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Dune
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Dune Chronicles: Book 1

Dune (1965) (edit title/settings)

by Frank Herbert (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to... read more

Summary edit see section history

The first novel by Frank Herbert sets the year as 10,190 After Guild; a period in our distant future at a time where much historical knowledge of humanity's past has been lost, although some cultural and religious traditions remain. The calendar used in this time is not the same as the... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The first novel by Frank Herbert sets the year as 10,190 After Guild; a period in our distant future at a time where much historical knowledge of humanity's past has been lost, although some cultural and religious traditions remain. The calendar used in this time is not the same as the Gregorian calendar system, so it is difficult, or impossible, to identify just how far in the future the events described take place.

The main conflict driving the narrative of Dune is a political struggle among three noble houses: House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and the Imperial House Corrino. The Corrino Emperor, Shaddam IV, has come to fear the Atreides, in part because of the popularity of Duke Leto Atreides (Shaddam's cousin and the leader of House Atreides) with the noble houses of the Imperium, represented in the Landsraad assembly. In addition, the Duke and his talented lieutenants, Duncan Idaho, Gurney Halleck and Mentat-assassin Thufir Hawat, are making the fighting force of House Atreides equal in effectiveness to the dreaded Imperial Sardaukar, although they are much fewer in number. The Emperor decides that House Atreides must be destroyed, but he cannot risk an overt attack on a single House; to do so would by necessity unite the other houses against him in an all out Galactic War. Instead, Shaddam uses the centuries-old feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen to disguise his assault, enlisting the brilliant and power-hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in a plan to eliminate the man he fears.

The Atreides are forced to accept the lucrative fief of the desert planet Arrakis, also known as "Dune," replacing the Harkonnens. Dune is the only known source of the spice melange, the most valuable commodity in the universe: it is needed by the navigators of the Spacing Guild for interstellar travel; it is used by the secretive and powerful Bene Gesserit sisterhood to awaken the genetic memories of their ancestors; and it greatly extends the human lifespan and expands awareness. Without spice production, all interstellar activity would cease, and the Landsraad, the federation of Great Houses, would crumble.

Complicating the political intrigue is the fact that both Paul Atreides, the Duke's son, and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the Baron's nephew and heir, are essential parts of the Bene Gesserit's secret, centuries-old breeding program to create a prescient superhuman — and male equivalent to a Bene Gesserit — called the Kwisatz Haderach. The Bene Gesserit had planned to breed an Atreides daughter with Feyd-Rautha to unite the two bloodlines and produce their long-awaited prize. But instead of bearing a daughter as ordered, the Lady Jessica fulfilled her beloved Duke's wishes for a son and bore Paul. This was a tremendous setback for the breeding program, as the Bene Gesserit knew of the Emperor's plans to destroy House Atreides, putting their most valued bloodlines in great jeopardy, just as they were so close to reaching their goal. Further, there were signs that Paul might actually be the Kwisatz Haderach, born one generation earlier than expected. (This may have been literary foreshadowing, in that Kwisatz Haderach means "Shortening of the Way".) The prospect of a rogue Kwisatz Haderach beyond Bene Gesserit control was terrifying to the Sisterhood.

The transfer of control of Arrakis creates another pretext for conflict between the Harkonnens and the Atreides and removes Duke Leto from his power base on his home world of Caladan. While they anticipate a trap, the Atreides are unable to withstand a devastating Harkonnen attack, supported by Imperial Sardaukar disguised as Harkonnen troops and aided by a traitor within House Atreides itself, the Suk doctor, Wellington Yueh.

Captured, Duke Leto dies in a failed attempt to assassinate the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen using a poison gas capsule planted in a fake tooth by Dr. Yueh, but Paul and Jessica escape into the deep desert. With Jessica's Bene Gesserit abilities and Paul's developing skills, they manage to join a band of native Fremen, ferocious fighters who ride the giant sandworms that dominate the desert planet. Paul emerges as the Kwisatz Haderach, and Jessica's knowledge of the secret religious myths of the Fremen, planted by the Bene Gesserit Missionaria Protectiva long ago, enable him to become acknowledged as the Lisan al-Gaib, the religious and political leader the Fremen have been waiting for. Paul unites millions of the Fremen into an unstoppable military force, including the Fedaykin.

