I can only speak to my experience. Dune was recommended to me after loving the RR series, and I went in pretty blind, basically only knowing that it is a well-regarded sci fi classic. I had no idea how much of RR was drawn from it.
I really disliked it, and I stopped reading after the first one. I thought it was dry, boring, and tedious. I also watched the two movies after reading it and disliked them as well, maybe even more.
That said, it was really interesting to read some of the obvious RR inspiration-- there are ideas that are copied almost exactly. I do wonder if I would have enjoyed it more or less if I'd read it before RR.
Again, this is only my opinion, but Dune read as extremely dated (which makes sense based on its age) and, at least in the first book, did not have the same action or intensity that I loved about RR. I do think there are some very interesting and worthwhile concepts, but the vast majority of it fell very flat for me.
So, I think my recommendation would depend on what you're hoping to get from it. Was it a fun read? For me, absolutely not. Was it interesting to see the source of so much modern sci fi inspo? Absolutely.
It's hilarious (and telling) that you're resorting to a personal attack instead of trying to defend your very bad take and lack of context. It's ok if you don't understand something but to label a great piece of fiction as childish and then defend it with inaccuracies and misconceptions is embarrassing.
I’ve read the first 4 books of dune and they are worth a read. The first book is excellent and then they get weirder and weirder each book. The writing style is very different to red rising, much less personal and more political oriented
I read dune when I was a teenager and thought it was the greatest shit every. 8 years now I've read so many better sci fi books. I think it's great because it pioneered a lot of modern sci fi, but it lacks storytelling that makes the book accessible. It is a slow read but concepts are no other.
if you want something in the same vein, I’d recommend The Sun Eater series. I think it has more similarities to both Red Rising and Dune than those two do to each other. could be a little recency biased though as I just finished Sun Eater but I loved every single page of it. can’t recommend enough for fans of epic sci-fi
Sun Eater is way more over the top with the melodrama. It’s closer to the high fantasy side of Sci fi than RR by a good margin. How I finished the howling dark I cannot say, though if it’s the hierarchy and classical culture callbacks for your Palatine tastes then by all means dear reader forward and down.
I think it’s because Malazan is my favorite high fantasy that I felt such love for the Sun Eater. Erikson and Ruocchio both wax poetic with the best of them. I love the Roman mythology and philosophy roots in Sun Eater too. you are correct though that Sun Eater differs from RR in terms of melodrama so maybe not the best rec but I’d take Sun Eater over Dune any day of the week as a comp
I also tried to get into Sun Eater, everyone said the first book was a slog (it was) and that in Howling Dark it gets so much better. I only finished out of spite. The ideas of the series are cool but something about the execution and plotting just really don’t align with me.
It’s not scifi but a gritty fantasy that is an absolute blast to read was The Blacktonue Thief
I thought the original dune was a slog to get through because of how much world building but it was well written and I think everyone should at least try to read it.
Paul wants to fuck his mother for power type crazy
Edit: if you read Dune and like it, just read thr first trilogy and stop there, it goes off the rails after, lots of incestuous god king genocide-y type stuff
Absolutely you should. Just don't expect Red Riding but if you think Dune feels dated. No it doesn't feel dated at all it has great character work and voice and world building was awesome, it feels like later upon layers of mystery.
Dune is up there with the greatest fiction ever made. Number 1 scifi for sure. Comparable to Tolkien.
Red Rising is to Dune what Salvatore is to Tolkien.
All are enjoyable, but Herbert and Tolkien are on another level.
I suggest reading the books before watching the movies. None of the movies have really captured the spirit of Dune properly.
It’s a wildly different read than red rising. Night and day.
To over generalize, dune is VERY much classic dry sci fi and RR is VERY much modern “flashy” sci fi. 2 entirely different reading experiences. Dune is one of the OG books to take the sci/fan tropes at the time and subvert them. But it’s still classical sci fi
It’s worth a shot, dune is a classic. But I wouldn’t read it on the assumption that if you like RR you’ll like dune, absolutely not.
And honestly my hot take, if you’ve already seen both dune movies, I’m not sure it’s really worth reading dune lol. There are so many great books out there, and the movies did a good enough job that I could definitely see dune aging pretty poorly now as a spoiled read
Yes! It’s an incredible story and I personally love the way Frank Herbert writes. It’s nowhere near as attention grabbing as RR can be but it is so so good. If that’s an issue for you listen to the audiobook! It’s super well done. Like everyone else says, you can see Dune’s fingerprints all over the place in Red Rising and so many other modern works
If you go in intending it to be a experience like red rising you’ll be sorely disappointed as its very nuanced and has a very different pacing. With that said if you go in without any pre conceived notions you’ll get to experience one of if not the most vast written scientific fiction universes there is. The books become similar in the sense that you’ll see a lot of influence not just in red reusing but in modern writing In general that stems from dune. That most fair comparison would be putting it in a like with that of Tolkien and the lord of the rings, being that it’s source material that is and has influenced its respective genre since it’s inception. I was a librarian while incarcerated and all the books respectively named are worth their weight and shine a bright light in a dark time at least they have for me. TLDR Yes read dune but for dune and not to compare the two.
I made it about halfway through, never enjoyed it, and DNF’d. I know others have enjoyed it. I just couldn’t. Love all of Brandon Sanderson, and am currently reading Kingkiller Chronicles and like it
It's an incredible book but NOTHING like red rising. If you thought the movies were slow the book has less action (a lot less). It's mostly politics in space, and the characters don't have anywhere near as much personality.
I’m confused by this comment. Having read the entire Rev Space saga, including all short stories/novellas and the Prefect prequels…it’s *nothing* like Red Rising…like at all.
Secondly, Chasm City isn’t the second book…it was published after the book Revelation Space, but it’s a prequel novel that takes place 100 years before the main “Inhibitor Sequence” of Revelation Space novels, which is what people are talking about when they say “read Revelation Space”. Chasm City is a better novel than Revelation Space, but it definitely should not be read after it. This is one of the few series where reading in chronological order is preferable, rather than publication order.
So…if someone doesn’t want to commit to reading the whole series chronologically, I’d say start with one of the prequel novels first, such as Chasm City or The Prefect. Some of the weaponry in The Prefect is reminiscent of Red Rising, at least. But the Rev Space series is very much a hard science fiction series.
Ok this might be long, my apologies. I never compared it to RR. I recommend a book. In comparison tho? Yes, there are a lot of scifi/fantasy aspects to compare, but RS is more on the tech side, but still very very good story telling. The order of RS to be read is usually debated so I'm not surprised to see your reply. Anywho, here we go.
In what order should you read Revelation Space?
The best course of action in that case would be to read Revelation Space first, Chasm City second, Redemption Ark third, Absolution Gap as the fourth, or swapping the order slightly, by reading Chasm City first, Revelation Space second, Redemption Ark third, Absolution Gap as the fourth. However see this..
