Dune by Frank Herbert

Wikipedia has a solid summary of the setup for Frank Herbert's epic, so I'll let them do the work there. I describe Dune as "Game of Thrones" but in the future and on a foreign planet. There's magic, feudal war, intrigue, and religion. Again, I should have read this a long time ago, because it's one of the classic Sci-Fi novels.

Key Takeaways

• I listened to the Audiobook on Audible. Great voice performances from many actors and actresses bring the story more realism.
• Things are often more complicated than they seem. Pure Good vs. Pure Evil is often an illusion.
• I saw this movie a long time ago, but it needs to be re-made.
• There's also a mini-series from the oughts that I need to check out.

Memorable Quotes

• 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.
• The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.
• When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movements become headlong - faster and faster and faster. They put aside all thoughts of obstacles and forget the precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it's too late.
• The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance.
• The people who can destroy a thing, they control it.

Rating: 8/10
Dune is an entertaining novel, and any sci-fi fan should read it. If you're looking for mind-blowing technology though, it might disappoint. Dune's focus is social, religious, mystical, and geo-political much more than anything else.