Dune
SynopsisPlot
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides—who would become known as Muad'Dib—and of a great family's ambition to bring to fruition mankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
Story
About this book
Dune is set on Arrakis, a desert planet where water is scarce and survival depends on strict discipline. The planet's one irreplaceable resource is melange, a spice that can extend human life and heighten awareness. Control of its production makes Arrakis the most politically valuable world in a far-future interstellar civilization, and competing noble houses scheme to secure that control at any cost.
The story follows Paul Atreides, the young heir of House Atreides, whose family is assigned to govern Arrakis. The appointment is fraught with danger: rival powers have held the planet for decades and have no intention of yielding its wealth. When betrayal strikes, Paul is forced from the relative safety of noble life into the open desert, where he encounters the Fremen, Arrakis's indigenous people, who have quietly maintained their own long-term plans for the planet's ecology.
Frank Herbert published Dune in 1965 after it was serialized in the magazine Analog. The novel won the first Nebula Award and shared the Hugo Award. Its scope draws together ecological science, political intrigue, religious manipulation, and questions about messianic leadership, all grounded in the practical details of a world where every drop of moisture matters.
