Duna Volume 1

by Frank Herbert

This Hugo & Nebula Award winner tells a sweeping tale of the desert planet Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, “spice of spices”. Melange is necessary for interstellar travel & grants psi powers & longevity. Whoever controls it wields great influence. 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. Thru sabotage & treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet’s harsh environment to die. There he joins the Fremen, a desert dwelling tribe, the basis of the army with which he reclaims what’s rightfully his. Paul is more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a long-term genetic experiment to breed a superhuman. He might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people & events. Repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.

Dune is one of the most famous sf novels ever written. Deservedly so. The setting is elaborate & ornate, the plot labyrinthine, the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. —Brooks Peck (edited)

Frank Herbert. Dune. Philadelphia / New York: Chilton Books, [1965]. First edition. Octavo. xxvi, 412 pages including multiple appendices.

Publisher's light blue cloth over boards with white lettering to spine.

303 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2016

About the author

Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel Dune and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, photographer, book reviewer, ecological consultant, and lecturer.

The Dune saga, set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species, human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.

Reviews

[Clara Gastelois · Rating 3 out of 5]

A construção do universo de Duna é sutil mas muito rica em detalhes. Achei uma obra bastante única em vários aspectos, tanto na profundidade das características do planeta e das culturas descritas quanto no fato de que, mesmo vendo cenas e alternativas do que acontecerá na história, ele continua apresentando uma narrativa bastante misteriosa e instigante. A descrição da cultura fremen merece destaque, em especial, e foi feita de uma forma tão coerente e detalhista que parece real a quem está lendo, assim como a própria Arrakis.

Mesmo assim, pessoalmente, não gostei tanto do livro por ter achado as personagens e as relações nele descritas bastante rígidos. Achei que a forma como a qual eles foram construídos não me levou a sentir por eles nem a empatia e nem a simpatia que eu gostaria de sentir lendo um livro. Alguns personagens são um pouco inconsistentes (Jéssica), outros bastante rasos na minha opinião (Alia e Chani, os Harkonnen de forma geral). Mas, por outro lado, achei interessante observar a evolução de Paul.

Em defesa da obra, acredito que o que me incomodou nela estava fora do seu objetivo e, nesse sentido, acho que ela é muito bem sucedida no que se propõe. Se o Goodreads me permitisse, daria ao livro 3.5 estrelas.