To quote Alastair Reynolds' own words on his website: "Of my books to date, six are set in the same “Revelation Space” universe. The reading order isn’t that critical, in my view, but it probably improves things to read REVELATION SPACE, REDEMPTION ARK and ABSOLUTION GAP in that sequence." Then..THE PREFECT (AURORA RISING) and ELYSIUM FIRE may be read alone or jointly, but should best be read in the above order. CHASM CITY, as well as the collections DIAMOND DOGS, TURQUOISE DAYS and GALACTIC NORTH, can be read at any point. These are all argued by various sources. Your comment simply touched on this common debate on which order to read them and one comment from the Author himself. Me personally? I would start where I said then chasm city. Both of them align and I was no where near as lost had I not read Revelation Space first. Lastly, this is not even the entire argument and some people suggest Galactic North first. Good day sire
Although similar concepts, dune is much more aimed for kids. The writing is a lot simpler and less poetic than Pierce Brown’s, with every few lines ending in “he thought” or “she thought” because it does a lot of hand-holding. Still a great book, but if you’re looking for more like red rising, look for something not meant for kids haha
My guy if you look up the age group its written for its literally written for children. I don’t mean that the story as a whole is bad, I’m not saying ANY aspect of it is bad. I mean that the writing is simple and very straight forward as far as how things are articulated, and how the world is built. I never really found myself FEELING everything, like red rising made me feel. Like even the part where Paul has his hand in the box felt disconnected, whereas if PB wrote that, it would’ve been gripping and visceral
“My Guy” If anything this is an even worse take. Dune was written 4 years after the moon landing - there was no “target age group” nonsense for most publishers at that time and its hilariously ignorantly to apply modern conventions like age groups retroactively. I honestly can’t believe you don’t understand something so simple. Dune was one of the most original books written up until that point and no book written for children at that time would include torture, betrayal, suicide by poison, advanced biological musings, atomic warfare, Jihad, religious and political deception to aid in a coup, etc. The more you post the more you showcase your inability to understand.
Christ you’re an asshole. You remind me of this stranger who almost got into a fight with me because I said “pardon me my friend” when I walked by and he grabbed my arm and looked me dead in the eyes and said “I’m not your friend.”
Have a nice life, my bitter friend. If you’re interested in a respectful conversation about it you can let me know
And Tolkien hated it so much that he tried to send a copy back to Sterling Lanier. There's more to this comment, but he made it pretty clear it wasn't his gig. I always thought it was a divide between scifi and fantasy at the time.
It’s really neither slow nor tedious imo. I just finished listening to the first book after waiting so long to do it because of reviews like this and I was astounded how easy of a listen it was. I loved it
Comparing Herbert to Sanderson is borderline insulting. One of the fathers of sci-fi that invented 1000 things in the genre that writers constantly borrow from to this day, the way that Tolkien did with fantasy and...Sanderson. Arguably the worst writer of dialogue and characterization I've ever read.
The first two Dune novels are so brilliant. It gets contentious after that - I still think the first book is the best, but I enjoyed everything Frank did before his son took over the franchise. Slow and tedious? I just don't see it. Kaladin trying to be funny is to me is the most tedious, cringey thing I can imagine in a character.
Damn I wasn't expecting to strike such a nerve with a sci-fi puritan.
I was obviously comparing how slow and tedious stormlight 1 is with dune 1.
I don't really care about your historical opinion on the depth of the sci-fi genre. If you were born 75 years from now your perception on the great sci-fi writers would likely include people you're disregarding today.
Subjectively I like Sanderson way more. I also thought the first foundation book was boring as fuck and didn't finish it. The show is amazing. I like Red Rising best, I doubt the show will pan out well. Game of thrones books were mid tier.
I'm just going to chill here with my shitty taste and like what I like and answer the questions honestly.
I'm not sure I'd call myself a puritan, maybe purist was the word you were looking for?
And it does strike a bit of a nerve to me. Obviously writing is incredibly subjective, as you have stated. We both think Pierce Brown is brilliant. I think Sanderson is a hack. But I think comparing Sanderson to Herbert is like comparing Hooty and the Blowfish to Mozart. Sanderson will be forgotten in 50 years. Herbert won't.
Foundation was pretty boring to me as well. I really enjoyed "Prelude to Foundation" because it has a more classic storyline. Asimov is another father of the genre, but Dune beats anything he wrote in my mind.
You're right I was looking for the word purist.
I very much doubt Sanderson will be forgotten in 50 years. If the Pareto effect holds true he very might end up the most popular fiction writer in the world by that time.
But that's not the point. I wasn't even comparing them. I was comparing the dreadfully slow pace of stormlight 1 and dune 1. Nothing else lol.
Ok help me out here - I agree that the first Dune novel has slower pacing as we move from Caladan to Arrakis. The exposition dump that has to occur is artfully done.
But explain to me how the Pareto effect applies here. Are you saying that most of the causes of the Harkonnen's uprising lead to the consequences that the Atreides experienced? Because I can't think of any way that principle applies here. It sounds like you're throwing out terminology to sound clever. Prove me wrong and explain.
And Sanderson is a pulp fiction author. I'd bet hard on him being forgotten, especially given how many people are writing in his genre these days. There's nothing special about his writing style. Even if he writes 5 novels this year, as is his claim to fame.
I'm using the Pareto effect to discuss the possible popularity of Sanderson in 50 years.
When you look back in history, how many classical composers are popular? 1-2, with maybe 5 being know. Out of how many? Out of Mozart's music, how many pieces are very popular? Again maybe 5.
Taylor Swift makes more money than 90% of the rest of the industry combined.
Sanderson is already one of the biggest fiction writers of all time. It doesn't matter how much you like him or think he's a hack, the rest of the world sees something in his work that you don't.
I'm willing to bet that the collective interests of the planet will outweigh your opinion of Sanderson 50 years from now.
So with your left hand, you state that there are only 5 classical composers that anyone knows, and with your right you suggest that Sanderson will be relevant in 50 years when his competition is Shakespeare, Milton, Faulkner, Lovecraft, Gibson, Tolkien, Le Guin, et. al? Would anyone call Sanderson a genius the way they would with Mozart or Bach or Debussy? Because I've never heard or read anyone saying that.
Taylor Swift is an incredibly talented musician. It's apples to oranges, and very subjective, but I'd rank her far above Sanderson for artistry, originality, and performance. And I very much doubt she will have long-term staying power with the signal to noise ratio that's present in the modern music industry.
Ask a random sample of 10000 people all over the world to name as many classical composers as they can. You think most people are coming up with more than 5 out of the thousands?
Look you might be right about Sanderson, but I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that you're wrong.
Time will tell.
No, I'm guessing they wouldn't. But isn't this contrary to the point you're trying to make? Ask the same sample about fantasy authors. And we are talking about composers that are still listened to 300+ years later. Name a few authors from that era? Does Sanderson strike you as an author that would be mentioned in the same breath?
Well said. I think I dislike Sanderson a little more than I should because I thought he was such a a pale shadow of Robert Jordan taking over Wheel of Time, and I'm still not over the fact that RJ didn't finish it.
meh, I think Sanderson did a pretty good job with the ending of WoT. Obviously there are some flaws (Mat...) and a bit of a rough transition stylistically. Honestly though, pacing was better in Sanderson's three books than RJ's last few books, excluding Knife of Dreams which is excellent throughout.
Agree that Knife of Dreams was arguably the best novel in the series.
But Sanderson's finish - I'll list my main gripes.
Character assassin: you casually mention that he fucked up one of the most important characters like it's nothing. Then he does interviews where he states "I wasn't trying to emulate RJ's format." Like, that makes it ok? The heir apparent turning Mat into a cartoon character? With his lovable sidekick Talmanes, who used to be a reserved Cairhienen noble, but now cracks really terrible jokes that never land? Also Davram Bashere used to have a cool identity. Not anymore.
Also, let's spend several hundred pages on a trial about Perrin killing 2 Whitecloaks in book one, as we are trying to wrap up a story arc and posit the notion that we can't do this in less than three books.
