DUNE by Frank Herbert in 2021 - No Spoiler Review 

Who else has watched the trailer like 900 times?

A lot of Dune's themes are still relevant today (over 50 years later!), and I think that says a lot about it.

As someone who is currently in the midst of their fourth re-read of Dune in the past three years, I regret not re-reading it sooner. It immediately became an time favorite book and series when I read it almost twenty years ago in high school, so being able to experience it again and again so many years later (and even in the less than ten months since my last re-read) has been so incredible. There is so much that I pick up on and learn something new each time I read it. Dune Messiah gets crap for being a bridge book between Dune and Children of Dune, but I love it for the story it tells. I hope you enjoy it whenever you get around to reading it!

I first read Dune at 15 a loved it then. It was one of my favorite books for such a long time. I reread it last year as a 35 year old and it had me loving it for new reasons. I love how this book stays relevant to where you are in life.

I think the second half of the book goes quickly because a lot of the events that transpire are battle sequences, medium and large, and Herbert wasn't attempting to write an action book where it was about enjoying the war and moment to moment chaos, but more about the significance of those events. He painstakingly narrates the one on one fights I think because those are very important to the story and character. But I always knew that in an adaptation we would have the opportunity to see those battles dramatized and fleshed out. Even in part 1 there are so many things that we don't really see happening in the book, all the general explosions and stuff you see in the trailer that you know happens, but you are with the individual characters more than the battle.

Fantasy: does Chosen One story Me: 😐 Dune: Deconstructing the Chosen one trope Me: 😃

So happy that you liked it this much Jimmy! Dune is so great. Great review sir.

I'm reading Dune soon. You're hyping me up for it. Glad you enjoyed it mate!

I also read Dune for the first time a few months ago in anticipation of the movie. Didn't t expect it to end up as one of the absolute best books I've read but it did. It's a masterpiece, IMO. I've also read Dune: Messiah and Children of Dune. I can recommend them (they are good) but they don't reach the heights of the first book, IMO. Looking forward to reading the last three books - as I understand it, Emperor of Dune is actually considered by many as the best book in the series (or at least second best). Very hyped for the movie - directed by my favorite director right now.

Great review, as always. Now I really cannot wait to start reading Dune this month! Will

Yay! I’m so glad you loved it Jimmy. It’s my favorite sci-fi of all time as well. I’m doing my reread next month. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the movie.

Also, can we get an internet round of applause for all the sci fi writers of the 50's and 60's? These guys were so ahead of their time and their works are a genuine gift to the world.

Dune is a book I very much wish I'd read years ago, and the 'noise' is that the movie will be epic. Great review Jimmy :)

Hello!

There are few books that capture my imagination like Dune. Some people call it dry but Frank Herbert knew how to world-build. He knew how to make people want more out of the world it's set in. It's not a book for everyone but I think everyone should give it a shot.

I too jumped on the bandwagon in anticipation of the movie release. Read the book and was blown away by it; possibly my favourite story ever. I immediately went to see the movie in theatres; strangely enough, I thought it did the source material justice.

I'm happy to see you have read this welcome to the world of us Dune fan's love so much we're happy to have you!

Dune is my all time favorite book. I regret not reading it sooner er as well. I was always intimidated by it because everyone said "the writing is difficult". However Frank Herbert's writing style clicked with me right away. Having a copy with a glossary in the back definitely helps.

Great review my guy, Dune deserves every bit of praise. A true masterpiece

Excellent review. Subscribed instantly.

i don’t know if anyone’s told you but denis is french canadian is his name is pronounced di-nee veel-nuv. (nuv rhymes with shove). this was a great review! i’m rereading dune in anticipation of the movie and i have to say i 100% agree with your commentary on the dinner scene. it was even more riveting than i remembered! great review!!

I didn't like Tolkien so I wasn't sure if Dune would land for me. But it did. I, like you, was hooked right away. I think Herbert's writing style just works for me really well. I also think his tone hits right up there. I can see myself using Dune a lot in my own writing, I loved it that much!

I am glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I am an outlier in that I had to DNF it after book 1. I just could not get in to it and that's rare for me. It has been a long time since a book had me looking for distractions after just a few pages read at each sitting. I just didn't care about any of the characters and it just became too tedious to continue. I have not seen any of the movies so I have not been influenced by them.

Dune is a masterpiece this is a great review I’m glad you like is the best book I read this year

Woah that was hella fast jimmy !!!!😍 thank you.🤠

Hi 👋 dune movie looks good.... I’ve not read Dune yet either but I might purchase it soon a lot of RU-vidr are recommending this book a lot.... thank you 😊 for a great video 🎬📽📚📖

I'm so glad you loved it I read it a few months ago and had the exact same experience. TBH though because I liked it so much I'm afraid to read the next books haha

Love your review of my favourite sci-fi book and series! I am pumped to see how you enjoy your journey through the rest of them. I personally love the sequels because the recontextualize the events and characters quite a bit.

