Great Dune Trilogy

My rating is for the whole series; while I think that each book is progressively a little weaker, I still think that the saga as a whole is too compelling and unique to merit anything less than five stars. DUNE: Maybe it's the freshness in my mind of the recent (and outstanding) film adaptation; maybe it's just that I'm many (many) years older; maybe it's the way that fantasy has evolved since it was published (and in response to it). But whatever the case, even though I remembered Frank Herbert's Dune being a dense, difficult read, that turned out not to be the case as I revisited the world of Arrakis after a good thirty years. Indeed, you can see some of Herbert's pulpier edges here and there - some florid plotting, some big dramatic characters - all grounding the massive scope of the book and Herbert's quite frankly astonishing imagination in things that we can latch on to and understand. There's little need to revisit the plot here, especially thanks to Villeneuve's adaptations (which only impressed me more after this re-read, as I could see the ways in which he changed the source material to make it work as a film while never betraying its spirit); what I will say is that I was so much more acutely aware this time of the way that Herbert is viciously critiquing so much of the modern world - the exploitation of the middle east, the use of religion as a way to gain power, the scheming of those in control to keep the profits for themselves - and just how deeply cynical the book is. Even if you don't have knowledge of where the series goes from here, it's evident that Paul is never intended to be a wholly noble hero; indeed, no one in Dune comes out looking particularly good, with the compromises needed to keep power and the willingness to sacrifice others being so key to the methods of "winning" here that they're undeniable. The other thing you forget, though, is how willing Dune was to just be wonderfully weird, especially in the second half of the story, and it's where the book really shines; without that, you'd have a powerful but a little stiff exploration of power and exploitation of native populations, but with it, you get this fascinating science fiction epic that feels still pretty sui generis after all this time, even though it's impossible to read it and not think "oh, there is so much sci-fi and fantasy that wouldn't exist without this.'' It's got its flaws - some clunky dialogue, a few iffy pieces of characterization - but generally, they're minor and pale in the face of just what Herbert is going for - and what he largely accomplished. DUNE MESSIAH: When I revisited Dune, I found the book more accessible and less complex than I remembered, and I wondered how much of that I could simply chalk up to age (and the familiarity that came from the film). But now that I've read Dune Messiah? Oh, there's the complexity, weirdness, and density. In less than half the length of the original novel, Herbert delivers a truly subversive sequel that transforms the context and impact of its predecessor, giving us a book that turns Paul from a hero to a tyrant, turns a rebellion into a religious crusade, questions the nature of seeing the future, and so much more. And that doesn't even get into the oddness of the book itself, in which most of the major events happen off-page entirely, a conspiracy turns out to be about something wholly else than we think, a character returns from the dead in a bizarre way that only deepens the weirdness, and characters' actions can be maddeningly opaque. That all of this happens in such a lean volume is kind of fascinating; it's hard to think of another sequel that is this interested in completely revising the impact and meaning of its predecessor, changing the story from a heroic one to a tragic tale of the corruption of power. Dune Messiah isn't quite as solid as its predecessor, and part of that undeniably comes from the short length; there is a lot going on here, and Herbert's abbreviating of context and characters can lead to things being confusing even before we learn that most of the major events of the book happened between the volumes or even between the chapters. But it feels like a logical next step from the conclusion of Dune, and thematically/morally/emotionally, it's a fascinating way to keep the saga going in a way that reveals how little Herbert was really interested in the "white savior" archetype; instead, what he's given is a cautionary tale of the danger of such tropes, as well as a vicious allegory for the corruption of wealth, power, and control that rears its head in human nature - especially in a certain region of the world dense with oil - all done with an intent that transforms the previous book in compelling ways. CHILDREN OF DUNE: By the time I finished Dune Messiah, I was starting to remember just how complex and challenging Herbert’s series could be, but Children of Dune still feels like another step up in terms of difficulty and density, throwing us into a world of adults in 9-year-old bodies, warring prophecies, religious reform, tyranny and violence, and a whole lot more - but with a lot of things happening off screen still, a lot of characters hiding their motivations, a lot of ideas unexplained, and the plot beyond complex, with schemes within schemes within bluffs within feints. All of which could be manageable, if frustrating (I read and reread the Preacher’s messages multiple times, trying to parse their complex ideas, and still am not sure I followed it all), if Herbert had simply given us anyone to hang onto. With Dune, we had Paul, who was forced into dealing with his destiny and unspeakable choices, and while he was becoming harder and less approachable in Messiah, his regrets for what happened and efforts to ameliorate the damages still gave readers something to latch onto. But by the time we get to Children of Dune, there’s not a recognizably “human” character in our story, and the result is a book so full of ideas and philosophy that it forgets to give us anyone to like. The children are utterly alien and off-putting, Duncan is a walking computer, Alia is a monster, and Jessica…well, she’s still a Bene Gesserit, isn’t she? And all of that is before things start getting very weird towards the end, setting up the insanity of later books. But I think it’s here that I’m tapping out from my reread; I can admire the density of Herbert’s vision, and the nuance that he brings to all of the factions and power plays and groups, but ultimately Children of Dune feels like a book for mentats, not for people - it’s all ideas and cold machinations, with no humanity left for us to care about.

