Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune is simply the finest science fiction book ever written. It is a landmark in the field, it changed the way science fiction would be written, and is the touchstone against which all other SF works are measured.

The plot is complex and compelling. The character building is superb. The first SF book to focus on ecology, it also wraps politics, evolution, religion, leadership and the messiah complex into world building on a detailed and epic scale.

It has affected many authors - Robert Jordan's Aiel are drawn from the Fremen, Lucas frankly admits that Dune was the major inspiration for Star wars.

Before Dune SF books could be written around a core of one great technologicsl idea. After Dune all such 'one idea' SF books appear two dimensional.

There may be a future work which surpasses Dune, but none will occupy its place in literary history. Like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings it took the genre from stories to literature.

The planet Arrakis is a hellish world, of hot, shifting sands. The only reason that people live there is because it is the home of a substance called "Spice". It is this substance that underpins much of the society of the universe of the book. It is required for all important parts of the social aspects of the universe - from mystical visions to space travel. Despite the immense cost of the substance, many different factions are prepared to pay any price, for it's properties.

The story of "Dune" is about the control of the planet Arrakis, but it is so much more than that. It deals with quite a lot of different social and scientific areas, such as religion, politics, nature, and the potential of the human race through selective breeding. However, if you are not into such intellectually challenging topics, it also has an extremely good plot about revenge, control, and political rule. Together, they both create an unforgettable book.

It is often considered to be one of the best science fiction epics of all-time, if not the best, and it is not difficult to see why.

Impressive, to say the least. Written before the Hollywood onslaught of sci-fi movies that tainted most younger audiences to the belief that sci-fi is nothing more than laser guns and giant ships blasting each other. Dune is the real deal for science fiction.

I read the book not really knowing much about Herbert's vision. The book is fantastic. There is so much going on in the book that a second read is worthy.

Once you get past the first 50 pages, in which you learn the style of writing of Herbert, you enter a vast story of drama and action interlaced with an explosive twist that kept me bound to the pages of the book.

It's truly a mighty epic.