Paul seizes control of Arrakis and the spice, defeating the Sardaukar legions Shaddam had brought to Arrakis and avenging his family in a duel to the death with Feyd-Rautha. He forces Shaddam to abdicate and becomes Emperor in his place, establishing an Atreides dynasty.

From WikiSummaries: Free Book Summaries

Characters edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me and through me.And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
    Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear
  • “My lungs taste the air of Time Blown past falling sands....”
    Gurney Halleck
  • “A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad'Dib, then, take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. And take the most special care that you locate Muad'Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there. Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place.”
    from "Manual of Mad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan
  • “To attempt an understanding of Maud'Dib without understanding his mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood. It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness. It cannot be.”
    from "Manual of Mad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan
  • “Do you wrestle with dreams? Do you contend with shadows? Do you move in a kind of sleep? Time has slipped away. Your life is stolen. You tarried with trifles, Victim of your folly.”
    Dirge for Jamis on the Funeral Plain, from "Songs of Muad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan
  • “Mercy is a chimera. It can be defeated by the stomach rumbling its hunger, by the throat crying its thirst. You must be always hungry and thirsty.”
    Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
  • “Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.”
    From sayings of the Maud'Dib by the Princcess Irulan

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Organizations edit see section history

  • Bene Gesserit: Secretive and powerful matriarchal order whose members possess extraordinary physical and mental powers.
  • Fremen: The free tribes of Arrakis, dwellers in the desert.
  • Sardaukar: The soldier-fanatics of the Padishah Emperor.
  • CHOAM: The acronym for the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, it controls economic activity in the known universe.
  • The Spacing Guild: has a monopoly on interstellar transport

First Sentence edit see section history

In the week before their departure to Arrakis, when all the final scurrying about had reached a nearly unbearable frenzy, an old crone came to visit the mother of the boy, Paul.

Table of Contents edit see section history

I. Dune
II. Muad'Dib 201
III. The Prophet 363

Appendix I: The Ecology of Dune
Appendix II: The Religion of Dune
Appendix III: Report on Bene Gesserit Motives and Purposes
Appendix IV: The Almanaken-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses)
Terminology of the Imperium

Glossary edit see section history

  • Voice: That combined training originated by the Bene Gesserit which permits an adept to control others merely by selected tone shading of the voice.
  • Deathstill: Fremen device used to extract all moisture from a living or dead human or creature.
  • Bindu: Relating to the human nervous system, especially to nerv training.
  • Bled: Flat, open desert.
  • Chakobsa: The so called "magic-language", derived in part from the ancient Bhotani.
  • Crysknife: The sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is manufactured in two forms from teeth taken from the dead sandworms.
  • Erg: An extensive dune area, a sea of sand.
  • Fedaykin: Fremen death commandos.
  • Stillsuit: Body-enclosing garment invented on Arrakis. It recycles body water.
  • Great Mother: The horned goddess, the feminine principle of space.
  • Gom Jabbar: Specific poison needle tipped with metacyenide used by Bene Gesserit Proctors in the death-alternative test of human awareness.
  • Eyes of Ibad: Characteristic effect of a diet high in melange wherein the whites a pupils of the eyes turn deep blue.
  • Melange: The "spice of spices", the crop for which Arrakis is a unique source. The spice, chiefly noted for it's geriatric qualities, is mildly addictive when taken in small quantities.
  • Mentat: A class of Imperial citizens trained for supreme accomplishments of logic. "Human computers".
  • Muad'dib: An adapted kangaroo mouse of Arrakis, a creature associated in the Fremen earth-spiritmithology with a design visible on the planet's second moon. This creature is admired by Fremen for it's abillity to survive in the open desert.
  • Ornithopter: Any aircraft capable of sustained wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.
  • Reverend Mother: Originally, a proctor of the Bene Gesserit, one who has transformed an "illuminating poison" within her body, raising herself to a higher state of awareness.
  • Shai-hulud: Sandworm of Arrakis, the "Grandfather of the Desert". They grow to enormous sizes (specimens longer than 400 meters have been seen in the deep desert) and live to great age. Most of the sand on Arrakis is credited to sandworm action.
  • Auliya: In the Zensunni Wanderer's religion, the female at the left hand of God; God's handmaiden
  • Aql: The test of reason. Originally, the 'Seven Mystic Questions' beginning: 'Who is it that thinks?'
  • Sietch: Natural or crafted cave system where Fremen make their homes
Show all 21 glossary entries