You cannot beat the price to content ratio of this boxed set! I read through the trilogy on a couple weeks and was blown away with the world of Dune. With that being said, there are a few inconveniences with this particular offering. The pages are a weird size, so you really have to bend the spine to read all the words, resulting in marks along the spine. Additionally, because the pages are not as wide as traditional books, the book was uncomfortable to hold for a prolonged amount of time. All things considered, I don’t think you can get a better deal at this price point!

Perfect series for burning through an intercontinental flight. Definitely worth the 1200 or so pages. I highly recommend if you are looking for something between Star Wars and GOT. I’d hank it higher then either to be honest.

The hardbacks have beautiful, bold covers and are a statement in themselves. The contents are deep in intrigue, "wheels within wheels." I enjoy the 2nd trilogy as well, so hopefully they get the same reverent treatment as these!

The artwork in these three Deluxe Edition books are phenomenal, and the pages in blue is an elegant touch. I am very happy to have these in the collection. HOWEVER, there is a huge caveat. I echo the complaints other reviews have with this product in particular: the box that houses the three books arrived ripped along two edges, the books inside were very dusty, and the slips of the three books are damaged along various corners and edges to different degrees, the first book being the biggest victim. This must be an issue with how these are packaged or stored. Do these issues imperil the reading experience? No, but these are Deluxe Editions and are sold at a premium because the visuals and tactile experiences merit it; usually, those buying Deluxe Editions already like the novel and are willing to double dip on a fancier edition for collection or display piece purposes… both purposes are affected when the books and sleeves arrive with damages. My recommendation? 1) Wait for these to sell out and get reprinted before trying to purchase (that way the odds of them remedying whatever is causing these issues is higher) or 2) buy from a local place where you can inspect the product before paying for it. With that out of the way, what a treat to have a saga like Dune have these beautiful editions. Hopefully the other three books get the similar Deluxe Editions from Ace so the whole saga looks beautiful on the shelf.

Good edition, nice quiality

Great gift set! Perfect sized and the covers are so bright!

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You've seen the movie now. Read the books. Bought this as a gift. Very happy with the quality being a box set. It looks good and makes an excellent gift. The story itself is amazing. I have not read it myself for a couple of decades but I can highly recommend. It is well written captivating story.

For a series like this I wanted a durable and well made hardcover edition. Purchased 'new' via Amazon, the condition seen in the photos is exactly as it arrived, as yet unread, it has only been waiting on the bookshelf! The binding glue appears to have been insufficient or missing, the spine puckered along the left edge as a result. I've only noticed it today now that books 4-6 are arriving soon.

Everything fine. Well worth reading.

I read the first 50pages, seems nice 😁