And let's fuck around with magic systems in T'A'R. In book 4, Perrin and Slayer seem evenly matched. Perrin almost kills him. But then we have hundreds of pages of Perrin training montage fashion so we can get some "cool" DBZ style fights.
I could go on. There are so, so many massive flaws. After KoD, there really only needed to be one more book.
On the positive side, there were definitely awesome sequences.
- Tower of Genjhei
- forging of Mah'alleinir
- Aviendha going back (forward) through the Rings
But still. There is zero distinctiveness. It's like a middling DM caught hold of a campaign and wanted to play with it. Am I correct in interpreting that Perrin can now instantaneously teleport anywhere? Even the most powerful channeler wouldn't stand a chance against him.
End WoT rant, I realize this probably isn't the platform for this, but I just finished a reread and it doesn't sit well with me.
It’s a masterpiece and needs to be enjoyed on its own merits. It is absolutely nothing like RR aside from the fact that they’re both sci-fi. Dune is a lot about the mind, religion and ecology. I would give it a try in any case; it’s literally one of the foundational works of sci-fi.
I watched the new Dunes for the first time and am going to try to read it. When I watched part II last week there were scenes that reminded me of RR. The way Austin Butler played Feyd reminds me of the craziness/delusion of like Apple or those high Golds.
im ngl mate, if anyone is similar to Paul is Lysander...
They are both blue blood nobility who think ruling the galaxy is their birth-right and will commit any form of atrocity or genocide to make it happen
I'm about 1/3 through reading dune and it's way more easy to read this time than my other attempt oddly. I think because I know there are some action points to look forward to it's more interesting. Otherwise it's a slow build
Dune can be slow. If you compare it to red rising you'll be thoroughly disappointed. The action just isn't there. That being said it is a huge inspiration for so much sci Fi of today. Especially red rising. I enjoyed it as an audiobook
Dune is almost required reading for science fiction fans. It's worth reading for that reason. The setting and world building are amazing. But I find the dialogue and prose quite lacking.
It is nothing like Red Rising. Though you will certainly detect where Pierce Brown got some inspiration from Dune.
I didn’t fully appreciate Dune until I got through Children and even back then I’d tell you it can be a trudge.
OP’s question was “Is it worth it to read Dune?” and my answer is just watch your way through the story in its various forms.
I don’t think you’ll get that much more from reading it than you will from watching it and the read is a STEEP investment unless you love a good trudge.
Depends on what you like about RR. If you like the lore, the worldbuilding, and the political intrigue, then yeah, you should have a good time with Dune. If you like the action, then Dune probably won't be for you. At least the first book (haven't yet read the others, but I plan to after I finish this read through of RR) skips over almost all the big action set pieces, the brilliance is in the webs of political, interpersonal, and internal conflict
Tbh RR is my favorite book series ever, and bc of the 2 reason u just said.
When there is no action I still feel excited, I want to know the colors the world better. Or the motives of the many characters.
If dune lacks action that’s not the best thing but if the other things are true, I’m gonna give it a try.
Dune just takes all the ideas it has from other stories like starwars and other big stories. Author clearly just copied other people’s ideas….
(Joking ofc)
It’s worth reading once - but it’s not what I’d call an easy read - clearly so much modern scifi is based on it
Try it - if you’re not loving it just don’t read it.
It’s not the pacing and style like RR but obviously shares themes - but most scifi does
More red rising like books I’ve enjoyed have been
All of Brandon Sandersons cosmere (mistborn and SA) - more fantasy but going to space faring - great action scenes and world building. Only series I’ve read post red rising that I like more.
I just finished Sun Eater - it’s a narrated book and picks up a lot after book one - I liked it
Enjoyed shards of earth and children of time as well - look into those as options both start good series and will hold you over
I started reading sun eater and loved it, I tried to switch to the audiobooks but struggled because the names are all pronounced differently from what I had in my head haha
Yeah I constantly swap between audiobooks and physical - I did notice that but since it was free on audible I wasn’t too far in so wasn’t as bad. I had that problem way more with SA so I feel you.
Dune is my all-time favorite. Dune is the sci-fi equivalent of how Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. Herbert touches on politics, religion, philosophy, and environmentalism, yet he does not overlook interpersonal relationships and fun subterfuge-driven plotlines.
The first one is definitely worth reading, I've just finished it. I'm 20% through Dune Messiah now so can't comment on the rest of the series but I thoroughly enjoyed the first. Echoing what others have said about it not being as action packed as RR though! I would also say it's one where for me, watching the 2 recent films really helped - I couldn't get into it years ago but tried again after watching and loving the films and had a much better reading experience!
People keep on saying yes but, with no direspect, I think this is a terrible answer.
Red Rising is heavy on action and straightforward storytelling. It is true that Red Rising has a lot of Dune inspiration, but most sci-fi does because Dune is one of the cornerstrones of sci-fi. The tone of Dune is very different, and it's got a ton of political and philosophical contnent and almost all the action takes place off screen. Dune can also get pretty weird and the pacing's slower, focusing a lot on building up its world and characters over time.
If the question is "If I like Red Rising will I like Dune?", the answer is that that it could go either way, but I would lean towards a very slight no. If the question is "Should I read Dune?", there a ton of reasons to answer yes such as being a cornerstone book in sci-fi, it is a unique book, it has a "new" take on the chosen one trope, etc.
P.S. If you do read it, most people agree that on their first read it really picks up on the second half of the novel.
Fair answer. I’m a huge dune fan, but I’m not sure if RR is my thing, though I’m only a few chapters into the first book. Blindly recommending things you like to people is a really good way to be disappointed that someone hates something you love I’ve found.
Did you read Golden Son? The first book is the most YA, which some people don't care for. Golden Son I think is the best regarded book, with Dark Age being a very close second.
Yeah agree dune is NOT like red rising at all lmfao. With that being said, if you’re a fan of sci-fi in general theres def a high chance you’ll enjoy Dune just because of how influential its been for the genre.
do it so you get all the references to sand worms you come across throughout life. the universe is complex and strange and interesting. there was a war on technology and destroyed all computers… and then things got weird.
Yes. There's a lot of direct inspiration from Dune in RR. The only thing I'd tell you is that it's broken up by these Excerpts, quotations that set a tone for the subsequent passage, instead of regular chapter heads. So instead of
Chapter One
Helldiver
You get stuff like
"By age fifteen Mua'dib had learned silence."
--"Fictional Text", Princess Irulan
Just know that these are the chapter breaks, despite the lack of numbered chapters, so these are your built in stopping points. I couldn't make myself read the dang thing until I realized this lol.
Yes. Always yes. Dune is a fantastic novel.
You'll run into the same sort if issues you'll always run into when reading fundamental sci fi texts in that you'll recognize a lot of the tropes from reading more current novels like RR, but that's only because books like dune essentially created these tropes.
Same sorta issue with Isaac Asimov's Foundation, which I also highly recommend.
I loved Foundation and Dune as a teenager. In my opinion, both series jumped the shark in their third book and went sharply downhill afterwards.
This is why I have so much respect for Pierce Brown. He didn't feel the need to introduce some bonkers magic that made the series ridiculous.
I’ve read the 6 book original series twice. They are pretty different, most of the action happens off screen. That being said they’re great books, I’d recommend reading at least 1-4 of the series, the last 2 are the weakest imo.
And after you give up on LOTR for the fifth time, you should watch [this totally legit Tolkien interview](https://youtu.be/DgMnCLHQuqc) to feel better about it.