Thank you for a great review. As someone who has read the entire series (I think) five times as well as seeing the Lynch movie many times and also love the SiFi mini-series, I can say that Dune is my favorite story of all time. I've thought about it way too much and it's refreshing to hear from a person who has just entered the ranks of Dune fans. Some of the items you like are things that I've not thought about before, or at least not in a Loooonnnngggg time. I can't wait to hear what you think about the next few books.

Great review!! I agree with you. I hope to see Alia one day.

There's a moment that still sticks out to me from when Paul and Jessica are with the Fremen in a cave. Paul's started to see what's coming in the future, how things will go, and I paraphrase but he thinks to himself 'I could stop this now, before it gets out of control. If I kill everyone in this cave, including my mother.' It's full of great moments.

Great book, I'm re-reading it right now. I don't know why the difference, but here in Italy the movie will be released the 16th of September. Can't wait. My compliments for the channel.

im one of those who didnt fully get on with herberts writing (especially in the rest of the series) but i have similar thoughts to you in terms of how much i respected and appreciated what he achieved with dune and how visionary it was. I'm SO pumped for the movie haha! re the abrupt ending i didnt mind it however i think the main issue is that a lot of people seem to interpret it as a 'happy ending', while its supposed to be a tragic ending, and that only becomes obvious as you carry on with the series. the whole message about the fallacy of messiah-figures got diluted by the way he executed the ending imho...i really enjoyed hearing your thoughts, great vid! (btw i think its supposed to be pronounced freh-men, not free-men ^_^)

Dune is great, but I have to say I think my favorite characters are in the later books (Moneo, Siona, Sheeana, Odrade, and Teg - for those of you who’ve read them). I’m almost finished reading the 6th. Obviously you’ll decide whether to continue past the 4th book but I fully recommend it. The 5th and 6th books help you better understand the events of the previous books, and golly, are they filled with philosophy. They also have a super exciting plot of their own.

"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them." and this quote “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.” Hit so hard in our times, in a such a way that if you really think them through they scare you to your bones.

Took me a while to get used to omniscient POV, but agree that it ended up being super rewarding. Lady Jessica was def my standout character

Had to rewatch this before watching Dune tonight!👏

Can't wait to read this one. The expectations are so high! 🤞😃

You should check out some interviews Herbert gave in the 70s. Dude was ahead of his time.

I have re-read the first 4 books ready for the Movie. Just started the 5th book again last night. The 5th and 6th are worth reading on their own even if you have not read the first 4.

Hi Jimmy Nutz, I'm glad to know you are reading through Malazan. What do you think? I loved Tolkein. Erikson is Tolkein on steroids; took me over two years, but I read all 10 and then some... any chance you can review?

I think the ending of Dune, if examined carefully, seems abrupt. BUT I think it works since it leaves you wanting more. All of the description of politics leading up to the end make you want to read more. This is the ONLY book I've ever read and immediately started on page 1 again. So it got me hooked for sure when I first read it.

I first read this probably 40 years ago, and I re-read it every five years or so. After all this time I am still drawn to it, like few other books I've read.

okay so i’ve watched both movies now and was COMPELLED to start the book! Jimmy did you do any reactions videos on the movies also?

It's funny that you mention the dinner scene because I doubt that it will even be in the new movie. It was totally bypassed in the 1984 adaption and was in the Syfi channel miniseries, but completely different from the book.

The thing about the first 4 books in the series is that you could pick any of them and end the series with it (of course, if you end after just the first book it's no longer a series by definition). It would certainly feel very different depending on where you end, but it would be a self-contained story regardless. Whereas the last 2 books are written as part of a trilogy within the larger series and definitely feel like it... only there's no 3rd book in that trilogy because Frank Herbert died. So I have to warn you, if you stick with the series past the 4th book - which is the trippiest out of all the sequels and almost works as a stand-alone - the end will inevitably be bittersweet. (Well, there are also the many Dune books that Herbert's son and Kevin J. Anderson wrote, but the 3 I actually read myself felt more like fan-fiction, and the best thing I've ever heard said about the rest is that they're not as bad as their reputation would suggest. They keep making them, so someone must be buying them, but I don't know who's enjoying them.) Anyway, the great thing about "Dune Messiah," the first sequel, is that I think you can pretty confidently tell whether or not you'll enjoy the other sequels based on whether or not you enjoy it specifically - and it's a lot shorter than "Dune." If you got as far as Farad'n Corrino and the Laza tigers and haven't bailed, you're probably never going to.

It is a exceptional book and a must read imo. The first book is so good I still find it hard to get into the following books, its like I subconsciously refuse to let anything change or alter the world the first book gave me.

The ending is epic as fuuuck!! "Is the Atreides ready?" Feyd-Rautha called, using the words of the ancient kanly ritual. Paul chose to answer him in the Fremen way: "May thy knife chip and shatter!" He pointed to the Emperor's blade on the floor, indicating that Feyd-Rautha should advance and take it. Fucking chills!!!

