Dune by Frank Herbert is one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. The story is about Paul Atreides as he tries to take back his planet, Arrakis, also known as Dune, a pure desert world.
It is also the only place where spice can be found. Spice is a drug that gives people the ability to see the future, have good health, and long life. This is why there is a saying, Health and long life are the gifts of the spice,” which is from the sci-fi mini-series Dune. The book is based in the year 10,946 B.J. (Belgium Jihad) in the Imperium of Man under the rule of Shaddam IV.
The main characters are The Baron and Paul Atreides. Paul Atreides is the son of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica. He is Muad’Dib, the Fremen messiah. The Fremen are the natives of Dune and the greatest fighters in the known universe. The Baron is the ruler of Giedi Prime.
He is sadistic and hates the Atreids because an Atreid had the ruler of House Harrkonnen banished for cowardice. The book starts with House Atreids moving to Arrakis. Paul’s father, Leto, sends men to recruit the Fremen to his cause because he believes the Harrkonnens will attack Arrakis. The Harrkonnens make an attempt on Paul’s life, and a traitor shuts down the Atreids’ palace shield. Soon, Harrkonnen troops and Sardaukar (the emperor’s shock troops) attack Dune. Without the Fremen’s aid, the Harrkonnens capture Dune, kill Leto, and send Paul and his mother out into the deep desert to die.
After the assault, the Sardaukar leave. The Harkonnens, believing Paul to be dead, begin to solidify their hold on Dune. Paul and Jessica escape after killing their captors. As they run, a giant worm with sharp teeth tries to eat them, but they escape into a cave. Later, Duncan Idaho, a loyal lieutenant, picks them up and brings them to a hidden Fremen base. There, the Sardaukar attack them again, and Duncan dies buying time for Paul and Jessica to get away.
Later, a group of Fremen finds them and believes that Paul is the MuadDib, their messiah. After Paul kills a non-believer, the Fremen begin to worship him. He teaches them the Wierding Way, a technique of fighting, and gains a bodyguard of Fremen death commandos known as the fredakyin.
Paul begins a guerrilla war against the Harkonnens and halts their spice production. He meets a Fremen girl named Chani, falls in love with her, and takes her as his concubine. The emperor himself comes to Arrakis when the spice production stops and prepares to kill MuadDib. MuadDib attacks with all of the Fremen on the planet when the emperor lands on Dune.
He takes the emperor and the last surviving Harkonnen prisoner. Paul then fights a duel with the Harkonnen and kills him. Paul then marries the emperor’s daughter and becomes the new emperor. The story ends there.
I enjoyed this book greatly. I liked it because of its strong plot and good characters, as well as its many action-packed moments. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn anything from it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction.
