain. Let me tell you all of the ways the author proves he is evil: he kills people who no longer serve his purposes, he’s super fat, and is sexually attracted to young boys. Like, listen. Pedophilia is evil, and no good person will disagree with that. But relying on homophobic tropes to “prove” that your villain is an evil bastard is just cheap and lazy. It’s a product of its time, but this is a big factor that is going to turn off modern readers, especially since it comes up very close to the beginning of the book.
For its time, the gender disparity in Dune is not as bad as it could be; the main character’s mother, Jessica, is pretty cool and there are some interesting female characters that show up toward the end of the book as well. However, they don’t end up having a lot of agency in the plot, and are sidelined in favor of a teenage boy.
That teenage boy, for what it’s worth, ends up being a bit overpowered. Many readers nowadays chafe against chosen one tropes and ultrapowerful main characters, so Dune may not be a good fit for them. Paul inherits superpowers from both of his parents, and when he lands on Arrakis, he is blessed with enough knowledge and understanding of the planet to rival the planet’s natives. Apparently, a lot of inspiration for his character came from the Lawrence of Arabia biopic, and it definitely shows.
The nail in the coffin for Frank Herbert is the pacing, which is weird even for a serialized novel. Plenty of people will put this down out of boredom—I nearly did right before the third section, even though I was enjoying it well enough. The different parts feel very choppy and don’t flow well together, especially the second to the third. Plus, the ending just feels rushed.
Dune was groundbreaking in the sixties, there’s no denying it. And it could definitely be enjoyed by modern audiences, if they enjoy common sci-fi tropes and don’t mind a few (very) outdated tropes, this might be a fun read. More casual sci-fi readers, though, can probably give Dune a miss.
The Library Cryptid 