Dune by Frank Herbert

I’m not the biggest science fiction aficionado but this was a real pleasure to read. Herbert didn’t necessarily make it easy to get into the book, but once it gets going, it sucks you in. I loved being able to use my imagination and even got used to the unexplained parts and the slight sense of mystery and intrigue. I also appreciated the other texts slotted into the narrative that made it all seem historical.

There’s a real momentum to the story, and a whole host of vivid side characters. Love the description of the desert sand planet Arrakis and its obscure spice mining and Fremen population.

Though some of the motivations of Atreides Duke Leto and his heir Paul and Bene-Gesserit mother Jessica are obscure, you build a decent relationship with them. The discourse around the Bene-Gesserit “way” and the training Jessica gives Paul is very interesting. Do these powerful “witches” have a plan for everyone? What are their true motivations? Does Paul have a choice to choose his own destiny? What are the Fremen trying to obscure?

There’s so many themes here, from ecology and the role of technology to motherhood, capitalism, and religious fundamentalism.

Loved reading it in my dad’s old edition and also enjoyed the film when it came out. It helped to imagine some of the tech.

One word: innovative.