Book Review: Dune: Deluxe Edition (#1 Publication Order; #14 Chronological Order)

 

This is a hardcover reprinting of Frank Herbert's original 1965 novel, Dune. It is the first novel in the now sprawling series of Dune novels, but if you read the novels chronologically, it is the 14th. The book begins on the planet Caladan, which House Atreides has ruled over for years until Duke Leto Atreides is ordered by Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV to take control of the production of Spice (a substance that gives humans longer life spans, gives some humans supernatural powers, and makes interstellar space travel possible) on the desert planet, Arrakis (which is called Dune by the people who live there). Leto, along with his 15-year-old son Paul, and his concubine (and Paul's mother), Jessica, move (along with the House Atreides hands and troops) to Arrakis, where a trap is set to be sprung by members of House Harkonnen, the Atreides' arch enemies. 

This version of the book was published in 2019. I purchased mine as a part of a collector's set containing the original trilogy novels. The book includes an introduction written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian, who has co-authored the (as of this writing) 13 prequel novels, 4 sequel novels, and two collections of short stories set during the various Dune eras. The book is 658 pages long. The actual story takes up 603 pages. The rest of the book includes three appendices that flesh out some of the events leading up to the events in the book and summarize the main characters. The appendices would also serve as the starting point for the prequel novels. The book ends with a glossary of terms.

The story is good, but it can be confusing. There is a reason that it is considered one of the hardest sci-fi novels to adapt to live-action. The book's first half has very little action but sets up what happens in the latter half, where most of the action occurs. There are also time jumps that occur in the book, but Herbert does not identify them when they occur; you just have to figure that out from the context as you read. It helps to read the series of books chronologically because all the characters have been developed in the prequel novels, and you have a better sense of why things happen in this book the way they do. It also helps to know what Mentats are and what the motivations of the Bene Gesserit are before reading this book. That is certainly not to say the book is impossible to follow without reading the prequel novels, but it is easier to follow this book if you know the background material. Ultimately, it is a great book with themes of political corruption, religion, caste systems, family, and the like. It is absolutely worth reading.