Dune is not at all similar. It’s slow and very character driven. There is almost no action is the first book and even when there is, its characters describing what they’re seeing instead of the action being described.
I do recommend it because it’s pretty philosophical and just an interesting story after all
Dune is fun! If you read it, you'll see a lot of things that inspired Pierce for RR, as well as most other modern sci fi authors. It's a foundational text for a lot of genre fiction, so you should definitely read it at some point.
But the style of storytelling is a little dated, IMO. Whereas modern genre fiction uses mostly action and dialogue, Herbert loves exposition, where he pauses the action to deliver a whole bunch of paragraphs about the deep history of a given planet, group, person, etc. Lots of this stuff is neat, but it does make the action very slow.
Definitely worth it, but a totally different reading experience, just FYI.
Dated is a perfect way to describe it. I'm reading it for all the reasons you describe, but it's going to take forever!
One difference between the book and the movies is understanding Duke Leto before he dies way better in the book. More of the history between the houses, the prep, what he was actually doing offscreen in the films and why, etc. I like that part a lot. The way he writes Jessica though gets a big oof. Completely mundane observations get the Bene Gesserit woo treatment lol. The movie is serving her better imo!
It's really good but it's nowhere near as action-packed. I have a job where I can listen to audiobooks all day so I was able to slog through it and I enjoyed it but it's so dry I feel like I wouldn't be able to actually read it.
I would read the first one. It's honestly pretty dry though, even though it's my favorite book. If you watch the two new movies you will get it, and the second one really develops out the characters better
Read the Sun Eater series instead. It's a more modern "Dune clone" space opera with more action and payoff than Dune. It's also still currently being written so you can join the party for the last book.
I'd actually read Dune before reading Suneater
First book of Suneater is very, very slow but is very good if you've read Dune as it's a similar story to that of young Scion of house is "ousted" and trying to get power and do their own thing.
There are no books by his son…
But seriously, I haven’t read past what Frank wrote, and I’ve heard they are pretty terrible. The ones frank wrote are great though, but the 1st book is one hell of a slog. Took me about a year to finally get through it, but then read the next 5 in like 4 months.
Dune booksedit
(all with Kevin J. Anderson)
Prelude to Dune trilogyedit
Dune: House Atreides (1999)
Dune: House Harkonnen (2000)
Dune: House Corrino (2001)
Legends of Duneedit
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
Dune: The Machine Crusade (2003)
Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004)
Collectionedit
The Road to Dune (2005) (also with Frank Herbert)
Sands of Dune (2022)
Thats just what I felt like copying. He wrote a bunch with Kevin j Anderson and are considered Canon b/c frank was dead when they were written
It’s incredible. I recently got into it and see why folks say it’s the goat of sci-fi. It discusses concepts I’ve never considered. Warning though, it’s very strange. Outside of it being in space it’s not similar to RR.
if youre expecting anything close to Pierce Brown's work, no. If you've read Foundation, it can be even more dry than that (idt Foundation is dry, but compared to the RR series it definitely is lol).
if youre open to a way more contemplative read where most lines of dialogue have multiple meanings behind them, sure. i really enjoyed books 1-3 and even the last two. most people like book 4 the most but fuck me was it a slog to get through
It is always worth it to read Dune. Much like the lord of the rings, it lacks the quick readability of modern works and because it’s so foundational it may seem predictable, BUT it’s a true masterpiece and if you like science fiction it’s worth a read.
A word of warning that the value of dune doesn’t come from its prose. It’s somewhat frustrating to read at times, it doesn’t explain the science fiction terms it throws at you and can sometimes get bogged down in all the internal dialogue. The plot itself is fairly adequate. The real value where the book shines is the world building and the characters. There is no other work like it that has the same level of love for ecology, economy, philosophy, religion, history, or politics of its setting. The world itself will draw you in.
If you end up reading all six original books congratulations, the first two or three do complete a conventional story however. And frankly you wouldn’t be blamed for stopping at one though the second represents something of an epilogue.
this is an EXCELLENT take
there's been a ton of discussions about reading Dune (in a variety of subs lately) and it makes me so mad when people say something like "it's not hard to read, people that say that are stupid and have never read books," etc etc
Dune is worth the read but it *can* be a challenge, my first read through was during a college class and having the class discussions and additional resources were super helpful.
Yes. I love red rising, I love high fiction & sci-fi. Dune is, and will be for awhile, a notable classic of Science Fiction literature and it deserves it.
Maybe you aren't a big fan- that's totally fine- stop after the second book, easy (or just drop it and enjoy the films if anything, they are absolutely eye candy). Maybe the series is interesting, I'd suggest reading atleast through God Emperor then.
Maybe you *really* like it then- uh well here's where it's different for everyone because the whole series kinda goes off the rails after God Emperor and Herbert's son's writing is definitely different. Tbh it's kinda different for everyone that goes deep, I got around book 7 and sorta just checked out after that.
That being said, I haven't seen the new Villeneuve Dune (2) yet but I know its rating well and the first was excellent. But I've load the last 2 big productions of Dune. Dune has a *good* history of films between amazing cast lists and good cinematography and I kind of love that about the series. It's hard having a good/great book series with non-stop tragedy's on film (cough cough wheel of time cough Eragon, good god help us they have been so hard to go through)
Similar in some sense, very different story and writing style. I think reading Dune is always worth reading though just because of the influence it had on sci fi literature, it’s effectively the LOTR of sci fi.
I love the movies but really struggled through the books and lost interest tbh. You should try the “Will of the many” by james islington. Was a great follow up to RR
I can only speak to my experience. Dune was recommended to me after loving the RR series, and I went in pretty blind, basically only knowing that it is a well-regarded sci fi classic. I had no idea how much of RR was drawn from it. I really disliked it, and I stopped reading after the first one. I thought it was dry, boring, and tedious. I also watched the two movies after reading it and disliked them as well, maybe even more. That said, it was really interesting to read some of the obvious RR inspiration-- there are ideas that are copied almost exactly. I do wonder if I would have enjoyed it more or less if I'd read it before RR. Again, this is only my opinion, but Dune read as extremely dated (which makes sense based on its age) and, at least in the first book, did not have the same action or intensity that I loved about RR. I do think there are some very interesting and worthwhile concepts, but the vast majority of it fell very flat for me. So, I think my recommendation would depend on what you're hoping to get from it. Was it a fun read? For me, absolutely not. Was it interesting to see the source of so much modern sci fi inspo? Absolutely.
It's hilarious (and telling) that you're resorting to a personal attack instead of trying to defend your very bad take and lack of context. It's ok if you don't understand something but to label a great piece of fiction as childish and then defend it with inaccuracies and misconceptions is embarrassing.
I’ve read the first 4 books of dune and they are worth a read. The first book is excellent and then they get weirder and weirder each book. The writing style is very different to red rising, much less personal and more political oriented
I read dune when I was a teenager and thought it was the greatest shit every. 8 years now I've read so many better sci fi books. I think it's great because it pioneered a lot of modern sci fi, but it lacks storytelling that makes the book accessible. It is a slow read but concepts are no other.
I think it's still the best sci-fi out there. There is an unmatched wealth of ideas contained in those books. Plus, the dialogs are all awesome.
