I came to Dune in a backwards sort of way. When the Dune movie came out in 1984, I went with my family to see it and I was mesmerized. Everyone blasts the movie (especially the theater version), but I was hooked. My next visit to the library, I went and grabbed the book and sat down to read it. And I was blown away. The scope of the book is amazing and it quickly became one of my favorite books. So, what makes Dune a classic? Let’s find out.

In the beginning of the story we meet our main character, Paul Atreides as he meets the Lieutenants of his father, the Duke of the planet Caladan. The beginning introduces us to the basic universe and the kickoff of the plot, the Atreides have been ordered by the Emperor to take over the spice mining on the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is a desert planet that is pretty much uninhabitable and no one would ever consider it if it wasn’t for the spice. The spice has many properties that are highly sought after and the spice is worth a fortune. The Emperor’s power is derived by two powers, his fierce warriors (the Sardaukar) and his ability to keep the spice flowing.

Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica is a member of the religious group the Bene Gesserit. The Bene Gesserit train their members to have full control of their bodies and advanced mental powers. They also have a long range breeding plan to create an ultimate human, the Kwisatz Haderach. The leader of the Bene Gesserit are still mad Lady Jessica for having a son, Paul, instead of a daughter, who would have allowed them to further their plan. Paul’s father, the Duke, is a charismatic man who inspires loyalty to his subjects and reciprocates by caring deeply about the people. Lady Jessica’s love for the the Duke is what led to Paul being born.

The Harkonnens are the mortal enemies of the Atreides, led by the Baron, who is as ugly as he is vicious and conniving. His nephews Rabban (The Beast) is a harsh, not too bright man who the Baron has plans to use only in order to gain power for his other nephew, Feyd Rautha (famously played by Sting in the movie) who will come to save the people from The beast.

As the family moves to Arrakis, they are wary, since the planet is being vacated by the Harkonnens. As things move quickly once the Atreides take over, Paul and his mother soon find themselves trapped out in the deep desert as a plot backed by the Harkonnens and the Emperor lead to the death of the Duke and the destruction of most of the Atreides.

Paul and his mother find themselves in with the Fremen. The Fremen are the wanderers of the Arrakis desert. No one takes them seriously, but they have a link to the Bene Gesserit and their own long-term plan to fix Arrakis. Paul’s Atreides training leads him into a leadership position within the Fremen as his mother’s Bene Gesserit training makes him into a military and religious leader of them. Using the Fremen as a base, Paul slowly formulates a plan to get revenge on the Emperor, the Harkonnens and the Bene Gesserit.

I’ve mentioned a lot of the characters and plot, but I could easily go on for 20 or 30 more paragraphs talking about the memorable characters and the rest of the plot. But just go read the book. Herbert has written a book that merges ecology and religion and politics into a wonderful mixture. The book talks deeply about the ecology of Arrakis and not just in a “Save the Worms” sort of way, but in a manner where the native Fremen talk about how they want to change their ecology to something better. The plots and the conspiracies and the plans within plans within plans are amazing. Herbert’s creation still feels fresh and new 40+ years after it was written and that’s a credit to Herbert. But, do yourself a favor and pretend the rest of the Dune books don’t exist. Trust me, it’s for the best. Highly recommended.