Dune is a fantastic classic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert that was published in 1965. It is considered one of the best books of all time by people all around the world. Although its total number of pages is 412, and over 800 in the paperback edition, which may seem intimidating, it immerses the reader quite well into the world of spice and sandworms and stays interesting throughout the novel. The main character, Paul, is forced to move with his family to a planet called Arrakis, or more casually Dune, in order to control the spice trade. Spice is a drug found commonly on the planet, and is used as a currency due to it only being found on Arrakis. Paul is greeted as a messiah, due to his apparent role in a prophecy that the residents of Arrakis have been waiting to see fulfilled. He takes to the new life quite naturally, although new to the planet, seeming to know how to act like a desert dweller with ease. He avoids an assassination attempt from a spy, however things don’t end very well when his entire planet gets attacked by their enemy, the House Harkonnen. He is forced to escape with his mother, Jessica, and he finds their way through the desert sandstorms due to his rare affinity to powers stemming from the spice, and unlocking his potential as the Kwisatz Haderach. He finds his place among the desert people, and eventually becomes the messiah the people have been waiting for, the Lisan al Gaib. However, in the process he becomes almost entirely a different person, although enlightened, and is forced to make countless difficult decisions that could change the fate of the universe. Dune is only the first book in a series of 6 written by Frank Herbert, and a total of 17 others written by his son. The books dive into the complex world of politics in the universe of Dune. It isn’t necessary to read every book, as many of them venture far away from the story of Paul, but at the very least they provide an expansion to the universe. There are also two movies that follow the story of Dune that I enjoyed greatly, and although the first one is quite slow, the second one really speeds up and showcases the story of Dune excellently. Overall, Dune is a fantastic book with movies that live up to the expectations, and it is one of the best books I have ever read.
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