Yes, I was annoyed by how abrupt the end was. It's an exaggeration to say that it's 700 pages of world-building plus 50 of actual plot. But that last bit is definitely rushed. I got the impression that it turned out that way because his publisher wouldn't let him publish the first two books as a single volume, so he had to tack on a stopping point. The original vision was for the main plot points of book 2 to be the REAL conclusion. Still a great book and I'm rereading it ahead of the movie release. :-)

I preferred the look and feel of the original 1984 version. Especially the way they dealt with folding space, which was basically ignored in this version.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon in 2024, and am kicking myself that I waited this long. Fantastic book.

I only just read it last year. I think I'm going to like the movie better than the book. It was too slow at times and some things dragged out much more than they should, and other things were skipped over that should have been in there. But still enjoyed a lot of it and will eventually move on to Messiah. 4/5 for me.

Dune's a fascinating mess of a book I think. It's scope and the themes it plays with are really interesting. Sadly, I found the characters were flat and that Herbert was way more focused on the world than the characters. Also what you mentioned about hearing everyone's thoughts really bothered me personally. I am curious to see if anyone does a Dune-like series that has better characters.

Fear is the mind killer! Hope I enjoy it as much as you.

I tried to read Dune in anticipation for the part 2 movie release... and I also LOVE eriksons writing and just the malazan books in general. So I THOUGHT Dune would be like a Tolkien level read for me... I read a lot of and write in 3rd person omniscient. So I have no problems with omniscient stories... but fully omniscient narratives pull out so much tension for me. And so as I read I got increasingly more and more frustrated... to the point I DNF'd Dune. The only parts I enjoyed reading were the harkonnens because we often stayed in 1 persons head. And yet they couldn't keep me reading. Maybe I need to try again. Actually finish it, but... ultimately I enjoyed the movies more than the book, and I'm not sure how to feel about that...

Unfortunately the 2nd book feels like a first draft. Not to worry, he does return to form✨✨✨

Not to be rude but, I wonder what people are reading if they find Dune too dense, I read this as a 10yr old along with a bunch of schoolfriends, we loved it though I appreciated it more as an adult. I've read whole series several times, what came as a surprise was that the actual star of the series is not Paul.

If you are going to read the first 4 books.. i would advice to do a "revision" of this video after reading at least children of dune... ( but.. believe me, you are going to read this book with an entirely new view)

the dinner scene is influenced by Frank Heberts time working at the White House.

Hi, should I read the book before seeing the movie? I've 7 days left.

Book two basically makes you rethink the character of Paul and then you have to read the third lol

Dune is a favorite of mine

Yes!!! Love Dune.

Don't just read Dune, read Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, to fully understand Herbert's message about Paul and those like him. And Herbert did the abrupt ending on purpose.

The dinner scene was among my favorite scenes in the book. The intricate interplay of text and subtext and the subtleties displayed in reading people through voice and movements showed in such creeative ways how evolved the protagonists were as humans. And Im so disappointed that - again - it won't be part of Denis' movie, as it wasn't part of Lynch's. Maybe it's unfilmable, or doesnt move the story forward? I disagree, but it is what it is.

If you want a good Sci-Fi Space Opera series, at least I liked it, check out Kevin J Andersons Seven Suns Saga, I only read the first 3 but liked them

A true Masterpiece!

I have a group of frienemies that are super duper Star Wars fans and they constantly make Star Wars references and memes. I love trolling them by pointing out all of the things that Star Wars BLATANTLY COPIED from the Dune series lol

Hey we agree on The Hobbit movie was a massive letdown. Don’t put that bad juju on the new movie.

Mild spoiler: The whole "Chosen One" theme in the first book is a red herring. Read Dune: Messiah and find out how.

you can say that the climax of the book happens just few pages before the ending (and it works great imho). the ending is just pretty much the first unfolding of that future he saw, SPOILERS . . . . . . . . . . . i'd say that the true ending happens during the fight with feyd, when he understands that unfortunately he failed to stop that future that hunts him, even if he died on the spot, the fanatism of the fremen would just elevate him to god status and the jihad would never stop anyway. a big ol' gameover screen right before the ending of the book.

On religion part frank herbert took almost all the things from history of islam : from the life of prophet muhammad, life of prophet Isa (jesus).

The film was... "ok" lol, nothing compared to the first book. If LotR film was an 8/10 to the book, then the latest Dune film was a 5/10 to it's book. It was certainly fun to watch, but didn't have any of the mystery or nuance of the book in my opinion.

Dune is going to make an amazing movie. But…. I’ve never hated a book more In my life. This and American gods I wanted to DNF so bad. I read dune last year and I hated Herberts writing style… it was dense and boring in my opinion. Maybe it’s because it was my first sci-fi book ever read and I started with the wrong book but I just don’t see that hype.

"Dune is dry" well it is set in a desert world lol.

Btw, it’s de-NEE vill-a-NOOV 🙂

So you like abrupt endings? Do I have good news for you…. Lpl