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More people need to read this book!
It is often heralded as the greatest science fiction of the 20th century, and I believe it deserves that honor. The book creates an alternate universe so deep and compelling that I couldn't put this book down! It abandons everything in our world, creating such a deep universe that you certainly believe it to be truly different from our own, taking science fiction to a new level. Everything in this universe is built from the ground up, from religion to political systems, and even the way rooms and common day objects exist- or rather, don't exist. The only slightly familiar thing in the universe is the fact that people look sort of how they do in the real world. The version I have has a dictionary in the back as well as some 'history lessons' from the universe which helped me keep track of everything, since the book is unbelievably complicated. While some people don't like this, I find it great. I love books that actually make me think!
It also has umpteen dozen sequels, so it never ends...Even though Frank Herbert has sadly passed away, his son is continuing to write the series using his father's notes.
Anyway! On to what it's actually about.
The novel focuses (sort of) on Paul Atreides, son of a Duke whose family is moving to the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Dune is a desert planet where water is EXTREMELY valuable, and worshiped. Also, it is the only planet in the universe that produces The Spice. Whoever controls The Spice controls the universe. The Spice is a drug that aids in space travel (which works in this universe by beings who have used The Spice so much that they've come deformed and are only useful in that they freeking bend reality and transport ships from one end of the universe to the other using their MINDS! *totally geeking out*) and is a highly valued drug, and the trade of this drug is pretty much the basis for the system of government in the known universe. (Which is why this book has been banned before, since some people say it's supporting the drug trade and implying that all drugs give you magical powers) This is only one of at least seven subplots...Paul is also the son of a Bene Gesserit Witch (read the book to find out what that is), and could quite possibly be a sort of Messiah to their sisterhood called the Kwisatz Haderach. Oh, and he might also be a religious messiah on Dune that the local people (called Fremen) call the Muad'Dib. I'm not going to say any more for fear of giving away massive spoilers, but let's just say that this doesn't even begin to cover all that this book is about.
In short, I am a bit of a rabid fangirl of this book.
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