Dune

Easily the best sci-fi book of all time. The sequels are nowhere near is good (a common malady of sequels) and it's just a pity the film is awful - why does Paul make it rain at the end when this doesn't happen in the book? This rather dilutes the plight of the Arrakis dwellers. Curse Hollywood.

Awesome book. I have some quotes from Dune memorized and unforgotten for twenty years. (Fear is the mind killer, the little death!)

Sorry, I sludged though this book.
I saw the movie first and read the book on a recommendation by my flatmate at the time.

I got rid of the book.

If you only read one science fiction book in your life this is the one to read. I read this book in 1970 when I was a graduate student and I have re-read it almost once a year since then. I have it on CD and I have two very worn hardback copies. Spice, worms, fremen, stilsuits, the Bene Gesserit, the Kwisatz Haderach, Baron Harkonnen and more come alive in Herbert's narrative. It was and still is one of my most favorite books.

this is one of the rare exceptions when picture based on a book is great, i'm talking about David Lynch's "Dune", I cannot decide which I like better. i find sequels tedious, feeling that tends to aggravate with each sequel. i prefer not to risk my disappointment by reading it again after more than 15 years. better to find new sci-fi/fantasy book to enjoy - and there's plenty.

Mostly what I remember about reading Dune (and its sequels) is that I could not put it down!

I really enjoyed Dune - I think it's a great example of making an omniscient narrator work, skipping from one person's thoughts to another to give us a sense of the high-stakes poker game taking place.
Even now, it doesn't feel dated, which is an incredible achievement. I suppose my main gripe was that, since the main character can see the future, there's not a great deal of tension in the plot. Herbert tries to introduce artificial drama by claiming that the protagonist (Paul, is it?) has sudden moments of uncertainty when faced with a challenge, but these don't ring very true.

It has swords, it has magical 'spice' to make the worms go, - I think those might qualify it for swords and sorcery!

Dune is a novel of ideas, consisting of many interwoven plots. It deals with ecological and social change, mental abilities, politics, and religion. tcook is obviously confusing it with some other book. It's strictly science fiction; no sword and sorcery or magic.

it is very good - in its genre. If you are into science fiction/ sword and sorcery type stuff then this is one of the best. But it does fall into all the traps of that genre - ridiculous names, magical nonsense to solve plot twists etc. I loved it though as I was into all of that in my early 20s. Too much electric soup, I suspect.

is this actually any good? I've heard of it but never actually read it ... there is a film too isn't there?

I find it very difficult to rate this book. My first instinct is to give it a big fat number, 'cos I remember it as being the best thing I'd read at the time, and I went on to read many of the sequels (which got steadily worse, more ridiclulous and self-indulgent, and semed to be written purely to suck in mugs like me). It was also the book that got me into sci/fi. But then, that was when I was a teenager, and I was into all sorts of crap. As for swords and magical spice, I always interpreted that as drugs and weapons, which was a winner at the time. Nowadays, I don't read much sci/fi, and I find drugs, in books or in my head, quite boring.
So, I cannot tell if this book is great, or shite!
Better than the film though...