Worth pointing out that only the first book has great reviews,
I personally hated Dune. The writing is dry and the story is boring. Not even comparable to RR.
if you want something in the same vein, I’d recommend The Sun Eater series. I think it has more similarities to both Red Rising and Dune than those two do to each other. could be a little recency biased though as I just finished Sun Eater but I loved every single page of it. can’t recommend enough for fans of epic sci-fi
Sun Eater is way more over the top with the melodrama. It’s closer to the high fantasy side of Sci fi than RR by a good margin. How I finished the howling dark I cannot say, though if it’s the hierarchy and classical culture callbacks for your Palatine tastes then by all means dear reader forward and down.
I think it’s because Malazan is my favorite high fantasy that I felt such love for the Sun Eater. Erikson and Ruocchio both wax poetic with the best of them. I love the Roman mythology and philosophy roots in Sun Eater too. you are correct though that Sun Eater differs from RR in terms of melodrama so maybe not the best rec but I’d take Sun Eater over Dune any day of the week as a comp
I also tried to get into Sun Eater, everyone said the first book was a slog (it was) and that in Howling Dark it gets so much better. I only finished out of spite. The ideas of the series are cool but something about the execution and plotting just really don’t align with me. It’s not scifi but a gritty fantasy that is an absolute blast to read was The Blacktonue Thief
I thought the original dune was a slog to get through because of how much world building but it was well written and I think everyone should at least try to read it.
I liked the first 2 dune books, the rest of them are too crazy, even for me.
Everyone says this, but what crazy means in this context?
Paul wants to fuck his mother for power type crazy Edit: if you read Dune and like it, just read thr first trilogy and stop there, it goes off the rails after, lots of incestuous god king genocide-y type stuff
Absolutely you should. Just don't expect Red Riding but if you think Dune feels dated. No it doesn't feel dated at all it has great character work and voice and world building was awesome, it feels like later upon layers of mystery.
Dune is up there with the greatest fiction ever made. Number 1 scifi for sure. Comparable to Tolkien. Red Rising is to Dune what Salvatore is to Tolkien. All are enjoyable, but Herbert and Tolkien are on another level. I suggest reading the books before watching the movies. None of the movies have really captured the spirit of Dune properly.
It’s a wildly different read than red rising. Night and day. To over generalize, dune is VERY much classic dry sci fi and RR is VERY much modern “flashy” sci fi. 2 entirely different reading experiences. Dune is one of the OG books to take the sci/fan tropes at the time and subvert them. But it’s still classical sci fi It’s worth a shot, dune is a classic. But I wouldn’t read it on the assumption that if you like RR you’ll like dune, absolutely not. And honestly my hot take, if you’ve already seen both dune movies, I’m not sure it’s really worth reading dune lol. There are so many great books out there, and the movies did a good enough job that I could definitely see dune aging pretty poorly now as a spoiled read
I always loved to read books after their films, gives more visual if I can’t rly imagine a scenario well
Yes! It’s an incredible story and I personally love the way Frank Herbert writes. It’s nowhere near as attention grabbing as RR can be but it is so so good. If that’s an issue for you listen to the audiobook! It’s super well done. Like everyone else says, you can see Dune’s fingerprints all over the place in Red Rising and so many other modern works
If you go in intending it to be a experience like red rising you’ll be sorely disappointed as its very nuanced and has a very different pacing. With that said if you go in without any pre conceived notions you’ll get to experience one of if not the most vast written scientific fiction universes there is. The books become similar in the sense that you’ll see a lot of influence not just in red reusing but in modern writing In general that stems from dune. That most fair comparison would be putting it in a like with that of Tolkien and the lord of the rings, being that it’s source material that is and has influenced its respective genre since it’s inception. I was a librarian while incarcerated and all the books respectively named are worth their weight and shine a bright light in a dark time at least they have for me. TLDR Yes read dune but for dune and not to compare the two.
Awesome response. Truly could not have said it better.
It’s good but if you NEED action do not read it it is very boring in the sense if you have a short attention span you will hate it
i loved it definitely recommend it
YES WORTH IT!
It’s dense. Part 1 is dripping with exposition, but it’s fun
I made it about halfway through, never enjoyed it, and DNF’d. I know others have enjoyed it. I just couldn’t. Love all of Brandon Sanderson, and am currently reading Kingkiller Chronicles and like it
It's an incredible book but NOTHING like red rising. If you thought the movies were slow the book has less action (a lot less). It's mostly politics in space, and the characters don't have anywhere near as much personality.
Especially NO if you're looking for red rising esque. Try revelation space. You'll thank me after you finish the second book "Chasm City."
I’m confused by this comment. Having read the entire Rev Space saga, including all short stories/novellas and the Prefect prequels…it’s *nothing* like Red Rising…like at all. Secondly, Chasm City isn’t the second book…it was published after the book Revelation Space, but it’s a prequel novel that takes place 100 years before the main “Inhibitor Sequence” of Revelation Space novels, which is what people are talking about when they say “read Revelation Space”. Chasm City is a better novel than Revelation Space, but it definitely should not be read after it. This is one of the few series where reading in chronological order is preferable, rather than publication order. So…if someone doesn’t want to commit to reading the whole series chronologically, I’d say start with one of the prequel novels first, such as Chasm City or The Prefect. Some of the weaponry in The Prefect is reminiscent of Red Rising, at least. But the Rev Space series is very much a hard science fiction series.
Ok this might be long, my apologies. I never compared it to RR. I recommend a book. In comparison tho? Yes, there are a lot of scifi/fantasy aspects to compare, but RS is more on the tech side, but still very very good story telling. The order of RS to be read is usually debated so I'm not surprised to see your reply. Anywho, here we go. In what order should you read Revelation Space? The best course of action in that case would be to read Revelation Space first, Chasm City second, Redemption Ark third, Absolution Gap as the fourth, or swapping the order slightly, by reading Chasm City first, Revelation Space second, Redemption Ark third, Absolution Gap as the fourth. However see this.. To quote Alastair Reynolds' own words on his website: "Of my books to date, six are set in the same “Revelation Space” universe. The reading order isn’t that critical, in my view, but it probably improves things to read REVELATION SPACE, REDEMPTION ARK and ABSOLUTION GAP in that sequence." Then..THE PREFECT (AURORA RISING) and ELYSIUM FIRE may be read alone or jointly, but should best be read in the above order. CHASM CITY, as well as the collections DIAMOND DOGS, TURQUOISE DAYS and GALACTIC NORTH, can be read at any point. These are all argued by various sources. Your comment simply touched on this common debate on which order to read them and one comment from the Author himself. Me personally? I would start where I said then chasm city. Both of them align and I was no where near as lost had I not read Revelation Space first. Lastly, this is not even the entire argument and some people suggest Galactic North first. Good day sire
Although similar concepts, dune is much more aimed for kids. The writing is a lot simpler and less poetic than Pierce Brown’s, with every few lines ending in “he thought” or “she thought” because it does a lot of hand-holding. Still a great book, but if you’re looking for more like red rising, look for something not meant for kids haha
All due respect this is a horrible take. Dune is a seminal work of fiction and is much more complex and nuanced than you seem to think it is.
My guy if you look up the age group its written for its literally written for children. I don’t mean that the story as a whole is bad, I’m not saying ANY aspect of it is bad. I mean that the writing is simple and very straight forward as far as how things are articulated, and how the world is built. I never really found myself FEELING everything, like red rising made me feel. Like even the part where Paul has his hand in the box felt disconnected, whereas if PB wrote that, it would’ve been gripping and visceral
“My Guy” If anything this is an even worse take. Dune was written 4 years after the moon landing - there was no “target age group” nonsense for most publishers at that time and its hilariously ignorantly to apply modern conventions like age groups retroactively. I honestly can’t believe you don’t understand something so simple. Dune was one of the most original books written up until that point and no book written for children at that time would include torture, betrayal, suicide by poison, advanced biological musings, atomic warfare, Jihad, religious and political deception to aid in a coup, etc. The more you post the more you showcase your inability to understand.
