Dune: The inspiration for the blockbuster film

· Hachette UK
4.5
1.04K reviews
Ebook
624
Pages

About this ebook

What The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy, Dune is to science fiction. Presenting one of the most influential works of all time, which has inspired countless other stories for more than half a century, this is an awe-inspiring world, and a story of truly epic scope.

'An astonishing science fiction phenomenon' WASHINGTON POST

'I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings' Arthur C Clarke
'It is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published' NEW YORKER

Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto Atreides, and all of his family have been sent to the planet Arrakis, having been outmanoeuvred by their arch-enemy Baron Harkonnen.

Arrakis - also known as Dune - is an arid place, but a planet of fabulous wealth, the only source of a drug prized throughout the Galactic Empire: Spice.

What will happen next will change everything. There are secrets on Dune, known only to the planet's native people, the Fremen. They have been waiting for their moment to make their move.

Paul will be brought into the path by terrible events beyond his control. But Paul himself is important. He is the child of destiny, a child of prophecy, and within him is the power to bring the Empire to its knees.

Joint winner of the HUGO AWARD for best novel, 1966
Winner of the NEBULA AWARD for best novel, 1965

Read the book which inspired the Academy Award-winning and jaw-dropping cinematic events Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024). A science fiction spectacular like no other, this is a deeply climate conscious novel, and a compelling family saga for the ages.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
1.04K reviews
Natalie Lamb
September 11, 2022
I was quite enjoying the first half of the book. I enjoyed exploring the world and found the main character to be an agreeable viewpoint for this world. However, immediately after the awakening of the main character, I really struggled with the rest of the book- putting it down even to read a whole collection of other books rather than finish this one. I'm surprised there are so many in the series! I found this new main character insufferable and the story was not good enough to continue to propel it forward. All in all, this ended up being a disappointing book for me and I'm not sure I should continue the series as intended at all.
Davie Marshall
February 17, 2014
It's a big book in its scope, and your imagination can run wild. The storyline is cleverly woven together over a gradual expansion of the core concepts which are gently knitted together. It's home to perhaps some of the greatest character development and internal monologues/astute observations I've read. Some fine writing indeed.
10 people found this review helpful
jp sexton
August 20, 2019
First half of book I found excellent, great characters and growing plot. Unfortunately the second half I found very tedious and slow with a poor and far too quick climax.
4 people found this review helpful

About the author

Frank Herbert (1920-86) is best known for his immensely popular and successful science-fiction novels, but his books include non-fiction works on ecology and home computers as well as contemporary fiction. His classic novel Dune and its sequels have all been worldwide bestsellers, and Dune itself was made into a major film and TV mini-series. The most recent adaptation, which premiered in October 2021, is up for a host of Academy Awards.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.