Book review: Dune

I had often heard of that book and wanted to read it for a while. The thing is I'm a bit lazy and not really into reading. Yet, I thought that being asked to read a book for this English class was a good opportunity to give it a try – and I definitely don't regret it.

I'm talking about Dune by Frank Herbert, an epic science fiction novel. It is not unlikely you have already heard of it, maybe even read it, as it's actually the world's best-selling sci-fi novel.

The story is set in a distant future and tells us about a feudal interstellar society where noble houses, in control of individual planets, owe allegiance to the emperor. Following the life of Paul Atreides, the main character of the novel, who also happens to have extraordinary abilities – such as control of his metabolism, heightened senses and seeing the future – we slowly discover not only the plot but also the multiple aspects of this world. From politics and religion to technology, ecology, culture or human interaction, we can't help but be struck by the complexity and the details of Herbert's creation.

And this is what might put you off at first. The slow start and abundance of description mean it really takes some time and effort to get into the novel. When you finally manage to go past that, however, you will understand why it is considered by many to be such a masterpiece.

A few cool words I found while reading it:

Dubiety – the state or quality of being doubtful; uncertainty

Elated – thrilled, delighted

Defer – submit humbly to (a person or a person's wishes or qualities)

Prescient – having or showing knowledge of events before they take place

Poised – having a composed and self-assured manner

Edit: Here's a short story using those words:
Once upon a time, there was a man pretending to be a wizard. Because he was so poised, he had no trouble convincing anyone he was prescient, and nobody would ever mention the dubiety of his powers. All of his acquaintances, elated, deferred to his superior knowledge.