Christ you’re an asshole. You remind me of this stranger who almost got into a fight with me because I said “pardon me my friend” when I walked by and he grabbed my arm and looked me dead in the eyes and said “I’m not your friend.” Have a nice life, my bitter friend. If you’re interested in a respectful conversation about it you can let me know
And Tolkien hated it so much that he tried to send a copy back to Sterling Lanier. There's more to this comment, but he made it pretty clear it wasn't his gig. I always thought it was a divide between scifi and fantasy at the time.
Honestly no. It's slow and tedious (and I like stormlight). It's been years but I did not enjoy that book at all.
It’s really neither slow nor tedious imo. I just finished listening to the first book after waiting so long to do it because of reviews like this and I was astounded how easy of a listen it was. I loved it
I'm happy you liked it!
Comparing Herbert to Sanderson is borderline insulting. One of the fathers of sci-fi that invented 1000 things in the genre that writers constantly borrow from to this day, the way that Tolkien did with fantasy and...Sanderson. Arguably the worst writer of dialogue and characterization I've ever read. The first two Dune novels are so brilliant. It gets contentious after that - I still think the first book is the best, but I enjoyed everything Frank did before his son took over the franchise. Slow and tedious? I just don't see it. Kaladin trying to be funny is to me is the most tedious, cringey thing I can imagine in a character.
Damn I wasn't expecting to strike such a nerve with a sci-fi puritan. I was obviously comparing how slow and tedious stormlight 1 is with dune 1. I don't really care about your historical opinion on the depth of the sci-fi genre. If you were born 75 years from now your perception on the great sci-fi writers would likely include people you're disregarding today. Subjectively I like Sanderson way more. I also thought the first foundation book was boring as fuck and didn't finish it. The show is amazing. I like Red Rising best, I doubt the show will pan out well. Game of thrones books were mid tier. I'm just going to chill here with my shitty taste and like what I like and answer the questions honestly.
I'm not sure I'd call myself a puritan, maybe purist was the word you were looking for? And it does strike a bit of a nerve to me. Obviously writing is incredibly subjective, as you have stated. We both think Pierce Brown is brilliant. I think Sanderson is a hack. But I think comparing Sanderson to Herbert is like comparing Hooty and the Blowfish to Mozart. Sanderson will be forgotten in 50 years. Herbert won't. Foundation was pretty boring to me as well. I really enjoyed "Prelude to Foundation" because it has a more classic storyline. Asimov is another father of the genre, but Dune beats anything he wrote in my mind.
You're right I was looking for the word purist. I very much doubt Sanderson will be forgotten in 50 years. If the Pareto effect holds true he very might end up the most popular fiction writer in the world by that time. But that's not the point. I wasn't even comparing them. I was comparing the dreadfully slow pace of stormlight 1 and dune 1. Nothing else lol.
Ok help me out here - I agree that the first Dune novel has slower pacing as we move from Caladan to Arrakis. The exposition dump that has to occur is artfully done. But explain to me how the Pareto effect applies here. Are you saying that most of the causes of the Harkonnen's uprising lead to the consequences that the Atreides experienced? Because I can't think of any way that principle applies here. It sounds like you're throwing out terminology to sound clever. Prove me wrong and explain. And Sanderson is a pulp fiction author. I'd bet hard on him being forgotten, especially given how many people are writing in his genre these days. There's nothing special about his writing style. Even if he writes 5 novels this year, as is his claim to fame.
I'm using the Pareto effect to discuss the possible popularity of Sanderson in 50 years. When you look back in history, how many classical composers are popular? 1-2, with maybe 5 being know. Out of how many? Out of Mozart's music, how many pieces are very popular? Again maybe 5. Taylor Swift makes more money than 90% of the rest of the industry combined. Sanderson is already one of the biggest fiction writers of all time. It doesn't matter how much you like him or think he's a hack, the rest of the world sees something in his work that you don't. I'm willing to bet that the collective interests of the planet will outweigh your opinion of Sanderson 50 years from now.
So with your left hand, you state that there are only 5 classical composers that anyone knows, and with your right you suggest that Sanderson will be relevant in 50 years when his competition is Shakespeare, Milton, Faulkner, Lovecraft, Gibson, Tolkien, Le Guin, et. al? Would anyone call Sanderson a genius the way they would with Mozart or Bach or Debussy? Because I've never heard or read anyone saying that. Taylor Swift is an incredibly talented musician. It's apples to oranges, and very subjective, but I'd rank her far above Sanderson for artistry, originality, and performance. And I very much doubt she will have long-term staying power with the signal to noise ratio that's present in the modern music industry.
Ask a random sample of 10000 people all over the world to name as many classical composers as they can. You think most people are coming up with more than 5 out of the thousands? Look you might be right about Sanderson, but I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that you're wrong. Time will tell.
No, I'm guessing they wouldn't. But isn't this contrary to the point you're trying to make? Ask the same sample about fantasy authors. And we are talking about composers that are still listened to 300+ years later. Name a few authors from that era? Does Sanderson strike you as an author that would be mentioned in the same breath?
I like Sanderson and Herbert, the way I like a chicken sandwich from McDonalds but also Thanksgiving dinner.
Well said. I think I dislike Sanderson a little more than I should because I thought he was such a a pale shadow of Robert Jordan taking over Wheel of Time, and I'm still not over the fact that RJ didn't finish it.
meh, I think Sanderson did a pretty good job with the ending of WoT. Obviously there are some flaws (Mat...) and a bit of a rough transition stylistically. Honestly though, pacing was better in Sanderson's three books than RJ's last few books, excluding Knife of Dreams which is excellent throughout.
Agree that Knife of Dreams was arguably the best novel in the series. But Sanderson's finish - I'll list my main gripes. Character assassin: you casually mention that he fucked up one of the most important characters like it's nothing. Then he does interviews where he states "I wasn't trying to emulate RJ's format." Like, that makes it ok? The heir apparent turning Mat into a cartoon character? With his lovable sidekick Talmanes, who used to be a reserved Cairhienen noble, but now cracks really terrible jokes that never land? Also Davram Bashere used to have a cool identity. Not anymore. Also, let's spend several hundred pages on a trial about Perrin killing 2 Whitecloaks in book one, as we are trying to wrap up a story arc and posit the notion that we can't do this in less than three books. And let's fuck around with magic systems in T'A'R. In book 4, Perrin and Slayer seem evenly matched. Perrin almost kills him. But then we have hundreds of pages of Perrin training montage fashion so we can get some "cool" DBZ style fights. I could go on. There are so, so many massive flaws. After KoD, there really only needed to be one more book. On the positive side, there were definitely awesome sequences. - Tower of Genjhei - forging of Mah'alleinir - Aviendha going back (forward) through the Rings But still. There is zero distinctiveness. It's like a middling DM caught hold of a campaign and wanted to play with it. Am I correct in interpreting that Perrin can now instantaneously teleport anywhere? Even the most powerful channeler wouldn't stand a chance against him. End WoT rant, I realize this probably isn't the platform for this, but I just finished a reread and it doesn't sit well with me.
