I have always wanted to read Dune. I have a weakness for
good old fashioned science fiction, and I had recently read some Asimov books
that I had really enjoyed. I also remember as a child listening to my father
talking about how much he enjoyed reading Dune.
So, when it came time to choose my next book I thought that
the time had finally come for me to pick it up and give it a read.
Dune is a difficult book to summarise but I will do my best.
The story is full of political intrigue. The Atreides family
are awarded a lucrative contact mining the planet Arrakis for melange, a drug
that also happens to be the most valuable resource in the universe. The
contract had previously been held by the Harkonnes family who also happen to be
Atreides family enemies.
With the support of the Imperial Majesty, the Harkonnes
rebel against the loss of their valuable contract. Duke Leto Atreides is killed
and his concubine Jessica and their son Paul escape into the dessert on the
planet Arrakis where they are supported by the native population called Fremen.
The Fremans see Paul as someone sprung out of a legend. Paul
takes on the mantle he was destined to wear, that of Muad- Dib, essentially the
Messiah of the Fremans. His goal is to take back Arrakis from the Harkonnes and
turn it into an ecologically sustainable planet. In the end he gets even more.
Sigh.
I was really ready to enjoy this book and maybe that was the
problem.
It had the makings of a great book.
The story is epic. It is set in a future imperial space
empire. The planet is populated by giant worms that consume everything in their
path. There is political intrigue. There is romance. There is love.
And yet…. I don’t know.
I just got lost. The books focus seems to lean toward philosophy
and religion. It takes itself very seriously. So seriously in fact that I think
the story just got lost in amoungst all the religious and philosophical
rhetoric. By the end of the book I didn’t really understand Paul’s motivations.
I didn’t enjoy reading all of Jessica’s inner reflections. I had lost sight of
what everyone was trying to achieve in amoungst all their ponderings and
discussions and…… snore.
I might be out on a limb. I know a lot of people love this
book and I have obviously missed something. I even wish that I could think of
something more interesting to say about it. There are probably some significant
themes in the books that I could identify (Climate change? Cultural respect?) I
just can’t really even bring myself to think about it that much.
I am glad that I finally read it, I can honestly say that. I
only wish that the story had grabbed my interest a little more.
4 / 8 stars
Alright, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Originally posted 25 June 2015 Page Turners
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