(*spoilers*) The novel Dune is the story of a boy named Paul Atreides on the desert planet of Arrakis. This planet is a barren, sandy plain full of giant worms, sinkholes and absolutely no water. Paul and his mother Jessica endure hardships on the planet’s harsh landscape and become god-like figures to the peoples living there beforehand. Paul then avenges his father’s death, falls in love, has a kid, and goes to war. The people of Arrakis, the Fremen, have advanced fighting skills and teach Paul (now Muad'dib) how to fight, resulting in him getting into a political marriage and ruling the known cosmic empire.
This book was honestly a collection of harmful cliches and half-baked plot points. No reasoning is given for the actions of the enemy dukedoms, no world-building is there unless you decide to read the entire Dune saga. Herbert displays overt racism in his depictions of the Fremen people, calling them savages even as he explains that everything they do is necessary for survival. There’s a commonplace savior trope where a foreign man lands in some alien place and is immediately worshiped as a god, not to mention the depiction of LGBT persons as predatory. The plot armor surrounding Paul and Jessica is honestly astounding. The plot twists aren’t twists so much as vague bends. Overall, an unsatisfying novel saved slightly by the fact that it’s one of the first sci-fis involving space, and that Star Wars is based loosely off of it.
My advice to future readers is to just not unless they enjoy periods of deep unsettlement in their reading journeys. Dune is not a happily-ever-after story, and neither is it tragic. It’s just unsatisfying. It leaves you wanting more, but not in the I-can’t-get-enough way, more like the seriously-what-just-happened way. It’s a book you should read with the knowledge that it’s going to suck a little.
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