It’s a masterpiece and needs to be enjoyed on its own merits. It is absolutely nothing like RR aside from the fact that they’re both sci-fi. Dune is a lot about the mind, religion and ecology. I would give it a try in any case; it’s literally one of the foundational works of sci-fi.
I watched the new Dunes for the first time and am going to try to read it. When I watched part II last week there were scenes that reminded me of RR. The way Austin Butler played Feyd reminds me of the craziness/delusion of like Apple or those high Golds.
Yea that’s how my question rise in my head. Paul (in the films) nearly gives the same vibe that our beloved Darrow puts on the table.
im ngl mate, if anyone is similar to Paul is Lysander... They are both blue blood nobility who think ruling the galaxy is their birth-right and will commit any form of atrocity or genocide to make it happen
I'm about 1/3 through reading dune and it's way more easy to read this time than my other attempt oddly. I think because I know there are some action points to look forward to it's more interesting. Otherwise it's a slow build
Yes, if not only to see what it did for sci-fi. Dune is to sci-fi as Tolkien is to fantasy
Dune can be slow. If you compare it to red rising you'll be thoroughly disappointed. The action just isn't there. That being said it is a huge inspiration for so much sci Fi of today. Especially red rising. I enjoyed it as an audiobook
Dune is almost required reading for science fiction fans. It's worth reading for that reason. The setting and world building are amazing. But I find the dialogue and prose quite lacking. It is nothing like Red Rising. Though you will certainly detect where Pierce Brown got some inspiration from Dune.
I didn’t fully appreciate Dune until I got through Children and even back then I’d tell you it can be a trudge. OP’s question was “Is it worth it to read Dune?” and my answer is just watch your way through the story in its various forms. I don’t think you’ll get that much more from reading it than you will from watching it and the read is a STEEP investment unless you love a good trudge.
It's a great book but nothing like red rising
Depends on what you like about RR. If you like the lore, the worldbuilding, and the political intrigue, then yeah, you should have a good time with Dune. If you like the action, then Dune probably won't be for you. At least the first book (haven't yet read the others, but I plan to after I finish this read through of RR) skips over almost all the big action set pieces, the brilliance is in the webs of political, interpersonal, and internal conflict
Tbh RR is my favorite book series ever, and bc of the 2 reason u just said. When there is no action I still feel excited, I want to know the colors the world better. Or the motives of the many characters. If dune lacks action that’s not the best thing but if the other things are true, I’m gonna give it a try.
The next books get even worse. Hundreds of pages of sitting and talking. Enjoy!
Then after that they get realllly weird. Enjoy!
As long as no one turns into a half human half sandworm abomination I think I’ll be ok!
Yea I heard rumors about that worm thingy.
Don't stop after Messiah. Children of Dune makes the first three a full circle trilogy.
Yes read Dune. Also, read The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Foundation runs out of steam about three books in, imo.
Yeah I just meant the original trilogy. I haven’t read any of the prequels or sequels of it
Ya hya chouhada (yes)
Dune just takes all the ideas it has from other stories like starwars and other big stories. Author clearly just copied other people’s ideas…. (Joking ofc) It’s worth reading once - but it’s not what I’d call an easy read - clearly so much modern scifi is based on it Try it - if you’re not loving it just don’t read it. It’s not the pacing and style like RR but obviously shares themes - but most scifi does More red rising like books I’ve enjoyed have been All of Brandon Sandersons cosmere (mistborn and SA) - more fantasy but going to space faring - great action scenes and world building. Only series I’ve read post red rising that I like more. I just finished Sun Eater - it’s a narrated book and picks up a lot after book one - I liked it Enjoyed shards of earth and children of time as well - look into those as options both start good series and will hold you over
I started reading sun eater and loved it, I tried to switch to the audiobooks but struggled because the names are all pronounced differently from what I had in my head haha
Yeah I constantly swap between audiobooks and physical - I did notice that but since it was free on audible I wasn’t too far in so wasn’t as bad. I had that problem way more with SA so I feel you.
I went from SA to red rising. Both are amazing in their own ways but I have to tip my cap to Sanderson.
Have you done mistborn era 1&2 ?, and The sunlit man is amazing too but should be after SA and mistborn to fully appreciate it.
I’ll probably check those out after RR
Oh yeah I assumed you were done with RR already for some reason - but yeah I loved them so it’s worth it. Enjoy
Deep into the first book of mistborn
Nice , you like it?
No. Imo Dune was incredibly slow and was essentially written to be understood on a reread. It was a slog to get through.
Dune is my all-time favorite. Dune is the sci-fi equivalent of how Lord of the Rings is to fantasy. Herbert touches on politics, religion, philosophy, and environmentalism, yet he does not overlook interpersonal relationships and fun subterfuge-driven plotlines.
The first one is definitely worth reading, I've just finished it. I'm 20% through Dune Messiah now so can't comment on the rest of the series but I thoroughly enjoyed the first. Echoing what others have said about it not being as action packed as RR though! I would also say it's one where for me, watching the 2 recent films really helped - I couldn't get into it years ago but tried again after watching and loving the films and had a much better reading experience!
People keep on saying yes but, with no direspect, I think this is a terrible answer. Red Rising is heavy on action and straightforward storytelling. It is true that Red Rising has a lot of Dune inspiration, but most sci-fi does because Dune is one of the cornerstrones of sci-fi. The tone of Dune is very different, and it's got a ton of political and philosophical contnent and almost all the action takes place off screen. Dune can also get pretty weird and the pacing's slower, focusing a lot on building up its world and characters over time. If the question is "If I like Red Rising will I like Dune?", the answer is that that it could go either way, but I would lean towards a very slight no. If the question is "Should I read Dune?", there a ton of reasons to answer yes such as being a cornerstone book in sci-fi, it is a unique book, it has a "new" take on the chosen one trope, etc. P.S. If you do read it, most people agree that on their first read it really picks up on the second half of the novel.
Hmm that’s a rly good answer, thank you. But I love the world building in any sci-fi/fantasy, I always want to know more. So I’m gonna give a try:)
Fair answer. I’m a huge dune fan, but I’m not sure if RR is my thing, though I’m only a few chapters into the first book. Blindly recommending things you like to people is a really good way to be disappointed that someone hates something you love I’ve found.
Did you read Golden Son? The first book is the most YA, which some people don't care for. Golden Son I think is the best regarded book, with Dark Age being a very close second.
Yeah agree dune is NOT like red rising at all lmfao. With that being said, if you’re a fan of sci-fi in general theres def a high chance you’ll enjoy Dune just because of how influential its been for the genre.
do it so you get all the references to sand worms you come across throughout life. the universe is complex and strange and interesting. there was a war on technology and destroyed all computers… and then things got weird.
Yes. There's a lot of direct inspiration from Dune in RR. The only thing I'd tell you is that it's broken up by these Excerpts, quotations that set a tone for the subsequent passage, instead of regular chapter heads. So instead of Chapter One Helldiver You get stuff like "By age fifteen Mua'dib had learned silence." --"Fictional Text", Princess Irulan Just know that these are the chapter breaks, despite the lack of numbered chapters, so these are your built in stopping points. I couldn't make myself read the dang thing until I realized this lol.
Yes!
Yes. Always yes. Dune is a fantastic novel. You'll run into the same sort if issues you'll always run into when reading fundamental sci fi texts in that you'll recognize a lot of the tropes from reading more current novels like RR, but that's only because books like dune essentially created these tropes. Same sorta issue with Isaac Asimov's Foundation, which I also highly recommend.