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 23 in Dune Chronicles. (standard series)

Followed by Dune Messiah.

This is book 1 of 19 in Dune. (universe)
This is book 200 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 196 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 198 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 8 of 17 in Dune in Chronological Order. (standard series)

Preceded by House Corrino, and followed by Paul of Dune.

This is book 14 of 98 in Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: Reader's List. (authoritative list)
This is book 71 of 70 in Science Fiction Masterworks. (publisher edition list)
This is book 1 of 10 in Science Fiction Masterworks Hardcover Series. (publisher edition list)
This is book 39 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
This is book 51 of 97 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
This is book 52 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)
This is book 128 of 213 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
This book is in Best Books of All Time. (community list)
This is book 7 of 10 in Top 100 Sci-Fi Books. (community list)
This book is in 100 Fantabulous Book Challenge. (community list)
This book is in Random Synapses: 100 Book Reading Challenge (2011). (community list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 39 of 82 in BBC "Big Read" Top 100 Novels. (authoritative list)
This is book 64 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)
This is book 4 of 99 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Frank Herbert (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. John Schoenherr (Illustrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Chilton Books
Country: United States
Publication Date: 1965
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 562

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3558.E63 D8 2005
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

This book has violence, language and minor sexual content. Parents should be advised.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

  • Dune Online: A site that includes not only information on the first Book, but the entire set of books set in the Dune Universe.
  • Wikipedia: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Movie Connections edit see section history

  • Dune (1984) (IMDb): The first film of Dune was adapted by David Lynch and released in 1984, nearly 20 years after the book's publication. Though Herbert said the book's depth and symbolism seemed to intimidate many filmmakers, he was pleased with the film, saying that "They've got it. It begins as Dune does. And I hear my dialogue all the way through. There are some interpretations and liberties, but you're gonna come out knowing you've seen Dune." Reviews of the film were not as favorable, saying that it was incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the book, and that fans would be disappointed by the way it strayed from the book's plot (Wikipedia)
  • Dune (2000) (IMDb): In 2000 John Harrison adapted the novel into Frank Herbert's Dune, a miniseries starring Alec Newman which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel. As of 2004 the miniseries was one of the three highest-rated programs broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel.
  • Dune (2014) (IMDb): A new film based on the book was announced in 2008, to be directed by Peter Berg and produced by Paramount Pictures. Producer Kevin Misher, who spent a year securing the rights from the Herbert estate, would be joined by Richard Rubinstein and John Harrison (of both Sci Fi Channel miniseries) as well as Sarah Aubrey and Mike Messina. Variety reported that the producers were looking for a "faithful adaptation" of the novel, and "consider its theme of finite ecological resources particularly timely."Science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson and Frank Herbert's son Brian Herbert, who have together written multiple Dune sequels and prequels since 1999, are attached to the project as technical advisors. In October 2009, Berg dropped out of the project, later saying that it "for a variety of reasons wasn't the right thing" for him. Subsequently, with a 175-page script draft by Josh Zetumer, Paramount reportedly sought a new director who could do the film for under $175 million. On January 4, 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported that director Pierre Morel was signed on to direct, with screenwriter Chase Palmer incorporating Morel's vision of the project into Zetumer's original draft. (Wikipedia)

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Lord of the Rings
  • Foundation / Foundation and Empire / Second Foundation
  • The Dragonriders of Pern
  • Deathworld
  • 2010
  • Alvin Journeyman
  • The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • The Dune Encyclopedia
  • The Science of Dune

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Star Wars

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