Dune by Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert (1996, Paperback, Anniversary)

Must read for any si-fi fan! Herbert creates an amazing alternate world with very rich characters and a great story!

Frank Herbert is my hero, the #1 reason being that he dropped out of college so that he might educate himself, as pertaining to his own interests; the 2nd reason of course being his fantastic prose.

Dune has about everything any Sci Fi fan could want. I was most drawn to the capabilities of the logic driven Mentats; the political power struggles of the Houses—all who are under allegiance to House Corrino; the power held by the Fremen (we the people are Fremen, and we certainly need a Paul); a world in which Spice Melange is critical; and the relationships of a family in a new and chaotic world; that is the desert world Arrakis, which provides many ecological problems to be solved by Muad'Dib.

The Kwisatz Haderach is simply wonderful to watch rise to the apex of power. In all his blue-eyed glory, to crushingly humble the Padishah Emperor, the Reverend Mother, the Spacing Guild and all other enemies. There are so many facets of Dune one could divulge on; sandworms, prana-bindu training.... It is a Universe unto itself, complete.

"Dune" is probably one of the best works of science fiction I've ever read. The characters are alive, the landscape is beautiful, and the government corrupt. A story so detailed it is convincing. Frank Herbert didn't just write the story, he wrote the history of an unknown society. The Appendixes delve even further into this world to explain the ecology of Arrakis, the religion of the Fremen, Bene Gesserit motives for their action and more (there are over 50 pages of Appendixes). I would recommend this book to ALL science fiction fans.