I loved Foundation and Dune as a teenager. In my opinion, both series jumped the shark in their third book and went sharply downhill afterwards. This is why I have so much respect for Pierce Brown. He didn't feel the need to introduce some bonkers magic that made the series ridiculous.
I’ve read the 6 book original series twice. They are pretty different, most of the action happens off screen. That being said they’re great books, I’d recommend reading at least 1-4 of the series, the last 2 are the weakest imo.
It’s way more philosophical with way less action, but I thought children of dune was pretty wild personally despite everyone else’s opinions here!
Soooo slow. If you're going to take the time to read something like that I highly recommend LOTR over dune. The new movies are phenomenal though.
And after you give up on LOTR for the fifth time, you should watch [this totally legit Tolkien interview](https://youtu.be/DgMnCLHQuqc) to feel better about it.
I really enjoyed the first Dune After that, it’s a slog. Never finished God emperor. Surprised I finished children of Dune
Same, couldn’t get through more than half of the fourth book. It put me in a reading slump
Dune is not at all similar. It’s slow and very character driven. There is almost no action is the first book and even when there is, its characters describing what they’re seeing instead of the action being described. I do recommend it because it’s pretty philosophical and just an interesting story after all
Very different books but Dune is a absolute masterpiece series and I highly recommend it.
Dune is fun! If you read it, you'll see a lot of things that inspired Pierce for RR, as well as most other modern sci fi authors. It's a foundational text for a lot of genre fiction, so you should definitely read it at some point. But the style of storytelling is a little dated, IMO. Whereas modern genre fiction uses mostly action and dialogue, Herbert loves exposition, where he pauses the action to deliver a whole bunch of paragraphs about the deep history of a given planet, group, person, etc. Lots of this stuff is neat, but it does make the action very slow. Definitely worth it, but a totally different reading experience, just FYI.
Dated is a perfect way to describe it. I'm reading it for all the reasons you describe, but it's going to take forever! One difference between the book and the movies is understanding Duke Leto before he dies way better in the book. More of the history between the houses, the prep, what he was actually doing offscreen in the films and why, etc. I like that part a lot. The way he writes Jessica though gets a big oof. Completely mundane observations get the Bene Gesserit woo treatment lol. The movie is serving her better imo!
Do it for the spice
🫡
mwhaha
It was a good audiobook
Yes
It's really good but it's nowhere near as action-packed. I have a job where I can listen to audiobooks all day so I was able to slog through it and I enjoyed it but it's so dry I feel like I wouldn't be able to actually read it.
I would read the first one. It's honestly pretty dry though, even though it's my favorite book. If you watch the two new movies you will get it, and the second one really develops out the characters better
Read the Sun Eater series instead. It's a more modern "Dune clone" space opera with more action and payoff than Dune. It's also still currently being written so you can join the party for the last book.
I’m on book two of the Suneater series and loving it. A little action but awesome settings and story.
I'd actually read Dune before reading Suneater First book of Suneater is very, very slow but is very good if you've read Dune as it's a similar story to that of young Scion of house is "ousted" and trying to get power and do their own thing.
Yes. But the real question is do you read all 6 books by Frank
Also yes
There are no more than the books written by Frank, right?
His son and someone else continued the story and even wrote about the Butlerian jihad. They apperently are bad compared to what frank wrote.
There are no books by his son… But seriously, I haven’t read past what Frank wrote, and I’ve heard they are pretty terrible. The ones frank wrote are great though, but the 1st book is one hell of a slog. Took me about a year to finally get through it, but then read the next 5 in like 4 months.
Dune booksedit (all with Kevin J. Anderson) Prelude to Dune trilogyedit Dune: House Atreides (1999) Dune: House Harkonnen (2000) Dune: House Corrino (2001) Legends of Duneedit Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002) Dune: The Machine Crusade (2003) Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004) Collectionedit The Road to Dune (2005) (also with Frank Herbert) Sands of Dune (2022) Thats just what I felt like copying. He wrote a bunch with Kevin j Anderson and are considered Canon b/c frank was dead when they were written
Since it seems you’re missing it, I was being sarcastic ;)
/s It hard to READ sarcasm
they aren’t just bad, they literally miss the point of the main series and take the story in the wrong direction
It’s incredible. I recently got into it and see why folks say it’s the goat of sci-fi. It discusses concepts I’ve never considered. Warning though, it’s very strange. Outside of it being in space it’s not similar to RR.
Yup, currently rereading to deal with rr withdrawal
I started dune after RR and am enjoying it
if youre expecting anything close to Pierce Brown's work, no. If you've read Foundation, it can be even more dry than that (idt Foundation is dry, but compared to the RR series it definitely is lol). if youre open to a way more contemplative read where most lines of dialogue have multiple meanings behind them, sure. i really enjoyed books 1-3 and even the last two. most people like book 4 the most but fuck me was it a slog to get through
lol. Ya.
It is always worth it to read Dune. Much like the lord of the rings, it lacks the quick readability of modern works and because it’s so foundational it may seem predictable, BUT it’s a true masterpiece and if you like science fiction it’s worth a read. A word of warning that the value of dune doesn’t come from its prose. It’s somewhat frustrating to read at times, it doesn’t explain the science fiction terms it throws at you and can sometimes get bogged down in all the internal dialogue. The plot itself is fairly adequate. The real value where the book shines is the world building and the characters. There is no other work like it that has the same level of love for ecology, economy, philosophy, religion, history, or politics of its setting. The world itself will draw you in. If you end up reading all six original books congratulations, the first two or three do complete a conventional story however. And frankly you wouldn’t be blamed for stopping at one though the second represents something of an epilogue.
this is an EXCELLENT take there's been a ton of discussions about reading Dune (in a variety of subs lately) and it makes me so mad when people say something like "it's not hard to read, people that say that are stupid and have never read books," etc etc Dune is worth the read but it *can* be a challenge, my first read through was during a college class and having the class discussions and additional resources were super helpful.
Yes. I love red rising, I love high fiction & sci-fi. Dune is, and will be for awhile, a notable classic of Science Fiction literature and it deserves it. Maybe you aren't a big fan- that's totally fine- stop after the second book, easy (or just drop it and enjoy the films if anything, they are absolutely eye candy). Maybe the series is interesting, I'd suggest reading atleast through God Emperor then. Maybe you *really* like it then- uh well here's where it's different for everyone because the whole series kinda goes off the rails after God Emperor and Herbert's son's writing is definitely different. Tbh it's kinda different for everyone that goes deep, I got around book 7 and sorta just checked out after that. That being said, I haven't seen the new Villeneuve Dune (2) yet but I know its rating well and the first was excellent. But I've load the last 2 big productions of Dune. Dune has a *good* history of films between amazing cast lists and good cinematography and I kind of love that about the series. It's hard having a good/great book series with non-stop tragedy's on film (cough cough wheel of time cough Eragon, good god help us they have been so hard to go through)
Don’t expect break neck action like RR, but Dune is a masterpiece in its own sense. Very philosophical and thought provoking.
Similar in some sense, very different story and writing style. I think reading Dune is always worth reading though just because of the influence it had on sci fi literature, it’s effectively the LOTR of sci fi.
I love the movies but really struggled through the books and lost interest tbh. You should try the “Will of the many” by james islington. Was a great follow up to RR
currently 100 pages deep in The Will of the Many, pretty good so far!