Great Dune Trilogy

My rating is for the whole series; while I think that each book is progressively a little weaker, I still think that the saga as a whole is too compelling and unique to merit anything less than five stars. DUNE: Maybe it's the freshness in my mind of the recent (and outstanding) film adaptation; maybe it's just that I'm many (many) years older; maybe it's the way that fantasy has evolved since it was published (and in response to it). But whatever the case, even though I remembered Frank Herbert's Dune being a dense, difficult read, that turned out not to be the case as I revisited the world of Arrakis after a good thirty years. Indeed, you can see some of Herbert's pulpier edges here and there - some florid plotting, some big dramatic characters - all grounding the massive scope of the book and Herbert's quite frankly astonishing imagination in things that we can latch on to and understand. There's little need to revisit the plot here, especially thanks to Villeneuve's adaptations (which only impressed me more after this re-read, as I could see the ways in which he changed the source material to make it work as a film while never betraying its spirit); what I will say is that I was so much more acutely aware this time of the way that Herbert is viciously critiquing so much of the modern world - the exploitation of the middle east, the use of religion as a way to gain power, the scheming of those in control to keep the profits for themselves - and just how deeply cynical the book is. Even if you don't have knowledge of where the series goes from here, it's evident that Paul is never intended to be a wholly noble hero; indeed, no one in Dune comes out looking particularly good, with the compromises needed to keep power and the willingness to sacrifice others being so key to the methods of "winning" here that they're undeniable. The other thing you forget, though, is how willing Dune was to just be wonderfully weird, especially in the second half of the story, and it's where the book really shines; without that, you'd have a powerful but a little stiff exploration of power and exploitation of native populations, but with it, you get this fascinating science fiction epic that feels still pretty sui generis after all this time, even though it's impossible to read it and not think "oh, there is so much sci-fi and fantasy that wouldn't exist without this.'' It's got its flaws - some clunky dialogue, a few iffy pieces of characterization - but generally, they're minor and pale in the face of just what Herbert is going for - and what he largely accomplished. DUNE MESSIAH: When I revisited Dune, I found the book more accessible and less complex than I remembered, and I wondered how much of that I could simply chalk up to age (and the familiarity that came from the film). But now that I've read Dune Messiah? Oh, there's the complexity, weirdness, and density. In less than half the length of the original novel, Herbert delivers a truly subversive sequel that transforms the context and impact of its predecessor, giving us a book that turns Paul from a hero to a tyrant, turns a rebellion into a religious crusade, questions the nature of seeing the future, and so much more. And that doesn't even get into the oddness of the book itself, in which most of the major events happen off-page entirely, a conspiracy turns out to be about something wholly else than we think, a character returns from the dead in a bizarre way that only deepens the weirdness, and characters' actions can be maddeningly opaque. That all of this happens in such a lean volume is kind of fascinating; it's hard to think of another sequel that is this interested in completely revising the impact and meaning of its predecessor, changing the story from a heroic one to a tragic tale of the corruption of power. Dune Messiah isn't quite as solid as its predecessor, and part of that undeniably comes from the short length; there is a lot going on here, and Herbert's abbreviating of context and characters can lead to things being confusing even before we learn that most of the major events of the book happened between the volumes or even between the chapters. But it feels like a logical next step from the conclusion of Dune, and thematically/morally/emotionally, it's a fascinating way to keep the saga going in a way that reveals how little Herbert was really interested in the "white savior" archetype; instead, what he's given is a cautionary tale of the danger of such tropes, as well as a vicious allegory for the corruption of wealth, power, and control that rears its head in human nature - especially in a certain region of the world dense with oil - all done with an intent that transforms the previous book in compelling ways. CHILDREN OF DUNE: By the time I finished Dune Messiah, I was starting to remember just how complex and challenging Herbert’s series could be, but Children of Dune still feels like another step up in terms of difficulty and density, throwing us into a world of adults in 9-year-old bodies, warring prophecies, religious reform, tyranny and violence, and a whole lot more - but with a lot of things happening off screen still, a lot of characters hiding their motivations, a lot of ideas unexplained, and the plot beyond complex, with schemes within schemes within bluffs within feints. All of which could be manageable, if frustrating (I read and reread the Preacher’s messages multiple times, trying to parse their complex ideas, and still am not sure I followed it all), if Herbert had simply given us anyone to hang onto. With Dune, we had Paul, who was forced into dealing with his destiny and unspeakable choices, and while he was becoming harder and less approachable in Messiah, his regrets for what happened and efforts to ameliorate the damages still gave readers something to latch onto. But by the time we get to Children of Dune, there’s not a recognizably “human” character in our story, and the result is a book so full of ideas and philosophy that it forgets to give us anyone to like. The children are utterly alien and off-putting, Duncan is a walking computer, Alia is a monster, and Jessica…well, she’s still a Bene Gesserit, isn’t she? And all of that is before things start getting very weird towards the end, setting up the insanity of later books. But I think it’s here that I’m tapping out from my reread; I can admire the density of Herbert’s vision, and the nuance that he brings to all of the factions and power plays and groups, but ultimately Children of Dune feels like a book for mentats, not for people - it’s all ideas and cold machinations, with no humanity left for us to care about.

Very good quality and they look great on the shelf. The series is absolutely incredible

I had my worries when purchasing these books as some reviews say they are small and awkward to read but that is not the case! they are about 4 inches wide and a little over 7 inches long and quite thick. Due to the size of the books the pages are thin but not overly delicate like many longer books tend to be. The print is high quality and easily read. Overall a good purchase especially for how cheap!

I have only read 11 chapters in the first book, and that's not much at all. And so far I absolutely love it. It's vibe is interesting, and so are the characters. I find everything intriguing. The writing style is so unique. Instead of a title for each chapter, there is always a very interesting quote that fits the chapter following. He also gives us inner dialogue of every character, which I think is very interesting. I know I use the word interesting a lot because that's exactly what Dune has been, at least for what I've read. My biggest problem I think is that it is quite a hard read. Complex words and meanings are being used. But that's my review of the content. I got the hardback box set, and the physical books are high in quality, with excellent covers and great material. There are also images on the insides of these books that are of high quality. I must say, I think this is absolutely worth it. UPDATE: I just finished all three books, and wow. This story as a whole is really tragic. I don't know how to describe this trilogy, but I'll try: Star Wars if it met Game of Thrones. It's a weird one, but I think it fits well. There's all this space stuff going on, most of it on a desert planet, with lots of politics with different houses fighting against each other, and brutal / unexpected deaths (at least towards the end). I can now say I'm obsessed with Dune.

For a series like this I wanted a durable and well made hardcover edition. Purchased 'new' via Amazon, the condition seen in the photos is exactly as it arrived, as yet unread, it has only been waiting on the bookshelf! The binding glue appears to have been insufficient or missing, the spine puckered along the left edge as a result. I've only noticed it today now that books 4-6 are arriving soon.

I have not read it yet but I needed this book for a long time and now I finally laid my hands on this beauty. Not only it was delivered with proper packaging and care, the deal was outstanding 👏. Pages are pure white but a lil thin which is not at all a big issue for me. Getting the hardcover version of it at such a remarkable price, I'm totally STUNNED 🤯. 100% Recommend, bought from The Bargain Books.

Great novel. Some long repetitive chapters. But good.

Absolutely beautiful books. Much bigger books than expected with good quality reflecting paper that catches the light. Really cool touch with the blue sides of the pages! So, so happy, couldn't be better!

The box seems to have water damage, the first book has dents and scratches and its peeling. The box is cracked at the back as well. Such a shame as it doesnt do the book series justice. Delivery took so long as well